The Moment It Catches Up With You
You have been sitting in a blind since before sunrise.
Your knees are stiff from the cold and the stillness.
Then a shot opportunity appears and you have to move, quickly, over rocks and deadfall.
Your knee buckles slightly on the descent, or your low back grabs as you bend to shoulder your pack.
By the time you get back to the truck, something feels off that was not off that morning.
If you hunt in Fort Collins or anywhere in Northern Colorado, hunting season back and knee pain like this is familiar. The good news is that most of these back pain and knee pain flare-ups are not structural injuries. They are a mismatch between what the season demands and what your body has been asked to do lately.
Why Hunting Season Causes Back and Knee Pain
Most of the year, your back and knees deal with predictable, moderate loads.
Hunting season is the opposite. It asks for long stretches of stillness followed by sudden, high-output movement, often at altitude, often on uneven terrain, often with forty or more pounds on your back.
That combination, cold plus stillness plus sudden loaded exertion, is a classic setup for strain. Your tissues have not been primed to respond quickly, and then you ask them to.
Steep off-trail descents add another layer. Every step down is an eccentric load on your knees and hips, meaning the muscles are lengthening under tension while controlling your weight and your pack. If that capacity has not been built, the knee often takes the brunt of it.
What Is Actually Driving The Pain
A few contributors show up again and again in hunters we see:
- Limited hip and calf strength relative to pack weight
- Poor tolerance for sustained loaded carries
- Long periods of sitting that stiffen the hips and low back before a hard push
- Uneven or unstable footing that the body has not practiced managing
- A big jump in single-day mileage compared to normal training
- Boots or pack fit that shift how load moves through the knees and spine
None of these mean something is broken. They mean the demand outpaced the preparation.
Why “I Only Need To Be Fine For A Week” Backfires
This is the line we hear most often in late summer: I just need my back to hold up for one week in the field.
It sounds reasonable, but it is exactly the mindset that leads to injury.
Your body does not store readiness for a single week on demand. If your hips, calves, and low back have not practiced carrying real load over real distance before opening day, that week is when the gap shows up, not before it.
Preparing a few weeks out is what actually gets you through opening week without pain.
What To Build In The Weeks Before
The most useful preparation is specific to what hunting actually asks of your body.
That generally means progressive loaded carries, building from shorter distances at lighter weight up toward your expected pack weight and mileage. It means hip and glute strength work, since the hips absorb and control a large share of descent load. It means calf and ankle strength and stability, since uneven terrain demands quick, small corrections that tired or weak lower legs cannot make well.
At UpSlope Physical Therapy and Performance, we often see this in active adults who trained hard for the gym or the trail all year but never practiced the specific combination of stillness, cold, and sudden loaded movement that hunting requires.
A training plan built for the demands you actually face each fall, not a generic gym routine, is what closes that gap.
Building tolerance to sitting for long periods without stiffening up matters too. Simple mobility work through the hips and spine, done consistently, keeps you from feeling locked up when it is time to move.
When To Get It Checked
Most preseason aches respond well to a structured few weeks of preparation.
Get it evaluated if pain is sharp rather than achy, if it does not ease with rest and light movement, if your knee gives way or catches, or if pain radiates down your leg. Those signs deserve a closer look before opening day, not after.
The Bottom Line
Hunting season puts a unique combination of demands on your back and knees: stillness, cold, altitude, uneven terrain, and heavy loaded movement, often all in the same morning. Most pain from this is not damage, it is a preparation gap that responds well to targeted work.
Frequently Asked Questions
How early should I train for hunting season?
A few weeks of dedicated preparation is usually enough to close most of the gap, though earlier is better if your season includes long backcountry access.
The priority is building loaded carry tolerance and hip and calf strength before opening day, not trying to compress it into the final week.
Can I hunt with existing back pain?
It depends on how the pain behaves under load and whether it limits the specific movements hunting demands, like carrying a pack, sitting for long stretches, or descending steep terrain.
A movement evaluation can identify what is driving the pain and whether targeted preparation can get you through the season safely.
What is the single best exercise for pack carries?
There is no single exercise that replaces specific preparation, but progressive loaded carries, building gradually from shorter distances at lighter weight toward your expected pack weight, come closest.
Pairing that with hip and glute strength work addresses most of what limits people on steep descents.
If back or knee pain is threatening your season, schedule an evaluation at UpSlope Physical Therapy and Performance in Fort Collins. We will identify what is limiting you and build a plan that gets you carrying, climbing, and packing out without pain.
A strong back and steady knees make for a better hunt.
