To be honest I haven't been very good at it for some time. This week trying to climb out a canyon in knee deep snow I decided that at 72 I just can't do it anymore. Birds and Fish best beware, but I've hung up the rifle. It was a hell of a good run while it lasted.
To be honest I haven't been very good at it for some time. This week trying to climb out a canyon in knee deep snow I decided that at 72 I just can't do it anymore. Birds and Fish best beware, but I've hung up the rifle. It was a hell of a good run while it lasted.
Pick up a bow and you can hunt in September. No snow, no horrible cold, bones ache less.
I used to hunt solo, whether for deer or birds or whatever. Just didn't have a hunt partner. A few years back this very week a rancher acquaintance of mine told his wife he was going to amble around his back 40 for a muley. They found his body the next Spring.
Shortly after, I was out alone as always and after wheezing my way up a slope, remembered that guy as I waited for my hammering heart to slow down.
Haven't hunted since. To tell the truth, I don't really miss it much.
To be honest I haven't been very good at it for some time. This week trying to climb out a canyon in knee deep snow I decided that at 72 I just can't do it anymore. Birds and Fish best beware, but I've hung up the rifle. It was a hell of a good run while it lasted.
Sir, you have my highest regard and respect! I can only hope that I am breathing at 70, yet alone chasing critters. It's a big and tough decision that will certainly challenge each of us if we are honest. I must admit that I am still floating that river called denial!
I would love to share a campfire and hear about how it was "back in the day".
Yeah, I spent the last few minutes of Wednesday as the Sun went down adding some final memories, knowing it was the last time.
If not bow, then MZ, and if not that special drawings. IF you want to, there is generally a way.
Even depredation tags before seasons open.
But if not, in a way sorry to hear it, but in a way we all know its coming.
I don't shoot as much as I used to, and its not so important to tag one these days, and I know my days are numbered also.
We hunt with a grand gentleman in Alaska. He no longer can get around that well, but he still enjoys camp, and be danged I'm sure that with a moose, he might could shoot one sitting in camp, they certainly have come through before.
In the end, even if I couldn't climb and walk, I THINK I'd still like to be in camp at least.
pushing at 68, with a bad ticker. My days of tree stand hunting are gone. I can't do the mountain hunts any more. Still can meander along, still hunting, and swamp wading. Couple more years, and that will probably get too much as well. I have had one heck of a good life though, and have no complaints. They can always just sit grandpa down on a stump, to wait for squirrels.
To be honest I haven't been very good at it for some time. This week trying to climb out a canyon in knee deep snow I decided that at 72 I just can't do it anymore. Birds and Fish best beware, but I've hung up the rifle. It was a hell of a good run while it lasted.
I know the feeling. I'll be 72 in two months and am scheduled for a total knee replacement after Jan 1. The knees just don't work like they used to. Aging is a bitch.
I am the oldest male member of my family to have never had a heart attack. I have arthritic joints. My time is coming. Last weekend one of my hunting partners little girls burned herself. When I took off running to get there hs 4 YO son was watching. Afterward his dad told me the son said I can run really fast for an old guy.
I understand and respect your decision. I salute you for being out there as long as you have. One thing you might consider doing is sharing your passion for the outdoors with the younger generations. Hunter safety/shooting sports organizations need experienced volunteers like you. Just something to think about.
Just hit 67 a few weeks ago, and hope I have a few more in me. Another 20 would not be enough. The real pain will be when I liquidate the gun safe and retire my fly rods.
I have firearms and fine fishing equipment that was passed to me from a death bed about 20 years ago. While they are indeed treasured and bring forth the finest of memories each time they're handled, I've never been able to use them. He was 83, flew bombers in the Pacific, and made a difference.
Shooting prairie dogs is mighty easy going in a target rich environment. Surprises me more older hunters don't give it a go. Was out today in 72 degrees walking soft rolling hills banging away with the little Sako Vixen.
That was extremely difficult to watch. Perhaps is would be better to not know it was a last go around. I do remember watching that portion on the big screen and marveling as how those shakey fingers deftly tied that turle knot.
I believe that gentleman is one of our more famous fly casters. Anyone remember his name?
OP, I feel your pain, and I'm almost 10 yrs. younger than you. Done a lot of big game hunting, in a lotta places. Shot over 100 whitetails in my home county. The facination is running out for me on big game. I'm having more fun squirrel hunting, the last couple of years, than anything else I do. Matter of fact, I'm going this weekend!!
Hunters, anglers, and pilots are a lot alike. They all seek something they can't really articulate in beautiful and untrodden - but hostile - places. Their search never ends, but it does come to a halt. A pilot either knows this will be the last time he straps in, or he doesn't know this will be the last time he straps in. It's not much different for a hunter or an angler.
I would love to hear that you retooled your game and adjusted to the situation by heading south or going after small game. I hate to hear of hunters giving it up.
I can get ya a bear any time you want to give it a go. We'll set you in the right place at the right time and you can wait him out, to get him or watch him walk by, your choice. Hunting doesn't have to be done at the speed of light.
Tracks, wish you the best regardless of what works out for you...
I'm not ready to give up hunting, but I find it a thousand times more enjoyable to help or assist others in getting a head of game than myself...
be it friends or my son and his friends that I take hunting because they have no dad in their lives to take them, or one boys dad is handicapped and just can't do it...
My Dad was 80, was in great shape and always did stuff until he did 1 thing to many. He helped out elderly neighbors by cutting a branch off of their tree. Unfortunately, somehow he fell from the ladder 10 feet onto concrete. A concussion, brain damage and broken bones put an end to his doing just about anything. It also brought on Alzheimers which didn't help either.
Real sad thing that the neighbors didn't need my Dad's help. They had plenty of money to hire a professional to trim their tree.
Try to recognize your limits and don't cross them. 80 is too old to be climbing ladders and cutting trees down.
I'm 30 years old. And I haven't hunted as hard this year as I typically do. Wasn't even going to hunt tomorrow. I think I'll go pack my stuff up so I can be sitting in my favorite basin at daylight in the morning. Thanks for the inspiration sir.
In Calif we have a special dispensation for physically disabled hunters which allows them to hunt from ATVs or other vehicles. I bet you could get a note from your doctor and get one of these permits. Let you hunt for quite a few more years.
Also, consider acquiring a pack horse, burro, donkey or goats to carry your gear which would make it easier.
Lastly, consider getting one of those emergency locator beacons so if you really need help you can call for it no matter where you are. Spot is one and it sells for $150 and $100 a month. You can summon emergency help; and send messages and location to your friends also.
I have firearms and fine fishing equipment that was passed to me from a death bed about 20 years ago. While they are indeed treasured and bring forth the finest of memories each time they're handled, I've never been able to use them. He was 83, flew bombers in the Pacific, and made a difference.
You are a lucky man, fewer and fewer have those links to that time in our history, any more.
I'm 30 years old. And I haven't hunted as hard this year as I typically do. Wasn't even going to hunt tomorrow. I think I'll go pack my stuff up so I can be sitting in my favorite basin at daylight in the morning. Thanks for the inspiration sir.
+1
Thanks for inspiring me as well. At 46 I can start to feel it coming on and figure I have only a limited number of good years left. Need to live them to the fullest. Took my dad (72) on a whitetail hunt last week and he's really slowed down. Hard for me to watch, as he was always the leader of the pack.
Hate to hear it when anyone hangs it up. I know I will never quit. I sat on a stand with an O2 tank when I had complications from brain surgery. I can barely walk right now needing to have 3 disks fused in my neck and 3 fused in my back. The only time I do not enjoy any type of hunting is when I run out of snuff.
To be honest I haven't been very good at it for some time. This week trying to climb out a canyon in knee deep snow I decided that at 72 I just can't do it anymore. Birds and Fish best beware, but I've hung up the rifle. It was a hell of a good run while it lasted.
I'm not a touchy feely guy but I have to admit that your post brought a tear to my eye. Best wishes to any and all outdoor adventures that you have in your future. Sounds like you've had a good run so far.
Us guys who haven't gotten to this stage of life should stand up and take notice here. Our hunting partners get to a point in time where they make this very tough decision. I had the honor of being with my father on his last hunt. He died the following spring, and had I missed that final time afield, I don't honestly know how I'd have taken it.
Many years later, I sat on a windswept hill in northern Minnesota with my wife's grandfather. It was a slow day, and we whiled away the time in idle chit chat, like hunters always do. He looked me in the eye and told me this was his last season. The legs were going, the hearing fading, the vision not as sharp. Somehow he knew. He left us before the next deer season rolled around.
Never, I repeat never take for granted that our older friends and family, or anyone for that matter will be there "next year." Lest we miss that last opportunity to let them fleece us at the card table, share a cup of coffee, or help them get in and out of the woods. For all they've done for us over the years, we owe them that much.
I'm 77 and have been in this situation for quite awhile. A month ago while travelling to our moose hunting location I developed gout. Didn't get medicine and had a miserable week in a fly in camp because I couldn't walk well.
Surprisingly I still had a good time. Didn't get my rifle out of the case and only spent 4 hours one afternoon fishing. The weather was nice and I spent a lot of time in camp doing dishes and reading. For several years I've wondered if this is the year but when fall approaches the desire to go is still there.
Our type of hunting doesn't require a lot of effort - until a moose is down! There is a couple of us who are no longer able to bend over to help with the gutting and other chores. So far we have enough younger ones in the party to carry us. I told my Sil a long time ago that when I become too big a PITA to not be afraid to speak up and tell me so.
Us guys who haven't gotten to this stage of life should stand up and take notice here. Our hunting partners get to a point in time where they make this very tough decision. I had the honor of being with my father on his last hunt. He died the following spring, and had I missed that final time afield, I don't honestly know how I'd have taken it.
Many years later, I sat on a windswept hill in northern Minnesota with my wife's grandfather. It was a slow day, and we whiled away the time in idle chit chat, like hunters always do. He looked me in the eye and told me this was his last season. The legs were going, the hearing fading, the vision not as sharp. Somehow he knew. He left us before the next deer season rolled around.
Never, I repeat never take for granted that our older friends and family, or anyone for that matter will be there "next year." Lest we miss that last opportunity to let them fleece us at the card table, share a cup of coffee, or help them get in and out of the woods. For all they've done for us over the years, we owe them that much.
Folks with views like this are what keep me hanging around this place.
Tracks, im a little older than you at 76 yrs old.and i know the feelings that age brings on, the mountians git higher and steeper, i used to run up and down the rocky mountians like a goat,wade thru snow up to my waist, cant do that anymore. now i hunt the plains,and s.tex brush country,its not the same as the rockys, but its huntin, and very rewarding, whitetail aint elk, pigs aint bears, bobcat aint lions, but its still huntin, dont ever quit, when i die i hope its when im sitting under a tree watching the sun come up or go down, while im waiting for the critters to show up. { we will all be known forever by the tracks we leave} rio7
One of my partners, 68, told me just yesterday that he won't be going on our late season hunt. On our hunt last week he overdid it. He's had hip replacements on both sides and I can't believe he does as well as he does. My other partner is 69 and while he's a plodder, he never quits plodding. I'm 65 and still in very good health...so far. I can't pack elk quarters on my back like I used to, though, so several years ago I got into pack llamas. I figure they added at least 5 years to my elk hunting time.
It gets harder for me every years but i won't quit until my body gets cold and stiff. I'm finished with the Hard stuff like Elk, but here at home i can still get the deer out where i hunt, because i have both help and the miracle invention called a four wheeler . Deep down tho , i know i don't have many years left
I'm thinking pretty hard of the earlier/warmer muzzleloader season myself. These days I'm not hunting as hard or as long as I once did but I'm shooting more and enjoying summertime rifle and muzzleloader matches at the local range.
Us guys who haven't gotten to this stage of life should stand up and take notice here. Our hunting partners get to a point in time where they make this very tough decision. I had the honor of being with my father on his last hunt. He died the following spring, and had I missed that final time afield, I don't honestly know how I'd have taken it.
Many years later, I sat on a windswept hill in northern Minnesota with my wife's grandfather. It was a slow day, and we whiled away the time in idle chit chat, like hunters always do. He looked me in the eye and told me this was his last season. The legs were going, the hearing fading, the vision not as sharp. Somehow he knew. He left us before the next deer season rolled around.
Never, I repeat never take for granted that our older friends and family, or anyone for that matter will be there "next year." Lest we miss that last opportunity to let them fleece us at the card table, share a cup of coffee, or help them get in and out of the woods. For all they've done for us over the years, we owe them that much.
Guys, thanks to every one of you for the kind remarks, hunt offers and PMs. When I was a kid hunting the cross timbers and creeks of North Texas with my .22 and maybe as many as ten or twelve rounds my dream was to someday have a 30-06 and hunt the Rockies. I read every outdoor mag I could get my hands on. I grew up and life kinda got in the way and I moved into the larger game much later than I wanted. With no instruction I had to learn everything the hard way. One day in '94 I found myself standing on top of a Beaver Dam and realized my dream had finally arrived. That was my first Elk hunt. I've had far more failures than success, and doing it the hard way became a way of life. I've brought some great kids along, let them see my way and then go ahead and build their own style. They're all better than me. I've done a lot wrong, failed many times, and loved every damned minute of it. I don't think I could do it another way.
This thread reminded me of one of the best scenes in movie history. Watch.
It doesn�t get any better than this; both movie and book.
Very hard to watch this film.
The blond boy played by Brad Pitt. My blond younger brother lived life like this character. Loved his motorcycles. Killed himself on one at the age of 27.
How can Redford read profound words like this, make a movie like this, and be so freaking stupid?
At 61 things are slowed down considerably here too. On the good news side, killing a deer or the like just isnt as important as it used to be....
This.
I am 64 and suffering with a back injury and vertigo. I would like a deer and an elk in the freezer but have not found a hunting partner in Washington. If I got an elk I would have to camp the winter and eat it where it fell.
I still like to go but I don't go as far as I once did and if I kill anything it has to be where I can get a truck in to it. If it is out where I like to hunt, way off the road then I will pass on the shot.
I have never shot a home deer but now I know why some of my old friends do it.
I'm 66 and still going strong. As long as I can get on my ATV, I'll be hunting somewhere. It might not be in the bottom of a canyon in Colorado, but I'll be hunting. I have been thinking about getting an emergency locater though. This Deer season, I saw an old man sitting in a chair overlooking a draw. He was about 50 yards from his truck. It still touches me because I know that's as far as he could walk.
It doesn�t get any better than this; both movie and book.
Very hard to watch this film.
The blond boy played by Brad Pitt. My blond younger brother lived life like this character. Loved his motorcycles. Killed himself on one at the age of 27.
How can Redford read profound words like this, make a movie like this, and be so freaking stupid?
Sorry to hear about your brother Bowsinger, that had to be a tough one. I've got two brothers myself.
Agree about the film and the book. Redford has a great talent for making movies, I'm not exactly sure why he's such a commie. It's too bad.
It doesn�t get any better than this; both movie and book.
Very hard to watch this film.
The blond boy played by Brad Pitt. My blond younger brother lived life like this character. Loved his motorcycles. Killed himself on one at the age of 27.
How can Redford read profound words like this, make a movie like this, and be so freaking stupid?
Sorry to hear about your brother Bowsinger, that had to be a tough one. I've got two brothers myself.
Agree about the film and the book. Redford has a great talent for making movies, I'm not exactly sure why he's such a commie. It's too bad.
I agree with you both.
Originally Posted by frogman43
Believe me, I was thinking how easy on the body Antelope Camp was when I was trying to pack out my Bull Elk last week buddy!
unless a certain someone decides to kill deer two steep, deep draws in....
What a great thread! I just turned 62. I'm still going strong and plan on staying that way for many years. I hunt alone as much as with someone but always have someone that knows where to find me if something should happen. I don't know if I will ever make it out west again, but I have made a few trips that were all successful in more ways than I can count and hope for at least one more.
I realize we are not promised tomorrow, so I have tried hard to pass on my knowledge and ways to my sons as well as a few of their friends that were interested and didn't have a hunting dad. My Dad wasn't a hunter, but I was fortunate to have some older guys take me on as a teenager and show me their ways. (I think my Dad saw to it that those guys gave me a chance.) I learned from them things they never intended to teach and owe them more than they know.
My brother and I drug a deer about a mile for a first cousin of my moms. He had fallen while getting out of his stand after shooting a buck. We gave him a pretty hard time about his hurt shoulder, but at the same time my brother and I knew that we would still be hauling the buck if he hadn't hurt his shoulder. We didn't know at the time that he was on his last hunt and he didn't either.
I had called him the summer previous to that fall about going fishing with me. The Spanish Mackerel schools were everywhere and staying up. I swear we fished for two hours and I didn't turn the boat. There were three of us and our limits were easily filled. It was one of those days. It turns out that was his last fishing trip too, but what a trip!
This gentleman was a class act his whole life. Hunting and fishing with him those last two days will be something I will always remember. It was an honor Ed. He was just one of those that I can never repay, but hope to pass on some of what he taught me.
When my last hunt comes, I hope that I have the grace to do it like it should be done and when I walk away from hunting, I hope that I have no regrets about the way I did it.
I will turn 78 next Jan. My dad never hunted and my parents were divorced when I was 4. I lived with my mother. For some reason I was always interested in guns and hunting. Hunted small game locally - dove, ducks, squirrels, etc. In the early 60's made my first hunt out west for mule deer and antelope. Also, started collecting guns and began reloading - still my passion today. My son and I made our 4th trip to South Africa this April. The 10 day hunt was great but the long plane ride was really hard on me. I told my son this might be my last SA hunt.
Have been in good health, never sick, work out 4 times a week and probably stronger than when I was 20 yrs. old. That run ended in July - went to the doc. for a bladder exam - he stuck a deal up my pecker into my bladder. Came down with a urenery tract infection that Friday night. By Mon. the infection had gotten into my blood stream and I wound up in intensive care - stayed in the hospital 7 days. Almost died. All this caused my heart to go out of rhythm. Got that fixed but then the heart doc. found 2 blockages. Couldn't put in stints because I was still on antibiotics. Next another doc. said my blood numbers were not right and I need to see liver doc. Taking a ton of meds. and have probably seen 10 different doctors. Have doctor visits into Dec. What's weird is I feel fine but the doc. tells me to take it easy My 2 Tex. deer hunts fell through but I still hope to find a cheap cull hunt for late Dec. I intend to go as long as I can, but the end is in sight. Guys don't take your good health for granted.
Tracks- I hope you're not done. You certainly have some enticing offers from the great people here on the fire.
There comes a time for all of us when we are limited or must stop doing something we love to do. One of my biggest inspirations to work through life's curve balls is to think of a Lake Erie fishing friend I have over in Ohio. He's been a friend of my 92 year-old uncle his entire life. He's a WWII vet, and nobody knows how old Gordy is, and he's not telling. His wife has been gone for nearly 50 years. His many heart repairs have been handled at a VA hospital, and even at his age (I'm sure in his 90's) he cuts and splits wood with a Stihl 048 and a PTO-driven splitter off his John Deere and stacks it for sale in front of his farm house every fall. I ask him why, and he simply says he's bored in the house and it keeps his ticker ticking.
He gets in and out of the walleye boat as well as I do, and told me with a smile while perch fishing just a few weeks back "If I keel over while we're out here, keep fishing. You may not get back out here until next year."
My Dad was 80, was in great shape and always did stuff until he did 1 thing to many. He helped out elderly neighbors by cutting a branch off of their tree. Unfortunately, somehow he fell from the ladder 10 feet onto concrete. A concussion, brain damage and broken bones put an end to his doing just about anything. It also brought on Alzheimers which didn't help either.
Real sad thing that the neighbors didn't need my Dad's help. They had plenty of money to hire a professional to trim their tree.
Try to recognize your limits and don't cross them. 80 is too old to be climbing ladders and cutting trees down.
ya know, this brought memories tho of an opposite perspective....
a brother in laws dad back in Minnesota, was told in the early 80s that his time was numbered for a batch of medical reasons... he was about 85 years old.. and a lifelong Minnesota farmer...
his response to what he was told by the doctor, was not to slow down... he went out of his way to push himself, beyond what he usually did...when asked what got into him, he would just blow off the question and not give an answer...
but when his son asked him one day in private in the barn, why he was pushing himself instead of taking it easy to prolong his time.... his response surprised his son....he told him he knew he was going to die... and instead of doing it sitting in a chair, or laying in the bed, or in an ambulance or in a hospital bed... he wanted to do so, doing the things he loved best....
Mr Ryder died in November 1984.... during the Minnesota Deer Season....he did show back up at the parking area that everyone had parked their trucks... in fact he had wondered off from where his sons and grandsons had put him in a chair to sit and they would try to push deer to him...
they found him laying in a small clearing....he had had a heart attack... but they had also heard a shot, and laying about 50 yds or so on the other side of the clearing was a nice healthy 4 point buck....
he passed doing what he loved best... which really isn't a bad way to check out when your time comes...
Well it Was Dan Bailey the younger, of Dan Bailey's flyshop in Livingston, MT that did all the casting in that movie. As for not hunting anymore, that is a personal thing. I am 58 and well, my last moose told me that going and hunting those by myself is at and end and i was 52 at the time. Now I am content with hunting white tail deer on my properly, the State of CT changed the rules some and well I can hunt from mid September to the last day in January even on sunday with archery. And for every doe I shoot they will give me another tag. I collected two with a crossbow, that was another change, I may shoot one more with a rifle. That would put about 180 lbs of venison in the freezer its enough, I will add a couple of ducks and a goose or two because I rediscovered waterfowl and upland game hunting with a shotgun a few years back. As for flying Next year it will be 40 years since I started out as a professional pilot. One of my mentors back when I was young,said to an employer that I wanted to fly for, he's a good pilot and he loves to fly, he is just not in love with flying. I learned a lot from that guy, forgot more that knew at the time. I can't see myself ever stopping hunting or fishing or going off by myself. Now if I could retire, some place out of the way in South East Alaska, were there are plenty of Black Tails to hunt and plenty of fish to be had would be the best way I can think of to cap off a life.
I'm a lot younger, but the sins of my youth and service in the military wrought havoc on my knees. Torn meniscus in both knees, bone on bone arthritis, etc. It's hard to get up the hills, but I still usually get there..it just takes longer and is painful. The weight gain from not exercising due to pain is worse.
To be honest I haven't been very good at it for some time. This week trying to climb out a canyon in knee deep snow I decided that at 72 I just can't do it anymore. Birds and Fish best beware, but I've hung up the rifle. It was a hell of a good run while it lasted.
My dad shot his last deer when he was 91. We took him again when he was 92 but he just couldn't get behind the gun to make the shot.
I have never forgotten the days afield, spent with my dad deer hunting. He was old, even when I was young, and I always admired his grit. I still ponder the trips we took to the Musselshell in Eastern Montana, and how it was the event of the year, yet it would only last a few days.
My boys went with me when we took dad those last years and we still talk every fall of the times my dad would light up a cigarette in the truck against our best wishes. I knew it wouldn't last forever and I would remind them that some day we would be wishing he was still with us lighting up his stinky Camel cigarettes.
I don't know how many more trips I have left in me for deer elk, turkeys, varmints or fishing. I only know that my father set a bar high enough that it won't be ending any day soon.
At 70, I'm teetering on the edge myself. I gave up doing pack ins a few years ago and can only do truck camps now. This past season was the 1st season in over 20 years that I have not killed an elk. Just too tough and too much work for me to get around. Getting banged up from loco mule didn't help either.
I was not going to go this past year, but a young fellow asked me to take him and I did, but then it ended up he only stayed a few days and us two old farts had to tear down camp ourselves and I had cracked rib and a lot of bruises. So I had to pass on my 2nd hunt for the 2nd rifle that I had bought tags for just in case I decided to go.
Maybe though I can do it easier. Today I bought one of those pop up in truck campers so I don't have to work so hard putting up camp etc. It's used but in excellent condition. Just right for one guy. Now I am going to sell my 20 ft gooseneck stock trailer and get something smaller I can pull behind the truck and camper. That will hold two mules and tack etc.
All the years I started youngsters off hunting and offering my camp,etc, there don't seem to be any takers with stock that want to go and help out much.
This is a very sad thread. But reality bites. Not something I had given any thought about until now. Guess it will eventually catch up to all of us.
Sorry yours is so near Tracks. But as you said look out fish and most likely anything else that doesn't require those tiring muscles and joints to work overtime. Even tweedy birds!
After reading this thread I PM'd Tracks with an offer to join me and hunt in Minnesota. It's pretty flat where we hunt, and not as physically imposing as the mountains out west. After reading through the replies here, and realizing how many older guys we have here, I'd like to put this offer out to any of our members. If you want to get out, but can't do it alone any more, contact me any time. My spots or yours-let's get into the woods. I'd be happy to tag along, do the heavy lifting, gut your critters-whatever you may need. It would be my honor to help out any way possible. Just drop me a line and let's start making some plans.
"Some people ask why men go hunting. They must be the kind of people who seldom get far from highways. What do they know of the tryst a hunting man keeps with the wind and the trees and the sky? Hunting? The means are greater than the end." Gordon MacQuarrie, Field & Stream, November 1939
Slide in sideways, in a cloud of dust, covered in scars, loudly proclaiming, "Holy S***, what a ride!" You know you have lived right if you mutter, let's do it again.
The mountain always ends up winning the war, but only one battle.
While there are accidents and illnesses, for the most part there's nothing wrong with any of us that 70 or 80 years doesn't cause. We're not invincible, any of us. Unfortunately, some get hit sooner than others. My father-in-law retired at 65 with a bucket list that would fill a 500 GB hard drive. Within a year, his back went out and never went back in. He's 90 now, has had 2 surgeries, and hasn't had a day without severe pain in 25 years. He's had a rough retirement.
At 70, I'm teetering on the edge myself. I gave up doing pack ins a few years ago and can only do truck camps now. This past season was the 1st season in over 20 years that I have not killed an elk. Just too tough and too much work for me to get around. Getting banged up from loco mule didn't help either.
I was not going to go this past year, but a young fellow asked me to take him and I did, but then it ended up he only stayed a few days and us two old farts had to tear down camp ourselves and I had cracked rib and a lot of bruises. So I had to pass on my 2nd hunt for the 2nd rifle that I had bought tags for just in case I decided to go.
Maybe though I can do it easier. Today I bought one of those pop up in truck campers so I don't have to work so hard putting up camp etc. It's used but in excellent condition. Just right for one guy. Now I am going to sell my 20 ft gooseneck stock trailer and get something smaller I can pull behind the truck and camper. That will hold two mules and tack etc.
All the years I started youngsters off hunting and offering my camp,etc, there don't seem to be any takers with stock that want to go and help out much.
F'ing with an elk in the backcountry just ain't the thrill it used to be. I'm fine with camping, breakfast, whiskey and napping.
"Some people ask why men go hunting. They must be the kind of people who seldom get far from highways. What do they know of the tryst a hunting man keeps with the wind and the trees and the sky? Hunting? The means are greater than the end." Gordon MacQuarrie, Field & Stream, November 1939
I always liked Thoreau's aphorism:
Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after.
Love the classic quotes reminders. Good ones, gentlemen. I am only 53, but hunting is getting really hard to almost impossible for me now with my bad kidneys causing tiredness and gout in my joints. Got the disabled hunter permit and a quad, but the last time I was out and about them rode my quad into camp I had to have help getting off of my quad because of my pain and weakness. So, I fear my big game hunting days are also coming to a close and at 53 I am not really ready for that. To the plus - and a LOT - I have been VERY blessed to get to hunt Africa several times and Alaska multiple times as well and have a quite nice critterhead display here at the house including book Eland and Cape Buff plus a nice set of elephant tusks and related parts from a bull I shot in Zim. This, or these maybe I should say, gives me MUCH comfort and such as I stare hard at the end of my big game forays in the very near future. I was hoping for one more foray into Africa but that is very unlikely now. But, so what? How many never got to go once.
I enjoyed my stays at elk and deer camps this year, even though I mostly slept off my many meds and shot the breeze plus kept the coffee and stew warm for everyone. Did manage to shoot a deer and a blck bear but could NOT have done either without help from friends now.
Feelin your pain here, maybe a little different shutting it down at age 53, though.
Life is what it is as we're not all dealt the same cards but have to play our hands the best we can and accept the outcome.I recently counted 65 candles last month and have come to accept the changes necessary to continue this quest of field and stream most noticeably:
Tree stands aren't so deep in the timber these days.
That 3 AM wake up for waterfowl really sucks.
Trying to keep warm with twice the numbers of layers than at age 40.
Wearing a knee brace that helps the knee but makes the foot go to sleep.
I'm 42, soon to be 43. When I lose the urge to go after my beloved whitetail, I hope someone will take pity on me and put me down gracefully.
I cannot imagine my life without the thrill of being out there on a cold crisp fall morning waiting for those 'ghosts' that suddenly appear out of no where. It is my passion and what I want to do most in this life.
Tracks, sorry to hear you are going to hang it up. It is a decision only you can make. I hope if you are not able to get out anymore that you will pass on all the knowledge you have gathered in your years of hunting to someone from a younger generation. There is someone out there to whom that knowledge would be more valuable than gold.
I've been hunting for over 50 years and have killed more deer and elk than I can keep track of. I'm by no means ready to give it up as long as my health is good. However, I can't pack elk quarters on my back like I used to so I got into pack llamas a few years ago to extend my hunting years. I've had a ball with them. I love to load them up and head up a trail to get away from it all, rifle or not. They've added a whole new feature to the outdoors. A couple weeks ago, Snubbie came to Idaho from NC and I took him on a llama pack trip to see if we could get him a mulie. We did. I had a great time and don't care in the least that I didn't get one myself. I passed on a couple little forkies and don't regret it a bit. We saw some fantastic country and I have some great memories and photos of the trip.
Passing on the love for our sport becomes a lot more satisfying than filling a tag as the years go on but the thrill of being out there still continues.
Passing on the love for our sport becomes a lot more satisfying than filling a tag as the years go on but the thrill of being out there still continues.
Passing on the love for our sport becomes a lot more satisfying than filling a tag as the years go on but the thrill of being out there still continues.
That was well said Scott and very true in my case. It seems the priorities change over the years and it is not so much about filing a tag as it is the hunt itself. Whether it is the quiet and solitude of hunting by yourself or the fellowship you enjoy while hunting with friends and family, that becomes what makes the hunt worthwhile.
Seeing the younger generation take up the sport, making the right decisions, and wanting to pull their weight is better than taking the biggest buck out there. Even if they prefer to do it with stainless rifles that have plastic stocks or bows that have more parts than a Boeing 747.
I'm about the same age. My original knee replacement is worn out after 13 years & needs to be replaced. About 6 weeks after my knee replacement I was putting in a food plot by myself & hung up the plow. After pulling & pushing I felt something in my surgical repaired knee give & back to the operating table I went. I still do engineering part time & work full time teaching private security officers how to shoot & Virginia gun laws. I'm not hunting this year due to work but have a fishing trip coming up. My mountain hunting days have been over, but there is still lots of hunting I plan to do. With 3 trips to Africa, hunts in most Western States & Canadian Provinces, & Europe its been a good ride. This afternoon I may fix a good bourbon & look at the 35 big game mounts in my trophy room. Many of my best hunting & fishing buddies are gone. Memories are good.
Maybe this thread will inspire a 'geezers only' hunt! Only guys who are a bit physically challenged by illness or age.
I know the TN 24hrcf boar 'hunt' (small H on the 'hunt' part) was a good one for me even though it is a little embarrassing that I am reduced to such types of adventures now. And there are places to hunt big game where camping trailers and Quads can be used.
Who among the 'ain't what we used to be' crowd here would like to put together a trailers and quads deer, antelope or Elk hunt in the near future? Tracks? Logger? Tbear?
Maybe we could pick out one or two younger guys to come in case some muscle is needed and so that we could mentor them a bit. I know that if his way was paid (we could all chip in) Marty aka IronEagle84 would be all over providing the young blood and go on such an adventure. Most 20 somethings don't have the cash flow to go.
I know the feeling. Decided its squirrel hunting this year.
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