Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting I might be running out of hunting partners

I'm the youngest of my gang of 3. We've been hunting together for MANY years. I'm 68 and the others are 71 and 72. One is developing bad knees and the other is getting to like his fishing a lot more than hunting. We just applied for our Idaho elk tags for this year but it remains to be seen whether they can or will hunt if we draw. Hopefully I'll be good for quite a few more years but I sure hate to have to find new partners at this age.

I suspect trout clean up much easier than elk. Lol.

Good luck. Hope you fellas draw and have a great hunt.

Yep, and the pack out is not as strenuous. Unless you're a really good fisherman......

All of my best (non-family) hunting buddies have passed on to the Happy Hunting Grounds. Fortunately, my sons still like to hunt big game and birds.

That's definitely one of the difficulties of getting older, as I'm in something of the same position, since most of my former hunting partners are either dead, or looking to shoot the first legal deer they see, because elk hunting is too much work.

The ideal solution, of course, is to find younger hunting partners, but most of them also have different priorities than older hunters.

I have the same problem here.My long time friend/hunting partner had to stop riding and he has stopped elk hunting .In addition his wife is not doing well health wise. My other hunting partner is younger than I ,but doesn't have the desire to really kill an elk, but likes the trip.This year,he is only going ML hunting and not rifle hunting with me. I will be 74 this coming season ,I am pushing it, but will still go I guess by myself for rifle season. I just need to cut up the elk in smaller pieces to lift up on the mule.

It's harder to find partners with horses or mules too.. If not,then I tend to overwork my stock when foot hunters go long


As Mule Deer said,the ideal solution, of course, is to find younger hunting partners, but most of them also have different priorities than older hunters. I haven't found and that wants to put in the effort or has the time off to get away for an entire season,let alone two. The few I have taken either says I work too hard at it,or wants to go into town to drink or watch a foot ball game.

Rocky:

I have the same problem. I'm 69 and it's been several years since my old hunting partners cashed in their chips.

KC

I have reached the point where I am always the oldest one in elk camp, deer camp and on bird hunts. I am fortunate to have a stepson who lives to hunt. He is a beast, and a handful to keep up with, but he takes good care of me. I also have a few younger friends that I hunt with each year that are a lot of fun, and my younger daughter also makes time in her busy life to hunt with Dad once in a while.

I used to have a hunting partner that fit that description, but he up and moved out of state on me. Rare as hen's teeth.

Me too.

It's something that makes me think of how short life is. I have stayed in good shape all my life, but nothing will keep you young forever. I have out-hunted most of my friends and out lived quite a few also. But now I am feeling some of the effects of age. I know I can eat right, stay in shape and do "young mans things" for a while longer (Hopefully quite a while) and I will .........but someday my young hunting partners will have to replace me too.

Man.........this life has gone by fast!

This saying is so true.
"I expect to pass through the world but once.
Any good therefore that I can do, or any kindness I can show to any creature, let me do it now. Let me
not defer it, for I shall not pass this way again.-----
IStephen Grellet,

That's why I share my experience and my knowledge when and where I can, and I charge nothign for it.
I want it to have value and when I am gone the value goes with me, unless I pass it on.

I quit hunting with my old partners a while ago.
I have two sons and a SIL that love to hunt along with my wife. My boys usually bring along a friend or two that I have known sense they were in grade school.
I rather enjoy being the old guy that teaches them things and they even enjoy listening to my old story's. Having strong lads around to do the heavy lifting is great, they even say, "let me get that for you" .

What is an SIL?

Wow, guess there are a lot of people in the same boat. I usually hunt alone, it is getting tougher each year to deal w/ downed game.. Fortunately I have several younger friends that are very helpful if I need a hand getting my game out.. Bird hunting and hunting are much more fun than elk.. Didn't draw a sheep tag this year, and doubt I apply again.. Fortunately, I have a couple nice rams, and plenty of other hunting and fishing to do..

Going through the same thing. My elk hunting partner is 72 and I'm 59 going on 60. I still hit it 4x a week at the gym and ready to go. He is telling me this might be our last hunt this fall. Dang...

As long as I can walk, I don't have to pack meat because I have a string of pack llamas. That's what has kept my partners going this long. 5 miles doesn't bother me a bit as long as I don't have a load to carry and nobody's in a rush.

Many of us understand your dilemma. I was the youngest of our group 31 years ago and I am the only one left. The younger guys I have brought in have either moved and no longer hunt elk, they have started bow hunting, or only use outfitters. Good luck with finding new partners.

Same here, hunting buddies passed on some 6-8 years ago. I was the youngin. Now I hunt alone, and don't mind it much anymore. I have a couple old phart friends who will help load game if I really need help. And I don't do much traipsin' around the countryside like I did. Just hunt more local and the same areas mainly. No new country adventures.

Other hunters often pity this old broad in da woods, and tell me where their camp is to get them, if I want some help to get game out or there's trouble. The young Oilfield/Gasfield guys have been great, very kind and helpful to me.

Son-in-law

I'm 71 with bad knees, one replaced about a year and a half ago! Had a friend come over and go out elk hunting with me last year, my son didn't get a tag. Put in for a cow tag this year and will probably get it but unless my son get's one too, I'm not shooting an elk that is not standing right by the road. To much work for an old man with bad knees!

My brother and I started hunting as the young generation at elk camp and were able to join our 5 older uncles on elk hunts. We did much of the grunt work.
These days that older generation has all hung up their guns and my brother and I are the elders in elk camp.
We are very fortunate to have two younger fellas that hunt with us each year and are very physically capable.
Those two fellas have boys that are getting to the age where they may begin to get interested in seeing what it is all about.

Wyogal, did you just have a stock on an M70 refinished?

The 3 friends I will chase Elk w/ this year all are less than 1/2 my age. They do all the work and I provide knowledge and good looks....and a sense of humor. I think Llamas would be ideal and allow for solo.


mike r

Nope, not me. Don't own any M70's currently. Sorry.

Have a dear friend who I hunted w/for more than 35 yrs. He quit about 3 yrs. ago.
Fortunately his nephew stepped in to help keep me young!
My son has decided to do the outfitter thing so he is busy!
Can't wait for the grandsons to step up!!

Thanks John

"Nope, not me. Don't own any M70's currently. Sorry."

No need to apologize. I just thought you might be someone I knew, guessing from a post you made, so I thought I'd ask that question. Wrong Wyoming Woman hunter.
I know a few, but I guessed wrong.

Happy hunting anyway.

While I've worn out 1-1/2 hunting partners, I am fortunate to have new ones - sons-in-law and a couple of daughters and 1/2 of one of my old partners. (He can only hunt a couple days in a good year and only easy hunts at that due to physical issues.)

I'll probably hang it up before my grandsons are useful hunting partners.

I don't have any relatives left in the state. By the time the grandkids are old enough to hunt, I'll probably be over the hill...or under it.

My party is slowly going our separate ways! Children growing up and filling spots in camp is wonderful to see! The biggest reason our camp has divided into three camps, I contribute to the point draw system in our state! Party size and point averages separates people from hunting together!

I'm 74. I hunt with two slightly younger brothers in Utah(Evanston Wy is the closest town) We do hunt private ground, but the hunting is not easy, but not as difficult as it could be. I did kill a nice bull in an easy spot. We quartered it and packed it a short distance to a two track where we could get an ATV to it. Easy, right? Wrong! It just wore me out. I think I've killed my last elk. Nothing wrong with fishing or driving the truck for the younger guys.

There is almost always a youngster around that loves to hunt what ever is available but because of family, low paying job money is just not available. Some financial assistance can go a long way towards having a younger hunting partner.

Not sure exactly where you are in Utah, but I've spent quite a bit of time between Evanston and Bear Lake on the Utah side of the line. Some neat country. I'm guessing you guys are hunting a CWMU of some sort?

My long time hunting friend and I will turn 68 this summer. At least we hope to. He will
have his second knee done this summer and I have developed intermittent low back pain.
We have an elk hunt booked for '18, our umpteenth over the years for deer, elk, or whatever.

It will be with an outfitter so will not be nearly as demanding as some we have done. We will
probably transition to mostly birds after that and less ibuprofen. While I love to fish he
doesn't but that seems the perfect duffer activity to me.

I (55) lost my elk hunting partner in 2015, our last hunt together. He was 72 and had his ankles fused. Try as he might he just could not climb, and worse yet, descend the mountains safely. We had a good 20 year run though.

Get you a good pontoon boat set up for camping. With that you can duffer all you want to while taking it easy on the knees and not burning any unnecessary calories.

I'm 59, my hunting partner of 54 years (my father) just hung up his shooting irons at 86 years old due to Macular Degeneration, I will never find another partner like him!

My dad died in '06 at 92. We hunted together until he was in his mid 70's. His legs couldn't handle it after that. He gave me his Rem 721 30-06 that he bought when I was 4. 10 years later I shot a moose with it and he was extremely happy about it.

Wow, I can't believe how you guys are experiencing the same with the young bucks... Weight room blowhards but not much for performance. Pack stock that is easy to learn and not very dangerous to the user may really help some of you squeeze a few extra years out of the back country... All you have to carry is a rifle, a rope, and a smile... And they never tell lies about you, or the truth whichever it is hurts worse!

IMG_1650 (640x480) by squirrel2012, on Flickr

K7A3BE4CAC625D_1000407 by squirrel2012, on Flickr

So true. These guys helped me wring 5+ more years out of my back and knees. I can go a long ways if I don't have a load to pack.
Its interesting that you always hear about pack llamas but the only ones I've ever seen in the hills are my own. All the rest are pasture potatoes. They really are good packers and no animal is easier to keep.

Yep their ease of training and off season keep is fantastic. I'm closing in on 60 and can do more, with a greater degree of comfort than I could when I was 30, 10' tall and bulletproof, albeit at a slower pace, generally. More geezers should take some time to learn there is a better way. My getting a couple llamas (now have almost 20) let my Dad hunt legit back country till he was 82 in comfort, with me doing the appropriate amount of camp work to make it happen of course. When you take a dozen or more for a week for two people you aint exactly doing without necessities... And a warm camp, dry boots/clothes really make it easier to hunt harder.

DSC04043 by squirrel2012, on Flickr

Looks like fun,but they sure scare the hell out of horses and mules. My biggest problem is that if I can't ride,I can' t walk very far,even without a a pack. Got so now,I have to take a built up platform to step up on to get a saddle on a short mule. Still better than staying home

Some horses and some mules, yes... trouble is you never know just whether the one you are on is one of those!! Guy went off on a "kill every damn llama" rant one time and explained how a horse went crazy and leapt off a cliff and drug two more with him to the death of all. I patiently waited as he went off on how many times one should shoot a llama and asked him what the guilty llama did after the fatal encounter.

HE JUST STOOD THERE LOOKING STUPID!!! was the screamed reply. Yep now there is a well thought out opinion.

If you take time to pasture your animals downwind for several days they quickly learn to pay no attention whatsoever to the llamas... do this once and reap the rewards for ever. Never known one to stay scared of them.

That sucks about your situation saddlesore, but you are right, still beats golf.

A few horses will spook at llamas just because they haven't seen them before. Normally they won't do anything the 2d time. MIne are around horses quite a bit and very few do anything at all. Then you run into an occasional idiot aboard a horse. A few years ago I was on a narrow trail through deadfall when I ran into several horses. I got as far off the trail as I could but it wasn't over 10 yds. One horse was getting a little spooky and the guy on top decided he was a cowboy. Instead of getting off, he about broke his horse's legs in the deadfall. He needed a horsewhipping in my opinion.
Another time I ran into a family on horses with their small daughter on top a mule. I got off the trail and asked it the horses were familiar with llamas. He just said they would be after this and kept coming. Luckily it didn't do anything but I would have been on the ground holding on to it's head if it had been my little girl on top. He had no idea what it would do.

RC,

It was 30+ years ago and we were backpacking into the Holy Cross wilderness to scramble some peaks, and I couldn't figure out why these elk were just going up the trail. Tracks all along the way to the lake we were camping at. Got to the lake and a couple were there with their 2 llamas. They had daypacks and the llamas had toted the camp stuff. Too Cool!

May be looking for options like this in the future for greener (retirement) pastures.

John(Dog)

Some one left one north of Vail one year.I heard they could not get it back into a trailer.It had staked out a claim on about an acre of land. We had to ride by every morning in the dark. He would rush us to the edge of his territory .Mules don't like something running right at them in the dark. 9 days and they never got use to it.Even though we had to ride back past it in the afternoon when it was light. Mules don't accept them quite as fast as a horse I will.

I almost had it roped one afternoon until some tourist with a loose dog cashed it back down the trail. I'm not sure what I would have donw with it once I had it snubbed up anyway

I've been fooled by llama tracks, too. For having padded feet instead of hooves, they sure can look alike on soft ground. A llama in the shadows can also be taken for a cow elk. They have the same general body shape and hold their heads the same way. There was a case in MT some years ago where a hunter from NY shot a feral llama for an elk. Unfortunately, he didn't know the difference even on the ground. He got some attention when he went through a check station and photos were all over the web.

My partners would have hung it up several years ago if I didn't have my guys to pack the meat.

Llamas are pretty good eating. It tastes a lot like beef but with zero fat in the meat. LIke venison, it's all on the outside. The fat is pink BTW. Very unusual.
Just make sure it's calmed down for a while before you kill it. Like anything else, they can be pretty strong when they've been run. They aren't as easy to rope as you might think. I've tried it and long before the rope gets to the head, the head is on the ground. They have great eyesight and can dodge it nicely.

I’ve lost a couple partners for various reasons. I’m only 45 and in great shape except for some back issues but have been hunting alone when I can’t talk a non-hunting friend into a camping trip. I backpack hunt and live in the East which presents even further complications.

Unfortunately, I have found most guys to be big on talk and short on walk when it comes to really committing. Most of the dudes you meet are just plain full of sh*t or lazy, and even people you think you know will often show their true colors when things get a little hard. Then there’s the horn crazy guys that are all about the rack. I have nothing against trophy hunting but I am more into the overall experience and am tickled to be in the mountains and just as happy to take a nice cow.

Every year I get a little anxious about the upcoming season since it is a little tough to scout and plan from 1500 miles from the mountains on a working man’s wages. I ain’t quitting so may need to eventually get some lamas or make friends with folks similar to those that have responded here.

I hope you don't mind me asking, but where are you from in the East?

Check out llama rentals. They're available in a number of places. Unlike horses, you don't need to know how to ride and llamas are very adaptable to whoever is leading them. They'll figure it out for you.

I'm in central Ohio, East of Columbus.

Thanks for the advice Rock Chuck. I kind of figured I'd have to go with a drop camp when I can't physically can't carry all my gear in and get meat back out on my back. I like to hike in 3-5 miles to and set up a base camp to get away from road hunters and people. I think I've been hunting ~ 9 years now and have taken 5 elk if my math is right. First couple years was an expensive camping trip but I kind of feel I have gotten the gist of how to kill an elk....IF there are any in the area I am in.

It doesn't really make a difference what type of animal you want to pack, a person needs to spend some time and effort learning how to pack.If not your 2-3 hour pack will tune into 6-8 hours because you are stopping to repack on the side of a mountain every 1/2 mile.

The reason I use mules is that if you get to the point you can't carry a pack,which I never could, sooner or later you will get to the point you can't walk any appreciable distance.

Learning to ride and take care of livestock when you are younger strechhs that " Can't Walk" scenario out another 5-10 years. That is where I am at now .

Another issue with getting old is the desire to get out of the camper and sleep in a tent. My partners are at that stage (I think they were born at that stage). I like horses but don't have the land to keep them. The llamas have been an excellent way to go for my situation. I've found that you don't even have to get back 5 miles to be away from road hunters. Usually 3 miles will do it.

I went from packing in a full wall tent camp,to smaller camps, to setting up a camp at the truck,now a little slide in pop up camper big enough for one person.In the morning ,I need to get up and hour earlier,but I can saddle up and,ride for an hour in the dark. I'll be at that 3+miles in before first light. The minds willing,the body isn't for the camp work.

I'll be there all too soon.

If any of you "seasoned" hunters are taking applications for new hunting partners, let me know. I'm 37, in decent shape, and can get along with pretty much anyone. Me and maybe one of my buds could carry the load, so to speak, in exchange for learning the ropes. Never been elk hunting but it's been on top of my bucket list for many years.

I'm kinda serious......

Rock -

Same here, one of the benefits of O A. I've had a few to die. One of my BEST friends has developed health problems. Another EXfriend got in trouble with the law and can't own or possess firearms. Still in disbelief of his character.

My long time friend, hunting pard is 75 and still hunts but we don't get to hunt together like we used to.

My son & grandson hunt but don't live close enuff.

The Golden Years are cankered.

Jerry

I generally hunt by myself these days...cause folks just don't like to get up early, walk very far or do anything physical. Saddling and caring for horses is a lot of work too, so some people don't like to use them if there's not someone around to do everything for them. I used to hunt off horseback a lot, but for various reasons I do not much anymore. Sometimes, but not often.

Two of the three guys who took my hunting when I was a kid are no longer with us....died pretty young at 47 and 61. The third still goes with me on occasion, but he's slowing down in a big hurry. Sad deal but it is what it is.

For most of us even interested in this thread (seniors) we can remember when we were the young ones in camp doing most of the physical work, we'll now is our time. Hunt with younger folk and enjoy senior privilege for a little while.
I was remembering hunting with my uncle and his buds, they would bring dominoes to hunting camp. I'm 72 now and still don't see myself old enough to bring dominoes.

Most people don't know how to play dominoes any more but 5 card stud is still popular.

I tried a few times taking younger f fellows with me. They don't wan tto work that hard and I found myself still doing the camp chores

What's your definition of young? I think one nail you hit squarely is the word chores. I wonder how many kids have chores these days. I think rural kids probably do better in that regard. I was raised in both urban and rural myself. Had chores to do regardless.

Funny side note (or perhaps not so funny). I recall some years back the local news reported of a case of child abuse. It appears that some overbearing father had his boys out digging a ditch in the cold past sunset without any coats or sweaters on ... My interpretation. Temps were mid-50's to maybe low 60's that evening. Anyone who has ever done any digging knows they'd be sweating like a hog at those temps with a coat on, or even at temps a great deal colder than that. Heaven forbid a father try to instill a work ethic in his kids or the meaning of a deadline by having them do anything past sunset.

Draw tags don't help things. Those that might hunt with you don't have same points, etc. Looking to burn elk points in several states the next few years. After that, who knows?

Truth. If all young men (and boys) had to do manual labor at that age we'd all be better off for it.

Retired now, but in my working years we had a group of about 5 or 6 that were good for any hunting/fishing trip that was suggested. We dreamed of the freedom offered by retirement. With no deaths yet in the group, it's gotten to where one can't round up a partner for a premium hunt. Did my long overdue pronghorn outing last fall, and never spoke to another person for 7 days.

We don't have that problem as Idaho doesn't have a point system. Each year every applicant has an equal chance to draw. We can apply for a hunt alone or with as many as 3 other hunters. If 1 draws, we all draw.

Some states will also average points between applicants, so those points are still useful in some states.

Draws are often in "easier" areas as well in regards to terrain, hunter numbers (pressure) and animal density, which can make the physical aspect of the hunt easier for older folks.

My oldest partner has some good news. He had arthritis in a big toe and could hardly walk. The plan was that the doc was going to lay open the big toe and scrape the deposits off the bone. The healing period would be several months and that would get us very close to hunting season. It got down to the final check before the surgery a couple weeks ago. Seems that he and the doc didn't have their stuff together. It was the 2d toe that hurt, not the big toe with the calcium buildup. The sharp points in the big toe were rubbing against the second toe and causing lots of pain. Simple solution: the doc cut off the 2d toe at the 1st joint. Recovery time was 2 weeks. Now he's ready to go hunting...and we just drew cow elk tags in our favorite spot.

Our elk camp is fizzling out with some younger middle aged guys changing priorities and old guys hanging up elk hunting. I'll be 68 come elk season and I won't let poor knees stop this old paratrooper. Only ones left from our original bunch is me and my main partner who is 61. One other buddy that hunts most seasons, but not every year is 55 and is not in much better condition than I am. I reckon I'll keep going until I can't.... Long drives hurt me more than anything else. Happy Trails