This coming spring I’ll be heading into the Idaho backcountry for a spot and stalk archery spring bear hunt. The past few years I’ve done this hunt with a rifle and been successful doing so. It’s always brutal and I always look forward to it. With this being an archery hunt, the physical demands will be even greater and I’ve been chipping away on backcountry prep little by little to prepare myself.
Backpack hunting is largely an endurance game. After countless backcountry hunts, I’ve always attached myself to that logic. It’s a marathon, not a sprint, and you just have to have the ability to keep going when you don’t want to.
With that in mind one of the main ways I’ve been preparing myself for this hunt is through trail running. I figure if I can run hills, then I can damn sure hike them. Instead of falling into monotony though, I’ve been sticking my own sort of program in regard to miles.
My goal has been trail running 3 times a week with some sporadic road runs in between. Each day on the trail I switch up my mileage. I’ll start with a medium type of mileage for myself, follow that up with about 35% less the next run, and then increase about 35% more the third run. So, it might look something like 3.8 miles, 1.9 miles, 5 miles. That will be followed by 2 days of recovery, which is usually in the form of active recovery like hiking, weight lifting, mobility work, etc. My body has been responding great to this.
Each week that goes by I am trying to up the ante with the miles. I’ve gotten up to 8 miles on the trail for my long run and am gunning to hit the 10 mile mark before my hunt. That may not sound like a lot, but for someone who has never been into running, like me, it’s a big deal and I’m looking forward to crushing that goal.
I’m not gonna lie. There are mornings when I wake up at 4:30 a.m. and I don’t want to workout. I’d rather enjoy a nice cup of coffee and a book. Waiting for my daughter to wake up at 7 for some one on one hang outs with her Dad. These times are fleeting with her, so I do indulge in that from time to time and either move my workout to later in the day or I make sure I’m done before she gets up. With that in mind, I also am trying to set an example for her. It’s normal to her for Daddy to go for a run or for Mommy to go to the gym. This is something I’m hoping she’ll take into her adult life.
Along with balancing family time, I also know that if I don’t apply myself, my hunt is going to not go as smoothly. I’ve been there and it sucks not being physically prepared. The mountains I’m walking into are no joke with a rifle. With a bow? It’s gonna be next level and I’m thirsty for it.
In the next post, I’ll go into my strength routine for backcountry prep. This is something I’ve lacked on in the past and have grown a new perspective around strength in general.
Wanna learn more about backpack hunting? Check out my book Becoming a Backpack Hunter – A Beginner’s Guide to Hunting the Backcountry.
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