Get In Shape, Be Prepared or Stay Home

Get In Shape, Be Prepared, Or Stay Home

By Dave Freeman

It was the last hour of daylight on the last day of a five-day northern New Mexico elk hunt. This would be the last chance to harvest a majestic Rocky Mountain elk.

On this hunt I had been hunting with Ohio Valley Outdoors sales manager Ray Ward and OVO Sweepstakes winner Mickey Henegon. Our outfitter for this hunt was Kiowa Outfitters out of Rayton, N.M.

I was hunting on San Antonio Mountain, the highest freestanding mountain in the United States. That day there were 25-to 30-mile winds blowing across the mountain. My guide and I had traveled high up on the mountain in an effort to get above any elk coming out of the heavy pines to the open meadows in late afternoon to feed during the full moonlight.

After a short stay in our position my guide was informed by radio from another guide (spotting the mountain from thousands of feet below us) that a herd of elk had appeared on the mountain at the next meadow just west of us, moving up the mountain. At least one good bull was in the herd according to the spotter.

The stock was on. We were able to climb up our side of the canyon and found ourselves across and below the herd about 320 yards away. Caught out in the open and having to make my shot kneeling, I was using my Stony Point BI-pod, a product that I had just purchased and what I consider a must for any hunter who would want a solid convenient shooting rest. Once set up, I saw the bull was a five-by-five through my Leupold 3X9 as I put the crosshairs on his huge front shoulder and pulled the trigger of my Remington 700 7mm.

This is the point of the story where I keep you hanging as to the outcome of the shot, tell you how hard I worked and what was involved to get to the point of the impact of the shot.

Everyone knows that people who live here in the Ohio Valley dwell at an altitude of 1,000 to 1,500 feet. When hunting elk out west the altitude of the mountain you need to hunt will be anywhere from six to 12,000 feet. That calls for getting in shape. One expert wrote, "For every mile you walk for an elk hunt, you need to walk 100 miles in preparation."

Getting ready for this hunt did Ray and I prepare? No, not even close. In fact, the actual walking we did to prepare for this trip might have been measured in feet instead of miles. The exercise we have gotten since the beginning issues of OVO some two and half years ago has undoubtedly been the least amount in our lives.

What other physical preparations did we do for this hunt? The answer -- Next to none. In fact little. No exercise, gaining weight, getting older, aches and pains -- the ingredients that make for a pleasant and successful elk hunt. NOT!

What about equipment preparation? We read the instructions for our GPS in the truck on the way to New Mexico. Our guide suggested we use a bi-pod or shooting stick on this hunt. Stoney Point products had sent us two of their light-weight collapsible bi-pods with the instructions that you need to shoot a lot of rounds through your guns with the product before going out in the field. I had shot four and Ray had shot none before arriving at camp.

If our goal for this trip was to spend some good outdoor time with our sales manager and friend, Ray Ward, and our sweepstakes winner, we were prepared for that. If our goal was to see some of the prettiest parts of the Rockies we were prepared for that.

Getting an elk, that would be another matter.

And what about shooting our guns? I was using a Remington 700 BDL 7 mag and Ray used a 30-06. Our friends from Winchester had supplied us with four boxes of ammunition. As I clicked the safety off my rifle, I’m ashamed to admit there were still sixty-five rounds of this fine ammo still in my gun case.

In short, in regards to preparation for the hunt, physical, mental, and equipment wise we were not prepared in the slightest.

Hunting at 10- to 11,000 feet surprised us and it was not as bad as we thought. However, I’m sure that our outfitter Tim Bauclaugh had to make some adjustments as to how we would hunt and maybe even change some places that he would have liked for us to go.

As I left the hunting camp later that night, Tim said, "See you next year." My reply was, "I will be in better shape and more prepared." Tim’s comment was "Yeah sure!"

And therefore the challenge is on for me, Ray, and our readers.

While we are committed to eating less, eating at better times, getting more exercise and becoming one with our equipment (which will include range hours and trigger squeezes) we call on our readers to help keep us in line. The next time you see us at a sports show or fair, remind us of this story. Remind us of our pledge particularly when you see us with the hot sausage sandwich in our hands at 9 p.m. Sports and gun club members, remind us that we need to be at your range with our guns practicing for many hours before next year’s hunt.

One thing’s for sure, as for myself at this point, next year if I am not in shape and more prepared, I will, in fact, STAY AT HOME!

Oh yea now to finish the story of the hunt.

I squeezed the trigger of the 7 mag and the bull didn’t flinch. In fact he and the rest of the herd ran toward the pines and closer to us. The distance now cut down to 250 yards. A second round was chambered and as the elk stopped before entering the heavy pines I fired again with the same results as the first shot, a miss.

Two chances of a lifetime, two shots at a trophy Rockey Mountain Elk two misses.

Why had I missed, strong winds, shooting up hill, a new bi-pod, maybe, but most of all because of lack of practice, lack of preparation. Those are what caused me the Elk of a lifetime.