Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Taken dad hunting.

My dad and me use to deer hunt every yr then he had a shoulder injury at work and never went out again.He retired from gm and now i am trying to get him to go hunting again.The problem is he feels like he cant do it because of his shoulder only has one good arm the other only moves so much the arthrites has set in .So any ideas as to how i can make a good lite weight set up for him? How much kick do the xp100 have or a thompson pistol have say a 243 30-30 or any suggestions on caliber . We are hunting the U.P of michigan and the cold will factor in remmember his range with the one arm is greatly diminished and sadly this will probly be the last time in the field with my dad i want this to be a great hunt to last us both forever.Also i have a old 99 in 250-3000 with a old redfield scope have taken many deer with this whip but may be heavy for dad.THANKS FOR THE HELP AND FEED BACK. TINY

I don't know about a specific gun recommendation but there's a bunch of light calibers available...you can also load down many of the medium bore calibers so felt recoil is very minimum.

Gun weight is harder to deal with though I suspect. If you're hunting from a box blind then would a shooting sled help? I dunno, just thinking for ya. Good luck. take LOTS of pictures. Enjoy.

Sounds like a good time for you both. Consider a heated portable blind setup located where you can drive animals to him.
Tom

My dad stopped hunting because of the cold and was not able to walk very far.That was when he was 68.I built a 6x6 enclosed stand in the corner of our old barn lot on the edge of the timber and planted a food plot behind it.Was the best thing that I could have done for him.It even has electric in it that I hooked on to left over from the old barn.It is only about 100 yards from his house.He would not be more proud of a million dollar home than he is of his hunting shack.He will be 81 this November and his health is failing fast with cancer so this may be his last go.

I am going to enclose the bottom before season as he now has a hard time getting up the 14' of steps to the top.You guys that think that your dad does not still want to hunt, you are wrong.Most just don't want to slow anyone else down, so they stop.My dad like most others would take me when I was young and always wanted me to take the shot.3 years ago I went out with my dad and he had not killed a deer the year before as he was in the hospital.We sat almost all day when a six point walked out just before dark on closing day.I had taken a deer the opening day but my dad looked at me and said "Take him son".I told him no that this one was his.Even with me being 43 at the time, he was still looking out for the boy.That deer means more to me than all of the others I have or will take the rest of my life just because of what it meant to my dad.

The enclosed heated stand is the best bet.It gave me 13 more years of hunting with my dad that I would have lost. If my spelling and wording is a mess please understand this was hard for me to post.I am lucky as I get to spend 10 hours a day with my pop unless he is at the doctor or sick.We run a freight service and he rides the route with me every day.It is also going to make it super hard when I do loose him. Good luck-SJ

Can you get a rifle stock and 7-30 Waters barrel for the Thompson? That would be my first choice. 260, 6.5x55, 7mauser/08 or something similar would be the next option. An autoloader is another idea, but you typically find those in more stout calibers.

If he opts to get out and not shoot you can still claim victory. Hunting is so much more than trigger time.

StumpJumper, thank you for the personal post. I bet your dad is very proud of you and I am glad you get to spend that much time with him. Time with family is what is important in life, all else pales in comparison.

SMACARAC3

I endured my dad for about 10 years hunting, when he really was washed up. Now that he is gone, I am glad I did it, and miss him like you cant believe. As the old saying goes, sometimes you dont know what you have until you loose it.

Your effort is commendable and stay with it. You wont regret your efforts.

Thank you everybody and thank you stumpjumper &AGGIEDOG for the heart felt info you guys are right.I remmember takeing my dads 30-06 out for the first time saw a ten point to a shot missed but the hell i got for missing that deer was worth it to this day dad and my uncle kidd me about it .Me and my cousin swear that deer was as big as a house [back then] my dad said then how come you missed it.So i have been known as old broadside when that story comes up i was 15yrs old when that happened now 46 and they still talk about it.[state recored well could of been]lol.Also remmember as a young kidd 9or 10 my dad and me stump hunting and i thinking every chipmunk was a huge deer dad would just look at me and shake his head then turn i know he was smiling back then i was imbarested. sorry for my mispelling.