Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Canada Age and ability

Hello fellow Geezers.
Well, I am on the verge of turning 65. What to do?
I have always prided myself in staying in good physical condition, I still play hockey pretty well, ride and rope decently and plan on working until I cannot.
I like my work , a self employed hvac tradesman but it takes exhausting effort sometimes. Until I turned 60 I just didn't seem to tire much during the day.
Live on land, have livestock but just sold off all the chickens.
I love to climb our mountains, it takes more time now but the thrill is still there. I feel there is nothing comprable to being in a high sheep basin, gridding it over with my binoculars. Just looking for something that just seems out of place, a horn tip, perhaps.
I still do some horseshoeing, I have to say I don't see many younger folks qualified to shoe performance horses .
I find most of their work lacks fundenmental skills ...there I said it. The same applies to the hvac stuff . This alone makes me feel compelled to carry on.
Anyways, I thought I would post my thoughts and wonder how my fellow Geezers see the world in late 2022.
.Merry Christmas- God Bless

Welcome to the club! I am a couple years older than you, and haven't given up any physical activity. If you walk or climb a little slower, but you still enjoy it, don't stop!

You could offer your expertise out to the younger crowd, but be aware that most younger folks usually don't like advice from older people. You have to let them get to know you first.

Carry on, keep as active as you can. At 77 I feel I can say aging, willingness and desire to do physical activity, is a very gradual process and it is not everything at once. It is more like a curving parabola and it sounds like you have a lot of time left to enjoy.

At 76 i am loosing some of my mobility [ to many falls , accidents , horses , logging, trucks ]
I mean we are invincible in our youth are we not. NOT.

anyway 2 new knees , few heart attacks, bad back and good old sciatic pain, we just carry on because we are boomers , mostly thats how we were taught to work ,survive and persevere.
So i still work most days playing with my big boy toys ,excavators , loader , gravel truck,

what i need is more play time but some thing that GETS me out of bed and going every day .
Or as they used to say.

Keep on TRUCKING


norm

Turning 65 and what to do --- best advice comes from Clint Eastwood --- How he keeps going at 92 --- he does not let the old man in.

I am 71 and the young guy in my group which ranges up to 82. All of us are active mentally and physically. Some either worked in tough physical jobs (firefighter), noisy environments or played competative sports where injuries occurred. For those of us in those categories hearing, knees, hips, shoulders and backs are becoming more noticeable. So we just do things a little slower and either ask for help on the tough tasks or come up with an easier way when doing it alone.

Adaptation and perserverance -- I still get up early, hunt a lot my own, do yard and building maintenance work and have a small consulting business to keep my mind going (I will be shutting this down soon as there are other things personal I want to get done). I do find through the consulting business that many younger people are not working at the same pace I do -- much slower and less interest in extended hours --- perhaps a lesson there that I should have learned earlier in life.

One thing I think on when I am starting a long duration hunt or fishing trip is to make the most of it as it may be the last. I try hard not to pass up time to get together with family and friends -- part guilt from my past work life and part that when you have friends in their 80's I do not want a regret to be turning down a chance for coffee.

I have found things that get me up early, keep me going and keep me enjoying the activities that I love. Joining retriever training clubs and meeting new people. Just finding stuff to "not let the old man in".

Then there is Garth Brooks --- "I am too young to feel this dam old". ---- Some mornings Garth is right.

I'm 73.Knees are going to need to be replaced , at least that is what the surgeon said after looking at the X-rays. . That's annoying . That once powerful memory isn't any more. It makes learning new things difficult. I hate driving at night. In fact driving more than six hours is a pain. In BC that barely gets you out of town. There is a number of friends who aren't here anymore .I miss them. But there is an Irish saying, "Don't complain about growing old, it's better than the alternative. "

A lot of us are a closer to the finish line than we like to think and the effects of time are noticeable. I'm semi-fit and active and hope to stay that way for the duration. A motorcycle mishap last summer showed me that I lose a little more time to recovery than I used to so that is to be avoided. I am often surprised to find I can't lift something which used to be easy. Golden years: they're great! GD

More age, less ability. What are you gonna do?

My Dad made it to 70 and laying in Palliative Care said there were so many things he wished he had done when he had the chance. His thoughts have followed me -- if you want to do something get on it as there maybe no tomorrow. Growing old to me means stop putting stuff off as the alternative is creeping up.




The lifting surprised me as well this year. In the past there were items I easily lifted into the box of the truck. This year I had to labour or come up with another way.

I was going through my hunting draws last night and I have priority build up for three draws --- so at 71 do I stage them so one each year for 3 years out or draw all three for a busy next fall and then get back in the pool. Golden Years -- Knees and a hip are giving me trouble and my shoulders are not what they used to be ---- so I am leaning to getting all three while I still have the mobility.

Keep doing something physical. My friend who is 83, drew a sheep tag after 23 years. Rode horseback 24 miles into the wilderness and killed a 10 year old ram. A month later he got a nice mule deer in Nevada where he drew a tag and last month he and his wife shot 2 whitetails on their property. Next, he and I are going aoudad hunting the end of January and last week we booked a spring brown bear hunt in Alaska. He shows no sign of slowing down so if he can do it at his age, there's hope for the rest of us.

Yeah, that lifting thing. My milling machine is the same one as Greydog has, only mine was well used when I bought it. When i got it in 2014, I lifted off the table to see about taking up the wear. Last Saturday I lifted the table to replace the feed screws and nuts. My Gawd it has gotten heavy. Yeah,we don't have too many hunts left. This year my hunting partner couldn't go north for moose and elk, marital difficulties, and my son changed jobs so we couldn't go deer hunting.

79 here. My knees and a lot of other things are hurting. But I still work as a boat builder, just cannot put in many hours.

Im the same age as you OP, but have been retired for more than 10 years already. So glad I retired early. I was fortunate in business ( turkey farm, feed mill, and hatchery) and have so many hobbies and interests that retirement has not been inactive or boring.

Since retiring, we've done a lot of international travel. Some have been adventures and hard work. My wife and I have backpacked across northern Spain three times on pilgrimage on El Camino de Santiago. 800 Km from Southern France, over the Pyrenees and across the plains and a couple more mountain ranges to the Atlantic coast. Following the ancient route pilgrims have trod for more than a thousand years.

Also since retiring, we've established a remote bush camp in northern BC, and spend our summers there. Last summer bought a bandsaw lumber mill to turn some of our fire killed trees into our own lumber. Built a sauna to go alongside our log cabin with the boards. We work harder there upgrading that property than we ever did at home!

Have hunted caribou in rugged placed like the Spatzitsi Plateau in BC, Sheep in the Makenzie Mts in Yukon, and antelope and buffalo in exotic places like the Caprivi strip in Nambia and the Savé conservancy in Zimbabwe.

I have a few quarter sections of land in NE Saskatchewan. It's about 1/3 cultivated, 2/3 bush. We rent out the open fields for hay to pay the taxes and use it as as a hunting base, with excellent elk and whitetail hunting every year.

I train by own bird dogs and love long hikes on our great plains after upland birds. Today I made a hundred pound batch of elk, moose and mule deer sausage. So far my body is letting me do these things, and I'm loving it. Don't plan to slow down any time soon.

Yup, getting old is fun.
Anyone starting to find their hunting coat and pants are getting heavier? Mine are. Went to a smaller rifle but it's gotten heavy too.

I guess I am lucky. So far, everything still works and none of my equipment is too heavy or awkward to carry around. Maybe it was my military background. I agree with StrayDog. Stay active.

I know slowing down is inevitable, but I think being active and staying mentally fit too is a large part of delaying it.

I'm gonna be 72 this year. Double knee replacements, screw in right wrist, cattaract surgery both eyes, detached retina surgery left eye, etc. I hunt alot slower, use ladder stands and ground blinds. I managed to take a pretty decent 8 point with my raven this year. When I can't get it done i guess i'll be camp cook, just being there will be better than sitting at home.

Smarter and slower wins the day. A friend 6 months older convinced me this year to spot geese in the morning and shoot in the afternoons --- much less tiring plus the setting up is way easier that doing it at 0 dark thirty. We had really tough snow conditions here for deer --- first time in many years I used a machine (tracked quad) to get to my areas -- saved my knees. That quad has been sitting for years with little use -- now it will get more.

As you say just keep at it as sitting at home does not cut it for me.

I'm in he the process of looking for a quad, thinking maybe a Polaris. We have been getting deer out with my cousin's, it's a nice machine!

71 will land with a thump next month. One of the best decisions I ever took, right up there with moving to West Virginia and marrying a much younger Chinese gal, was taking a retirement offer at age 58. Can’t call it early, because I’d been at it for 40 years. I never lack for something to do, and the freedom I have is beyond priceless. One never knows when illness or accident or some other calamity will take you out of the game, so I believe in getting down to your real life, whatever that is for you, as soon as possible.

I’m pretty healthy, more so after losing a bunch of weight, and still able to do all I want, if somewhat more slowly. I do wish my new 9mm was easier to rack….

Some interesting observations.
I like my work, but I will scale it back over time.
I would love to make a few more northern B.C. sheep hunts, I would like to rope until I cannot.
I suppose I would like to have another Longhorn cow herd, a Longhorn Bull and make some roping cattle( again)
No polled cows for me.
Some ranch work, horseback of course. Herding cows is rewarding work.
Merry Christmas, God Bless

You will make those hunts. Here's one solution with a happy ending.

I'm 61 in a few months. Slowing down has been a reality for the last several years. I lost my military career to injuries that wouldn't heal enough to continue to serve. My knees are in need of replacement, should have been on the list right now for the first one but, I took a fall a year ago in my garage. Was carrying 4 large geese in both hands when my knees collapsed. I landed directly on my right shoulder. I didn't realize how badly I damaged it until several months later it still hadn't healed yet. Doc sent me for an MRI which showed a major tear in a ligament. I'm now awaiting a surgery date in hopefully Feb for repairs. Second time I have had surgery on that shoulder. Then the wait starts for the first of 2 knee replacements. Add in Type 2 diabetes and getting old ain't easy.
I have started to reassess the type of hunting I can do moving forward. Walking has been a painful process for quite a number of years so big game hunting interest is waning. Can't drag a deer out nor pack an elk or moose anymore.
Enter upland birds and small game hunting. A bit easier on the body. Come winter, coyotes have learned to hate my 22-250!
Adaptation is key when you can't control all the aspects of old and new injuries. Give the Reaper the big finger and keep going!
Jeff

I'm almost 84, and mostly retired from running the ranch, as far as hunting goes i have quit Quail hunting the walking in the brush wears me out, still shoot Sporting Clay's, Pistol, and Long Range Rifle, Reload, Predator hunt, and do a little trapping, my Jeeps are my Old Man's Wheel Chair, I can go just about any place I want to.

I put a winch and basket on the back of my jeeps so I don't have to pick up anything heavier than a Coyote or Bobcat, still shoot big game, i'm lucky if i need help i get on the Radio and they come help me, I told the guy's if you find me dead one of these days, tie a chunk of barb wire around my foot and drag me to the dump, Fugg Old Age I Ain't giving into it. Rio7

Had lunch with a friend that is 5 years younger than me. At 66 he is on a waiting list for a hip replacement which was due before the COVID shutdown of surgeries up here. He is now into year 3 of walking with a cane, limited mobility and this shows. He has physically changed and looks old / tired. He commented on how well I looked and the excercise I get is keeping me young.

I asked why he did not go the private route for the hip as he could have had done sometime back. He believes in Canada's public system and this entrenched belief has now cost him years of doing what he used to be able to.


Clearly from what I saw today the motto -- use it or lose it --- is very applicable as you age even more so. If you have bad knees or hips get these fixed as soon as possible to avoid the other impacts that come with physically slowing down.

comerade;
Good afternoon my friend, I hope you're keeping the fire burning bright today a few valleys to the east of us and that you're all well.

Thanks for the thread, thanks to those who've posted and finally thanks for making me to some introspection.

A large part of me was and remains reluctant to answer because I've always been wary of answering certain questions lest they trigger the inevitable, you know?

When I did one of those medical questionnaires for my own life expectancy, if I take after my late Father's side of the family I'd do best not buying green bananas, though my late Mom's clan live a lot longer, so God alone knows my expiry date and thus far I'm not inclined to ask what it is.

Physically, so far as I'm aware, I'm doing well enough to have kept up with a buddy's 30 year old nephew this fall when he drew a coveted any ram tag for the California Bighorns on the mountain behind our house. He and I began hunting together in '86 if I'm not wrong and have shared a bunch of grand hunts including a run up to the Stikine for goats in '87, so when he drew this tag I was nearly as excited as he was.

We were able to walk the mountain fairly flat, surely stopping to rest more often than we used to do, but 31 years and 2 days after I'd killed a ram within about a half a kilometer of the spot, he took a wonderful one.

To be healthy enough to participate in that grand adventure was a blessing I still wonder at.

For sure for the bigger animals that take multiple trips I either stick closer to where I can reach with a pickup or have been content to wave at them and wish them a good life.

My wife and I try to stay in shape with daily walking and watching our diet, but that said there's aches and pains that come up and surely don't leave as quickly as they used to.

One thing that has changed for me is the realization that whatever hunt we're on at that time could possibly be our last. The sheep hunt was that way especially as it might well be that nobody we know gets drawn in our lifetime.

Work wise I don't have the resistance to the cold that I used to, my goodness did I feel that plowing out the yard and neighbor's places on Monday.

Anyways my friend, it's somewhat like the joke where a guy fell off the top of a 70 story building and as he was falling past the 35th floor, two guys on a balcony asked, "How're you doing?" to which he replied, "So far, so good"...

All the best of our Lord's blessings to you all this Christmas Season comerade and all the best in the New Year.

Dwayne

Merry Christmas....all of you.
It is always interesting hearing the various stories, for around the continent.
I guess we must choose between rusting out or wearing out our bodies.
Do you safety up, or Do you cowboy up?
I have always chosen the latter.
If I can only continue to compete in athletics, climb these Rocky Mountains and pursue a little roping and alot of riding.
Lots of broken bones, that have( more or less) healed
Personal friendships that deepened, and heck, like my wife says " we live in a postcard" The natural beauty of this valley is amazing.
I even enjoy chasing the Elk out of my haystack yard, hay barn and feeding pen This, after all is the Elk Valley.
All the best , to all of you and God Bless.

Happy holidays!

I retired in 2018, mainly to give me more time to do other things. My primary exercise is hiking, as that, to me coincides with hunting. Shoulder surgeries make me wareful of pumping to much iron but I am forcing myself to start again. For me hiking is the key, if you cannot get back off the roads, and away from others, your success is generally lower. I hunt in the NW. I feel like I am slowing as it takes longer to climb 1,000 up a trail back into my favorite spots and glass or look for tracks. I try not to OVER DO, as I want to keep my body together, as long as possible. I always hunt with younger hunters, who if necessary can give me a hand packing out elk . As of today I have hiked, both urban and in the field 1,145 miles.

Looking after yourself is important. Some of it is not smoking, drinking too much or other bad habits. Another part is good genes. Not overdoing it is yet another.

All the best for Christmas!

Comerade I do think as you age you have to as you say "cowboy up" both mentally and physically. Somethings are harder and take longer which can be a drain -- choice walk away or stick at it. Personally I prefer to stcik at it.

One thing a person over 60 has to become is a strong medical advocate. The Canadian medical profession does not see older people in the same valued box as they do younger. A person needs to stand up and advocate for good care for themselves. This situation gets worse the older you get.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

I refer to my quad as a mobility scooter for an aged hunter.

I turned 68 last month, some things are a bit harder to acomplish these days - like hunting my favorite side hills, but for the most part things are good.
I use a walking staff almost always now, and my son was hunting a lot with me this fall( big bonus!) So he did most of the heavy work. I plan on going as Hard as I can for as long as I can and enjoying life!
Cat

It is interesting and the expression" I am not as good as I once was but as good once as I ever was" explains the aging athletes' mindset .
It works .
You must prepare, stay as fit as you can and refuse to use terms like , I can't, I'm too old, etc. You gotta strike that from your vocabulary.
Even if it is partially true, don't say it out loud.
I know avid sheep hunters in their 70's, and many team ropers also( and older) Older Gents must prepare well, accept some minor limitations( on the quiet) and soldier on.


C'mon, Old Guys Rule!( repeat that mantra)
Happy New Year , folks

Great way to look at it comerade!

My Better 1/2 always says to me, I don't have anywhere near the pain you have and we are the same age!

I response:

Did you play Football for 15 years as a middle linebacker?
Did you weight train with very heavy weight and suffer injuries from doing that?
Did you run many thousands of miles in your lifetime?
Have you had so many fist fights that you can not remember the number of times?
Have you ever been thrown by horses?
Have you been hit by cars twice?
Have you fallen off of a 200 foot cliff?

She says no certainly not, and I say, "That may explain it!" lol

Can still get around pretty good and am very happy that I can.

Older than some and younger than others. I try to keep this in mind:

"One should never complain about getting old as many never get the opportunity"...

Happy New Year !

Very true, walk through a military graveyard and look at the ages they were when they were killed. I say God bless everyone of them and RIP.

The only option I know of to halt getting old is being underground.

I prefer the Sunlight, aches, pain, hunting and fishing and all :o)

Happy New Year to you sir!

Hi Cat. I think it's great that your son can go along with you. I hope he carrying a 303 and not one of those new fangled H&H Magnums. They're okay, but are probably just a flash in the pan.

My long time hunting partner lost his right foot and we weren't able to go moose hunting this year for the first time since 1990. He has a prosthetic and has to redo his driver's license because he must use hand controls. Bummer.

Well Steve, my son usually runs either a BSA Featherweight in 257 Bob or a 12x12/375 drilling. But a couple of times he trunndled out his custom built 6.5STW!
In his defence however it is at least a CRF Win70. :>)
Cat

I digress, but I see Cat & Steve are 303. British loyalists.
Pretty much anyone my age has owned a milsurp, sporterized .303 British.
I an curious if anyone our there has used or owned a .280 Ross of the same vintage.
This fits in pretty well under the age & ability heading.
The .303 & .280 Ross are aged and able, imo
I wonder if any bullet maker produces .289 diameter bullets that the Ross requires and with modern components it might equal Warren's Mashburn , .280
Cheers

Ask him to read this. https://303british.com/the-30-303-vs-the-308-the-308-aint-no-thang/ You can refresh a 303 with a barrel change to 308 diameter. More bullets to choose from and a better fit too. That will mean improved accuracy.


I haven't used a 280. I am not sure if there are any custom bullet makers in Canada making the right bullets. There might be in the US, but you would have to use an importer to get them in.

Believe me when I tell you Steve that although he is quite aware of the potential of the .303 case, the only one he will ever carry into the bush is my custom built Ruger #3, likely only one time ,the fall after he puts my tired bones to rest!
He loves his wildcats, but building one on the 303 Brit case ain't gonna happen!
Cat

Your body will tell you when to slow down, and when to quit. Take your time, don’t hurt yourself, but also don’t sell yourself too short. My motto has become, “If not now, when?”. Excepting a big weight loss or other physical improvement, your abilities are headed in one direction: South.

Something as simple as a good walking stick can make a huge difference in your excursions afield. I cut a half-dozen today from a pear tree I was pruning. Very strong, and if I leave one leaning against a tree somewhere, it’s not a financial disaster as with some high-tech carbon fiber wonder.

Each to his own thing. 😄

The force of the 303 surrounds us. It penetrates us. It binds the galaxy together.

Yup, he shakes his head at some of my choices as well!LOL
The .303 Brit for me may be old, but so am I , but it is a cartridge that has proven itself the World over in multiple rifle and bullet configurations, through war and peace. I just love it!
Cat

I was not able to win a match with my 303 "F" class rifle but I was able to come in second, ahead of a bunch of 6 BR's. The 303 seems to shoot every bit as well as a 308. I confess to building a 308 to win the same match a year later. I could do all of my hunting with a 303 and feel just fine doing it.
This coming fall, I will have had my first big game rifle, a #4mk1, sporterized by Parker Hale, for sixty years. I rebarreled it to 30/40 Krag 40 years ago, but may restore it to 303 before I use it for the 2023 season. I'll be 74 and will backpack in for another hunt. The old #4 is no lightweight but lightweight rifles are for the younger guys! GD

If you are going to rebarrel it, you might consider using a 308 barrel instead. There is better bullet availability and you can use the same recipes with the 308 diameter, same weighted bullets. I won a few mil shoots with this set up.

I'm considering that, Steve. On the other hand, I have a fair quantity of 303 bullets. I also like the idea of being able to use factory loads. I have a P-14 with a 30 cal. barrel on it. When I installed the 30/40 barrel, 30/40 brass was easy to get. Today, not so much. GD

It's handy to use factory stuff. Since you have a lot of 303 bullets, I guess it doesn't make much difference. It's probably because of my time in the military, but I prefer a rifle that has some heft to it - especially if it kicks a little.

Cat,
you and I both know that just because something is a little older, it doesn't need to be replaced. If that was the case, I would have to get rid of my wife! That might be easier than getting rid of some of my older rifles. lol

My youngest brother is a doctor and he told me that he once mistook a 93 year-old man as a very fit 73 year-old.

He mistook the intake person's "9" for a "7". He caught the error while verifying information.

The man's wife had dementia and he got about 90 minutes of help a day from the neighbor. He used that time to ride to a public park and back every day on his bicycle, a distance of 13 miles. Every darned day of the year.

He lived near Lake Michigan so you know he saw some wicked deep snow.

According to my brother, the only "tell" regarding the man's calendar age was the stretched, shiny, parchment look to his skin.

Talking with rancher friends that are all around my age on the impacts of aging — we all agreed our skin is not as tough anymore — nicks and cuts are more frequent and all agreed that our hands did not handle cold as well anymore

Yeah. After a day of clearing brush or fencing, where I used to just have a few scratches, now I bleed. On the other hand, there is not much pain. GD

On this note, I never even go outside without gloves, usually good leather gloves. I just won't do chores, or pick up a wrench without them.
When I was young, I seldom wore them. My hands are very arthritic now because of this abuse

Comrade - My wife asked yesterday while I was driving why I flex my hands / fingers so often. I told my my finger joints ache and I put this down to when I was younger working in the trades I worked bare hand the majority of the time (with lots being outside service work on heat / cool equipment) plus I was bad for using my hand to slap wrench’s on fittings that needed a little extra.

On the nick side I now carry hemostatic gauze and bandages to stop the flow. My system does not clot the same way it used to.

Still beats the alternative and while I do the same things they are just done a little slower

Yeah Hugh, I am an hvac tradesman also and ditto ...I also used my hands like a hammer .
I roped steers without a glove for years competively, just recently I adopted a glove for this.
I remember dude hunters commenting about us as their guides about how we functioned with gloves in cold temperatures .
You really cannot pack a horse unless you are bare handed either.
Like I said the abuse was evident to everyone around me...just not this knucklehead. Cheers

Have you figured out what you want to do in your dotage? 😄

I read somewhere that many younger people are in worse shape than persons twice their age. Maybe too much time on the computer.

One should never complain about getting old as many never get the opportunity...

Good afternoon from the west slope of the Canadian Rockies
Steve, no doubt, young people are generally unfit. I am amazed when I can play a solid 1/2 hour of pickup hockey...and take no breaks, drink no water etc and the young skaters are constantly winded, and need to play their 30 second shifts.
This might be do to skating ability but if I were 20 there would be no way I would let a 65 year old play longer shifts than I could.
I see this climbing a mountain too.
Oh yeah, they need breaks to check there phone as well
Old boots, I am not complaining, I feel I am just observing these things.
Anyways, given the choice...I choose to burn out ( and burn hot as I can)and not rust away. Cheers

More age, than ability here. At 79, things are a bit different, than the forty's.

1 Peter 5:5 speaks, in part, about learning from older persons or those who are wiser in the ways of God. If you can help guide anyone, do so, but do this kindly.

In the same way, you who are younger must be submissive to those who are older. And all of you should clothe yourselves with humility in your relationships with one another, for God opposes the proud, but he gives grace to the humble.

Sometimes, your words will be rejected, but that is not cause to stop. Try another way. This goes for anything, not just Bible studies.

I used to put out 50 decoys then pick them up in icy lake water in November without any gloves. Now I wear gloves if I go shopping lol

I killed my last bull elk in 2018 when I was 75. It was a fairly big 6x6 and I was solo hunting. It just about used me up so since then, I have only killed two cow elk. I killed a small buck in 2021 on a solo hunt. I had to cut it in half to be able to lift it in the truck. Health kept me from hunting in 2022, but I hope to be back at it in 2023 when I am 80.

I still shoe my own mules, but only the fronts now.

How I wish I was still in my 60's youngsters they are.

That's AWESOME saddlesore! I for one am proud of you Sir!

Would you be so kind to share some pictures of that adventure and critter?

KB

No doubt that things do get more difficult. Am I correct in assuming that you hunt with others? It might be a good idea to mentor some younger men. They would enjoy the experience and many hands make light work.

Yes, I am just a youth at 65. Also have killed many moose and elk bulls- solo. A big bull of either species is a a big job for a hunter.
I have packed eith meat with bags, hitches and even a riding saddle and manipulating quarters up and on is not for the faint hearted.
A guy needs his bag of tricks to get get the carcass quartered and on in some pretty inhospitable country...for me, often in the dark.
Tough job, but wouldn't trade it for a flatland Elk.
Keep on trucking , saddlesore

yep i grained age ,health problems , with much less ability , wiser maybe i don`t walk on thin ice , don`t care for deep snow , i have a new easy to use snowblower son tells me that is much harder now at my age for me. was on a solo hunt up by the Canadian border in Minnesota snow was deep every day it seem cold to me , i did get a deer with my x-bow it was a heck of a struggle for me from start to finish including after i had deer meat done , in the freezer.and 2-3 days to recover i might not do anymore solo hunts ,i now realize why my son should be with me for fishing and hunting , my 10 year old grandson is my new apprentice , he thinks its fun too .

Windwalker (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windwalker_(film)) is a pretty good movie of an old man who isn't quite used up.