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For sure give them a try coming from down low but it won't cure the problem only alleviate it momentarily.

One of my buddies used to bring a whole medical grade o2 bottle and mask up to camp for the evenings and it did help him sleep......initially......but you either have to wear it all the time or just get a few "sips" in camp to ease the altitude symptoms for a minute or two. Better yet, plan the time in to acclimate before going hard at altitude.

We had to go hard last week as the elk, the heat and the blowdowns were not cooperating. Just 'bite down on the mouth piece' and go.

The depth of respiration increases. Pressure in pulmonary arteries is increased, "forcing" blood into portions of the lung which are normally not used during sea level breathing. The body produces more red blood cells to carry oxygen, The body produces more of a particular enzyme that facilitates the release of oxygen from hemoglobin to the body tissues. Prevention of Altitude Illnesses Prevention of altitude illnesses falls into two categories, proper acclimatization and preventive medications. Below are a few basic guidelines for proper acclimatization.

If possible, don't fly or drive to high altitude. Start below 10,000 feet (3,048 meters) and walk up. If you do fly or drive, do not over-exert yourself or move higher for the first 24 hours. If you go above 10,000 feet (3,048 meters), only increase your altitude by 1,000 feet (305 meters) per day and for every 3,000 feet (915 meters) of elevation gained, take a rest day. "Climb High and sleep low." This is the maxim used by climbers. You can climb more than 1,000 feet (305 meters) in a day as long as you come back down and sleep at a lower altitude. If you begin to show symptoms of moderate altitude illness, don't go higher until symptoms decrease ("Don't go up until symptoms go down"). If symptoms increase, go down, down, down! Keep in mind that different people will acclimatize at different rates. Make sure all of your party is properly acclimatized before going higher. Stay properly hydrated. Acclimatization is often accompanied by fluid loss, so you need to drink lots of fluids to remain properly hydrated (at least 3-4 quarts per day). Urine output should be copious and clear. Take it easy; don't over-exert yourself when you first get up to altitude. Light activity during the day is better than sleeping because respiration decreases during sleep, exacerbating the symptoms. Avoid tobacco and alcohol and other depressant drugs including, barbiturates, tranquilizers, and sleeping pills. These depressants further decrease the respiratory drive during sleep resulting in a worsening of the symptoms. Eat a high carbohydrate diet (more than 70% of your calories from carbohydrates) while at altitude. The acclimatization process is inhibited by dehydration, over-exertion, and alcohol and other depressant drugs.

amusing for sure......

But every man has his limits and nobody can go forever without stopping. Distance between breaks gets shorter as your muscles are depleted of oxygen. So you breathe faster but eventually have to stop until your muscles are replenished.

I’m just talking about increasing the distance between breaks and shortening the breaks. Getting to elk faster once I glass them by feeding my muscles more oxygen than the percentage that’s in the air. Not jumping off of an airplane and running up a mountain sucking on a bottle of canned air to skip the acclimation process.

I’ve never had any altitude sickness in 35 years of chasing elk. I can go like a hound dog from the adrenaline after spotting 6 point bulls. I’ve heard about the ugly side effects of altitude sickness meds including not tasting your food or a strange taste in your mouth. I guess if I was prone to altitude sickness I might consider that stuff but I don’t need it at all. But a little octane booster might be interesting.

I think you should go for it MP. Tell us how it works for you. No shame in the o2 game for those coming from lower elevations. Hell I live on the front range and I could definitely feel the elevation at 10600' and above the first 2 days....then I was fine.

I have taken a hit of o2 off my buddy in the past and it was fun for a minute......my experience, and his, is it only lasts as long as you are on the bottle.....then its gone.

But wyobullshooter is absolutely correct. When I lived at 6K feet, I could tell the difference as far as sucking air. The move from 2000 feet elevation to 6000 bought me about 1000 feet of comfort. Now, living 7 months a year at sea level, I've lost that.

Everyone lives where they live though. If it's your first hunt, then a trip beforehand to a similar elevation is really helpful.

And you don't have to hike to 11K feet to find elk. Most elk country at 8-9K feet hold elk in September and there's a ton of elk lower. Look at AZ and NM: most of their elk are between 5-7K feet and Wyoming's trophy units often have the bulk of their elk at that elevation.

Elk will live wherever there's grass, water, and they're not getting killed.

I really don't feel it when I go to sea level for 3 or 4 months then return to 8,000'

I’ve had bulls just walk away because I couldn’t get up there fast enough. I’d just like to shorten the time it takes to feed my muscles oxygen.

As far as weight and space goes those little canisters are tiny. And picking one up is like lifting a big cotton ball. Zero weight! It even says on the label this canister is not empty, oxygen is extremely ligjt.