Hunting for many years has taught me one thing. Gravity seems to be getting stronger and hills are steeper. Oh, and the O2 seems to be somewhat less than it was when I was a youngster climbing hills. 
The pauses I take on steep hills are actually planned because you don't want to just RUN up the hill and spook everything. 
My huffing and puffing on the hillsides is really a ploy to convince the squirrels I am really a gut shot moose and about to drop.
That's how I fool and kill most of my squirrels, they are rolling and laughing at my antics and then when I'm fully recovered, I mean finished with my ploy, I let 'em have it with my .17.
Another trick you pick up as your get close to your golden years is you need a longer range rifle with a really big high powered variable scope. That's because the many generations of surviving squirrels have evolved their senses of eyesight and hearing. They can pick up noises of huffing and puffing much farther now, as well as a sneaking hunter all lathered up like a horse that has been run to death. So, the secret weapon for these evolved squirrels it simply NOT to climb higher gravity hills and just sit in ambush with a rifle that can drill an aspirin at 100 meters and a scope that is the size of a star gazing telescope.
Packing the heavy Super Size Squirrel Package around in the woods is a good body building event. Wheels or a gun bearer for carrying the heavy rig is always an option, but not affordable for most of us. That's why you don't see old Indians with a gun bearer. Evolution $ucks.
John
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