Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting How many deer seasons have you got left?

In 2012 I was 61 and was just barely able to get the buck up in my vehicle after dragging it 50 yards.

So I figured I could hunt like that until age 70.

But in 2013 I was 62 I hunted with another old guy. I shot a buck and we could back right up to him. We lifted it in the vehicle together.

I think I could hunt like that until I am 80.
I would just have to find some younger guys to hunt with.

67 yo mow and feel your concerns, Generslly hunt alone, but if I get lucky on my private land I have an ATV with a winch to help load one. Planning a move to a mountainous area in the nect year and hope to shoot all deer, hogs with a downhill drag.

Get a game cart, put a winch in the bed of your truck, and a hoist in your barn, then worry about something else.

I hear ya. I'll turn 65 this year and in Ark I'm allowed to already purchase my 'lifetime' resident hunting/fishing license. YIPPEE, no more expenses for licenses here.

However WE ALL are on 1 day at a time. None of us are guaranteed tomorrow.

Even so I hope and PLAN to live long enuff to enjoy many more deer/elk seasons.

I have a 4 wheeler and I 'could' drag a deer to my truck. So far I haven't had to do that but I have driven into cutovers and loaded deer where they laid. More-N-once.

IF you have a roll bar in your truck, you could mount a small winch to that and hoist a deer into the bed.

As they say, "A mans gotta do......"

Good Luck to all and many more hunting seasons.

I have more deer seasons behind me than ahead of me but doesn't give me pause. Have made some changes in how I hunt and where I hunt that should extend my time in the field.

Regarding handling a downed deer...less dragging, more mechanical assistance and quartering.

I'm 42 and I've already learned the younger partners trick. My main partners are in their 20's

I'm 63 and I am definitely pickier about where I shoot a deer these days no more 1/2 mile drags up hill.
Bill

Think about this a lot since my older brothers all passed in their 50's and I am now 60, but I am good shape and hope to get many more hunting seasons.

We had a 88 year old hunter his Buck last here in Colorado. The past 10 years our guide has let him set up a blind on the edge of a field we could drive him to. Now that he is 90 he has decided to give up Colorado and hunt his Texas lease, When I get that point that I will hunt near the truck but I will keep going till I cant....

At 67 and busted up getting from 5,000 feet up to 7,000-9,000 feet anymore is out of the cards, it seems. Getting the deer back down in our rough mule deer country is out of the cards, it seems.

I'll see what two elk tags and a black powder mulie tag do me in this season, then make a decision.

Just have to words to say on the subject, NOT MANY

Lot easier to pack then to drag.

I hope I have many many more seasons left in me.

I'm coming off Congestive Heart Failure last February. I'm 52 and I have definitely lost a step after my recent health scare. I'm hoping for 20 more years. Definitely going to have to hunt smarter, as well as harder. I think the long walks back in deep are done. I see a 4 wheeler and a deer cart in my future. Sadly, the days of striking out on my own with a light pack and a compass are coming to an end. I won't give it up until I know I shouldn't be in the woods, and I'm more of a burden than an asset to the group.

For many years, the guys in the camp next to ours in Pennsylvania had an older fellow who hunted out of a very large and comfortable stand about 100 yards from the cabin. He shot quite a few deer out of there, as it was a good crossing. We all took turns going in to check on him every couple hours, and I personally drug 5 bucks in for him over the years. On his death bed he said one of his greatest joys in life was the fact that he was able to stay in the woods for a few extra years. I hope I have the health to make the same statement my self some day.

Started to ponder this very idea last night as I was trying to load a deer onto the ATV. Think I'll have to rig up something or start shooting the small ones!
I'm 60, my grandfather got his last deer when he was 93 so guess there are still a few seasons left.

At 66, I'm much more selective of my set-up and shot opportunities for archery and rifle. In fact I'm just as happy hunting fox, coyote, waterfowl, crows, and groundhogs since I don't have to deal with the dragging and lifting. But I plan to be hunting deer for quite a few years even when I don't intend to shoot one. The joy is still in the hunt more than the kill....unless it's a really, really nice one!

I'm pushing 60 and a difficult drag out of a steep bottom a year ago drove home the fact for me. Also some of my buddies have developed health issues so I suspect not that many maybe 5-10. I am beginning to ponder the need for the number of guns I really need to have around.

Back in my 40's I started to ponder this. Only with elk, not deer. Figured I could make it to 70,and those 30 years flew buy. I can only remember one season I missed because of work, but two seasons because of injuries. Luckily Colorado has given me the opportunity to hunt two elk season every year the last ten years or so and I try real hard to do that.

I will be 71 next week and the last 2-3 years have gotten a lot tougher that is for sure. I really thought I had to quit two years ago and almost did.

I did quit packing into remote areas and hunt from a camp where I can drive into, but I don't drag or carry anything. I use my mules to ride and pack and that has stretched my hunting career too.

This past year, I have sold all my big equipment and bought a slide in pop up camper and a smaller bumper pull trailer. I'm looking to get 5 more years in, but that isn't real sure though.

It's astonishing how many guys in their forties think they have all the time in the world to go on those special hunts, but age catches up with them and they never get to. I think any hunt past the age of 65 is gravy because you never know if you can do it the following year.

AMEN!

I hope that I can make 20 to 25.

Not always...

One drag down 2,000-3,000 feet of steep rugged mountain sure beats 2-4 trips back up to pack it all out, let alone the boning out and packing up.

Neither way is the fun part of the hunt.