At some point we all reach that end to meeting the stiff physical retirements of hunting elk in the mountains. For the luckiest it is late in life but there is certainly an end even with younger hunting partners to help with the heavier work. One of my elk hunting partners is diabetic and for him getting and staying in shape for elk hunting is a huge benefit in managing his diabetes.
The checkbook truck hunts can extend your time as can the utv hunt on the flatter migration routes but just dealing with the cold snowy muddy conditions and putting chains on the truck get to be too much in your 70's or 80s.
Let Dave exit gracefully this year and pray that a big fat cow decides to walk past his spot to allow him to fill the freezer one more time.
