Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game At what age did you begin to feel physically less functional in the bush

I've been wondering when this happens to typical or average guys. I work quite hard at staying fit, but I suppose it's impossible to continue at the same performace level forever.

At about 48 years old I had some fine print vision issues. Now I must have reading glasses to tie fishing line, or do any rather intricate work. Mentally I believe I can do whatever I want just as I could when I was 30 years old. It drives me to push harder then I can physically though. I never seem to notice this when hiking, climbing, diving, running, etc. but the next day or later in the evenings I feel it more.

I noticed that I raced through my airtanks way faster then normal this year diving in Florida. I even accused them of not giving me full tanks (jokingly ofcourse) I guess I'm using more air and breathing harder now then I have in the past?

I also don't seem to be able to maintain the same average speeds on my Mtn Bike that I did just 3-4 years ago. So it goes as we age. All my joints are good, except my frequently dislocated right elbow. That has been screwed up since I was a teenager though. No hair loss, or dental issues. So I'm not really complaining, just an observation.

Anyhow, I guess it's time to consider the inevitable aging process, no matter how much you try to stay as fit as possible you cannot beat age and genetics. It's been worth every second to care for myself the best I can. I sure run into a whole lot of guys 10-20 years younger that look awefully sad from a health and fitness perspective.

Of all the things I wish I could fix it would be my close range vision. It's the one constant nagging reminder of getting old and it's a pain to have those glasses with me all the time now. Then of course one has to consider that at 50 years old, what have I got left? How many good packing, hiking, brutal hunts remain?

Almost 40, and I'm still on top of my game, especially "in the bush."

There is no such thing as getting old.

There is another 2 anomolies that may fit the concept though,

1. The hills seem to get higher

2. You know more each year.

Other than that, not sure what you mean.

AGW

I managed to keep up with my stepsons and their buddies, hunting Coues deer in the mountains until I hit 62 (They are now in their mid-30s). That last year, I was pushing it harder than I should have, even though I was still running 20-30 miles a week at a little under 8-minute pace. During my 63rd year, I had to give up running, as the knees just wouldn't take it any more.

I will be 65 in February, and I can still hunt and go, but I do it at my own pace. Hunted in Namibia last fall, most days all day on foot, and held my own, but I suspect that my PH was judging what I could do comfortably and setting the pace accordingly. I do ride a mountain bike for aerobic exercise and use a universal home gym to condition my upper body and core.

At age 66 and after a mild heart attack in '03 I can still do everything I ever did, I just have to go a bit slower and keep the heart rate down to about 140bpm.
I can hunt all day at 10,000ft and operate fairly well at 12,000 (slow with lots of stops)
I go to the Gym three or four times a week, usually spend 45 minutes to an hour on the treadmill, work the weights for a half hour, try to keep the diet reasonable and hope for a few more good years.

19 an goin on strong

Yeah, but that diaper rash can be a bitch.

I have found ways of working around that slight issue

I think experience, knowledge, and patience have me way ahead of where I was at age 30. Presently 61. Not as fast as I used to be, but way more successful.

I was functioning in the bush just this morning as a matter of fact. It all seemed fine to me.

Now when it comes to hunting/fishing/outdoor activities I am 51 but I am also in excellent condition. I can cover alot of ground with not much trouble but I also came from a place that is 10,000' elevation.

I found that my body started to let me down in my early 50's . It was gradual decline, but when I hit 60,it accelerated. In my 40's I felt the best and seemed to know the most. I thought I was 10 ft tall and bullet proof. I think in the 50's it isn't as bad, but once you get to the point that all your past traumas, broken bones, bad strains, etc, start to catch up with you,then you feel it more. Also I think it depends on how much hard physical labor you did in your younger years and used your body up. Unfortunately for me, it wasn't only using up the bones and muscles, but my lungs.

Getting old and hunting slower, makes you a better hunter. When I was young, a hang over made me a better hunter. My head hurt too much to put up with even little squeaks and I was too sick to move fast.

In just the past couple of years I seem to have declined in some areas. From 45 to 50 I seemed to have aged quickly. My eyes, like yours, lost their near sight noticeably and I have to carry my "cheaters" everywhere. The biggest pain is trying to read the writing on the base of my ammo in dim light. I can't hear as well either, but that is probably self inflictead.
I don't work out as often these days and it seems everything has sure gotten heavier in the outdoors.
But overall still doing fine at 49 and still able to explore the "bush".

stumpy

I didn't realize they still put markings on the bottom of shell cases, I'll have to take a closer look.....
At 56 still doing okay but a life time of playing with horses has taken it's toll. Mornings aren't quite as enjoyable as they used to be. Horses have gotten a lot taller too!!

Rudyard Kipling (I'm told) said to do your sheep hunting before you turn 40.

The main thing is to hunt as far and wide as you want while you can.

I first really noticed less physical ability at age 49, on a week long backpack hunt for sheep in northern BC with two friends, one of thm 50 and the other late 20's. My long time 50 year old friend and I could not travel as fast in rugged terrain as our younger companion. We could get there just fine, but it took longer. If we pushed hard enough to keep up, which we did one day packing out meat, then it took us a day or two to recover, and I learned that the extra push was not worth it.

That same year I couldn't keep up with my two sons in their early 20's on a climb of 12K Mt. Adams. I had them go on ahead and was only 15-20 minutes behind them to the summit. Again, slower but could do it.

My Father-in-law spent a long tough day with me when he was 72, hiking in on the approach trail to Tubal-Cain Mine in the Olympics of WA, and then up to the top of Iron Moutain. Well above timberline we traversed its full length and down at the Marmot Pass(?) end, and back to a trail and to the road. Probably a good ten to 12 miles with four miles of that extremely steep with no trials. He was showing me where he'd bowhunted for goats, and scouting for goats.

This Fall I solo backpacked into northern BC mountains, with some river crossings and sheep climbs. I have about one good climb per day in me, not unlimited as in past years. (I'm 61) That was planned to be 8 days but game was scarce in that watershed so I came out on day 5. Didn't have to go faster or slower for anyone.

I wish my prime had come at the same time as my sons, but I could wish water to flow uphill. They take care of me now, carrying more weight, etc.

One other factor: illness or accident. I had a multi-year bout with a thyroid induced eye problem that ballooned my weight, blinded my eyes so that I did not drive for 18 months, put me through five surgeries and left me with a tremor and less eye-hand coordination. I like hiking sticks to verify by touch what my eyes now see when hopping bolders on a scree slope. That slows me a bit. It is wonderful to see again.

I always preferred shooting from a rest and more so now due to the tremor. I killed a little buck offhand at 45 yards this Fall, but would have gotten a rest if I could. Also killed a meat doe at about 230 when all I could see was her head and a smidge of neck. Good rest and hit the neck where aimed.

So, it is slower but still doable. But in case of unforseen disabling, do the things you want to now.

I think it probably matters as much the miles, rather than simply the years. My hourglass now registers 50 turns, but my joints, especially some of them, indicate the odometer has turned a lot. Arthritis will set in. Some people are more prone than others. I suspect climate and wear factors play a lot as do previous injuries.

I am certainly beginning to question how many more moose I can tackle essentially alone - even having a six-year-old along this fall was a boon if that says anything.

Lately I have heard that "At 50 the warranty expires." I am five years past 50 now, and still can pretty do much what I did at 35 (which may have been my pyhsical peak), thanks to staying in shape. Mostly I hike, but do some biking and in the winter, especially, work out more on machines than outdoors, part of the penalty of living in Montana.

I can still backpack 100 pounds for respectable distances, but do feel it the next day. I've also discovered that if for some reason I can't work out for a few days, due to injury or illness or whatever, then things fall apart faster.

But despite good physical shape, the big change is the "want to." I am no longer nearly as curious about the tops of mountains, and no longer need an elk bad enough to pack one out over a ridge or two. Consequently I like to hunt pheasants more than elk.

I am also a lot more interested in who I am hunting with than what I am hunting. I would much rather hunt plain old whitetails and have a great time in the evening with friends, than go on a kudu or elk hunt with somebody who is boring to talk to, or gets surly when they don't kill the big trophy after a few days. In fact, I woild rather hunt upland birds with my wife than about anything else, and airports have gotten especially trying.

Then again, I have been lucky enough to have hunted a lot of places, and kill a lot of big animals. The big heads of the animals I wanted so badly at 20 are on my wall, except for one or two, maybe, and those don't seem nearly as important, 35 years later. The weird thing is that though I don't care nearly as much about trophies as I did 20 years ago, they seem to just show up when I go hunting. Which may indicate I'm hunting the right places, or that luck has more to do with it than most us guess. Maybe it's a combination of both.

I have been pretty near-sighted since age 10 so can see headstamps and other close stuff just by looking over my glasses. And I can still glass distant game pretty well, partly because of the better glass I can now afford. It's the stuff in between that's fuzzy!

I'm 58 and ran about every day until 3 yrs ago when I tore my gastrocnemius (a calf muscle) that is slow to heal even when you're young. Being older and quite bright, I ran again way too soon and tore it again so, then, I was down to a slow limp. It completely took me out of my work-out routine and I've jogged only sparingly since then. I do walk several miles a day in our hospital with its relatively long corridors and have kept my weight about the same. I have had cardiac work-ups recently just in the course of age-related exams.

I have an elk hunt in CO in about 3wks at 7000-10,000 ft and I'm looking forward to it but with some trepidation; but I am willing to slow my pace if necessary.

I'm with John on the pheasant hunting; I enjoy it when it's about 60% hunting and 40% social and in Iowa it doesn't have to be too physically demanding.

But, I am hoping to draw a sheep tag in Wyoming in the next two years................

Gdv

49 and I've got to put glasses on to read fine print. That's all that I can really see much difference in so far. Maybe a step slower but that ain't all bad. Went duck hunting this morning with my 20 y/o son & 2 of his buddies. Hunting in flooded timber, long walk in and out with lots of junk to trip on, 2 of the youngsters came home quite damp, I stayed dry. Slow but dry.

Don't know. Smoked for many years and that didn't help anything. At 56 I definitely feel less functional than I did at 31 when I started big game hunting.

That said, I hunt smarter and my success rate for all game is much better than in the early years. And the pack-outs are generally shorter, too.

Quit smoking 5-6 years ago and try to hit the gym regularly - have done 8500 yards or better in the pool in the last week, something that would have killed me a couple years back. Looking forward to next fall!

I am just a few weeks short of 67. I agree with friend saddlesore. Depends a lot on how and what you did early on. I did pretty good until about 60. Slower but still able to go. Things started to fall apart. Cataracts, lense replacement took care of that. Really got to where I could not hear at all. Hearing aids are a PITA but keeps people from screaming at you. A wrecked knee from when I was in my early thirties that I should have had fixed, didn't and now too late just about gave out. Can't walk more than a couple of miles now. Forget run it collapses inside if I step wrong. Even have to be carefull how I skip off a curb.

Two compression fractured lumbar vertebra from when I was in my forties cause me to roll out of bed in the morning instead of sitting up real quick.

Last spring I had to have rotator cuff surgery. I asked the doc what happened as I didn't remember doing anything to hurt it. He said I didn't I wore it out.

Too many years in the cotton field. Too many years making split oak fence posts with an axe, maul and wedges. Too many days in the hay fields pitchin bales. Too many days brush busting on a horse after cattle. Had to give up horse riding two years after I broke my back. Just hurts too bad. Lifting too many hundred pound seed sacks up to the planters. And so on and so fourth.

I am just now getting my shoulder back to good. Theripy, exercize but the older you get the longer you take to heal up and hair over.

Hunting has become a lot more about who I am with and where I am than what. More fun to laugh and joke and have a good time than kill something. Sadest thing is watching your friends die off.

So boys, enjoy it while you still got it because it won't get any better in the future.

BCR