Training tips for newbie sheep hunter?
 

Hey folks,

As some of you have likely gathered if you have caught any of my past posts, I am a total rookie hunter that just ended my first season without harvesting. That being said, I am really keen and went as all out as I could with a family and full-time job. Got out most weekends solo backpack hunting in 412/316, including a bunch of overnights.

Next year I want to go on a 4 night / 5 day, probably solo sheep hunt. I realize that my chances for success are extremely low, but I am not getting any younger, tags will not get any easier to obtain, and I want to start down the learning curve. I am no backcountry god, but I have enough experience to know the level of fitness I require, have all the basic backcountry gear I need, and am comfortable sleeping alone in the mountains.

What I wanted to ask you guys is that if you had 8 months to prepare for a trip like this, and you were a total newbie, what skills would you work on and how would you go about it?

Strength and conditioning....cardio.....eat, sleep and train.....then all the other rigours that sheep shape people will chime in on.....good luck.

Being good at judging legal rams.

Sorry for the rambling structure, but here's some tips:

• Prioritize stretching, even so far as doing some forms of yoga. You'll find many threads here about eager guys throwing weights around and getting injured. You probably don't need to pack on a bunch of muscle, but you do need to remain healthy leading up to and during your hunt.

• Familiarize your body with a heavy backpack, start to work on some hikes around your neighborhood and find some hills where you can load your pack down and move around in it. Use your boots too!

• Get on a rowing machine 3-4 times a week and go for 5000 m per go, tracking your progress. This is great cardio, simulates an 18-25 minute aggressive exertion, targets your supporting back muscles and core, and even some legs. Throw in some 10,000 m attempts once you consistently flirt with a 2 minute for 500m split.

• Think about your food for your trip and try to re-create that menu a few times while home for the week. See how you feel and how your body reacts. Adjust as needed.

Good start there.

Ya, that part is pretty intimidating. Better start studying pictures and hopefully I can start looking before the season on scouting trips.

I am pretty active, so I have a base right now, but realize I have a long way to go. I used to train long- distance trail running... but that is with a very light day pack.

This is great, thanks. Flexibility is a big challenge for me, so I should work at that for life in general. Rowing is a great idea. I whitewater kayak which is great for core, but this is only once a week so it it is hard to do more than maintain the fitness.

Think I will have to work on the heavy pack. I am good all day with a multiday pack, but do start to feel a tinge in the hips. I will need to get in better shape if I am going to do a long pack out. I am not a huge guy.

4 parts on youtube
 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_Q17zA55Os

I just watched this yesterday, just a different perspective

Crap, just starting work. Hope I can make it until tonight before watching this! Looks really interesting.

There isn't much snow out there atm. The best training is to just go looking for sheep. Load your pack out and hike. Take your camera and take pictures of them inside 300 yards. Even if you don't see any, just getting up in the rocks is the best training you can do.

I am hoping to get out for a day hike/scout a couple times every month in the off season to start scouting general areas. I think I will have to do some loading of the pack up and down the river valley by my house in Calgary more often, though.

I hit sheep season in good shape and shat shape, didn’t seem to matter...still took 3 days to get the go legs. More mileage in a day comes from watching your breathing, charging the hill and stopping all the time to huff and puff doesn’t work. Slow down or make them steps shorter till you can keep moving forward without stopping.

More glassing less hiking.

Yes on judging!!!!

Sheep are where you find them, it’s not always text book, buggers can be anywhere, low or high.

A mentor is fastest way to get up to speed.

sheep
 

I hit sheep season in good shape and shat shape, didn’t seem to matter...still took 3 days to get the go legs. More mileage in a day comes from watching your breathing, charging the hill and stopping all the time to huff and puff doesn’t work. Slow down or make them steps shorter till you can keep moving forward without stopping.

More glassing less hiking.

Yes on judging!!!!

Sheep are where you find them, it’s not always text book, buggers can be anywhere, low or high.

A mentor is fastest way to get up to speed.
X2

I used to do a ton of trail running, so I am totally onboard with the efficiency of a long, slow, consistent charge!

I guess for judging it is probably best to start studying pictures and then get out as much as possible this summer to check them out? I will definitely be studying them on the road to Redstreak Campground in Radium where they hang out every summer.

As for a mentor, I do not know any sheep hunters... but if anyone out there with experience is looking for a meat packer that can commit to a five day trip, will put in the effort to be in shape, is comfortable in the backcountry, and is a pretty calm, politically moderate, and safety conscious guy - let me know. :)

If you have done long distance stuff I believe you have the hardest part done already. I believe a huge part of... no the biggest component is your head! Now believe me, it's a lot more fun if you are in good shape. But if your brain can make your body keep putting one foot in front of the other you'll get it done. I did a mt goat hunt in BC a few years ago at far less then good shape. That was an incredible adventure that a fat guy like me shouldn't have been able to do...but I did it. I am 5'8" and was about 280 at hunt time. I wanted it and had a great hunter host buddy that was patient. He told me basicly the same thing. He's guided guys in great shape that crapped out.
Honestly, I'm sick of the idea perpetrated these days that you have to be an iron man kinda guy to hunt elk or sheep or goats. If you want it bad enough you'll get r done. IMHO the hardest part of hunting sheep is judging legality. I've only been able to harvest 1 ram and I watched him for part of 2 days before dropping the hammer. Most guys that hunt them a lot said oh ya he's legal...easy when he's dead and plugged! Look at as many sheep as you can so that you'll know.

That makes sense, and reflects my experiences with long distance running. Easy to quit in the middle of the night on a race you are not invested in because you are tired, but if you really want it, you limp across the finish line with body fluids flowing down your leg!

Best tips I can offer in no particular order:
- when having to train indoors, lift weights for endurance and focus on deadlifts, lunges, squats
- nothing replaces cardio training using a weighted backpack; even weighted vests are not the same because they don't pull your CoG backwards like a heavy backpack does
- as soon as possible, hike hills repeatedly with the heavy backpack on because this sport-specific training is critical to matching the hiking in the mountains
- peak your training a month before your sheep hunt and then taper your training so your body is fully healed and primed for the hunt

What are you guys using for weight to simulate packing out meat? I am thinking sealed 25lbs. bags of rice would be good?

Forget all the training. It's all in your head. If your mind can't push you over the next mountain, your body has no chance.

I am not yet a sheep hunter, but the last few months I have created a workout schedule that should help me spend more time hunting and on the mountain. I use a 45 pound sandbag in my pack (in a dry bag so I don't get sound all over the gym) and do one endurance ruck and one intense ruck a week (currently doing the stair master without the pack but will be adding it soon, probably a lighter weight). This goes along with plenty of other cardio during the week i.e. running. I started with 25lbs but I knew I wanted to get to 40-50 (i.e. a little heavier than my standard pack with no meat).

One thing I have come across in my research is that at the end of the day, heavy weight in your pack following a successful hunt will always feel like heavy weight, even if you train with 80 -100 pound bags every day, its just heavy. Also, that training everyday with 80 - 100 pound pack may do more harm than good. Meat on your back is going to be heavy, there is no way around that, its going to suck, but at the end it feels great. I have packed a couple of critters out from a few KM back, and know the feeling. You just need to make sure your buddy is conditioned correctly to get that meat to the truck safely.

I try to train all muscle groups equally, but try and get lots of core workouts in throughout the week. Also pay special attention to legs, back, and STRETCHING. I also sacrifice weight for more reps, get those muscles screaming and build up that endurance.

The Hunt Backcountry Podcast has a great rucking episode if you are thinking about trying training with weighted pack: https://exomountaingear.com/132/

Don’t forget the physical or mental training, both are important and in my experience your physical training helps with your mental training, knowing you are in sheep shape and have put in the effort is a huge confidence booster.

I will check out that episode, great podcast. Just listening to some of the sheep episodes right now. Will check out the ruck one.

I was thinking of starting at 50lbs or so, but with really short duration hikes on steep terrain. I live by the Calgary river valley and would start with 30min. up and down and slowly build from there.

I found this with running and am going to try and carry this over to hunting. A big part of being able to run for 24hrs. is the confidence that you have done 12hrs. Mental toughness is huge, but it can also be easy to hurt yourself if the body is not in shape to handle the pounding.

I've used both barbell plates and bags of sand. Either works.

This is a pretty sweet setup but I haven't ordered one yet: https://outdoorsmans.com/collections...t-frame-system

Being mentally tuff and being able to endure the mtn will trump everything.

That is pretty cool. I will likely go sand in an old drybag.

Forgot to mention... SIDEHILLS.

Good point... hadn't thought to practice this. I have done more side hill stuff deer hunting this fall even than I would ever do trail running.

Yes your foot wear will make or break a hunt easy. Sidehilling sheep country with weight is as dangerous as painful with the wrong boots. My go to are lowa gtx...hunter model? Can’t remember exact name, about $400 bucks is easy to remember though.😉

Get your pack and load 60lbs in it. Strap in on and then do lunges, like 100s of them at a time.

Then do single calf raises to failure.

Get a Bosu ball and pratice stabilzing techniques with the pack on.

Hill sprints and lots of them.

And take the 60lb pack and go hiking.

Core extension excercises and lifts (rockstar presses, wipers, cable twists etc.)

And stretch a lot.