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

I am with those who mention doing things smarter than when I was younger. It seems that on balance, I can still do the things that I want to do, but what I want to do has changed and I go about things more deliberately. Somewhere in my later 40s and my son's late teens he began to be the one to look after me rather than my looking after him. When he isn't available I just have to use what little sense I can muster. Best to all, John

JJ,
I am sorry to inform you but the deteroration in your physical attributes continues to decay but at an increasing rate. At first it was nothing I even paid any attention to. Then, it was the knee that needed surgery from planting flowers, of all things. Then it was the cheaters for glasses, then, it is my hearing, and plantar faschitus (sp), then it is the back ache when I wake up, or is it the back ache that wakes me up? Then it is having to pee in the middle of the night, or even having trouble peeing when you want to. Then, on the other hand,it is having to pee NOW !, and not being able to wait for five minutes. Then, it is an increasing fear of heights or falling off of ladders or the roof. Then it is looking forward to taking a daily crap when you previously never gave it a second thought. It continues downhill, my friend.
Have a wonderful Christmas.

Wow. I'm on the cusp of all this stuff at 44. Man I can't wait...........

I'm still as good as when I was in my 30's thanks to year around workouts but I've seen my dad deteriorate in the past couple years. He's 66.

Like Mule Deer, he doesn't have the desire either. He's ok with letting a screaming elk go in the bottom of some hell hole, doesn't feel the need to hike in 3 miles to kill a black bear, or sitting in a deer stand for 10-12 hours a day for a week.

He's slowed down. It's kind of sad because he was "the Man" when I was younger, - not many could keep up with him. We became fairly equal when I was in my 20's into my 40's. Now I carry the treestands, drag out the deer, carry the bulk of things. Basically, the way it should be. We both know he won't be doing this forever but don't talk about it much but we do have some tremendous memories.

I still remember my first deer. I shot a deer ~ 3/4 mile from the truck, while we were gutting the deer, he shot one. He dragged both deer at the same time back to the truck. I was not alot of help at 4'9" and 95 lbs - my deer weighed more than I did. I shot that deer ~ 9AM and we ate lunch in the car. It was quite the feat, we still laugh about it.

Bingo!

For me, it is calling cats that I enjoy far more than any other hunting. I.e. I have no interest in another moose, though enjoyed taking a young man on his first moose hunt this fall. If anything the pleasure is better now that I'm not as hungry to get this or that big critter on the back side of a mountain range.

On the backpack hunt in Sept. when I came out early, partly why I came out was that I realized that I enjoy calling critters more than endlessly climbing and glassing for a critter that I had to admit didn't interest me near as much as it used to. So I called a lynx, wolf, coyotes, moose, caribou and tried for a grizzly, all within a half mile of a road and enjoy those memories best from my trip. For various reasons I shot none of them, but recall it as a great time and fun hunt.

Age isn't all bad.

I'm actually in better shape now (age 53) than I was in my mid-40's, but that doesn't mean I'm back to where I was at 35, and I'm still working hard at getting my legs back to what they were before my knee replacements ('05 and '07).

I was still playing basketball three times a week and skiing 25-40 days a year in winter, and running regularly spring, summer and fall when I was 43. But that year the pains in my knees made me quit playing league basketball and we moved away from the mountains, and I noticed after that I didn't have the endurance in the field I'd enjoyed previously. Used to be I could hunt pheasants all day, wear out two dogs, and still have energy to go out for dinner and drinks after. Not any more. I've been babying my knees, though, so that's a lot of it. I've only really got back to being pain-free this fall after almost 10 years of daily knee pain.

I got serious about 4-6 workouts a week in my late 40's, and that got a lot of my stamina back (and dropped the excess weight), but then I tore ligaments in my left knee in '04, and since then it's been a three-year process of surgery and rehabilitation. I'm fortunate in that I've never been seriously overweight, have never smoked cigarettes, and thanks to maintaining a decent level of fitness prior to the knees caving on me, I had the muscle and self-discipline to be aggressive in my rehab. Most guys my age who go through bilateral knee replacements end up being couch potatoes who golf from a motorized cart at their most vigorous.

I hunted pheasants half a dozen times this fall, and had no fitness or joint issues. This was the first year I was able to hunt pain-free since I was 45. I'm seriously considering buying another pheasant dog next spring, now that I have the physical ability to walk it, train it, and hunt it as it deserves. This coming March I'm going skiing for a week for the first time in almost 8 years, and next fall I'll be hunting elk in Wyoming.

No, I'm not the lean mean machine I was 15 years ago, but I'm not done yet. I thank God that I was able to receive this gift of renewed strength and ability through the miracle of titanium knees, and I intend to use this second set of knees a lot more wisely than I did the first set. I hope to hunt at least as much, if not more, than I did with the first set... although I won't be abusing these ones the way I did my natural knees.

I still have that zeal to be out in the field, to hunt and fish as hard as I can, and still feel keenly the disappointment when I don't meet my expectations of myself.

To quote the famous line from Top Gun, my ego continues to write checks my body can't cash! At 53 (I've always been too short for my weight )I still manage to run 4-5 miles/day four times a week. I feel great, but I've definitively lost a step...or five.
My labs are good and I have longevity in my family, but I'm almost parnoid of getting old and "geezing out." There is hope I think, when I hunted AFrica in 05 with PH John Sharp (he was 53 then) man that guy walked my dick in the dirt! and he can benchpress a Cape Buffalo. So I've embarked on a new PT program with some USMC Officers that work for me at the schoolhouse that includes running, some lifting and Aikido. Hopefully I'll be able to report progress....but after the Christmas/New Year's eating frenzy jorge

All of you "older" fellas should stop worrying about getting old. My great uncle, I call him grampa, had his first heart attack 3 years ago. It slowed him down, sure, but he still was out hunting the same year. This year he turned 80. There's nothing he enjoys more than hunting and flyfishing. Two packs a day and over the length of an elk season he could still put more miles on his feet than I could before that heart attack. Its a matter of "want to" over riding preconcieved "wisdom".

Just hit 50 this month and JJ I know what your talking about.

I'm driven to stay in shape for those backpack hunts in spite of a knee problem that I keep putting off for surgery. I put in
60 miles this year deer hunting with a 60 lb pack. I lost 5 toe nails and 15 lbs in the process. No deer.

I have to wear glasses now when I hunt and use them to read a map.

I lift weights 3 times a week to stay toned up and that helps a whole bunch. It's my desire to stay fit for when my 7 year old guy gets of age to hunt.

I have not given up on getting that elusive 30" 200 class mule deer.

I am not sure it is a sudden beginning in all areas. But with me mid- 50's I could still take on activities about as well as when I was younger. But late 50's there was more pain associated with everything.

I am 62 now and don't have much of a desire to hunt in high altitudes anymore. I used to really love the mountains, now it hurts my lungs just thinking about climbing around in them!

One of the Canadian guides in my deer camp was 69 years old and still in good lean shape. In a conversation with him he said he had guided for stone sheep in northern B.C. for more than 30 years but finally called it quits two years ago.

I didn't read through all the posts so somebody may have already pointed this out.
Just because you're 'in shape' doesn't mean the ticker is. My old man(mid 50's) has had two life flights to the cardio unit in Billings, MT due to heart attacks. He's in really good shape fat wise but has a clogged up heart(even with the stints). Nowadays he doesn't go anywhere without his nitro pills.
A muddy hike through the Breaks after elk almost did him in a couple years ago.
GET the wires hooked up on the doctors treadmill so you at least have an idea of what you're workin' with; better safe than sorry........
Your health/life is obviously nothing to fool around with!

I turned 58 on the 3rd. Nomally I do ok because I take it easy. When I was putting up lights the ladder decided it wanted to laydown, of course I had to go along on the trip. (btw ladders are not a good landing pad). My elk hunt was not fun. Ever try to walk in 18" of snow with a sore hip on one side and a sore calf on the other lol. If I had any sense I would have canceled the hunt. It was no fun. Saw elk but could not get to them because of being in pain. tom

I'll hit 55 next month. 10 years of being a desk jockey has undone all the good I had built up spending the first 35 years of my life on a dairy farm. Always heard people telling me I needed to eat so I could gain weight. Guess I listened too well, now I need to cut way back. Hard to get much exercise with a bad knee and plantar faceitous. I'm farsighted, so don't have trouble picking out the coyote on the far ridge, just can't see which box of ammo I brought along to shoot at him!

I still do fine out hunting in the woods but it did start to drop off in the bush at late fifties.

Thank God, I thought with was an old guy commizzerating session about blue pills.

Spot

..For me it's always been more to do with who's bush it is, that set the measure of how physically functional I was.*wink*.
.....Seriously, I'm 66 yrs now and past sheep hunting but keep fit enough to drag out my own deer, and get back deep enough to see quality animals.If I had the funds, I'd get on up to AK for a big bear hunt ( a childhood dream I've yet to be able to fulfil)before my get'em up done got up and gone.

Rolly-

laughing here. "you'd" better (laugh) for there is no good alternative.

Does anyone of us late middle-agers find they're leaving a "P" can by their bag or cot while in camp, because the alternative is crawling out of that warm cacoon, going out of the tent into 12 degree weather to "P"-maybe 2, or 3, or....times?

No wet blanket here guys but this is the way of all mankind and as someone said, things do not get better physically.

The very Best to all here for Christmas and the New Year.

Gdv

38 two days ago, did inventory: Can't see hand stretched out in front of my face- check Arthritis in both knees - check, 40 pounds overweight - check, tired going up stairs/can't run around the block - check. Feeling better yet or should I go on?

I'm well into my late 60's & due to chronic arthritis have to choose my trips carefully. I have an artificial knee & so many back procedures that I had an internal morphine pump surgically implanted with tubes than run along my spine. No direct injection into my blood so I'm not drugged up. Mountain hunting is a thing of the past for me. I have fished & hunted over most of NA,hunted in Europe, & Africa. I plan to return to South Africa in 08. I hunt 40-50 days/year & fish about the same. I run a high performance bass boat & have an ATV that helps with local hunting. I have over 40 big game mounts & about 20 fish mounts. My doctors are amazed that I do many of the things that I do. You only have one life so live it to the fullest. Best advise I can give you physically fit hunters is to try & do the things you dream about before its to late. I find my self doing even more volunteer work for SCI, NRA, & IWLA as a way to give something back to the sport of hunting & shooting. Happy holidays to all.

56, but that was due to an accident. I am doing better again but it has taken some real effort. I opted for lazer surgery on the eyes just because I hunt. Amazing stuff!!!!!!! I am seeing better than any other time in my life. I walked around the first year after my surgery just looking at things. My wife got tired of me saying, " did you see that!"

At 57, the thing I'm noticing more and more,is that I'm generally the oldest guy in camp.The exception is my buddy's ranch in Wyoming, where I'm middle of the pack.I can still go anywhere I want,just not as fast.

My reactions with a rifle, and shooting ability do not seem impaired from when I was younger

I agree with others that I am fussier about who I hunt with.I don't feel impaired in the woods at all.

I call bull [bleep]. Ain't no way anyone here is still capable of the same pace, style that they could 10yrs prior. Oh crap guys I'm sorry, guess I'm just lookin and the mirror. F#$k

At 41 I'm afeared I'm like a steam roller headed down hill. Guess I played to many football games without a helmet. Years(23) of construction is takin it's toll on my knees and back. I still manage. Thinking back a few years I'd have to say the answer for me is 34yrs old. I now suffer from CRS and have slowed way down and should prolly have a string attached to me or a bell around my neck so someone will find me while I'm lost. Keep telling myself to hunt smarter not harder. It ain't working.

Back in the day I would hit the hills and "MAKE" it happen. Now I hope I can make it at all.

Am much more busy with kids and sports. My good friend just hit 50 and still motors pretty damn good. I hope to beable to be hitting the high country when I'm 50. Better keep my fingers crossed!

Yep, 34 was my last stud year huntin. And when I was 24 I coulda hunted circles around my 34 year old ass.

I actually feel much better now that I was finialy able to admit this!!

Your fifties are when you start to discover you won't live forever and then start to wonder how long you can live

doc,

I hope you find a 400 inch bull. Don't laugh! A retired old fart friend of mine from Arkansas came out 2 years ago to hunt out of Cody. He asked if there were any good bulls up there, but he had and early season (october) tag, I said yes but they generally some out of the park in the late season hunt. He took a bull that went 400 and change! It was a brute and that was the smallest of 3 bulls they took that week! I'll email you a picture if you want!

Keith

That strikes me as well said!

I'd like to "freeze time" at age 36... don't think it'll ever be any better than that age. At age 46 I'm still stronger than many but I definitely notice a more relaxed and mellow attitude creeping in... I'll embrace it. I don't have quite the same passion to limb the extra 1,000' or find the bigger bull.

I'm not far away from 54 and this past year it all came crashing down around me.
In June I had surgery on my right shoulder and the first of November I had surgery on my left shoulder. I'm still doing physical therapy and they are dang slow to heal. Shoulder surgery is a lot more to bounce back from than I thought it would be.
I've also developed a small heart problem. I have an irregular heart beat that is regulated with medication but I have to be careful due to naturally low blood pressure.
Then on top of it all, they are finding blood in my urine. So far, no idea why but we are looking.
I've also noticed that fine motor skills and balance are a tad less then before. It's not a big deal, but I do notice it.
Anyone else notice that your hands and feet are get cold easier?

Then there are the usual aches and pains that never used to be there.....

All in all, I do pretty well. I can't go to high altitude anymore, I get really sick, but I can live with that. As soon as I get these shoulders back in good order I am going to do some hunts that I've always wanted to. Clocks ticking and I'm saving money!

JJ, I am right at the half century mark, and before I had surgery last month, I was in about the best physical condition of my life. I was running at least five days a week and lifting about three. I was as lean as I was, even n college. My only limitations are due to orthopedic surgeries. But if I take naproxyn (prescription Aleve) I can get up mountains as well as I was ever able.

I firmly believe most limitations are self-imposed. If I have the right frame of mind I can still do most of what I want, within reason, of course!

I wish you continued success in the field.



Merry Christmas,


Mando

Westman,

Rotator cuff?

I wish you a speedy recovery. Rotator cuff surgery is a bitch, assuming it's what you had. I know, I've had four!!! And they never, ever stop hurting!!!



Merry Christmas,

Mando

I too have notice a slow down in the 50's. So I bought a horse and then learn that the extra work a horse entails is enought to offset any gains from the aminmal. Getting old is not for sissies.

I will be 60 in six months. Except for October and November when deer season and duck season are in full swing I run almost every day four to six miles, longer endurance builders every couple of weeks. I do a little strength training a few days every week. My doctor says that, physical health-wise, I am in my 30's. To me, the biggest difference is the pain. Since my early fifties it seems that something hurts all the time, usually joint related. I don't care, it tells me I'm alive. I'm amazed at how old some of my friends my age have become. I live in a small town and have many of the same friends I went to school with. Some of us seem to keep right at it. Others aged out long ago. Tobacco, alcohol and activity level would seem to play a big part.

+1 on laser eye suregery.

Viagra should help.

08 starts my 50th year. I'm OK to hunt hard. I run without issue for traning. But, you don't need to be a triathlete to get out there and have a good time.

Can't say I feel that much different yet. Father Time has simply replaced youthful hard physical labor, alcohol abuse, stress, poor diet and sleep deprivation.

Actually, I feel pretty damn good now that I take better care of myself and don't work too hard, knock on wood.

At 63 and looking forward to having something left in SS in a couple of years, other than the normal eyesight loss, I notice most loss of dexterity in the fingers and overall balance. Although I make it to the gym five days a week for about 45 minutes, aging cannot be overcome only slowed down.

I noticed some loss between 58 and 62 at altitude. Did better at 58 in the mountains of New Mexico than in NWT at 62. I do have a lot of good hunts left in this aging bod but I find myself leaning more and more on guided hunts and the son in laws!

I noticed when I was in my 40's, if I stayed fit all year, as opposed to conditioning for hunting a few months before, it worked better. I also found I had more energy/strenth all year long.
Went to reading glasses in my late 40's and have finally realized I can go no where w/o them.
When I was working- union drywall taper - I had lots of aches and pains constantly it seemed. When I retired, I discovered many things.
First of all, with good medical advice, I did recover and I could reach levels of conditioning that I never thought possible. What I did was discover just how much to push when conditioning and how much to rest or back off. And, above all, how and what to eat to achieve these higher levels of performance. Basically, I follow the federal food guidelines.
I quit running when I retired. Not because I had to, but because I could find lots of places to walk wearing a pack.
I've also learned that pushing too fast to reach a certain level is a big mistake. The muscles get stronger much faster than the tendions and ligaments. Push too hard and too fast and you'll wind up injuried for a good while. All of them take far longer to heal than you'd think. BTDT.
I live very near some pretty good, tough hikes. One of them the USFS says is the toughest in California. Those of us locals who walk/hike alot have a little friendly competition going as to who can do what and how fast. I can match any of them. I'm closer to 64 than 63.
As far as hunting goes, I am still discovering hunts/hunting that really fire me up. Elk hunting, which I did for the first time this year, is a good example. What's nice about being older is I'm better at recognizing my mistakes and realizing that I need to hunt smarter, at least sometimes, than harder. And being able to enjoy the fringe benefits of just being there more. I lost this attitude that the hunt is a failure if I don't kill something years ago as I aged. That makes a big difference too. E

I have posted this before, but you will get a lot more serious about your hunting whether it is deer or elk or whatever, if you sit down and put on paper about how amy more hunts you have left in your life. I started in my 40's figuring I could hunt until I was 70. 30 elk hunts seemed like forever, now I am looking at single digits and it doesn't seem enough. The old saying is that there still is alot of daylight left at the end of me rings true.

I use to be active enough that come hunting seaosn, I was in pretty good shape. Wore out joints lessoned those activities. Now I just have more fun hunting and getting in shape means going down to the corrlal with a box of jelly donuts and me and my mules eating the whole box. You know round is a shape too.

Too bad laser eye surgery is of no use to the aging problems relating to close vision issues.

I turned 61 last week. I have done at least 1 hour of cardiovascular ex. every day for almost 40 years. I mix in total strength 3x a wk. I stay within 5 lbs of what I consider my ideal wt. (205 @ 6'5"). I guess I'm lucky also!!! Just packed out a big 8 point. Only 3/4 of a mile so it was a walk in the park!
I once took a course in grad school: "Adult and Aging". The main theme was that the human body changes very little year to year from age 25 to 75 for those folks who take care of themselves. I really believe this. I also believe that those that take care of themselves, experience a much more gradual decline, than those that do not. I want to hunt on my 80th!

I will be 51 this year and the first thing I noticed is I feel the cold more. Also my balence at times I seem to trip easier, not sure if that is aging or just more clutsey. I do know that I tend to avoid places and climbing things now where in the years past I would not think twice about going maybe with age I am getting a little smarter. I walk 3 miles 5 days a week I can't run my joints don't handle it and I try to backpack and hike in the summer to stay fit. I get caught talking around the campfire a little more about the good old days. grin!! I lost about 60 lbs in my mid forties so my goal now is to take better care of me. Oh yea I have to wear glasses that I hate in the rain and fog, can't get contacts in and my eyes are not bad enough for lazer surgey yet. I also notice I don't get as caught up in hunter fads as much I spend my money with more thought to will it really do what it says.

I was a super-active hunter through my 50s. Things pretty much went to crap when I had an extensive shoulder surgery in the summer of 2005. My shoulder was a victim of dragging an antelope a seemingly impossible distance over the prairie and it's workable, but weak.

While I was trying to get healed up from the shoulder, the rest of me seemingly kinda fell apart. It just plain HURTS to do stuff and climbing the mountains, like I did only a decade ago, is completely out of the question.

I'm 64 now and life is great. Absolutely no complaints; the amount of hunting I have been able to do in my lifetime is something that most only dream about.

I prolly have a hunt or two left, but they will have to be easy and measured. I'm thinking maybe a really whopper of an antelope and a GREAT bull elk.

Steve

There are things that are good about age. One-you're still here. Also, you hopefully get to a point where you can enjoy the moment, the many little things that the hurriedness and impatience of youth overlook-a cozy mid-day nap after the sun warmed the tent; a great laugh with a great friend; that view from that ridge looking across to the other after a long hike; comfort in your own skin with the pace you set; the comfort of a soft down bag when the temp outside sinks like a cement boot..

Saddlesore's observation of realized mortality is good motivation to enjoy and absorb the moment instead of always looking ahead.

Steve, what is your definition of a GREAT bull?

Gdv

Hack,

At close to 60, I'm not quite willing to do other than say quietly to whatever forces seem to wish to take life and vitality from folks..:

Molon Labe...

as it concerns any issue of life, health.

I am more circumspect and deliberate as I have aged..

Still have good function or eyes, ears, body and mind.

I can do anything I ever wanted to do or did..albeit a bit slower..which isn't bad for the hunter or man in the 'bush'..:)

My wife of many years makes fewer demands on my competencies..:)

....and in spite of what I know, have done, and have learned..not too many younger folks are very attentive..Jim

I played a lot of sports in my youth, but in my late 20s was down to weightlifting, running, and bicycling. I found that I had lost some hand-eye coordination and balance. I did two things to restore them. First thing I did is gonna sound silly, but it worked. When showering, I would stand on one foot and wash the other foot. I got into the habit of doing it every shower no matter what, and the two minutes a day of standing on one foot made a big difference. Needless to say, do what you need to do to avoid a slip-n-fall in the shower. Second thing was to dig my basketball out of storage and shoot hoops. Work the whole court, from under the rim out to 3-point land. Work on dribbling, work on your free throws, work on your jump shot if your knees will take it.

"There are things that are good about age. One-you're still here."

That is the best post yet.

This year. 44 yrs old.

Last February I had brain surgery for the removal of an Acoustic Neuroma tumor on my balance and hearing nerve. I am now profoundly deaf in my right ear (good side for the deer to sneak up on)and my balance is much less than perfect. I am also retired from my law enforcement career due to the above issues.

What sucks is that I finally had a new area I was hunting the past several years figured out. It's too mountainous and rugged for me to hunt now. So I hunt out of my friend's barn. It's all distance like out west. I took a small 5 point at 300yds. But I needed my buddy's help to retrieve the deer. It was still great though. I just have to hunt with someone from now on and keep the terrain easy to manuver.

Dan



Dan

All good on you Dan for keeping in the game.

I hope your balance can improve.

I was 59 end of August. Beats the hell out of the alternative.

I stay fairly active all year and don't "condition", so my hunts are getting slower and lower. Did alright going from 150 feet residence to 9500 Colorado last year on an elk hunt, but don't know how well a second day might have gone. The cow elk tasted just fine, tho.

Noticed at age 35 or so, it was taking me longer on those death marches. Since then, it's gradually become more painful also. Two years ago I tore a miniscus packing 100 lbs of caribou pack down a 45 degree slope, then worsened it with the mile and a half thru Hell's Half Acre of forest/tundra to camp. In the dark. I think my brain must have given out a bit earlier on.... The problem is, as someone earlier said, it still thinks I'm 30, when the body is saying "OH NO YOU'RE NOT!"

Cataract surgery/ lens replacement just one year ago. Plays hell with close vision, but I hardly ever see animals within 3 yards, anyway. Makes the scope issue interesting, too.

I'm hoping for time for one more sheep hunt back into my favorite place, last visited about 30 years ago. 17 miles backpack, then we start hunting. Took my wife there on our honeymoon. She got the sheep. Just gonna be slower and more painful is all.

This thread gave me the all-over willies.

I'm 42. The writing is on the wall. I had to quit with B-ball but I love to hike and I'm a middle-aged ski bum.

Unfortunatly I didn't start hunting till I was 35, and am still learning, big time. On the one hand, I have a level of freshness with hunting some guys might not have at 42- it blows my mind- but on the other hand I have to fit a lot of goals into the next 10, 15 years.

My stepfather Bob is an amazing guy. He's all whipcord and leather. He is, I believe, 76 years old now and is just now, finally, starting to stiffen up. Most spry old guy you'd ever meet; some guys are just built that way!

-jeff

I'm 56 and spend 3-4 days a week in the gym and walk and ride my mountain bike a fair amount.

I've had the new "wave form" lasik surgery twice and have pretty fair close vision and my distance vision is very good for my age but my eyes don't both me a bit. My night vision is degrading though but my eye doctor assures me it's good "for my age"... <sigh>

My strength is (nearly) as good as it ever was.

It's my endurance that suffers. I can still (mostly) keep up with the young guys for a day or so but then I start building up a "rest deficiency" that will eventually overtake me and I need to take a day off and rest.

It hasn't affected my hunting yet but my first mountain hunt in several years is coming up next year and I'm thinking I'll have to pace myself like never before.

In my opinion, if you don't smoke, if you eat well, if you exercise daily, and if you're genetically fortunate, you'll be able to actively hunt with little or no physical problems well into your 70's and if you're REALLY astute and blessed into your 80's. The endurance is about the only thing that will inevitably suffer.

Just one man's opinion....

$bob$

bob - good point about "living right" and longevity. I've been really lucky in that respect because I've never smoked, have always worked out, have stayed active. Except for my college years, haven't drank much either. I also have longevity on both sides of my family. I'm hoping to still be hunting at 80, some of my relatives have.

Several have commentted that they go slower now than in their prime. This hit me ~ 2 years ago. I can still go all out but notice I get stiff with a few more aches and pains the next day or two which requires an "easy" day after 2-3-4 days of going all out. I honestly thought I wasn't in good enough shape. I came to realize my conditioning is fine but my body complains more now than it used to.

Also agree on paying attention to the things that matter more as we get older/wiser. I've grown much more appreciative of the whole time element. At 44, I can see that we each have a finite time on this planet. I've had enough close people leave this life unexpectedly to appreciate the fact that you never know if your best hunting buddy is going to be with you next year. Same goes for Dad's. I've come to appreciate the moments I have in special places, with special people, doing special things. If I couldn't hunt anymore, I have a large supply of memories from the past 30+ years hunting. I've not shot the biggest bucks, bulls, bears, but I have had some fantastic hunts with people closest to me. I've learned to not take those for granted.

Just hanging around camp at night means more now than it used to. I took naps a couple of nice aftenoons last year in Idaho. Mid-afternoon naps in mountain meadows in elk country are fantastic. It doesn't get much better than that - taking a nap in God's country.

Good thread.

LDHunter, sounds like me, but I'm 57.

Hit the wall at 54......then we renovated the house 2 summers ago ( 3 month job) and got out of a work out routine, and it's been tough getting back into it....But, work out you must!

I am close to 54 and have had some pretty serious injury over the years, a heart attack, pulmonary embolism and various sundry joint problems. I still get out albeit I am much slower and careful now than when i WAS 40. I like to stalk hunt so going slow is not a detriment. I did not get out much this year although the shootist and I saw some beautiful country and a bunch of whitetail deer, I did not harvest any. The last day of the season I was going for a walk and discovered the area I was going to hunt was covered in two feet of snow. I pushed in for 100 yds of thigh deep snow and eleced to turn around and call the season closed.

That would not have happened at 50, but as stated earlier you never know if you will hunt again with your hunting buddy, and I don't want to be the hunting buddy that doesn't live another season.

I AM A BIT DISAPPOINTED WITH FAILING BODY BUT AM OH SO PLEASED TO SEE ANOTHER SUNRISE,HEAR ANOTHER BULL MOOSE ANSWER A CALL, SEE A FAWN NUZZLE HER MOTHER'S MILK SAC, AND CUDDLE MY WIFE AT NIGHT WHEN I GO TO BED TIRED.

Randy

JJ

I would have to say that around 30, there was a slight drop-off.Although, for the three/four years prior I had been running(a lot), including 4 marathons.Since then, I've gone "cold turkey" on training, but have an active lifestyle.
The really noticeable drop-off was around 50, and aint gett'n any better.
Who ever said these were "The Golden Years", was a colorblind "s.o.b."!!!!
-memtb

I started to loose my balance, endurance, and agility at about forty five years of age. My problems are genetic and wear and tear on joints.

Scoliosis started causing problems at age 25. I was told then that I�d be looking at severe back problems when I past 40. (I had surgery on the lower back two years ago.) So I decided to do all the hiking and backpacking I could while I was able.

I wore my knees out during martial arts training doing exercises and stunts that we didn�t know were bad for knees at the time. My last backpacking trip was pure pain coming down that mountain.

I lost my ability to draw a bow when I had to have rotator cuff surgery to remove an impingement that was cutting into the tendon. I�m just happy I can cast a fishing rod again. I couldn�t before the surgery.

Through all that I took several falls due to loss of mobility and balance. Too much Vicodan and too little flexibility. I busted my right hand this past May falling off a bicycle. It�s still giving me problems. I fell off the sea wall while fishing at the coast summer before last. Knocked out my top front teeth and required several stitches to put my lip back together.

I was lucky to have been warned that this was coming when I was 25. I made up my mind then that I would not wait until I retired to have fun. I did as much as I could while I could and I have no regrets about it.

Now days I just try to remind myself that I can�t do things I once could. I have to use my head instead of my back and make things easy on myself.

I am 61.5 and was told when I was almost 14 that I probably would never walk again, due to being run over by a drunk driver. I joined the BC Forest Service at 18 and could and did do well enough that I was a supervisor by 23.

I backpack hunt, hike, can ride mountain horses a bit and snowshoe. I go solo into remote BC wilderness, always have and enjoy it. No, I cannot do what I used to do, but, in moderate country I can and do carry 100 lb. loads and it is not too bad.

The "secret"it seems to me, is to do what YOU enjoy and phuque any loudmouth young punk who wants to play "longdicking"; this is about FUN, not about silly competition.

I am, as my earlier thread on the BPing forum indicates, going into the most intense, specialized work-out programme of my life in order to continue to do what I like until I am "old", maybe 90 or so. I STILL have a LOT of BC mountaintops to climb to and I WILL do it.....WILL is what really makes it happen for we well-aged gents! A pass on the beer helps too, the WORST part of getting old....well, maybe the second worst........

Friend George,

Indeed, age gives on perspective. I'm convinced that you enjoy stuff more. On top of that, by the time you are a bit "long of tooth" you are an excellent shot, so you're going to BANG-FLOP critters most rickey-tick. You also are unlikely to run all over the mountains and find lots to kill in decent country. There are advantages.

GREAT bull???? I'm thinking 350-375.

Merry Christmas, old friend,

Steve

JJHACK,

I am 63. This is the first year I noticed any difference. The folks I hunt with are twenty to thirty years younger than me. The reason I noticed was the guy I was hunting elk with said, "I am tired of seeing the same thing." I responded, "Then, let's go up and over this hill." The further we went the behinder I got.

I started an exercise program. There is a book I whole heartedly recommend, which I just finished and am starting to re-read. One fellow who used to have knee problems now can run 17 plus miles at a six minute mile. His heart rate is 115 and his breathing rate is 10. He said when he started the program his performance was cut in half. He stuck with it and by the end of three month, he was pain free and exceeding anything he had done previously. The book is Body, Mind and Sport. The author, Dr. John Douillard, is/was a professional iron man contestant.

Remember Daniel Boone was hunting until well over 80.

Gents, Not anyones idea of a hunter (yet, but I aspire to learn), certainly not to your standards, but have spent a good deal of time in the woods in my younger years. I'm currently 49.
My question is do you accept the "Go ye not softly into the night...", or do you "Go gracefully"?
I recognize that I'm not 18 anymore, but aspire to still go, all be it slower, and will continue to go so long as my body will allow it. If the inevitable were to happen out there, it would be because of my ignorance or because my body failed me and I'm OK with that. I'd be doing what I love to do where I love to be.
Regards, Jim

Alligator. I use to hunt by myself most of the time, Now I find I am a little more cautious as I don't know if I could save myself in a bad jam. I also worry that I couldn't save some one else if I had too.

I don't worry much about dieing out there, I just don't want someone to have to come and clean up the mess.

I sure as hell won't go gracefully, but I won't be stupid about it either.

JJ,

I "hit the wall" at 60. That was the beginning of a decline in being able to all the walking, climbing and packing that I was accustomed to when elk and deer hunting. I am now 68 and am still hunting and will until I just can't go. The balance is getting worse and downhill really hurts the knees. Uphill works great but I find myself zigzagging a lot on the downhill. I don't hit it as hard as my pre 60's but still enjoy the experience. I too take more rest days than when younger. One reason for this is (pre-retirement) I only had a week to 10 days to hunt. Since retiring I can be out for the entire season or even longer if I wish. I also find I can not lift the weight I used to. My head says yes but the body rebels. It is hard to admit but the old back tells me to get help for the heavy stuff.

Must get back to planning the 2008 hunts.

I am past 61 now, and to be honest, I can still do anything I could before, just maybe not quite as long.
I still hunt, and can still do the miles per day I used to do. I don't do any climbing stand stuff, but then I hardly ever did.
My vision is good, ticker is in fine shape, all the joints work fine.
I'm good to go.............

I am in my 60's and have definiately noticed a difference. My eyesite has diminished...I still get to where I want to go..only slower..I do go to bed earlier than most..but am always the first up...

Bob..your still a "youngster"...lol

I am 38 and at the top of my game in either "bush".

Like the post above said about doing your sheep hunting before your 40 years old, after 40 things start very slowly to go down hill; not noticeably at first, but looking back, it did start at 40. I was still strong and fit through my 50's, but no way I could do what I did up to age 40. Little things torpedo you, like pulled mussels that take an eternity to heal at age 55 that healed quickly when you were 35. Or, you get the love handles and they DO NOT go away, no matter how much you exercise, lifting weights are running. I was an exercise loony, running till my legs gave out at age 50, then bicycling till age 66, then I stopped, mainly due to "I don't wanna do that anymore". My indoor exercise bike has 7,200 on the odometer. Don't have an odometer on my road bike(s), so I don't know how many miles I have ridden them, but a lot.
So, at age 73, I'm in good health, but NO WAY am I going to hunt at 10,000 feet anymore.
The slope is gradual at first, then the slope gets STEEP, and down you go.
I feel that my lack of any physical problems like heart trouble or cancer is due to exercising my early years up to 66. My BP now is 120/70 all day, every day.
The most important thing for me now is just participating, not hanging up hunting all together, which I'll never do. I do the best I can given the old body.

Don

The first year I hunted after my heart attack was less than three months post surgury. My wife worried about me but my youngest daughter summed it up wwell. she told her mom that they would miss me if I died in the bush,but that if \I did not go I would be miserable and hard to get along with. If I died I would be doing something I loved.

I had no intention of dying, but every intention of really living. I still do

Randy

It's endurance that one looses,not strength as he ages.The old saying that he's old doesn't cut it.I know fellas older than me that can wipe up 20 year olds that feel 10 feet tall and bullet proof,with ease.One rides his Stud Horse hunting and he is pushing 70 and recently had his thumb tore off in a rodeo.

I too work very hard to stay n shape but Father time takes it's toll on places you didn't know you had that were easy "Back When".Slower is good and it helps to have an 18 year old that is 6'4" and 250 pounds hunting with you.

Although,the wife made me sell my 250 Yamaha YZ last year,I continue to push to the last breath...

Gett'in old ain't for sissies.

Jayco

Don - good for you! I hope to have a similar story whan I'm older than you.

I started going downhill at age 50. Thanks...Bill.

Ron, you take care of yourself, hear? I know a couple folks that need you around. You're strong as an ox, but you don't have to prove it.

Merry Christmas to you and yours, partner.

-

I'm 48 and already an old phart. I've had 4 shoulder surgeries (5th is scheduled in January), carpal tunnel release, hip replacement, and knee replacement. I can still walk, but nowhere near as fast or far. Everything hurts.

-

A big AMEN to that!!!
I try to ignore it, but it's always there, the pain.

Yeah, what the heck is it with this HURTING thing???? Just getting out of bed is a big hurt, hobble to the can and take a leak (takes a while now ) and it's some better by the time the shower is over.

Then, if you sit down for a while, it starts all over again.

If you need to get down on the ground and work on something, it is hurting-work to get up again. The balance is screwed and every time you strain something it takes forever to heal. Didn't used to be like that.

It seems to me that my grand-dad told me about that when he was about the age I am now. And I paid about as much attention to him as the 35 year olds around here do to us old farts.

Even the 50 and 55 year olds haven't seen it yet, but they will.

Somehow, I do not expect the "hurting thing" to get any better.

But I guess it's preferable to hurt than die.

Steve

Oh man, a week and a half ago I had to do some outside plumbing; broke a PVC water line. Had to sink a hole around the break, etc. The kneeling down to clear the mud and clay so I could get at the break, then make the cut and glue on the fix-piece, just wiped my knees. My good knee is now my bad knee, and I'm going through NSAIDs like tater chips at a Super Bowl party.

What really sucks is my old man is an octagenarian, and he has far better joints than I do. Kinda makes me question whether he is really my old man. I can't recall whether the milkman was gimpy...

A couple times I have felt like giving up. But then I think about those that depend on me and I go back at it again. It's a drag to hurt all the time and face one's limitations, but there is always someone worse-off I suppose. I do have hope for a new body one day.

-

Hey, maybe we can put in for a body transplant. After battering this body to crap, I'd take better care of the next one

Steve

I'm 52. Last April I had a stroke in my hypothamus. That slowed me down considerably (like not being able to walk without a walker for two months and having to learn how to talk again). Motor skills in my right side were shot for a while too.

I was scheduled to film my good friend Greg's elephant hunt in Matesi, Zimbabwe last October. Greg said I was still gonna be his cameraman if I had to crawl. Needless to say, this gave me a lot of incentive to improve rapidly. I think that having a goal like that really helped, and having a friend like Greg is a Godsend.

It was a successful hunt, and I was able to be there, even though my boots had to be tied for me daily and I'm sure I slowed Greg down with my walking stick. I've been hunting since then, and am thankful that I am left-handed and the partial paralysis hasn't affected my shooting. I won't be climbing any treestands again, and I have to walk slower now, but being physically less funtional doesn't have to keep you outta the woods.

Jeff

Jeff,

You GO Boy!!!

Your indomitable spirit is a much greater asset than a young body would be.

Keep up the positive attitude and can do mentality and you'll hunt rings around most of the lazy hunters out there.

Merry Christmas!!!

$bob$

You know when you're getting old when you realize that picking something up off the floor is a three phase operation. First is the planning phase to explore all of the possibilities for getting the thing picked up. After that, you have a cup of coffee to think about what you're about to do, and make sure you have the best plan. Then comes the execution phase. Since you can't bend over anymore to just grab the thing, you must do a semi squat, grab the item, and help yourself back up again by leaning on a pre-placed table for that purpose. After all of that exertion comes the recovery phase. That's when you sit down and rest for a half hour because of all the calories you burned up doing all that strenuous work...

Don

For me, the 4 phase process works like this:

1) run a mental inventory of current aches, pains, twinges, and crackling noises;
2) choose the least problematic body part to bear the burden (back? left knee? right knee? right elbow?);
3) plan the downstroke and upstroke;
4) execute and head for the medicine cabinet.

Pretty ridiculous, considering that two years ago I was going up and down ladders and walking around on roofs, goig for bike rides, etc.

Ain't that the truth. Grinnin' here.

Steve

Man, listening to you makes me feel like I'm 64. I went out to get a Christmas tree on Sunday, a 75 mile RT by snowmachine- something that was like a 5 mile bike ride 5-10 years ago. I spent yesterday hurting. I am getting so used to that, I barely realized it until I spent 20 minutes too close to the wood stove and discovered what it felt like not to hurt everywhere for awhile.

I hate stairs. It seems like only yesterday that stairs were built too small - two at time or three were more logical. No more - by a long shot.

But like you all say, pain is prefereable to the usual pain-free alternative when you get around and beyond the "quint"essential years.

Wow, all these posts make me thankful for my life. By the time I was thirty I had all the farm work, Foundry work and plant Bull work behind me and was settled into something that didn't break down my body like some of you have had to do.
I saw my dad pretty well worked out by age fifty and some of my friends suffer from work related problems. One hunting Bud can barely hobble around camp the first part of the day in cold weather.
My heart ain't the best, and the hands are a little shaky but so far all the joints work and the lungs still pump air. Maybe I'll complain a little less next year and be thankful for what I've got.
I've got a lot of respect for those of who who push past the pain and still get it done.

I just turned 47 last week. I started seeing a few things changing when I was around 43-44. My high range hearing was lost well before that. funny, my body compensated for the hearing loss by making my "woods" eyes better.
But speaking of eyes, I've been using cheaters the last few years since I ran out of arm to read the paper.
I've always worked outdoors and have a physical job. Works both ways, on one hand ,it can keep your body conditioned. OTOH, wear and tear factor is higher.
I had my first shoulder surgery this past June.
I started hunting when I was around 13 in the mid-seventies. That would make it at the half-way or just past the half-way mark in my hunting life, if all goes well, of course. Thirty something hunting seasons under my belt. Yea, I'm cool with that.
Approaching 50, and recent injuries, I just go a tad slower, and smarter.

I already posted some of my "age difficulties". I am leaving for Florida with the wive to visit relatives, pick up a mount, & go on a boar hunt. I had a sudden arthritic attack in my foot & can hardly walk. Wive asked me how I was going to boar hunt if I can hardly walk. Hopefully, it will improve in the next several days but I'm going on the hunt. Hog hunting is a passion with me & I will find a way. Happy holidays to all.

At 56 I cannot follow a blood trail without the cheaters, but can still see good enough to shoot. I spent a lot of time in the sun when growing up in Florida, it coagulates your eye lens protein early so I will get a cataract operation in 3-4 years. I am going for as close to long distance seeing as I can get!! I had been going to the gym 2 times a week but lifting too much so now I am taking a break and will start back Jan 2 with 30 minutes of Aerobic and 30 minutes of reasonable lifting. All I do is carry an 8 pound rifle and a 25 pound pack at most a mile or two for where I hunt. I have deliberately avoided using a 4 wheeler unless draging a deer out. My biggest issues are hearing and seeing, the hearing is not too bad but it is going at bit, the rest is OK so far. Let me tell you about the 80 year old that hunts with us and fell a few feet out of his climbing tree stand this year. Austin is a salty 80 year old marine, he is on blood thinnners, and cannot bend fast or easily over to pick up his rifle but he climbs trees and shoots deer. I would even at his tender age of 80 rather kick a 400 pound hog in the Azz than mess with him....a lot of life is attitude in my opinion...Scat Man Cruthers used to say....don't look back someting might be gaining on you....

That's a relief. I thought I was the only one.

-

This yr I guided 3 brown bear,2 moose,and 3 Dall Rams then went to Kodiak for 3 weeks. At 56 my pace is more relaxed but still gets the job done. The trapline has been finetuned over the yrs but big dumps of snow and overflow are as exhausting now as it was 25 yrs ago. I've also noticed my alcohol consumption has increased and the amount of sleep needed has decreased.

Well folks, this has probably been one of the best threads I've read all year, maybe in many years. Not saying that because I started this one, but because there are over 100 posts and no arguements or debate! Usually with that many posts there is some problem that drives the thread.

I'm blessed genetically to be able to keep doing what I am, and have not lost much even at my Middle age score! There is probably more to genetics then anything else, and after that injuries and damage repairs. Over all I think conservatively that Most folks should be able to hunt hike and climb til well over 60, probably 65 years old. Minus some time off of that for injury or other health reasons.

In my job one of the things I worry about is having a hunter waiting on me to climb the hill, or make good time quietly on a stalk. One of the things I see as the biggest problem for my older hunters is hearing. Funny too in that this thread mentioned almost no problems in that area. Hearing makes stalking very difficult, the hunter cannot hear his own problems while sneaking along. Change and/ or empty shells in the pockets, pant cuffs rubbing together, thorns and such scratching against clothing. "Wispering" to me at about 90db.

Anyway........ Thanks for sharing all of your humbling thoughts on this. For any of you younger hunters interested in hunting some difficult species and habitats, consider your health and the choices you make in your 20's now. You're setting the foundation for the future when you can afford these hunts later in life.

I don't know what the future holds for me health wise, but I'm darn glad I took such good care of myself in my 20's and 30's. My wife who is much younger then I am was not as genetically blessed. Her hearing and vision were never as good as mine, and is now showing some age related decline. Fortunately she has several other very redeeming qualities so I'll keep her around a while yet.

Thanks for the feedback and the very entertaining contribution to this thread.

Bless you, my son. (It really has had very sincere confessional qualities to it, hasn't it? I mean, what other thread have you ever seen where grown men come out and discuss this stuff as unapologetically as they have here?)

Okay, back to arguing and other stiff upper lip stuff....

JJ and others,

I fall into your "younger hunter" bracket currently, as I'm 24. Staying in shape well enough to be able hunt hard for a long time is of particular interest to me, and I know the way I take care of myself now will affect my performance (and ability to pick up things off the floor) years down the road. (note: this doesn't mean I ALWAYS take care of myself how I know I should, but at the very least I am aware, and trying to get better at putting it into practice)

There is an issue I've been hoping for some insight into. I hear many older people claim that working hard jobs, or being very active in the bush, is what enabled them to stay in shape and continue to be active in the bush. On the flip side, I hear folks suggest that working hard jobs, and running around hard in the bush, wore them out prematurely. I know I've felt dogzapper was suggesting this second might apply to him.

So what should I do with these two conflicting concepts? Will the activity really wear one person out early, and sustain another, or are there other factors at work? Undoubtedly some are dealt a better genetic card than others, but is there more to it than that, and if there is, what is it?

Any thoughts are appreciated.

Thanks,
Carl

And by the way, good topic and discussion, to all involved.

I don't have a pat answer but I think young people like you are ahead of us as to keeping physicaly fit. I lost a lot of it in my late 20 and 30's too much partying and not enough physical activity except for hunting. If I knew what I know now I would have never have gone down that road. I missed out on a lot stuff that I would like to have tried like trail running and eadventure racing stuff like that. By the time I decided to get with a program in my mid 40's I was a little behind the eight ball. With that said the fact that your reading this stuff and asking questions says to me that you are you ahead of the game.

I hope some one can answer your question I worked at a desk my whole life but if I had thought it important I could have stayed in a lot better shape when I was younger by doing fun phyicial fitness stuff hobbies in the off season. I also think younger people are more away and have more oppertunites we had very few gyms and work out options when I was younger.

It's pretty simple. Every trauma your body goes through when you are young comes back to haunt you in the future. It's not the working hard, but the physical demands you put on your body. A person can work darn hard setting at a desk or such, but when you are in construction, mining, farming, ect, jobs that place a high demand on your body, you will suffer more in the future.

Saddlesore you just hit it 100% accurate with your comment.

I've been employed as a Marine, a Timberfaller, and Hardrock miner. I'm in my late 30's and must say that timberfalling and underground hardrockmining have really taken their toll on me. It makes an old man out of you quickly, especially the underground environment, with it's unhealthy conditions.

Saddlesore, is so right in that every little trauma you get in youth comes back to haunt you.

Stay away from high impact dangerous work (especially mining), and keep yourself fit and injury free as possible.

7 yrs ago I flatbench over 540 lbs without training much. Nowadays I cannot hardly use my hands for work as they are really destroyed. My back has been broke in several places, and my neck broken/plated/screwed and laminated twice. Left leg, foot, and left shoulder all broken and full of hardware. Right hip is artificial.

Take the easy occupations in life and stay away from busting your a$$ and preserve your body. I sure wish I followed that advice and I'm offering it to young guys now.

Elkcreek, Know what you mean about hadrock mining. I spent about 3 months per year, 10-12 hr days, from 1969 though 1992 at the Nevada Test Site, 120 miles NW of Las Vegas doing undergrond nuclear testing. It is essentailly a hard rock mine, but had 20 ft drifts. Bad air, diesel fumes, silica dust, asbestos, lead dust, cement dust,radiation, mold, high noise and a whole bunch of other nasty things. Probably the hard living weekends in Vegas didn't help a lot either.
Ironic, I left western PA in 61 becasue I didn't want to work in a coal mine

I am going to turn 53 in Feb. and well I don't move like I did in my 20's. I had eye surgery when I was just forty, both eyes need new lenses. A good surgeon saved my flying career such as it is. I started having a problem when I was just 34 years old. Then there was the couple of bouts of pnumonia that dam near killed me, then I need to have my gall batter removed and some other minor surgeries along the way. I have noticed one thing, I don't get the flu like I did when I was younger, I guess is that is because I don't socialize much anymore. I have the usual aches and pains, my night vision is not what it was. One doctor thought I was diabetic, had me bouncing off the wall for a year, and another said no the tests don't show it along with your self testing records, you are just a little inslun resistant. So I watch what I eat, Other than that I do what I want when I want. I don't hunt the way I did when I was 35, I just give myself more time. But we are getting older, and we do slow down that is a fact and the Bible tells us this Ecclesiastes Chapter 12 verses 1-7 so its natural for us to talk of this, its something that has been in the mind of man since the begining of time

Interesting comments, to all. Most of my childhood was spend farming in western PA. I also worked in coal mines there, prior to moving to Montana. Mining was harder on me than farming, by a long shot, though it got me in great muscular condition (cardiovascular is another story). Now my days are spent in an engineering office, and I often long for the hard work I have left. In many (if not most) of the office environments I've been in, no one seems to want to work, especially hard. It seems to be slowly rubbing off on me and I HATE that aspect of it.

It seems there must be SOME real work out there, which won't wear a guy out early?

I think something that should be taken into consideration when training as you get older (I'm 43) is to find a regimen that does not accelerate the wear on your body. I played football elementary school - college and have now been in the Army for 20 years. Until recently, a lot of my training was high impact. It really has taken a toll on my ankles, knees, hips and lower back. A couple of years ago, I was in a cycle of training really hard, injuring myself, getting out of shape while healing; repeat every 3-6 months. I've found I'm much better off in terms of overall fitness with a lower impact workout that I can accomplish long term without hurting myself. I typically work out 3-5 times a week. Because of the wear and tear on my wheels, I only run about once a week. The other days I use an eliptical trainer or stationary bike for my cardo workout, or walk. Instead of trying to constantly lift heavy weights, I lift lighter weight higher reps and on some days do workouts using only my body weight (push-ups, planks, sit ups, core body exercises, unweighted squats, ab exercises). This allows my to work out consistently for long periods without hurting myself and then ramp up the intensity for a specific event (PT test, etc.). As we age, we have to make sure our training does more good than harm.

Expat

I understand the trauma part as was discussed. Thanks to mules and mounting hunting my back will always be screwed. Two back surgeries and probably another back or a hip surgery to come (once I found out what this pain I have in my leg is now). I have started using a right contact lens that has a bifocal in it so I can do things without stopping to put on my readers that are all bent and twisted.
I now think to the hunts I have always wanted to do but I am afraid I never will. I am 45 and very active. But I will be sore and difficulty with bending after much work. I have always wanted to go to Alaska for Brown Bears. I am not sure I could keep up with the guide in that boggy country as has been described by my friends that have gone. Packing in and sleeping on the ground was a favorite of mine. I cannot take the hard ground any more (I couldn't walk in the morning). For me it was what age did you realize you could not do all the exotic hunts you planned as a child

made me laugh out loud! thank you.


I'm 49 and just now feel it, close vision is deteriorating, have had a knee surgery, have a bad shoulder (forever)

cause of doing so much tramping around the hills, I can probably hang with a lot of guys younger than me, if they're not studs.

but studdom has left the building (for me)


the tricky part is convincing my brain of that when I'm pizzed or want something really bad!


age it's a war I'm not going to win, but I'm going down fighting,
well at least till I get tired and need a nap!

Carl Ross let me just add one little thing to what saddle sore and elkcreek are telling you. You are a young fellow and we were too one time. When you are young you will push yourself beyond your limits and maybe not even know it. By that I mean you will keep going when you really need to knock off or sit down and rest up. You will do it to "prove" yourself either to your friends or just to yourself. You get tired and woreout and hurt yourself more than you know even at the time.

It is just a natural thing that folks in the prime of their strength do. I did it and I bet you the others did too. Just keep going when you really should have quit for a while since the job is going to be there tomorrow anyway.

So think about it and when you are wore out tired admit it, damn what anybody else thinks and take a break. In the end you will last longer.

BCR

At 56 I'm still moving pretty good. I just completed a Bighorn Sheep hunt last fall and kept up with several much much younger friends.

For years I played Basketball 3 days a week at 5:00am. It kept my heart rate low and the weight off. But the last 5 years I have been kinda been hard on myself. Rotator Cup & Knee surgeries for joints that are falling apart. Tore two fingers off my hand in a rope with a horse. Two surgeries salvaged them, but they get cold real easy, have little or no nerves so my sense of touch is gone. ( that's why my typing sucks) Another horse plowed me into the dirt and I blew out a tendon in my wrist that required two surgeries to move another tendon over to rebuild my wrist. Leaving me with about 70% movement in the wrist. These injuries kinda of put an end to my basket ball playing, seems like I was always in recovery mode or wearing some kind of brace, bandage, sling. So I dropped out of the basketball. Which has caused me to pick up a little weight and slow down even more.

Heart and lungs are still doing great. Back and legs seem to do alright. Hearing is going fast and I am starting to need reading glasses. It's a little harder to hear the soft cow calls. I seem to sweat a whole lot more than I did 10 years ago. Which requires that I pack more water. In fact I seem to be carrying a whole lot more than I used to a few years ago. More things seem neccessary to have in the pack. Which makes it heavier.

I still hunt and fish, but I find that a day out doors is often satisfaction enough. Don't have to be the first one to the ridgetop. I don't have to catch more fish than my buddies. A good horse ride is often more satisfying than actually killing a nice bull or deer.

So to answer your question, It was about 52-53 when I started to notice that I was slowing down. More injuries probably because I didn't react faster to get out of the way or parts are just wearing out. I still function, I'm just more selective about where , when and for how long.

One thing I could never understand is why some guys exersize so much they hurt themselves.To me it's almost like an eating disorder. When I was working,I darn sure didn't feel like going out and working out after a day of hard labor.

Leosredfox. Yea, those dang crazy horses will kil you just by accident

I really started to notice deterioration at about 59 (now 62.) Damaged knees from football and running/jogging when young and foolish have prevented serious cardio-exercise and a desk job didn't help with weight. Upper body weight training and an exercise bike or eliptical trainer are about all that is possible any more.

The biggest issues are that little strains ache forever, more significant injuries take much longer to heal and hurt more, and balance is decreased. Climbing rocks, getting in and out of boats, etc, now require slow careful movement rather than hopping from point to point and racing up or down the hill. Also, my wind at altitude is much more of a problem than it used to be.

When it gets to the point that it hurts to get into and out of bed, it's nature's way of telling you it's time to slow down I guess.

You're thinking early, that's a Good Thing. Both philosophies are correct, sort of. You need to stay active, but not TOO active. The good thing about having a physical job is you have to stay active to get your paycheck, the bad thing is you have to stay active even when injured. Its harder to stay in shape by working out on your own time, but the advantage is you have complete control of the situation. Listen to your body. When you are exercising, pay close attention to the sensations you body sends, and also in the days after your workout. Think of your body as a vintage airplane that needs management and maintenance, rather than as a beater pickup that you intend to run into the ground and abandon on the side of the road.

In my own case, I've done desk work my whole life except for the last 3 years or so, and its been the last 3 years that have done in my knees and elbow. Mainly because I couldn't just rest the injury for a couple of months.

For example, back in the mid 1990s I was lifting, playing tennis, and playing softball. I developed impingement syndrome in my shoulder. The HMO wasn't going to pay to have my collarbone reshaped, so I completely stopped all arm-related sports for 2 years, then very very carefully started lifting again. No impingement syndrome since. Lesson learned; your body can heal, if you let it heal.

On the other hand, in the late 90s I started jogging again, and developed shin splints. The consensus among runners is that you run through shin splints. Well, what that did for me was screw my legs up to the point where a 50 yard walk to the cafeteria was painful. It hurt to walk for about 18 months afterwards. Lesson learned; if the advice sounds the least bit macho, ignore it completely. Its the loudmouthed macho types that can't mow their effin' lawn without first popping two or three prescription pills. I may be a wimp, but that doesn't stop the macho types from asking me to sling bags of concrete around or carry shingle packs up ladders.

There's another little life lesson; if you are taking a prescription med on a daily basis, your body is telling you that your lifestyle sucks. Change something.

And when you're young and full of testosterone, its easy to go overboard on miles and pounds. I have the genetics to put on a lot of lean muscle, but in my misspent youth I lifted too frequently, like 4-5 days a week. 2-3 days is far better. And if you don't sleep, strength training will do you no good; your body only produces HGH when you are in deep sleep. Instead of running 20 miles a week, run 15 but at a faster pace.

I will say that, given average genetics, you will need a low-impact cardio exercise. Walking, biking, swimming, rowing, something like that. And you really will need a backup cardio thing as well, to keep you busy when you're sick or injured.

I guess physical health is like everything else in life. What pays off in the long run is patience, self-discipline, moderation, a mindful approach, and a healthy perspective. What doesn't pay off in the long run is attitude.

Just don't do stupid stuff, like lift and carry too much, or run miles each day, and avoid injuries. THINK before you act.

-

I will be 72 in Jan. and can still pretty much do what I want. Ten yrs. ago, I stopped going out to Wyo. with my buddy who is the same age as myself. He made every hunting day a death march
and I got too lazy. I pass on the really tough hunts. I find that I don't have the confidence I once had - I seldom fish or hunt alone anymore and I will not drive long distances solo. Traffric really makes me nervous. I work out 4 times a week - 20 minutes on the treadmill and wts. My srength is good - I can bench 225 6 reps. also 225 overhead press 6 times on the smith machine. Hearing is bad and I wear by-focals. Thank God for scopes! I still reload for 10 calibers from .223 to .375 and I shoot at the local range most weekends and deer hunt every yr. Killed an 8 pt. and 2 turkeys a week ago. I have made 3 PG hunts in South Africa in the last 6 yrs. I find that I do not recover from colds, flu, injuries very quickly these days. Balance is slowly going - I am very careful with ladders, deer stands, etc. I have a few nagging injuries but not too bad. I take a mild blood pressure med. I may die tomorrow, but I have been blessed.

Thanks, Big Redhead.

As I approach my 72nd birthday, I look back at some of the stupid wear-&-tear I placed on my body when young. Running was always fun and when it became less fun, I walked. Now I still walk, but with a 30# back-pack covering 2-3 miles a day. The knees, hips, and most other joints are still pretty good. I've not ever had a broken bone, great German/Scotish genes accounts for that!

My last high-country hunt was 2 years ago, in Colo. @ 10,000 ft.+- for elk, got one, a 5x5. Luckly I had 2 youngsters in their 30s with me and they drug him over the snow about 400 yds. to the truck. Used the well-worn .340 Wby to do the job, one shot at 350 yds.

Any advice I might give others, is to "NOT" wear your body out when you're young, if you want to live the hunter's life later in life. Take care of those knees, hips and eyes. Take those vitamins, stay away from the drugs and moderate the liquor.

And I'm already gettin' several applications ready to mail out for a few western hunts this next fall. Hope to see you there.

Kodiak

Boggy, very well stated and right on the mark.

Thank you, Sir. As it said we get old too quick and smart too late.

BCR

I'm 49, and I just finished my best year of deer and turkey hunting ever. I'm at the top of my game.

On the other hand. . .

1) I can choose to read or choose to see the game. It's darn hard to take a book with me anymore. Then again, my eyes went when I was 9 and they've been getting worse ever since.
2) I can still run up and down the hills all day, but I'm beginning to take the pickup truck instead. This past Turkey Season I promised myself that I'd stay up on top of the ridges, because I was having chest pains and a numb left arm. After season I got an EKG and a checkup and I figured out the chest pains were from ribs I pulled out when I slipped on some wet grass. The left arm numbness was because I was laying on it wrong at night. Mind you: I waited until after season for the EKG.
3) I drew my bow twice in July and I had to put it down-- did something to my left rotator cuff and I was lame in my shoulder until well after the freezer was full in November. No bow for me this year.
4) I can still run all my sons into the ground, but they are beginning to outrun me.
5) The recoil of my deer rifle no longer hurts my ears. Ultrasonic alarms no longer bother me.
6) Everyone else sees deer on the next ridge and I have to slew my binos over to see them.
7) I'm up a good half hour before anyone else every morning, but I barely make it past Brit Hume at night. I ate Popeye's tonight, and I'm killing time before the antacids kick in, otherwise I'd be asleep.
8) Did I mention my eyes have gone? Oh yeah. Memory? Not a problem.
9) The recoil of my deer rifle no longer hurts my ears.
10) It used to be that holding out in the deer stand until 0900 was absolute mental agony. Sitting that long was just too much. Nowadays, 1100 comes and goes, and I feel like I just got there. I stay until noon and feel cheated when I go in for lunch.
11) I hopped down from the porch on July 1-- all of about 10 inches. I felt something in my right foot. I'm still feeling it.
12) The absolute last thing I want to do is follow a blood trail on my hands and knees. That's right up there with carrying a 270lb deer out of a ravine.I now plan my shots with ease of retrieval as a very high priority.
13) It used to be I would carry 80 lbs into the back country. Nowadays, I'm trying to pull excess threads off my little rucksack to save weight. I tell myself I just don't need all that stuff anymore

Mister Hack: Treat every trip afield like it's your last one. Grab it. Hold onto it, and suck it dry. By the time I turned forty, all my hunting buddies were either dead to too lame to hunt anymore.

Thanks to all, I feel some great advice/information has been presented here. Specifically I'm glad several brought up knowing when to say when, and not working to hard through injuries. Young men with my predilections probably need reminded of that more often than they are.

I'll be 51 soon, I'm sure not there yet. This fall I hunted caribou in Ak, we shot four three miles from camp, packed three of them out in one day, eighteen miles on foot, 9 of them with 60 pounds in a pack. Not bragging, but I can still cover the ground, but I'm not overweight and do a running workout on a machine and weight work 5 times a week. Injuries can still happen of course, but can happen when you're 28 as well, you just heal a bit slower. We recently had a health assessment at work, the tester was surprised my body fat was 14%, the target was 20%, then said I was 7 pounds too heavy. What the hell is that all about, the 7 pounds apparently wasn't fat, the BMI thing is nuts, you're 7 pounds too heavy, my waist was 5 inches less than the target, my body fat is 6% below the target (10 pounds less fat at my weight) and they say it would still be a good idea to lose weight.

Great thread JJ,

I will be 57 tomorrow. I have had my share of minor setbacks, fortunately nothing that has left me permanently damaged. Had two inguinal hernia operations as well as an umbilical hernia repair in my early 40s. I need the cheapy magnification glasses as well. I have minor tinnitus. I have slowed down and no longer race for the peak but walk to enjoy the hike, so to speak.

My friends and I recently talked about the small activities/exercises that we no longer do. I once tried runnning, did it briefly in my early 30s worked up to running 2 miles in 16 minutes but my knees told me to stop. That was the topic we all agreed upon, stop the activity that injures you before it becomes a permanent problem. Unfortunately we don't realize that many of our moves do it. My abilites are certainly not what they once were. I used to do one legged deep knee bends, extension pushups and just loved to arm wrestle all comers. Time told me that while they were great to show off to others, there was a price to be paid, the painful tempory injury told me to drop them.

Power moves are probably the most damaging things we guys do in our youth. Picking up heavy objects, twisting off stuff that a tool could do more easily etc. Those activities will catch up with you.

I agree with another poster on the high reps vs heavy weights. All activities in moderation to tone up but not damage our older bodies.

These days I pace myself while hunting. I hunt smarter and use glass more than the days of my youth. I can still carry out animals but do it wisely and abstain from "muscling" stuff around.

Aging shouldn't stop you from doing stuff as long as you know your limitations and act accordingly.

About 30 minutes after my 40th birthday.

Carl Ross,

Impact is your enemy, in the long run- with the important caveat that they say that impact is what promotes long-term bone density and connective tissue strength! But... my advice would be to be smart about it. No obsessive running on concrete. Should you choose to play basketball beyond, say, 30 years old be advised you WILL pay the price the rest of your life!

Injuries are funny things. My right hip was torn up but good in a ski wreck 20 years ago, and I've gone through some bad times (read: bad years) with it. But it's been almost pain-free for the last year or so, and I attribute that to two things- first, and strangest, is hardcore skiing! I really built up some thigh/hip strength in the last two seasons. Second, is an occupational change about 18 months ago that got me off my feet- or rather, I'm on my feet but it's much more active, moving around, not standing there behind a counter.

Finally, this will sound stupidly obvious, but your lower back is the part of your body that, IMHO, has the most potential to be a true show-stopper. If it goes it will shut you down, period. Everything is tied to your lower back. I'm no expert but I know the hard way that lifting wrong, and in particular lifting while also twisting, can give you problems that you will always have and that are about unfixable by modern medicine, too.

I built my studio building all by myself in the early 90's. It incorporated more than the usual amount of sheetgoods- 3/4 plywood and particle board, sheetrock, T-111 siding, etc due to the nature of the building (a music recording studio). There IS NO WAY to properly carry a sheet of 3/4 ply by yourself. There is also no way to safely and properly carry a sheet of T-111 up a ladder and get it in position by yourself. I did those things but I permanantly changed my body, too. So... keep an eye out for those times in life where you just have to say "no". Say NO to helping someone get that couch down the crazy-ass staircase; just step away from that heavy rock you really want for your landscaping back home; take a deep breath and call your buddy when you run into something that will push your body to the limit (or beyond) if you try to do it alone... it's hard, because it's admitting defeat, but if you want to keep your body "whole" that's the best advice I have.

Of course- stay active the whole time, too! Challenge your body. Use it or lose it.

The contradictions and paradoxes are obvious here... but it's all true IMHO.

-jeff

patience is at an all-time high.
but a nasty thing called chronic inflammatory demyelating polyneuropathy has sucked some of the wind out of my sails.
physical stamina is way down, but prednisone and lyrica have put the quietus on major tremors and any further nerve covering damage.
i'm 56, and can still drag a deer - but much appreciate help nowadays. oh yeah, foot balance issues caused by the CIDP keep me from climbing trees anymore ...

Prednisone... shudder... I've had to do that three times now to stop an allergic reaction I've been getting every spring where my mouth explodes into sores... I HATE that stuff. What a horrible feeling.

The sores are worse, though. I guess it's a miracle drug, looked at properly. But it's no fun to be on the stuff. You have my sympathy!

-jeff

Yesterday morning...

It is a great topic & in my case its enlightening to read that I'm not the only old hunter with problems. I just returned from a Florida hog hunt where I managed to shoot three for meat. I plan on returning to Africa in May. I can't climb mountains any more but there are many hunts I can enjoy. I'm in my late 60's with a variety of health issues but I plan to hunt as long as I can walk. All you young guys need to do the difficult hunts while you can, if at all possible. I have led such a busy life I sometimes look in the mirror & wonder what happened. I worked 10-11 hour days for most of my career & never thought about reaching 65 and retiring. Suddenly I am well past 65, & while not retired, wonder where my youth went. Age will ketch up with us all.

Time wounds all heels...

-jeff

Time heels all wounds...
HD

So does the Long Sleep.

well, 10 mg of pred at breakfast ain't much, and it doesn't seem to cause any oddball effects ...
stil, gotta use a cane or walking stick to keep from listing to the right. stinkin' big toes and little toes don't work well some days. protect your toes, fellas. they're really, really important to agility and mobility ...

I failed my daughter this past week. She asked to go shooting and the first time in my life I said no it was too cold and there was too much snow. She is 24 now but I cannot believe how bad I feel. I need to sign up for an indoor range I guess. It is the first time I have ever said no to my kids about shooting or hunting and feel I have really let her down. I posted before of when I felt age had slowed me down, but this is the black ticket of feeling my age.

Randy