When we think about hunters who put in the extra mile, we often think about elk hunters, sheep hunters, and mule deer hunters. One group of hunters who are rarely considered long distance hunters are upland hunters. The truth is that upland hunters regularly walk ten or more miles a day, bust a lot of brush, and encounter several different terrains during a day in the field. Brent Pike, the owner of Pyke gear an upland clothing company based out of Michigan, spends countless days in the fall bird hunting across the United States. "I love bird hunting, but over the last decade, I have gained a lot of weight. I decided last spring that if I wanted to hunt hard this fall, I really needed to shed a few pounds," Pike said.

STICK WITH A PLAN

While filming a short video for his company, Pike realized that his weight was a bit out of control. “I was watching avideo of myself talking and realized the weight gain was worse than I thought,” Pike explained. To get himself in the proper mindset, he started using Wilderness Athlete products. “I started off with the 28 Day Challenge because I knew I needed a plan that was easy to follow. After one month of exercise and eating right, I lost 15 pounds. I purchased another 28 Day Challenge and did the same plan again. It has been about six months and I have lost over 40 pounds. I am no longer on the 28 Day Challenge, but I use Energy and Focus and Hydrate and Recover almost every day. I also take the meal replacement several times a week. Most people don’t realize how much sugar is in the food they are eating and drinking. Wilderness Athlete products are very low in sugar. Cutting out sugar has helped me immensely.”

HAVE FUN EXERCISING

In addition to cutting out sugar and using Wilderness Athlete products daily, Pike is exercising an hour or more each day. “I enjoy hiking with a backpack on and riding my bicycle. I try to exercise as much as possible outside. It makes exercising more fun than working out in a gym. My goal is to drop about 60 pounds by the time upland hunting season starts. Hopefully I will reach my goal. If not, I think I will easily be down 50 pounds from where I was at the beginning of the year.”

HAVE MORE FUN IN THE FIELD

Like a hardcore big game hunter, there are several reasons for Pike to lose weight before the startof the upland hunting season. “My dogs and I put endless miles on over the course of a weeklong hunting trip in Oklahoma, South Dakota, or North Dakota. The more miles I can walk, the more birds my dogs get to point, and the more birds I am able to put in my vest. Walking endlessly when you are overweight can be difficult. Eventually you just run out of energy, not to mention carrying around an extra 50-60 pounds every day is hard on my joints. Dropping all this weight will make hunting this fall more enjoyable.” Whether you are a hardcore bowhunter who wants to go the extra mile in search of elk or an upland hunter in search of the next flush, losing weight can help increase your odds of success this fall. Wilderness Athlete can help almost anyone with their weight-loss goals which in turn can help them reach their hunting goals.