Well, HERE is a tip that most turkey hunters don't want to hear -- pre-season physical conditioning workouts...
YEP, believe it or not, I actually "train" before the start of turkey season... Around these parts, it is HILLY & rough terrain, and what I've discovered is if I'm not ready for it, I'll quickly give out of gas & head to the house; turkey hunt OVER...
So, what do I recommend? Well, do this workout twice a week (at a minimum):
IN THE LEAST, you need to be doing 15 minutes of fairly heavy cardio -- jogging, elliptical machine, biking, swimming, whatever -- but go pretty good @ 60-80% effort to get your breathing/heart rate up... In 15 minutes, you SHOULD cover a mile (on the ground)... Then, I do what I call the "Big 3 Stretches" -- stretch your calves, your quads, and your hamstrings (look-up stretches on Google for how to do that)... If you don't stretch regularly, you'll get cramps runnin'-n-gunnin' through the woods... Then, the final workout -- push-ups! I typically do 3 sets of 30 reps with a minute rest in between, BUT ... DO WHAT YOU CAN!! The idea here is -- you shoot the bird of a lifetime & now you've got to carry 25-30 lbs about a 1/2 mile out of the woods -- are you ready for that??
(try this: fill a backpack with 20 lbs of something, zip it up tight, and grab the straps & sling it over your back & walk a half-mile)...
So, let's get busy guys -- get on in there & get your body ready for the season... And, oh, BTW -- the cardio REALLY helps your mouth calling skills -- just trust me on that -- it gives you more "breath" and air to push that mouth call & bring out those raspy calls!!
BGD
