How Ready Are You?

[WapitiTalk1]

The September elk hunt is getting very close. After a long, long year of waiting, planning, and dreaming about tall, white tines coming over a finger ridge high above the misty draw below...... it's almost upon us again! What stage of readiness are you at? No right or wrong answers here friends.. perhaps just a reality check on what we need to work on a bit harder or focus on a bit more as the season approaches. For the purpose of this not so scientific readiness checkup, we'll go with the following categories of personal wapiti hunting readiness. So, where are you at for each category? RJ

Physical Conditioning - ?? percent.

Elk Sounds (I can make many elk sounds pretty darn well) - ?? percent.

Elk Sounds (I believe I understand what most elk sounds mean, in various situations, when I hear them) - ?? percent.

Familiarity with area(s) to be hunted - ?? percent.

Shooting equipment proficiency - ?? percent.

Gear has been checked and ready to go (pack, bag, pad, stove, clothes, navigation aids, emergency gear, etc.) - ?? percent.

[ElkNut1]

Hmmm, lots of stuff there! I'll go with I know our areas, sort of!!! (grin)

I need to shoot my bow more! But I could be good to go in a matter of 3 hours or so! I am looking forward to Sept!

ElkNut1

[Freebird134]

I could go now, but I'm glad I have 2 more months to get better! I'm not sure what my percentages are, but I'm right on track with my plan (I think). I think my weakness is my calling--I need to work on it more. I think I'm as good as the average guy, and could get the job done.....but I'm far from an elknut level.

[WapitiTalk1]

Not getting off that easy I could throw stuff in my truck and go now if I had to also. It would take me at least 4 days to get my elk legs and eventually (by situational necessity), I'd remember what I forgot to prepare/pack.

For me, in early July 2012.. I"m here:

Physical Conditioning - 60%. Need much more CV and rucking (leg strength) to be close to 100%

Elk Sounds (I can make many elk sounds pretty darn well) - 75%. Still need to work on being more automatic when I choose a call, and, making them sound right as the situation dictates.

Elk Sounds (I believe I understand what most elk sounds mean, in various situations, when I hear them) - 60%. Just found Mr. Elknut's stuff last year and am working on elk language understanding/interpretation. This was a game changer for me.

Familiarity with area(s) to be hunted - 40%. My low percentaghe area. Hunting two new areas this fall and have only done map work. My hunting buddy has hunted one of the areas so that's a plus. The other area was shared with me by an AT buddy.. It certainly looks/sound good though!

Shooting equipment proficiency - 70%. Am deadly out to 40 with my broadheads.. Need some more work though. Am not automatic yet.

Gear has been checked and ready to go (pack, bag, pad, stove, clothes, navigation aids, emergency gear, etc.) - 70%. Need to get my yummy freeze dried food and finalize my 5 -6 day packing list for each leg/area of my last two week of SEPT hunt.. My early SEP WA hunt is dialed 100%.

[elkohalic]

I am readier that I have ever been. It would be a matter of getting the pack, bow, one blue tote and cooler in the truck. Could be on the road in less that one hour.
More that likely I would have to pick up the things I forgot along the way.
Hummm maybe I should do a test run in the back yard! LOL

[ctdad]

Physical Conditioning - 75 percent. I could go now, but another 8 weeks and I'll be better off. Working out 6 days a week.

Elk Sounds (I can make many elk sounds pretty darn well) - 85 percent. Not as crisp as some but effective

Elk Sounds (I believe I understand what most elk sounds mean, in various situations, when I hear them) - 60 percent. I have to practice more in real world situations to claim much better than this but I do comprehend the books, cd's, etc very well.

Familiarity with area(s) to be hunted - 65 percent. Hunted same area last year. Found a number of elk so I do know a number of places to start.

Shooting equipment proficiency - 90 percent. I've worked harder on this in the last year than I have for 20 years of shooting. I went to shooting class and completely changed my form. My long range accuracy is so much better than before. It isn't a contest and I'm not into making wild claims, but I'm very happy

Gear has been checked and ready to go (pack, bag, pad, stove, clothes, navigation aids, emergency gear, etc.) - 80 percent. Packed everything to check for space and weight yesterday in my pack. Still need to pick up a few miscellaneous items like batteries but nothing big. The checklist is complete from a gear perspective. The gear is all tested and functional.

[Swede]

I would like to do a little more conditioning and lose a few more pounds. Dang thay are easy to put on and hard to take off. I've been shooting regularly for over a month and feel good about that. In other words I'm about as ready as I ever get.

[easeup]

Physical Conditioning - READY - good grief with each passing day I am a year older!!!.

Elk Sounds (I can make many elk sounds pretty darn well) - compared to the professional crowd here, I am just good enough to play.

Elk Sounds (I believe I understand what most elk sounds mean, in various situations, when I hear them) - this will take another read of the playbook to make sure.

Familiarity with area(s) to be hunted -10 percent. this is because I was born with non-res-hunter plexia.

Shooting equipment proficiency - like any other sport, I want to peak when they lift the curtain and turn on the lights percent.

Gear has been checked and ready to go (pack, bag, pad, stove, clothes, navigation aids, emergency gear, etc.) - this wont take long at all percent.

[ColoradoDan]

I feel like I am getting into really good shape so not worried about that. I've been scouting quite a bit so I'm not worried about that either. I definitely need to shoot my bow more and practice calling more. I think I have plenty of time for both so I feel like I should be good to go come the last Saturday of August!

[cnelk]

Who's driving? Im ready.

[WapitiTalk1]

Who's driving? Im ready.

Pick you up at 0400 am 1 SEP.. We'll hit NW MT for a week, head to SE ID for a week, stop in N WY for a week, and finalize our adventure in N CO for the last week in SEPT. RJ

[cnelk]

Who's driving? Im ready.

Pick you up at 0400 am 1 SEP.. We'll hit NW MT for a week, head to SE ID for a week, stop in N WY for a week, and finalize our adventure in N CO for the last week in SEPT. RJ

September 1 @ 0400 I will be in GMU 61 listening for bugles - as I waited 12 years for that tag...

Lets plan something next year?

[foxvalley]

I've been +or- 5lbs.for the last 5 years,but always 15lbs. over where I should be. Daily exercise regimate going well,but it is'nt enough to lose the weight,so I cut my caloric intake by half. I will be very happy if I can lose the weight of my daypack by sept 10.
Just need to brush up on my calling, I can make most of them with no issues.
Need to shoot my bow in differrent positions now, mostly on my knees, but at different angles to my body, and to the target.
Areas to be hunted, 95% and 10% This will be the 6th year in this area,and know all the previously hunted drainages well,but I have quite a few spots I havn't been in yet, and exited to check them out.
My biggest hurdle every year is making the right choice at crunch time. I always seem to zig when I should have zagged.I am replaying all the mistakes from last year and trying to learn from them.

[RockChucker30]

Physical Conditioning - 60%. I need more cardio and leg/core strength. My goals are to be able to run 7 miles, do 50 burpees without stopping, and do 15 pistols on each leg. I also plan to get in an acclimation hike by climbing Big Frog - 2500' vertical in 4.5 miles. That's about the steepest I can find in TN. I also plan to get in at least two days with a minimum of 6 hours of movement--trail running and hiking.

Elk Sounds (I can make many elk sounds pretty darn well) - 50%. I'm doing better, but probably not above average.

Elk Sounds (I believe I understand what most elk sounds mean, in various situations, when I hear them) - 75%. I've been listening to the playbook and V 1-4 of the DVD's in my truck to and from work for 2 or 3 months now. I've got some parts so memorized it's like listening to a classic rock song.

Familiarity with area(s) to be hunted - 20%. I'm getting info from someone I trust, but I haven't had boots on the ground yet.

Shooting equipment proficiency - 75% I shoot out to 80 2 or 3 times per week. That doesn't matter when shooting at an animal though....I always get a huge adrenaline rush and all that practice doesn't matter as much. I'm planning to run windsprints before each shot, and take shots at odd angles and uncomfortable positions. I'm already practicing holding before shooting. I set the timer on my watch for a minute, then draw and don't shoot until the timer goes off.

Gear has been checked and ready to go (pack, bag, pad, stove, clothes, navigation aids, emergency gear, etc.) - 80%. Biggest remaining item is a topper for my truck and figuring out food. I'm not eating Mountain House again, so I've got to come up with some good dehydrated freezer bag recipes.

[Charkbait]

Physical Conditioning - 90%, need more pack work and leg and back strength, havent been able to train this since major knee surgery in April.

Elk Sounds (I can make many elk sounds pretty darn well) - 50%, need to ramp up the work on my commute and get a new tube.

Elk Sounds (I believe I understand what most elk sounds mean, in various situations, when I hear them) - 90% - good enough to critique any show on TV right now about what they should do, what they are really hearing and why.

Familiarity with area(s) to be hunted - 50%, have only scouted from 2,500 miles at this point but have intel from guys who hunted the area for years. Hope to get out for a scout trip in August

Shooting equipment proficiency - 100% at likkely hunting yardages meaning less than 50, started distance work last week to 90, really makes 30-50 a joke.

Gear has been checked and ready to go (pack, bag, pad, stove, clothes, navigation aids, emergency gear, etc.) - 50%, could be 100% in a week, all it takes is $!

apparently not as ready as I thought! Thanks for the thread!