Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game At what age did you begin to feel physically less functional in the bush

I understand the trauma part as was discussed. Thanks to mules and mounting hunting my back will always be screwed. Two back surgeries and probably another back or a hip surgery to come (once I found out what this pain I have in my leg is now). I have started using a right contact lens that has a bifocal in it so I can do things without stopping to put on my readers that are all bent and twisted.
I now think to the hunts I have always wanted to do but I am afraid I never will. I am 45 and very active. But I will be sore and difficulty with bending after much work. I have always wanted to go to Alaska for Brown Bears. I am not sure I could keep up with the guide in that boggy country as has been described by my friends that have gone. Packing in and sleeping on the ground was a favorite of mine. I cannot take the hard ground any more (I couldn't walk in the morning). For me it was what age did you realize you could not do all the exotic hunts you planned as a child

made me laugh out loud! thank you.


I'm 49 and just now feel it, close vision is deteriorating, have had a knee surgery, have a bad shoulder (forever)

cause of doing so much tramping around the hills, I can probably hang with a lot of guys younger than me, if they're not studs.

but studdom has left the building (for me)


the tricky part is convincing my brain of that when I'm pizzed or want something really bad!


age it's a war I'm not going to win, but I'm going down fighting,
well at least till I get tired and need a nap!

Carl Ross let me just add one little thing to what saddle sore and elkcreek are telling you. You are a young fellow and we were too one time. When you are young you will push yourself beyond your limits and maybe not even know it. By that I mean you will keep going when you really need to knock off or sit down and rest up. You will do it to "prove" yourself either to your friends or just to yourself. You get tired and woreout and hurt yourself more than you know even at the time.

It is just a natural thing that folks in the prime of their strength do. I did it and I bet you the others did too. Just keep going when you really should have quit for a while since the job is going to be there tomorrow anyway.

So think about it and when you are wore out tired admit it, damn what anybody else thinks and take a break. In the end you will last longer.

BCR

At 56 I'm still moving pretty good. I just completed a Bighorn Sheep hunt last fall and kept up with several much much younger friends.

For years I played Basketball 3 days a week at 5:00am. It kept my heart rate low and the weight off. But the last 5 years I have been kinda been hard on myself. Rotator Cup & Knee surgeries for joints that are falling apart. Tore two fingers off my hand in a rope with a horse. Two surgeries salvaged them, but they get cold real easy, have little or no nerves so my sense of touch is gone. ( that's why my typing sucks) Another horse plowed me into the dirt and I blew out a tendon in my wrist that required two surgeries to move another tendon over to rebuild my wrist. Leaving me with about 70% movement in the wrist. These injuries kinda of put an end to my basket ball playing, seems like I was always in recovery mode or wearing some kind of brace, bandage, sling. So I dropped out of the basketball. Which has caused me to pick up a little weight and slow down even more.

Heart and lungs are still doing great. Back and legs seem to do alright. Hearing is going fast and I am starting to need reading glasses. It's a little harder to hear the soft cow calls. I seem to sweat a whole lot more than I did 10 years ago. Which requires that I pack more water. In fact I seem to be carrying a whole lot more than I used to a few years ago. More things seem neccessary to have in the pack. Which makes it heavier.

I still hunt and fish, but I find that a day out doors is often satisfaction enough. Don't have to be the first one to the ridgetop. I don't have to catch more fish than my buddies. A good horse ride is often more satisfying than actually killing a nice bull or deer.

So to answer your question, It was about 52-53 when I started to notice that I was slowing down. More injuries probably because I didn't react faster to get out of the way or parts are just wearing out. I still function, I'm just more selective about where , when and for how long.

One thing I could never understand is why some guys exersize so much they hurt themselves.To me it's almost like an eating disorder. When I was working,I darn sure didn't feel like going out and working out after a day of hard labor.

Leosredfox. Yea, those dang crazy horses will kil you just by accident

I really started to notice deterioration at about 59 (now 62.) Damaged knees from football and running/jogging when young and foolish have prevented serious cardio-exercise and a desk job didn't help with weight. Upper body weight training and an exercise bike or eliptical trainer are about all that is possible any more.

The biggest issues are that little strains ache forever, more significant injuries take much longer to heal and hurt more, and balance is decreased. Climbing rocks, getting in and out of boats, etc, now require slow careful movement rather than hopping from point to point and racing up or down the hill. Also, my wind at altitude is much more of a problem than it used to be.

When it gets to the point that it hurts to get into and out of bed, it's nature's way of telling you it's time to slow down I guess.

You're thinking early, that's a Good Thing. Both philosophies are correct, sort of. You need to stay active, but not TOO active. The good thing about having a physical job is you have to stay active to get your paycheck, the bad thing is you have to stay active even when injured. Its harder to stay in shape by working out on your own time, but the advantage is you have complete control of the situation. Listen to your body. When you are exercising, pay close attention to the sensations you body sends, and also in the days after your workout. Think of your body as a vintage airplane that needs management and maintenance, rather than as a beater pickup that you intend to run into the ground and abandon on the side of the road.

In my own case, I've done desk work my whole life except for the last 3 years or so, and its been the last 3 years that have done in my knees and elbow. Mainly because I couldn't just rest the injury for a couple of months.

For example, back in the mid 1990s I was lifting, playing tennis, and playing softball. I developed impingement syndrome in my shoulder. The HMO wasn't going to pay to have my collarbone reshaped, so I completely stopped all arm-related sports for 2 years, then very very carefully started lifting again. No impingement syndrome since. Lesson learned; your body can heal, if you let it heal.

On the other hand, in the late 90s I started jogging again, and developed shin splints. The consensus among runners is that you run through shin splints. Well, what that did for me was screw my legs up to the point where a 50 yard walk to the cafeteria was painful. It hurt to walk for about 18 months afterwards. Lesson learned; if the advice sounds the least bit macho, ignore it completely. Its the loudmouthed macho types that can't mow their effin' lawn without first popping two or three prescription pills. I may be a wimp, but that doesn't stop the macho types from asking me to sling bags of concrete around or carry shingle packs up ladders.

There's another little life lesson; if you are taking a prescription med on a daily basis, your body is telling you that your lifestyle sucks. Change something.

And when you're young and full of testosterone, its easy to go overboard on miles and pounds. I have the genetics to put on a lot of lean muscle, but in my misspent youth I lifted too frequently, like 4-5 days a week. 2-3 days is far better. And if you don't sleep, strength training will do you no good; your body only produces HGH when you are in deep sleep. Instead of running 20 miles a week, run 15 but at a faster pace.

I will say that, given average genetics, you will need a low-impact cardio exercise. Walking, biking, swimming, rowing, something like that. And you really will need a backup cardio thing as well, to keep you busy when you're sick or injured.

I guess physical health is like everything else in life. What pays off in the long run is patience, self-discipline, moderation, a mindful approach, and a healthy perspective. What doesn't pay off in the long run is attitude.

Just don't do stupid stuff, like lift and carry too much, or run miles each day, and avoid injuries. THINK before you act.

-

I will be 72 in Jan. and can still pretty much do what I want. Ten yrs. ago, I stopped going out to Wyo. with my buddy who is the same age as myself. He made every hunting day a death march
and I got too lazy. I pass on the really tough hunts. I find that I don't have the confidence I once had - I seldom fish or hunt alone anymore and I will not drive long distances solo. Traffric really makes me nervous. I work out 4 times a week - 20 minutes on the treadmill and wts. My srength is good - I can bench 225 6 reps. also 225 overhead press 6 times on the smith machine. Hearing is bad and I wear by-focals. Thank God for scopes! I still reload for 10 calibers from .223 to .375 and I shoot at the local range most weekends and deer hunt every yr. Killed an 8 pt. and 2 turkeys a week ago. I have made 3 PG hunts in South Africa in the last 6 yrs. I find that I do not recover from colds, flu, injuries very quickly these days. Balance is slowly going - I am very careful with ladders, deer stands, etc. I have a few nagging injuries but not too bad. I take a mild blood pressure med. I may die tomorrow, but I have been blessed.

Thanks, Big Redhead.

As I approach my 72nd birthday, I look back at some of the stupid wear-&-tear I placed on my body when young. Running was always fun and when it became less fun, I walked. Now I still walk, but with a 30# back-pack covering 2-3 miles a day. The knees, hips, and most other joints are still pretty good. I've not ever had a broken bone, great German/Scotish genes accounts for that!

My last high-country hunt was 2 years ago, in Colo. @ 10,000 ft.+- for elk, got one, a 5x5. Luckly I had 2 youngsters in their 30s with me and they drug him over the snow about 400 yds. to the truck. Used the well-worn .340 Wby to do the job, one shot at 350 yds.

Any advice I might give others, is to "NOT" wear your body out when you're young, if you want to live the hunter's life later in life. Take care of those knees, hips and eyes. Take those vitamins, stay away from the drugs and moderate the liquor.

And I'm already gettin' several applications ready to mail out for a few western hunts this next fall. Hope to see you there.

Kodiak

Boggy, very well stated and right on the mark.

Thank you, Sir. As it said we get old too quick and smart too late.

BCR

I'm 49, and I just finished my best year of deer and turkey hunting ever. I'm at the top of my game.

On the other hand. . .

1) I can choose to read or choose to see the game. It's darn hard to take a book with me anymore. Then again, my eyes went when I was 9 and they've been getting worse ever since.
2) I can still run up and down the hills all day, but I'm beginning to take the pickup truck instead. This past Turkey Season I promised myself that I'd stay up on top of the ridges, because I was having chest pains and a numb left arm. After season I got an EKG and a checkup and I figured out the chest pains were from ribs I pulled out when I slipped on some wet grass. The left arm numbness was because I was laying on it wrong at night. Mind you: I waited until after season for the EKG.
3) I drew my bow twice in July and I had to put it down-- did something to my left rotator cuff and I was lame in my shoulder until well after the freezer was full in November. No bow for me this year.
4) I can still run all my sons into the ground, but they are beginning to outrun me.
5) The recoil of my deer rifle no longer hurts my ears. Ultrasonic alarms no longer bother me.
6) Everyone else sees deer on the next ridge and I have to slew my binos over to see them.
7) I'm up a good half hour before anyone else every morning, but I barely make it past Brit Hume at night. I ate Popeye's tonight, and I'm killing time before the antacids kick in, otherwise I'd be asleep.
8) Did I mention my eyes have gone? Oh yeah. Memory? Not a problem.
9) The recoil of my deer rifle no longer hurts my ears.
10) It used to be that holding out in the deer stand until 0900 was absolute mental agony. Sitting that long was just too much. Nowadays, 1100 comes and goes, and I feel like I just got there. I stay until noon and feel cheated when I go in for lunch.
11) I hopped down from the porch on July 1-- all of about 10 inches. I felt something in my right foot. I'm still feeling it.
12) The absolute last thing I want to do is follow a blood trail on my hands and knees. That's right up there with carrying a 270lb deer out of a ravine.I now plan my shots with ease of retrieval as a very high priority.
13) It used to be I would carry 80 lbs into the back country. Nowadays, I'm trying to pull excess threads off my little rucksack to save weight. I tell myself I just don't need all that stuff anymore

Mister Hack: Treat every trip afield like it's your last one. Grab it. Hold onto it, and suck it dry. By the time I turned forty, all my hunting buddies were either dead to too lame to hunt anymore.

Thanks to all, I feel some great advice/information has been presented here. Specifically I'm glad several brought up knowing when to say when, and not working to hard through injuries. Young men with my predilections probably need reminded of that more often than they are.

I'll be 51 soon, I'm sure not there yet. This fall I hunted caribou in Ak, we shot four three miles from camp, packed three of them out in one day, eighteen miles on foot, 9 of them with 60 pounds in a pack. Not bragging, but I can still cover the ground, but I'm not overweight and do a running workout on a machine and weight work 5 times a week. Injuries can still happen of course, but can happen when you're 28 as well, you just heal a bit slower. We recently had a health assessment at work, the tester was surprised my body fat was 14%, the target was 20%, then said I was 7 pounds too heavy. What the hell is that all about, the 7 pounds apparently wasn't fat, the BMI thing is nuts, you're 7 pounds too heavy, my waist was 5 inches less than the target, my body fat is 6% below the target (10 pounds less fat at my weight) and they say it would still be a good idea to lose weight.

Great thread JJ,

I will be 57 tomorrow. I have had my share of minor setbacks, fortunately nothing that has left me permanently damaged. Had two inguinal hernia operations as well as an umbilical hernia repair in my early 40s. I need the cheapy magnification glasses as well. I have minor tinnitus. I have slowed down and no longer race for the peak but walk to enjoy the hike, so to speak.

My friends and I recently talked about the small activities/exercises that we no longer do. I once tried runnning, did it briefly in my early 30s worked up to running 2 miles in 16 minutes but my knees told me to stop. That was the topic we all agreed upon, stop the activity that injures you before it becomes a permanent problem. Unfortunately we don't realize that many of our moves do it. My abilites are certainly not what they once were. I used to do one legged deep knee bends, extension pushups and just loved to arm wrestle all comers. Time told me that while they were great to show off to others, there was a price to be paid, the painful tempory injury told me to drop them.

Power moves are probably the most damaging things we guys do in our youth. Picking up heavy objects, twisting off stuff that a tool could do more easily etc. Those activities will catch up with you.

I agree with another poster on the high reps vs heavy weights. All activities in moderation to tone up but not damage our older bodies.

These days I pace myself while hunting. I hunt smarter and use glass more than the days of my youth. I can still carry out animals but do it wisely and abstain from "muscling" stuff around.

Aging shouldn't stop you from doing stuff as long as you know your limitations and act accordingly.

About 30 minutes after my 40th birthday.

Carl Ross,

Impact is your enemy, in the long run- with the important caveat that they say that impact is what promotes long-term bone density and connective tissue strength! But... my advice would be to be smart about it. No obsessive running on concrete. Should you choose to play basketball beyond, say, 30 years old be advised you WILL pay the price the rest of your life!

Injuries are funny things. My right hip was torn up but good in a ski wreck 20 years ago, and I've gone through some bad times (read: bad years) with it. But it's been almost pain-free for the last year or so, and I attribute that to two things- first, and strangest, is hardcore skiing! I really built up some thigh/hip strength in the last two seasons. Second, is an occupational change about 18 months ago that got me off my feet- or rather, I'm on my feet but it's much more active, moving around, not standing there behind a counter.

Finally, this will sound stupidly obvious, but your lower back is the part of your body that, IMHO, has the most potential to be a true show-stopper. If it goes it will shut you down, period. Everything is tied to your lower back. I'm no expert but I know the hard way that lifting wrong, and in particular lifting while also twisting, can give you problems that you will always have and that are about unfixable by modern medicine, too.

I built my studio building all by myself in the early 90's. It incorporated more than the usual amount of sheetgoods- 3/4 plywood and particle board, sheetrock, T-111 siding, etc due to the nature of the building (a music recording studio). There IS NO WAY to properly carry a sheet of 3/4 ply by yourself. There is also no way to safely and properly carry a sheet of T-111 up a ladder and get it in position by yourself. I did those things but I permanantly changed my body, too. So... keep an eye out for those times in life where you just have to say "no". Say NO to helping someone get that couch down the crazy-ass staircase; just step away from that heavy rock you really want for your landscaping back home; take a deep breath and call your buddy when you run into something that will push your body to the limit (or beyond) if you try to do it alone... it's hard, because it's admitting defeat, but if you want to keep your body "whole" that's the best advice I have.

Of course- stay active the whole time, too! Challenge your body. Use it or lose it.

The contradictions and paradoxes are obvious here... but it's all true IMHO.

-jeff

patience is at an all-time high.
but a nasty thing called chronic inflammatory demyelating polyneuropathy has sucked some of the wind out of my sails.
physical stamina is way down, but prednisone and lyrica have put the quietus on major tremors and any further nerve covering damage.
i'm 56, and can still drag a deer - but much appreciate help nowadays. oh yeah, foot balance issues caused by the CIDP keep me from climbing trees anymore ...

Prednisone... shudder... I've had to do that three times now to stop an allergic reaction I've been getting every spring where my mouth explodes into sores... I HATE that stuff. What a horrible feeling.

The sores are worse, though. I guess it's a miracle drug, looked at properly. But it's no fun to be on the stuff. You have my sympathy!

-jeff