By the looks at what's happening in the neighboring farm fields, I would suspect that we're on our last leg of summer. That means it's likely too late for many of us to begin to get back in shape for hunting season.
Why is it that during the summer, when we're the most active with yard work and family outings, we somehow become a six foot Twinkie-primed for puking up the gooey white filling on our first hike up a steep mountain trail.
But all is not lost. If we just start to get in shape for the elk hunt now, we should be able to climb a 20-foot incline without coughing up a lung the first time we step out of our trucks during the hunt. And at this pace, we just may be able to be in enough shape to load our sleds when that first flake o snow falls to touch off the winter season.
Although it's not critical to be in perfect condition for the hunt, it's imperative to be in shape the first time you hit the snow. After all, chances are like 1 in 8 that you shoot a deer or elk that will require you to drag it back to the truck. But your chances of getting stuck in four feet of fresh fluff are 100 percent.
And when you have a sure thing, life's great.
SJ