Train To Hunt.com

Email to Dan:

Hey Dan- I hope all is going well for you. I’ve been reading some of your posts on bowsite about getting in shape and something hit me tonight. I think you’re missing the boat on fitness for hunting as far as the whitetail guys are concerned. With Cam and Dwight and anyone else that’s pushing hunting fitness it’s all about hunting out west (primarily elk), but no one is focused on the whitetail guys. I’ve been lifting and working on my cardio quite a bit lately, partly to get in shape for the benefit of it, and partly to make things easier when I hang stands, drag out deer, and scout. I know it’s not the same thing as hunting out west, but the interest is in whitetails. I think there’s some room for your philosophy, knowledge, and drive in the whitetail world. Naturally, this is going to be a niche thing because a lot of whitetail hunters are fat, lazy, and simply don’t need to get in shape. But there are plenty of us who are limited primarily to whitetails that feel like being in shape is going to help our season.

Not sure where I’m going with this but I thought I should contact you. I think you do a hell of a job of promoting fitness for hunters and am wondering if there’s some room to work together to get into the world of whitetails.

Dan’s Reply:

Love the topic and you’re probably correct that a whitetail guy really doesn’t have to be in an out West fitness level, BUT…

I believe to sit in a tree-stand all day, on full predator alert, like your next meal counted on it, that you have to be in extremely great shape. A guy that doesn’t have a well-rounded fitness status can easily succumb to feeling sleepy at certain points of an all day sit, and that just may cost you the one opportunity at a buck of a lifetime… or even a basic P&Y minimum buck. If you’re out of shape, do really care what you ate for dinner the night before or that you ate 2 donuts and a cup of coffee while driving to your whitetail spot in the morning? What you eat, how you train, and your overall discipline determines how well you feel and how well you perform in my opinion. This applies to whitetails.

It’s my contention that it takes a great deal of mental strength (that could be improved through demanding workouts and the discipline that fitness yields) to stay on full alert mode and to stay motivated throughout the season, even on sits where you don’t see anything, but a squirrel.

If I only had whitetails to hunt, I would gravitate towards all day sits no matter the weather, no lunch breaks, no stand naps, just the most disciplined hunting allowed. I would have a dozen stand set-ups (which takes some fitness to do correctly), and an attitude that perfection matters… hike the extra few miles to get the wind right, be fit so a quarter mile hike doesn’t leave you soaked in sweat which will eventually be your demise if you get cold and have to get down, etc.

Whitetail hunting is one of the hardest pursuits when done correctly and with passion. Plus, have you ever had to get a whitetail back to your truck without the aid of a four-wheeler or a buddy, etc? I’m sure you have, but I’d be worried about most overweight hunters trying to drag a 150lb buck even a quarter mile in some hilly country. Predators that are fit, survive… bottom line.

Whitetail shape needs no distinction from elk shape or sheep shape. You’re fit, healthy, you hunt better, you hunt harder, and you probably get to hunt longer in life.

-DS

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