24hourcampfire.com
24hourcampfire.com
Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
Hop To
Page 1 of 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Joined: Feb 2013
Posts: 4,324
SCgman1 Offline OP
Campfire Tracker
OP Offline
Campfire Tracker
Joined: Feb 2013
Posts: 4,324
How old are the active deer hunters here who go out hunting deer solo.....and still dragging and loading their kills unassisted if need be.

By the time next season opens I'll be 67.

BP-B2

Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 150,165
Campfire Savant
Online Content
Campfire Savant
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 150,165
I will be 70 In early March, still doing my own thing.


You are a young whippersnapper

Last edited by hanco; 01/16/23.
Joined: Feb 2013
Posts: 1,718
Campfire Regular
Offline
Campfire Regular
Joined: Feb 2013
Posts: 1,718
Turned 74 last month. Hunt by myself. Ain't about to give up now!

Last edited by Sbrown; 01/16/23.

“Alive in JESUS!”
NRA LIFE MEMBER










Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 78,300
Campfire Oracle
Offline
Campfire Oracle
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 78,300
I did that for the last time when I was 66...course in Montucky are distance for drags etc might be a tad longer, dragged that one( in a sled) 1.5 miles before loading up.


"...the left considers you vermin, and they'll kill you given the chance..." Bristoe
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 2,204
E
Campfire Regular
Offline
Campfire Regular
E
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 2,204
I'm 66 y/o. I always do my own thing. However, this year I shot a deer way down in a steep, nasty hellhole. I was glad one of the young blood were in camp. He helped pull it outta there, up to the skid road, and I took it from there. I probably would have managed it all myself, but I was grateful for the help.


My heart's in the mountains, my heart is not here.
My heart's in the mountains, chasing the deer.
IC B2

Joined: Mar 2020
Posts: 354
B
Campfire Member
Offline
Campfire Member
B
Joined: Mar 2020
Posts: 354
I'm 66 this year as well. Still hunt by myself but am able to get what we want or need from our small farm. SIL gave me a 95 Honda 4 wheeler 2 years ago that needed some work. Dont drag deer anymore since I got it running! Drag them right up to the barn and winch them up!
Mickey

Last edited by Bobcat85; 01/16/23.
Joined: Aug 2014
Posts: 4,903
H
Campfire Tracker
Offline
Campfire Tracker
H
Joined: Aug 2014
Posts: 4,903
I am 61 and hunt and stay by myself and hunt alone. I had a health scare a couple of days ago and may rethink hunting alone depending on how my treatment goes. I do shoot them with equipment and shot placement so they drop dead most of the time. And I can drive to where they fall. I use a tilt trailer to haul them one so there isn't much straining or dragging involved.

Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 3,206
Campfire Tracker
Offline
Campfire Tracker
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 3,206
I'll be 70 this week. Took care of 3 whitetails by myself this year.

Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 4,893
Campfire Tracker
Offline
Campfire Tracker
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 4,893
I am 72 and still can but with 4 shoulder surgeries and 3 back, try not to. Our old phart club has put winches in all the pickups, side by sides, etc... Have winches on the meat pole and in the cooler too. Makes it a lot easier to handle deer. And we kill a lot. Place is overpopulated and we take 60 to 80 does per year. Should take more but you just get tired of it after a while.


Some mornings, it just does not feel worth it to chew through the straps!~
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 10,848
M
Campfire Outfitter
Offline
Campfire Outfitter
M
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 10,848
Even when young and in good shape…..”dragging” a deer isn’t easy! Extend your hunting another decade or two by quartering-out or even boning-out your deer and taking them out on a backpack/freighter frame! Most, at least those in the lower 48, Whitetails, boned-out could be carried out in one trip…..unless it’s a long trip in difficult terrain! memtb


You should not use a rifle that will kill an animal when everything goes right; you should use one that will do the job when everything goes wrong." -Bob Hagel

“I’d like to be a good rifleman…..but, I prefer to be a good hunter”! memtb 2024
IC B3

Joined: May 2014
Posts: 10,312
Campfire Outfitter
Offline
Campfire Outfitter
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 10,312
It’s not just the age, it’s also the miles. I wore out my knees by the time I was 70, now they are steel. Had back surgery last year. Doctors are suggesting that I’ll have heart surgery in a couple months (enlarged aorta). I’ve had close to 50 surgeries so far and have spent nearly two years total in hospitals. Two hospitals which I spent a half a year in apiece was Bal Boa Naval hospital and Camp Pendleton Naval hospital.
I still can pretty much do it all by myself, but I very much appreciate when partners help me drag, throw in the back of my pickup, help hang, skin and butcher. I went and retrieved one of my sons to help with a cow a couple years ago. I’m pretty careful when it comes to shooting game where I can drive close to pick the game up any more.

Last edited by Bugger; 01/16/23.

I prefer classic.
Semper Fi
I used to run with the hare. Now I'm envious of the tortoise and I do my own stunts but rarely intentionally
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 17,675
G
Campfire Ranger
Offline
Campfire Ranger
G
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 17,675
At 73 I still hunt alone, once the deer is on the ground I call for the younger guys with the 4 wheelers to get them out.

Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 2,204
E
Campfire Regular
Offline
Campfire Regular
E
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 2,204
Those strong young bucks sure come in handy for a multitude of tasks around deer camp.


My heart's in the mountains, my heart is not here.
My heart's in the mountains, chasing the deer.
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 17,067
Campfire Ranger
Offline
Campfire Ranger
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 17,067
73 and a 1/2 here. Though, I always let my wife know where, I hunt alone, and enjoy it if the weather is reasonable (which my non-hunting brother says is about 10 days a year 😉). I carry a day pack with knife and heavy canvas game bags, and some other items. Though I didn’t get out too much this year (the weather) and didn’t get a deer, I generally bone the deer out, bag it in a couple bags, carry one if I can and head back to the truck. There, I have a freighter frame to go back and get the rest if need be.

Where I hunt, I’m rarely more than 3/4 mile from the truck. I’m getting a new knee in a couple weeks, so I hope I can be ready for next fall.

Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 1,832
V
Campfire Regular
Offline
Campfire Regular
V
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 1,832
I turn 72 in June and I still hunt by myself. I did have to call for help with getting this years deer out of a steep hollow that I would have needed help with if I was 25, but typically I can handle the deer myself with the aid of an ATV.

Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 922
D
Campfire Regular
Offline
Campfire Regular
D
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 922
If you can use an ATV there's no limit. I have a winch on mine so there's no dragging or loading problems.


Nobody's right if everybody's wrong.
Getting into reloading to save money is like getting married for free sex.
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 19,029
S
Campfire Ranger
Offline
Campfire Ranger
S
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 19,029
My last two solo hunts. 2018, I was 75, 6X bull elk. 2021, solo hunt, I was 78, small mulie buck. I missed 2022 season but will try to be back out there this coming year. I sure wish I was only 67


If God wanted you to walk and carry things on your back, He would not have invented stirrups and pack saddles
Joined: Dec 2014
Posts: 8,969
F
Campfire Outfitter
Offline
Campfire Outfitter
F
Joined: Dec 2014
Posts: 8,969
I still hunt alone in steep country, but at 77 the rules have been changed...I never go below the elevation at which the pickup is parked. I never take a risky shot, last thing I need is a wounded buck heading down in the canyons. I carry enough stuff to completely bone out and carry the meat in case Murphy's Law takes over. I carry just enough stuff to survive a night, not comfortably, just survive, in case of a broken bone. I only spend 50% of my time hunting...the other 50% is spent looking at foot placement, so I don't have to spend the night. Easier to stay out of trouble...than to get out of trouble. And, if it all goes to schidt, I can't think of a better place to croak out.


Well this is a fine pickle we're in, should'a listened to Joe McCarthy and George Orwell I guess.
Joined: Jun 2015
Posts: 958
E
Campfire Regular
Offline
Campfire Regular
E
Joined: Jun 2015
Posts: 958
At 73 now, I still hunt most of the time by myself, though the last three years I've spent a few days with a youngster who is just getting started. No luck with him yet. After shooting a buck this year, I sent pics to friends and family. My wife responded "what do need". I replied "the truck, the toboggan and some assistance". She showed up an hour later. I could have made the drag myself since it wasn't too far to the cabin but the help was definitely appreciated! I don't hunt in northern Maine much anymore since the distances and terrain where I used to hunt would be impossible to deal with now by myself.

Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 2,631
B
Campfire Regular
Offline
Campfire Regular
B
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 2,631
Take care of yourself and with a little luck you should last a long time. If you want too. I am 76 and hunt alone. Its no different then it ever was except I don't go where I have to make long drags or packs. I expect to do it until at least into my 80's.

Page 1 of 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Moderated by  RickBin 

Link Copied to Clipboard
YB23

Who's Online Now
94 members (99Ozarks, 10gaugemag, 16penny, 257_X_50, 14 invisible), 1,693 guests, and 687 robots.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Forum Statistics
Forums81
Topics1,187,727
Posts18,400,724
Members73,822
Most Online11,491
Jul 7th, 2023


 







Fish & Game Departments | Solunar Tables | Mission Statement | Privacy Policy | Contact Us | DMCA
Hunting | Fishing | Camping | Backpacking | Reloading | Campfire Forums | Gear Shop
Copyright © 2000-2024 24hourcampfire.com, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5
(Release build 20201027)
Responsive Width:

PHP: 7.3.33 Page Time: 0.065s Queries: 14 (0.002s) Memory: 0.8984 MB (Peak: 1.0334 MB) Data Comp: Zlib Server Time: 2024-03-29 07:37:45 UTC
Valid HTML 5 and Valid CSS