As I sit here at 4:44 AM on a Sunday morning, wide awake, I can’t help but notice the overwhelming anticipation and excitement that I have for the season. Today is July 26th, which for me marks 33 days till my season kicks off and only 20 till I’m on the first muley hunt of the year with Marlon.
Like many of you reading this, I look forward to this time of year more than the rest. This is our time to grind and, God willing, come out on top, glorious with success smeared in blood across our gear.
The pre-game butterflies I used to get before big basketball games as a teenager have aged and now manifested into what I get currently before another hunting season unfolds.
Bow dialed? Yes. Confident in my planning and preparation leading up until this point? Yes. Physically ready to tackle the mountains? Hell yes. If I’m locked in and ready to roll out, then why do I still feel this sense of nervousness? I think as I get older, I’m starting to understand that this feeling is not born in inadequacy but in the trenches of hard work, dedication, and desire. At the same time, I believe the mystery of what will unfold in the mountains and the impossibility of predicting how anything will happen are what exacerbate this feeling.
If you are feeling this way too, that’s good; it means you are ready. It means you care. You’re probably prepped and have put in the time into your craft during the long months between seasons. And if you haven’t, well, maybe we can finish this last month strong. Below are just a couple of things you could be doing in this last month before the season to get things on track.
Today, it’s no secret that physical fitness and readiness are a major ally in the backcountry. With guys like Cam Hanes and Brian Barney leading the charge, it’s no wonder why. The thousands of miles they put into the off-season contribute to much of their success during the hunts themselves. After researching this topic, we’ve dialed in what matters most for you during this last month before the season.
First, it’s time on feet. Pace doesn’t matter as much during this part of the year, but you want to be spending as much time up and on your feet as possible. For some of you, that may be walking, and for others, running.
For you runners, this would be a slower pace in that Zone 2 conversational aerobic. Here we’re maintaining your ligament and tendon health, developing that forever engine, the one that has you pushing from ridge to ridge tirelessly.
Not only are you moving longer on your feet during your sessions, but you’re spending more days out of the week doing so as well. At this point, you should be up and moving, whether it be walking, rucking, and/or running, at least five days per week. This should also dictate your tempo and pace. If you can’t effectively hit five sessions on your feet per week, there’s a good chance you’re outpacing what your body can handle at this point. Slow down.
This longer, consistent day-in-and-day-out work on your feet is what you will be doing during season, so it’s smart to get your system in tune to this before the hunt begins and the ‘real’ miles start.
At least one of these sessions should involve some incline work with your pack on. The stair climber does work, but is by no means the end-all, be-all. We’ve found that the stair climber may increase cardio and get you used to your pack but fails to engage many of the smaller muscles in your legs that are responsible for stability in uneven terrain. This is noticed during the first couple of days to a week of the hunt if you’re not prepped for it, especially when side hilling.
Next, work the downhill. Everyone thinks of the uphill battle in the mountains, but not everyone thinks of coming down. This is where most people blow their legs up in the backcountry. Steep downhill missions with a heavy pack use a completely different muscle set than those pushes up in elevation. Your lower quads will thank us later during the season if you incorporate this quick exercise into your last month of training.
First, find a treadmill at your local gym. Set the incline to 10–15% and walk in reverse (backwards) at a walking speed or whatever you are comfortable with. Pretty quickly, you will notice your lower quads start to fatigue and burn out. This is the exact feeling you want. To make this more challenging, you can either hold 20–25 lb dumbbells at your sides and/or wear your pack during this exercise. Trust us on this; you will thank us later.
Full body fitness is important in the mountains, but at this point in this last month, the focus should be on fine-tuning your engine and getting it battle-ready. And no, you don’t have to feel like Superman to kill a buck or a bull, but it sure doesn’t hurt.
Another thing you should be doing right now during the last bit of the off-season is e-scouting and hunt planning. At the very least, you should know your possible access points into the country you plan to be hunting, your glassing knobs, efficient routes into and around that country, and have a hunt plan.
Your hunt plan should have more spots than what you could fit into your hunt. This is your ‘clear-headed’ plan that keeps you mobile and moving efficiently if you’re not getting into critters or the ones you are looking for. Finding that next drainage and/or basin during the heat of the hunt is much harder when you’re sleep-deprived, malnourished, and potentially stressed due to the time winding down on your hunt. Having a solid hunt plan keeps you locked in and efficient through this foggy state.
When it comes to gear, you should be organized and ready earlier rather than later. This will help you avoid forgetting instrumental parts of your kit and keep you focused on the hunt itself rather than finding the nearest outfitter to see if they haven’t sold out of whatever it might be that you left or never picked up in the first place. If your stuff is out and ready one week before you leave, it gives you ample time to pick up a missing item.
Alongside making sure you have the gear is making sure it works effectively and you know how to use it. There’s nothing like struggling to set up a new shelter in the pissing rain. Set up your shelters and blow up your sleeping pads, new and old, and make sure they’re still effective for what you need them for. The sealant on a tent and/or sleeping pad can go bad from one season to the next, making that next rainstorm a little wetter and sleeping a nightmare.
Finally, you should be shooting your bow before season. If not year-round, at the very least the last months leading up to season. At the very least, we owe it to the critters we chase to be as effective as possible with our weapon of choice.
For those of you who shoot year-round, there are a few things you can do this time of year to emulate the hunt itself.
First, you can shoot one meaningful arrow in the morning—just one. You make a bad shot; you’re going to have to live with it for at least a couple of hours or until the end of the day when you can shoot again. This simulates that one ‘cold bore’ shot you are going to get at an animal in the field and tunes you into that moment.
Secondly, we find that shooting more, in terms of volume, in that last month leading into season doesn’t always help you move forward with things. Sometimes overshooting can lead to target panic and poor form if you shoot until the point of exhaustion.
Earlier in the off-season, you may shoot 50–100+ arrows a day, but as things get closer, we find that 20–40 intentional, perfect arrows outperform volume. We are really trying to make every arrow count during this time.
You should also be practicing shooting from all positions you may potentially find yourself in during season. Longer holds, off your knees, maybe seated if you’re going to be hunting out of a ground blind. Anything you can practice and emulate before season will make the ‘real’ thing more comfortable.
Lastly, when it comes to shooting, you should be in tune with your rangefinder. You should be comfortable with the process of ranging during your shot process. A mishap with your rangefinder in those last final seconds could have that dream buck or bull bounding off before you even get your limbs back.
It’s a game of inches, and it’s the small stuff that matters in the end.
Practice your craft in its entirety and watch as things come together during your hunt.
As we close in on opening day, remember that this season will have its highs and lows. There will be moments when things don’t go your way, when exhaustion sets in, or when plans fall apart in the mountains. That’s all part of the journey. Keep your head up, lean into the adversity, and trust the work you’ve put in. Every setback teaches you something, and every challenge makes the success that much sweeter.
Wishing each and every one of you the best of luck this season—stay hungry, and persevere through it all. See you out there.
