| Many hunters will be heading to the forests and | | | | Parting the grass we made our way across the |
| plains this spring for bear, turkey and many other | | | | meadow, which was about a half mile across, and |
| game animals, but very few will be in the kind of | | | | near the edge I felt the razor sharp tip of his |
| condition they need to be in for safety. Every | | | | broad-head scrape across the back of my pant |
| year there are many hunters who have heart | | | | leg. If he had been any closer, he may have |
| attacks while hunting in the woods, which is a | | | | severed my Achilles tendon and we would have |
| very bad place to have a heart attack due to the | | | | been in a bad situation. |
| lack of any immediate assistance. The responsible | | | | Another benefit of improved fitness for hunters is |
| thing to do would be to get into good shape | | | | the higher degree of efficiency that our |
| before the season. That way, not only are the | | | | cardiovascular system works with. As our heart |
| odds of you experiencing a heart attack reduced, | | | | and lungs process oxygen more efficiently, our |
| but so are the odds of many other health | | | | performance will increase and the ground we can |
| hazards. | | | | cover will too. Not only that, but we will be able to |
| Improved fitness helps in many facets of hunting, | | | | climb the steep terrain easier as well. An added |
| a primary example is increased agility. Hunters | | | | benefit of improving your cardiovascular fitness is |
| who are in a higher state of fitness have better | | | | that you reduce you risk for heart attack, not |
| balance, which is crucial when walking in terrain | | | | only in the field but overall. Imagine you are back |
| many of us hunt in. This increased balance and | | | | in the woods at one of your favorite hunting |
| agility can prevent many severe accidents. Each | | | | spots, and you experience something as |
| year there are at least a few bow hunters who | | | | completely immobilizing as a minor heart attack. It |
| fall on their own arrow or knife while climbing in or | | | | may take hours or even days before any medical |
| out of their tree stands. It only takes about 1 | | | | help can reach you. This is an occasion that a half |
| pound of pressure to drive a razor sharp | | | | an ounce of prevention is worth the pound of |
| broad-head right through any muscle tissue it | | | | cure. |
| comes in contact with, so the potential for | | | | The best way to approach fitness for hunters is |
| disaster is tremendous. On one of my own | | | | to be proactive and participate in a professionally |
| hunting trips with a friend of mine, we were | | | | designed workout plan for hunters. As with any |
| walking across a meadow in central Idaho trying | | | | workout regimen, consult a doctor before starting |
| to locate a herd of elk to pursue. My partner was | | | | and make sure that you are as ready as you can |
| pretty new to archery hunting and he insisted on | | | | be when you hit the field.Whether it is right in |
| walking with an arrow knocked on his string. As | | | | your own backyard, or 30 miles into the back |
| we trudged across a meadow he sort of fell in | | | | country, hunting fitness may be the deciding |
| line behind me and we headed out, not even | | | | factor between life and death. |
| thinking of the risk his knocked arrow could pose. | | | | |