Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting sadly a freinds rifle retired from elk hunting

Just found out a dear friend of mines Mom was drawn for a cow tag in Arizona at 92 years young. She still hunts and kills her own. I have been privelaged to share a few hunting seasons with her company....Gotta keep them going as long as you can....My Dad still goes at 78 but the cancer will eventually win there. Happy for the 40 seasons with him so far...

24mileboy, you would be a great friend to have! Your 76 year old friend is lucky to have an unselfish hunting buddy like you. I applaud you for keeping the dreams of an old hunter alive.

MR. WINTERS

I'm 62 +, am I old ENOUGH for you to take me under your wing and take me elk hunting?? I'm awful forgettful you know!!

Your FRIEND
Jerry

340mag -- Neither I nor my friend are QUITE there yet. He's 69 this yr. BUT I can see he is fading and it is coming.

We haven't elk hunted yet but we've deer hunted together since 1975. I can sympathize with what you're feeling.

Biggs, Thanks for the reply. We are planning a cow hunt for him as I type.

If it's any consolation, the memories you made going up hunting with him is the legacy he's passed on to you. Pictures are great, but the memories are even better... you can pull those up any time. Thanks for sharing a great story. Made me think about some people who were significant in getting me into hunting as a kid. Had to dust a few mental pictures off and take a walk down memory lane. All of his have mentors that got us into hunting, a father, brother, friend, etc. It is incumbent upon us to do the same and pay it forward so that legacy they shared with us will live on. Take a kid hunting, if one is in your party, encourage them, make it fun, teach them right, safety, ethics, respect for the game we pursue and the wild places we chase them in...

340mag, please listen to all the nice responses and get him out there with you. He may not be able to hit the trail as hard and often as you, but he can help around camp, and it'll mean the world to everyone if he can be there with you. As some have mentioned, you do need to provide more comfort for your mentor, in the way of bedding and warmth, but that'll be a pleasure, too. I also wish that we had taken cameras with us, back in my family's big deer camp days of the '60's and '70's, so memories have to hold us.

Regards,

Tony

If you hunt from a drive-in camp or somewhere that's easy to access, Arthur can always stay in camp and participate in the evening's storytelling and festivities!

I only ever went on one elk hunt and wasn't succesful. Didn't think it was a wasted trip since we saw some beautiful new country. My usual hunt is for moose so there are some similarities.

When we go this fall I will be 76. I look on each trip as possibly my last, in the event at some point bad health should catch up with me. Nowadays if it is raining I stay in, stoke the fire and drink coffee. The younger guys accept this and are slowly getting to the point where the kill is not quite as important as it once was.

Our hunts are early enough that the weather is usually good and the fishing is great. The younger guys carry the load as far as the heavy lifting goes and I truly appreciate that they make room for me. Probably the time spent in the outdoors helps to extend my life, at least it feels that way.

Jim

By all means, if you can talk him into going neither of you WILL regret it. Last couple of years before dad passed he knew he was getting shakey and hung up the shooting part. I hauled our travel trailer up for him to stay in his last two years. He would really grumble, but would be first up in the morning to get the fire going and remark how nice it was to get up to go pee at night and have the floor warm. Most of you have seen this pic, but was the last year we had the master with us.

nice post,typing with a tear in my eye

Thank you all for sharing your stories. No one in my family hunts and I started just a few years ago (I'm 27) and I hope I can leave a legacy that you all have experienced for my future children...still a few years out with the wife.