With a bit of care, they can be opened very quietly, and are easy to tote. Used my share of buckets too in the past on private land, big orange ones from Home Depot that are easy to find in the dark. Got “headlamp tunnel vision” Monday morning in the dark. Missed my chair by a few yards and had to backtrack.
Seat height matters to this old fatso. The short ones are tough to get up off of without grabbing something. 17” and up, I just stand up. Stand-up exercises are part on my knee job program. Had to stand up and sit down 15 times in 30 seconds to pass my evaluation at the end of PT.
I use those small reflective clip on trail markers sometimes. Keeps me from getting a few yards off or helps others locate my stand or blind if I've sent em to it in the dark.
The last time that bear ate a lawyer he had the runs for 33 days!
With a bit of care, they can be opened very quietly, and are easy to tote. Used my share of buckets too in the past on private land, big orange ones from Home Depot that are easy to find in the dark. Got “headlamp tunnel vision” Monday morning in the dark. Missed my chair by a few yards and had to backtrack.
Seat height matters to this old fatso. The short ones are tough to get up off of without grabbing something. 17” and up, I just stand up. Stand-up exercises are part on my knee job program. Had to stand up and sit down 15 times in 30 seconds to pass my evaluation at the end of PT.
I use those small reflective clip on trail markers sometimes. Keeps me from getting a few yards off or helps others locate my stand or blind if I've sent em to it in the dark.
This ^ ^ ^ ^ I've used the reflective thumbtacks and the reflective bread twist ties both. Sure beats wandering around in the dark trying to find yer stuff
Near full moon and clear nights this year meant I really didn't need a flashlight to find anything. Could run through the woods at 3 am and see your shadow...
With a bit of care, they can be opened very quietly, and are easy to tote. Used my share of buckets too in the past on private land, big orange ones from Home Depot that are easy to find in the dark. Got “headlamp tunnel vision” Monday morning in the dark. Missed my chair by a few yards and had to backtrack.
Seat height matters to this old fatso. The short ones are tough to get up off of without grabbing something. 17” and up, I just stand up. Stand-up exercises are part on my knee job program. Had to stand up and sit down 15 times in 30 seconds to pass my evaluation at the end of PT.
I use those small reflective clip on trail markers sometimes. Keeps me from getting a few yards off or helps others locate my stand or blind if I've sent em to it in the dark.
This ^ ^ ^ ^ I've used the reflective thumbtacks and the reflective bread twist ties both. Sure beats wandering around in the dark trying to find yer stuff
Those reflective twist ties are really handy if you don't want to give a location up as easily.
The last time that bear ate a lawyer he had the runs for 33 days!
With a bit of care, they can be opened very quietly, and are easy to tote. Used my share of buckets too in the past on private land, big orange ones from Home Depot that are easy to find in the dark. Got “headlamp tunnel vision” Monday morning in the dark. Missed my chair by a few yards and had to backtrack.
Seat height matters to this old fatso. The short ones are tough to get up off of without grabbing something. 17” and up, I just stand up. Stand-up exercises are part on my knee job program. Had to stand up and sit down 15 times in 30 seconds to pass my evaluation at the end of PT.
How long did it take after your knee replacement before you were walking good enough to hunt again ? I'm looking at both knees and a hip and soon or I won't be hunting anymore. Damn tough this year and I can't go the places I'd like to. The hip at least will have to be before next season or the only hunting I'll be doing next year will be off the seat of my ATV. I can't believe how much worse it's gotten since last season.
Black-, individuals vary but I was elk hunting at 6 mos post-hip but I wasnt 100% sure in side hills even with trekking poles or on horses…yet got through it ok... even with a bull.
Knees, I’m 1 1/2 after my knee and it’s no problem but could have hunted ok a couple of months afterwards if not at 100%. The knees are the tougher go but you’ll perceive what you can and can’t do pretty quick.
Don’t live to old age with chronic pain. When it is altering your lifestyle, all things being equal, pull the trigger and get it done.
Black-, individuals vary but I was elk hunting at 6 mos post-hip but I wasnt 100% sure in side hills even with trekking poles or on horses…yet got through it ok... even with a bull.
Knees, I’m 1 1/2 after my knee and it’s no problem but could have hunted ok a couple of months afterwards if not at 100%. The knees are the tougher go but you’ll perceive what you can and can’t do pretty quick.
Don’t live to old age with chronic pain. When it is altering your lifestyle, all things being equal, pull the trigger and get it done.
Thanks George. Sounds like if I can schedule these replacements for spring I should be able to hunt by fall and that's good to hear. The hip will have to be first as it's the worst and causing considerable pain with every step.
With a bit of care, they can be opened very quietly, and are easy to tote. Used my share of buckets too in the past on private land, big orange ones from Home Depot that are easy to find in the dark. Got “headlamp tunnel vision” Monday morning in the dark. Missed my chair by a few yards and had to backtrack.
Seat height matters to this old fatso. The short ones are tough to get up off of without grabbing something. 17” and up, I just stand up. Stand-up exercises are part on my knee job program. Had to stand up and sit down 15 times in 30 seconds to pass my evaluation at the end of PT.
How long did it take after your knee replacement before you were walking good enough to hunt again ? I'm looking at both knees and a hip and soon or I won't be hunting anymore. Damn tough this year and I can't go the places I'd like to. The hip at least will have to be before next season or the only hunting I'll be doing next year will be off the seat of my ATV. I can't believe how much worse it's gotten since last season.
I was walking pretty well in a couple of weeks, better than before. Gotta baby that incision even after it heals on the surface and the bandage comes off. Regular PT will take maybe six weeks, and you have to do your homework between sessions: stretches and strength exercises. You’ll need to do strength exercises for six months or more. They’ll tell you to avoid twisting it, but there were no restrictions on lifting, just your own limits. Expect to swell up after walking and exercising. Ice is your friend. You’ll be stiff, maybe for as long as a year, or even more, according to what I’ve read and watched. High-impact stuff like running and jumping is problematic, might reduce the longevity of the replacement. I don’t much more than jog a few steps to get out of the way of cars in parking lots. Overall, I didn’t have much real pain, just discomfort and stiffness, the worst during some of the PT when they leaned on it to make it bend further. Resign yourself to doing daily stretches for the rest of your life to keep it flexible and prevent scar tissue from forming. It’s your job from now on.
What no one told me was that exercising before the surgery is helpful. Your quad muscles are going to take a real beating. The cut the f**k out of you so the stronger you are beforehand the better. There’s a bunch of good info on You Tube. This lady is my favorite. Knee PT is all she does:
It’s a lot of work, but absolutely worth the effort. I planned mine to be back on my feet for hunting season, had surgery in late May. Worked perfectly. Can ‘t help with hip replacement (yet!) but I’m told it’s not as bad as a knee job.
You’ll need to get some checkups; bloodwork, dental checks, maybe a cardio checkup. Those have to be timed right as the results expire after a time. Your surgeon’s staff will give you all the details.
Hope this helps. Sorry I took so long but I had RSO duty for 5-stand today.
With a bit of care, they can be opened very quietly, and are easy to tote. Used my share of buckets too in the past on private land, big orange ones from Home Depot that are easy to find in the dark. Got “headlamp tunnel vision” Monday morning in the dark. Missed my chair by a few yards and had to backtrack.
Seat height matters to this old fatso. The short ones are tough to get up off of without grabbing something. 17” and up, I just stand up. Stand-up exercises are part on my knee job program. Had to stand up and sit down 15 times in 30 seconds to pass my evaluation at the end of PT.
How long did it take after your knee replacement before you were walking good enough to hunt again ? I'm looking at both knees and a hip and soon or I won't be hunting anymore. Damn tough this year and I can't go the places I'd like to. The hip at least will have to be before next season or the only hunting I'll be doing next year will be off the seat of my ATV. I can't believe how much worse it's gotten since last season.
My dad has had both hips done ( about 2 yrs apart ).
He walks fine, but doesnt do too well climbing up / down hills. - like getting in a boat on a creek bank. Or steps higher than a common house step height.
But hes 73 y/o also.
Dave
�The man who complains about the way the ball bounces is likely to be the one who dropped it.� Lou Holtz
With the knee, the stiffness makes it so sometimes I have to consciously lift it past where my body thinks is high enough on steps etc. I expect that to improve with time and exercise. At my 6-month check last week, the surgical nurse told me that continuing my strength exercises was up to me, but the stretching is pretty much forever. I quit doing the step-ups with weight and some of the other tougher stuff for now, but will probably go back after deer season. I have a desk cycle I use several times a week in the meantime.
Shyt, some of this stuff don't sound so good. Particularly the part about not being able to climb hills very well after surgery. Most of my best/favorite old hunting grounds are pretty steep. I've been really limited on where I can go this year because of that and was hoping to be able to get back at it after replacement. I should probably move to Iowa or something.
Your quad muscles are going to take a real beating.
Maybe this is going down the rabbit hole too far but this very true. The reason is that a tourniquet is placed on your thigh. The surgeon lifts your leg up and wraps it from the foot downward to just above the knee with an esmark bandage mostly exsanguinating the lower leg. The tourniquet pressure is then inflated to a value above your blood pressure essentially forming a dam holding blood back from the lower leg giving him an almost completely bloodless field for an hour +/-.
I’m convinced this causes some mechanical injury on the cellular level. Plus, when the tourniquet is let down at the end of the case, the leg reperfses causing what’s known as “reperfusion pain”.
Maybe too much information.
Anyway, generally, what Pappy says is right — be in the best shape you can be and as strong as you can be. But also for older gents reading this, if your knee is generally inhibiting what you would otherwise be able to do…don’t wait too long.
Tourniquet or not, I lost well over a quart of blood. Still haven’t quite built it back up, as my blood work last month showed my hemoglobin was somewhat low, probably because I don’t tolerate the iron suppliments well, so don’t take it as prescribed.
The anesthesia they use mitigates the pain for quite some time, and they prescribe oxy and tylenol to be used as needed, plus ibuprophen. I still have about half the oxy, as I mostly only took it prior to PT so I could do what was needed. As I said before, I mostly felt discomfort as opposed to actual pain, making it hard to sleep well for any length of time.
Another odd thing is how the surgery knee is noticeably warmer than the other one, as a result of the body fighting the foreign material. That’s finally mostly gone, along with the most of the swelling.
Despite all the associated fun, I definitely recommend the surgery, provided you’re willing to do the work. Before I was constantly uncomfortable walking, had a nice collection of sticks and staffs to help me walk, and was one-stepping up and down stairs. This is so much better.
Shyt, some of this stuff don't sound so good. Particularly the part about not being able to climb hills very well after surgery. Most of my best/favorite old hunting grounds are pretty steep. I've been really limited on where I can go this year because of that and was hoping to be able to get back at it after replacement. I should probably move to Iowa or something.
Hopefully the hills arent an issue for you. Im sure each person is different with how well the surgery works.
Dave
�The man who complains about the way the ball bounces is likely to be the one who dropped it.� Lou Holtz
Shyt, some of this stuff don't sound so good. Particularly the part about not being able to climb hills very well after surgery. Most of my best/favorite old hunting grounds are pretty steep. I've been really limited on where I can go this year because of that and was hoping to be able to get back at it after replacement. I should probably move to Iowa or something.
You’ll be much better off than you are now, and mostly pain-free. The only time my knee hurts is when I sleep on it wrong, and even that gets rarer and rarer as I progress. That constant pain I had before was a real enthusiasm killer. I ain’t running any marathons or jumping outta airplanes, but I feel like I have my life back.
Shyt, some of this stuff don't sound so good. Particularly the part about not being able to climb hills very well after surgery. Most of my best/favorite old hunting grounds are pretty steep. I've been really limited on where I can go this year because of that and was hoping to be able to get back at it after replacement. I should probably move to Iowa or something.
You’ll be much better off than you are now, and mostly pain-free. The only time my knee hurts is when I sleep on it wrong, and even that gets rarer and rarer as I progress. That constant pain I had before was a real enthusiasm killer. I ain’t running any marathons or jumping outta airplanes, but I feel like I have my life back.
Yeah it won't take much to be better off than I am now. My enthusiasm for going hunting this season is at an all time low. Tough to enjoy when every step you take is an adventure in pain. I've only been 4 times so far this season and like I said I can't even think about making it to my best/favorite places.
Hang in there guys! I had a couple of funky years. But I’m determined to keep pushing it. I can’t stand to sit around and watch the grass grow. I tried it. My left leg and foot were pretty torn up and I have nerve issues there. Blew out my right knee last season trying to compensate for the left side. The vertical slopes do me in so I find an easier route. This thread has me repacking my fanny pack. Next year (God willing) ima get one with shoulder straps and quiet fabric. My old one has taken a beating and never failed except in pouring rain - which I’m not doing any more.
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