As we all age I notice things change in my hunting. This year it was really noticeable.....it was a series of firsts. First time in over 40 years I never went up north to hunt the Adirondacks. First time I had a shot at a deer in years. Also the first time that I never hunted with any one else the whole season....not once. As time goes on anyone else notice that things change or is it just me........?
Ron, things are always changing, as are we.
Now... an outsider looking at your statement might say.... hmmmm no shots, long time, hunting north.... shots hunting elsewhere..... ummm try not going north again next year, go back to elsewhere, and see if you get another shot next year. Then you will know the answer to at least one question !
Change happens, every minute of every day. But they often happen slowly and we don't notice until it makes a big enough difference. We all need to pay more attention, before something is taken away from right under our noses.
Good hunting
ChuckC
I'm 61 and I'm noticing it's getting harder to wake up at 5am when the temps hit 16 degrees and your in for a good 4 hour sit.
Also started rethinking about heading deep into the woods by myself and thoughts of dragging out a good size deer. Even though I carry my cell phone, my wife worries like heck when I'm that far back into one of my spots.
I love the solitude of bowhunting alone but really miss not bowhunting with Bamboo and Southpawshooter in Jersey this year. Family issues here have kept me away. I miss the banter, ball busting and the hard hunts we put in.
I also an 61 years young, my wife likes to have me closer to home when hunting alone. But we all have to do what we can while we can. As far as the shots that I missed [one out of state] I have been blessed to have a chance to hunt private land [southern zone] the last 2 years and my deer encounters have more than tripled.
hah! i WISH i was 61! 7 years later and it's HARD to do things that USED to be EASY! and new for this year - NO tolerance for cold any longer, too. ack!!!!
I know that the mountains are taller and steeper than they were years ago.
me too (change not age, lol) at 45 I guess I'm just a pup. :)
firsts this year
- that I had absolutely no drive to get out and scout over the summer, no trail cams hung, nothing...I didn't even shoot. it wasn't until the the first week of September that I got the urge to pick up a bow. very strange for me...so much so that I didn't dare hunt with my trad bow until mid october when I felt comfortable again.
-time in at least a decade that my woolens fit. this might explain the paragraph above, but I tend to hyper focus on one thing, and this year it was getting healthy...I joined a gym and changed my diet. working hard, I've lost over 20 pounds and feel better than when I was 35! I was so focused on exercise, I neglected my hunting/shooting :)
-also tried a ground stalk on a bedded buck for the first time I can remember. got to 40 yards before he melted into the marsh. it was heart pounding fun!
QuoteOriginally posted by Rob DiStefano:
hah! i WISH i was 61! 7 years later and it's HARD to do things that USED to be EASY! and new for this year - NO tolerance for cold any longer, too. ack!!!!
Ditto that Rob. Except I have 2 more years on you. :saywhat: :rolleyes:
Almost mid 60's I am not as mad at them(deer) as I use to be.Still love to camp and be in the woods and see my grandkids have fun.I still put many hours hunting but not quite as much as my younger years.Kip
This a bit different but I am moving to a new state so the change hasn't happened yet but next year will be a whole new ball game. I've learned so much over the past four years since I started hunting and feel like I'm really getting the hang of it. In one way I fear having to learn some of it over again but in another way I am excited to search for new stand locations, perhaps even the proverbial honey hole. As for you older fellas, I'm twenty five and my wife worries just as much as yours I can assure you! I guess some things will never change.
:goldtooth:
I turned 70 this year. I have come to understand that I'm not as good as I once was. But, I'm still as good once, as I ever was. :saywhat:
QuoteOriginally posted by ron w:
:goldtooth:
Whew! Glad 61 is not old, Ron. I'll hit that number in exactly three months!
My big change this year was hunting my own land. I don't know that I hunted any more or any harder, but I certainly enjoyed each day. I find myself passing on more deer each year. The joy of the hunt is as great as ever, perhaps even more, but I find less need to make a kill to make a successful hunt.
I've enjoyed hunting with my sons, but I really miss hunting with my brother.
Ric! :biglaugh:
I'll hit 60 in Feb. Things are constantly changing. I take more joy out of hunting with a camera vs. a bow. Always have my bow, it just takes second place, at shot time, more than before. Much more fun to hunt with the Grandkids and let them do all of the shooting. Also, I think it's a age thing, much less tolerance for rain and cold weather.
Getting old aint for sissy's!
LD
At 64 years old I find that I am less tolerant of the cold and though I prefer morning hunts I have a hard time dragging my butt out of bed in the mornings. I've also been thinking about climbing down from the trees and giving ground hunting a concerted effort.
Raising 4 Kids I took every deer I could , now with my Kids grown and out of the house I find I pass up more shots than I take . I have been fortunate to have taken a doe early in the past few seasons and then find myself getting pretty picky .The other thing thats changed is my perception of deer , I thought I knew them pretty good but I've found that the more I hunt them the less I really know .
Life, is every changing and hunting is part of our lives.
I admire you guys who can pass on shots.....Having only had 3 shots total in over 40 years, 2 this year, I'm not passing on a chance to harvest a deer. You folks must see a lot more deer than I do,,,,,lol!
I'm 72 (i think) and i can't remember what i was going to say.
QuoteOriginally posted by Bow-n-Head:
I'm 72 (i think) and i can't remember what i was going to say.
:thumbsup:
Like Caddo, I will be 60 in February. I probably hunt as often but not as hard. Seems that I enjoy hunting more or maybe I have just forgotten how much I enjoyed it in the past. I really hate that I can't shoot my heavier bow anymore. Really, it's all good!!!
Soon will be 66. Cold is colder and hot is hotter. I have much more patience than I ever had. Shoot with a purpose and not just to be shooting-fewer shots but quality (for me-LOL). I have a set limit on some things-like rabbits, I take two and pack it in.
Love hunting with a select group for the constant jabbing at one another.
Still love seeing new country and watching mulies and elk with binos. I surely do miss living back east and hunting whitetails-we do not get drawn every year and our seasons are only 10-15 days long. Miss hunting a patch of oaks for 3 months and knowing each tree and critter in the patch by the end of the season. Still happy as I am veticle by 0500 daily-cannot complain too much....
QuoteOriginally posted by ron w:
I admire you guys who can pass on shots.....
my thoughts exactly Ron! up here in MA there are deer but the herd is small in comparison to the eastern part of the state. I've had 2 deer within 30 yards this year. although I've seen 7 deer this year which is a banner year for me sightings wise. always wondered what it would be like to get to 'decide' on which deer to 'take'. lol
Just turned62. I've been hunting since i was 14. Lost alittle of the fire but not much. Getting colder and sleeping in more and hanging out with my dogs. But every time I see deer coming. My heart. Starts pounding . Counting coup more. And taking videos and pics instead hope it never stops. O yea. Trying to find somewhere flat to hunt these adirondack hills are getting. Steeper. Lol.....
I'm 67. I have a small chunk of land in the middle of thousands of acres of public land in NW Wisconsin. Not many deer there due to wolf and bear predation, harsh winters and overshooting of does. Regardless, I wouldn't have it any other way. Love hunting the big woods.
As I've aged, I've dropped down in bow weight a little. I also notice that I don't seem to handle the cold as well as I used to. This is the first year that I sometimes came back to my cabin mid-day. Otherwise I would sit on stand dark to dark during the first three weeks of November. Well, on really windy, rainy days, I would sometimes scout or move a stand, but most times I'd sit through that as well. Sustained winds over 25 miles an hour, with higher gusts, when trees start falling, would also keep me out of the woods.
The few mid-day interludes I took this year, joining my brother at the cabin, who has always taken breaks during the middle of the day, were actually quite enjoyable. Warming up a bit also made the sits the rest of the afternoon very enjoyable. I'm sure I'll be doing more of that in the future.
I'm going to do a little more hunting from the ground next year, particularly on very cold, windy days.
I still use Lone Wolf hang on and climbing stands, but find I'm liking ladder stands a bit more. They're a pain to carry and set up, but fast, easy and quiet to get into and out of.
I've also noticed that with the increase in the wolf population during the last 20 years, deer have become much more cautious in the woods, moving less and much more slowly, cautiously, even during the rut. They've also become more nocturnal, IMO.
I won't be 61 much longer, and I have noticed changes, but not sure how much is age and how much is being retired. When I worked, I had to hunt anytime I was off because I wouldn't get to hunt otherwise. Now, if it's too cold/hot, I don't bother. I pass on small/young bucks because I can usually get a shot at a doe. Sometimes, I don't shoot because I don't want the hassle of dressing and dragging a deer-it's fun just to be out in the woods. I don't hunt as far from my truck as I used to, about a mile is my limit. If I shoot a deer, I walk to the truck for my deer cart, walk back for the deer, then back to the truck. I've noticed that I don't as frustrated when the deer doesn't do what I need it to do for a shot or when it busts me.
At 65 I spend a lot more time laugh'n and fart'n in deer camp than kill'n ... My hunting partner and I blew the dust off the wall tent this year and set up a deer camp like we did many years ago, the only difference was our additude toward kill'n something. We slept in late some days and had more fun telling old hunting stories than trying to create new ones... It was a great time.
As I sit here right now, I am debating weather or not I want to go out hunting this afternoon. It is gun season here in Jersey. I already have two deer in the freezer from bow season. It is 31 degrees and windy. The deer are few and far between. If I was lucky enough to get one, I would have to take my hands out of my handwarmer muff and gut the deer (ykk) and although I don't have that far of a drag, it is still not easy. Do you get the idea that I am trying to talk myself out of it? I forgot to mention that I am 78 and after listening to some of you guys, I don't feel that guilty. The truth is I was probably already slowing down at 61, but just don't remember.
I am 61 also and this is the 1st year in 15 years that I never bought a MO deer tag. I lost my last of 5 areas to hunt there. Last year I built a small solid shed to camp in at my hunting place in Illinois just don't care for tent camping any more.
I use to be able to screw in steps and hang a new stand in 15 minutes or less but now takes an hour or more. Heck I remember grabbing a tree and climbing it without steps.
Before I retired I couldn't wait to be able to hunt for weeks straight without works interference.
After the first couple years of staying and hunting for a week or two it begins to feel somewhat of a job. I never thought I would ever get tired of hunting without a break.
I find myself putting a lot of things off thinking I'll do it tomorrow there is know rush.
This year after loosing sight in one eye I realize we all take things for granted and we shouldn't put things off but it is a battle daily not to do it.
I hunt less alone that I used to have a great buddy to go with, make a very enjoyable trip. I seem to have slowed down last few years I can actually sit in one spot for hours and enjoy it. At 63 don't walk in as far as I used to but, enjoy the total experience more than ever.
The change for me is my lack of desire to kill. I stlll love being in the outdoors but no longer want to watch the lights go out on living creatures.
I don't know what it going to be like when I reach the age of some our more seasoned hunters, but I never have been able to tolerate the cold, and it gets worse every year, even though I am just shy of 46 years old. At least as I have gotten older, I have accumulated a better wardrobe of hunting clothes to help keep me warm. I definitely pass up more deer than I used to. I have to really want it to be willing do gut, drag, and process it late into the night and be up early for work the next day.
Age is a state of mind but I am turning 59 and after two back surgeries and limited use of my right leg, lots of things have changed for me. I
My mind says 40......lol, my knees and hands say 61+. I see from the responses that I'm not alone and that makes me feel good!!
Wow, at 48 I am a Youngster in this Fine Crowd! Being Disabled, Bum Knee and Left Wrist, I find that 4:30 comes WAY Too Early!! Especially if its Butt-Cold Outside, and My Rack is all Nice and Warm! Un-Dedicated? Maybe so, I usually aint HUMAN until at Least 10:00, and sometimes not even then!! :rolleyes:
"Arthur P. Itis" aint No Friend of Mine, but he sure seems to hang around a Lot More these Days. Uninvited I might Add as well. :saywhat:
In my old age my ability to take testosterone loaded BS from newbies with Walmart specials has diminished greatly. I am still getting back as far as I can into the hunting areas, while the newbies are driving in to within a few yards of their cheapy ladder stands which are usually right along the access roads and trails. But when they tell me that I cannot walk past them to hunt the hundreds of acres behind them, they get a responce out of me that makes them wish they were somewhere else. I don't really think that I have changed all that much, but I do notice that younger guys, that watch to much TV and expect that things are going to be just like they see on TV, are pushier and more rude, my tolerance for that is near zero.
Yes, things have changed!!!
The world has changed, we have 7 billion people on the planet!
My body has changed...for sure, I am older, I am no longer the capable young man I used to be! Sad, but that is reality. At 51 I have lots of aches and pains but by most peoples standards, am in great shape!
The world is a dynamic, ever-changing place; we must adapt to survive. All living things do! That is nature, not our law. A fundamental truth.
Kris
I'm 66 and have had terrible health problems for the last 25yrs., but I can honestly say I still hunt the same way I did when I was in my 20's. Alone and as far back in as I have to go to stay that way. Still use loc ons, but don't get as high up..takes too long.
About the only thing I notice is the cold weather is colder, and takes me longer to get where I'm going. Also, my intensity is a lot less since I can hunt when I want.
I do notice that being retired I hunt when I want to not when I have to fit it in while I was working........and I like that! I guess 5 or 6 good hunts are better than 20 not so good ones....lol!
Ron, I agree. I just retired this fall, so this is my first hunt as a retiree. I am still young, not quite 59, and I am in pretty good shape, except for the creeping stiffness and soreness everywhere.
I had a heck of a time changing to NOT plan around the weekend or days off. It took a long time to get over that, but now, I have to look at my cell phone to know what day it is, and most days, I don't even CARE what time it is.
My wife even told me that it took me about two months, but I have slowed down and mellowed a lot since then. I guess, with my job and life, I was always bouncing, always needed to do something. I hated that, so I hope she is right. I think I feel she is.
I hunted a lot this fall. More than ever before, but as you said, I hunted when I wanted to and didn't feel a huge need to push and get out no matter what. I guess that is a good part of retirement, once it sinks in.
My hunting areas, that I have been hunting for about 25 years, have been constantly changing, and some areas that ALWAYS had deer pass thru, almost don't any longer. Things grow and mature, so scouting every summer is required, no matter how well I know the area, but that was always the case, and it was always fun.
I also let a lot of deer walk this year, close deer, deer that would have been in trouble before (if I could HIT the danged things). I changed the game this year, I needed only the close encounter to call it a coup, and not a bloody arrow. Yeah, I killed one on my first sit, then I let every other deer walk. Wow, and I am really, really, OK with it. That is a change right there !
Yup, the world is a changing, and so am I, and it is (primarily) good...
ChuckC
Yeah, we slow down a lot. 4:30 is a lot earlier than it used to be, and it is so much harder to stay on stand. 60 degrees is beginning to feel chilly, and I can't pull the same bows I used to use. I have hunted a lot less this year than ever. Health issues just can't be as easily ignored. It seems I hunt a lot more foam targets these days than targets with real hair.
Used to climb into a tree in the dark[morning] and come down in the dark[evening]. Not seem to have lost the drive to hunt hard. We used to eat 5 deer a year[had twins], now a couple deer see us thru the year. Still enjoy the sport, just do not feel pushed to work at it so hard. Really like stumpin and 3-d shoots , shooting with friends more.
Sold the Loggy Byou climber as older bones will not bounce. Looking forward to more stalking in late bow season. Roy
Well, lets see, I just turned 64 in Nov. I went elk hunting for the first time this year during September and it was in Idaho, where everything seems to be uphill, even when I was going down hill, it seemed like I was going up. I was able to keep up with my friends boys who are young men, though it was much harder when going uphill. I finally got used to the altitude, and it only took two weeks.
Since returning to Trad archery in 2008, and then having to have a heart operation, It seems like I am liking the more challenging things, the cold doesn't bother me yet, nor does the heat.
I'm up to swinging a 45lb. Kettlebell, and doing get ups with a 35 pounder, I can run for miles but I hate doing it and, it does seem to take a lot longer to recuperate ! I can still pull and hold a 60# bow though I usually shoot around 50#s. As of Jan 2014, I plan on exercising more, I would like to be able to run at least 5 miles minimum before this coming elk season.
It does seem to take all day to do, what I use to do all day.
I'll turn 60 on my next birthday . I rarely hunt mornings anymore . I dont enjoy being cold . I lost the drive to hunt with the dedication to trophy hunt about 6-7 years ago . But I enjoy making sausage and brats so I still try to kill a deer or two every year.
What great responses to this post. I guess I should have expected no less. :notworthy:
Ron,
I am 62 now and health problems have shown up and my knees hurt along with most of the rest of my body but I still got out every morning I was at camp rain or shine. I think if I quit doing this I might quit being able to do it. I use safer ladder stands or ground blinds now. I own my own hunting property now so I keep busy working on improving the hunting habitat and clearing food plots, building better and safer blinds. It keeps me going and I think we all need to push ourselves to keep going. When we stop, we lose it.
My brother has a saying. The older I get - the better I was! It is so true.
Keep doing - enjoy the time and the outdoors - it is a great life extender. Things sure do change though. I hope everyone stays healthy and can continue to do what we love. Happy holidays to all
Jwingman
Yesterday, I got an email from an Army buddy (actually, my CO in VN). He was telling me of his deer hunt; a 77 year old guy, solo, dragging his deer out of a draw, in the snow. A whole lot of what we do or can do is dependent on staying fit, but also mental toughness. Lots of 30 year olds wouldn't have the stones to do what some old guys still do regularly.
We are capable of more, physically and mentally, than many think they are.
Yes, the hills get steeper each year, but we can overcome them, one step at a time.
After 66 winters, last winter was the first time I told myself (on several occasions) I sure would hate to mess up a good hunt by killing a deer.
This year, I've moved to the Blue Ridge Mountains and I've taken an oath to never hunt below wherever I park my truck.
Pete,
I hope the deer have the decency to go down above your truck, as well!!
QuoteOriginally posted by Pete Patterson:
...I've taken an oath to never hunt below wherever I park my truck.
Sounds like sound reasoning to me!
Reminds me of the story about the first time moose hunter who asked an old timer, "Where's the best place to shoot a moose?"
The old boy responded, "Damn close to a pickup, Sonny!"
:biglaugh:
63 and counting, hunted a lot saw some deer but out of 25+ times I hunted mornings just once and saw nothing. Last Sat. I had 12 does and young ones five yards away and I just watched them walk into real thick safety area. I wanted them around next year. Admittedly I did get some meat a few weeks ago. I enjoy my mornings watching birds and coffee. 4:30 in am not to appealing. Years back would have been out many mornings so that is a change.
Just turned 67 last month and I still burn up with the hunting fire but I have learned to control it more as I got older.
And it is true that in retirement I tend to pick my days a little better and will skip a rainy day and wait for a better one.
I get up at 4:00 am to get to my hunting area and there have been mornings I thought about just rolling over and going back to sleep and then I thought about that sound of a deer walking in the leaves and I knew I had to be there.
I guess I am pretty tough, I sat 4 1/2 hours the other morning when it was mid 20 degrees and I still enjoyed it waiting for a deer to show that never did. Had a short nap, ate some lunch and used a climber to sit four more hours that evening and saw one of the best bucks I have ever seen but things did not work out.
I am blessed with good health and no real impairments and I sure hope it stays that way because I want to keep doing this for a long while.
Bow-n-head. . . may have something to do with the bow in your head! :biglaugh:
I was still pouring and finishing concrete at 60 plus building bows and elk hunting hard. In fact that year I packed out half an elk down a mountain and along and over two sets of bluffs. The next year everything changed and changed hard. I got into heavy blowdowns and worked for three or four hour getting out of that stuff destroying a hip along the way.
This year was the first time since that I could actually walk far enough to hunt again. I did and man it was good to get in the woods.
However at almost 68 I am not even close to being as good once as I once was./
Time and attrition changes a lot./
God bless you all and Merry Christmas, Steve
Things sure do change. I'll be 73 next month and I find it ever easier to just roll over and catch another hour's sleep when it's cold outside.
I think my wife, suspecting Alzheimer, would like to see me go deeper into the woods :)
And though I've been totally shut out this year, I don't feel the urge to sit out there every day until a deer dumb enough walks by. Maybe there's a confused cause-effect relationship there?
Ended up in a wheelchair this year, as well as one eye giving up, so I've been to the edge of the woods, but I'm not stable enough on my feet yet to go wandering into it. It's killing me, the woods are my home in my heart and I'm not happy out of them. Bow in hand or no, it's my home. They say I'll learn to adapt after my strokes, and I think they're right-I can fight an armload of wood in, and that's it, but it's progress. They say the leg will always be weak, but they're encouraging me to get up and do as much as I can, and I figure in a year or two I'll be back out there.
Oh, and I'm 32. Young'un, I know.
Would be quite boring if each chapter in life mimicked the chapter before. Acquired knowledge, honed skills and technological advancements may offer one the possibility of adaptation and possibly greater fulfillment.
If the situation and climate are far from agreeable, then effectively plan hunts for more amicable conditions. Subsistence hunting would require one to proceed under most adverse conditions. Virtually all of us are fortunately free from this requirement and are seeking the experience which the great outdoors so generously relinquishes. How that enjoyment diminishes based on the outside pressures of life and/or adverse conditions is individualistic.
Seek the realization of fulfillment when both physically and mentally inclined.
Note: Years and years of continuous hunting in varied conditions and pursuing trophies has finally led me down the path to greater personal completion. The focus today is on preparation, strategizing, moving in closer than before, camaraderie, absorbing much more of the elements and reflecting on my surroundings. Much greater and continued fulfillment is regularly perceived over most days when the harvest was favorable.
Ron,
My original group has blown to the winds and a few passed on to Fiddler's Green. I, too, hunt alone - sort of. The memories are with me. :thumbsup:
I find I do a LOT more stand hunting or ground-level Torges style tree seat. Patience sometimes pays off, sometimes not.
I also opt out on what appears to be a lousy day. That NEVER used to happen.
I also tend to wind up home mid-day for a nap and lunch. :archer: None of the hour-before-dawn-to-after-dusk days afield. The advantage of walking out the back door and hunting my own property.
I also find myself passing on smaller deer. 'Coulda is almost as good as did.
Well, I was reading an article in TBM yesterday and the author mentioned his "bowhunting career". When I was young I did dream about hunting lots of various game animals. I was lucky and did hunt some like sheep, moose, caribou, and bear when I lived in AK. Mostly I have bowhunted Indiana and that's deer and turkey. Now I don't have the drive to go hunt animals out of state like I used to. Especially when I factor in the cost. It's no longer worth thousands to go after out of state critters. I do like deer, bear, and turkey hunting and I think I can get that in sufficient quantities between Indiana and Michigan for the rest of my bowhunting days.
Today was one of those days that I opted out, cold ,windy and a foot of snow. Would have been my last chance this season......so be it. I can start getting ready for next year....lol!
Amen
I am sitting here, waffling about taking a trip to Wisconsin's north for a last chance try at bobcat. I guess I can try to find some snow shoe bunnies to chase while up there. Never did either. I go this week, or I don't go at all. I need to decide.
I am already dreaming and scheming about next fall.
ChuckC
I'll be 70 the next go around, and things for me have definitely changed. I just got back from my annual muzzle loader hunt in southern IN, with my brother and two other friends. And for the second year in a row, I didn't take my muzzle loader! Instead, I am happy to take a bow or this year my little 22 semi auto, sleep in until 6 or so, grab some coffee and breakfast, then take the pistol and do a walk about for rabbits.
I strongly believe in seasons in a man's life. When I was young and first started hunting, I needed to kill something, but often didn't due to my very steep learning curve. In my last spring or early summer of life, after I started to 'get it,' it was important for me to kill something every year--I felt like I was supplying food for the family. Later, I noticed the need to kill was slowly being replaced with an absolute enjoyment with just being there and seeing how close I could get to deer, or whatever--the hunt meant more. Now I seem more and more content to be there, observe nature, appreciate the moments, and helping youngsters get started in their journey.
Yup, things change....
I'm 66, retired, and hunting more this year then I have in several years. I will pass on early morning cold weather hunts or windy, cold and rainy days, but long to be out when the weather works in my favor. Hunt public land now, don't see as many deer, but truly enjoy the experience more than ever. Love to hunt with my TG brother and good friend "Ric O'Shay", but scheduling problems make those hunts all to few. Love to share my experiences by phone with him when he can't join me in camp, its almost like sharing a campfire. Of course that is what hunting buds do. I'm truly thankful for my good health and understanding family and friends. Thank God for all his blessings. :archer:
Whenever you guys are ready to increase your circulation ( which wards off the cold ) and get rid of your aches and pains, PM me and we'll get started.
My aches will go away when I move to the warmth of Georgia...lol!
Ron, did I read your post correctly? Three shots at deer in forty years?? WOW I have to give you a ton of credit!!You are a true hunter my friend !
You read it right, Had shot in 1971, and 2 shots this year. Now to be clear.....I spent many years in the northern Zone Adirondacks where deer numbers are very low. But even around my local area deer numbers are not very high. I have improved my skills and found better places to hunt [private land] thanks to a few friends. Hopefully that continues......lol!
Got to thank Ron and all you guys who wrote. I was
Feeling pretty down . First year I haven!t took a deer since 1998 when I started hunting with a bow. Knew in my heart it was because I did not put in enough effert.To many excuces, to cold, shoulder to sore, knee don't work ect. But maybe at 62 a after 43 years on the same concrete floor I'm just wearing down.
I get my most enjoyment out of watching my son hunt he's better than I ever was, he goes farther and hunts harder than anyone I know. Grandson got his 1st this year so life is good!
Love to be in the woods with my camera.
I'll do better next year. THANKS
I turned 60 this year and realized there was stuff that I still hadn't done, places I hadn't gone, and animals I hadn't yet seen. So I flew into the arctic circle last year for 10 days of backpack diy caribou hunting and to South Africa this past June to witness more animals in 8 days than I've seen in a lifetime. I have some regrets that I didn't start these adventures earlier in life, but I think I appreciate them more at this point in my life. I tend to find myself enjoying just the whole experience more and not just concentrating on the kill. Don't get me wrong..I do still get an adrenaline rush when I know I'm about to end the life of a big old fat doe, but if she doesn't show up i'm just as content with the sunset.
Ron,I hunted with a muzzleloader in the northern Adirondacks and also in northern New Hampshire a couple of years so I know What You're talking about. Deer are scarce up there. I guess I just didn't realize HOW scarce!
At 57 I am starting to worry about my health more. Little injuries I used to shake off now stick around. Don't bend or mend like I used to.
I prefer to hunt alone for the most part. The day I cant do that I will be fishing a lot more, and hunting less.
Puddle Jumper, the thing is not to worry about them, just try to take of your self, and fishing ain't a bad thing....lol!
Last month I hit the BIG 5 0! I ran the Memphis Marathon last December; and did a Half in October this year. As others have noted, time waits for no one. My pace in running and in life itself has slowed.
I think our God & Creator has designed us this way..to adapt to a slower walk; maybe so we can stop and take survey of all our blessings.
Although I am still able to do most anything I did 30 years ago, change is certain & age/gravity cannot be successfully fought. According, I am trying to accept it and be happy.
I appreciate the many gentleman on this site that are older and wiser than me. Their humility is evidenced in their words and the quality of their character shines through for others to see. :pray:
Buckster, I did Memphis about 10 years ago at 40. I still run but not like I used to.
As far as hunting, I still hunt alot. But not with the intensity I used to. I was in with a good group of guys that would camp and hunt hard for 8-9 days. We would do that 2-3 times a year. We lost our place and that has really had an affect on me.
I used to average 30 full days a year chasing whitetail, now I still get in the 30 days or more but tend to only hunt mornings or evenings.
At almost 50, things that used to be fun are now work. I still do them but I try to take as much work out of it as I can.
At 60 I still hunt for the same reason and that is to take an animal. The highs and lows if I don't aren't nearly as deep. I think the biggest change is the fact that time has so much more meaning to it now. I can pretend all I want that my best years are ahead of me but everybody knows they're on the other side.
I've been blessed with excellent health and still shoot the bows I've always shot and still hunt as far from people as possible but I know that the time when I won't be able to is closer than it ever was so I cherish each year that God gives me to still do what I enjoy so much the way I always did it.
I personally feel that hunting has changed alot even in my short life time (28 years). When I first started hunting there weren't as many places selling guns, bows, gear, etc as there are now. There's also a lot more selection than there was 15 years ago.
The biggest thing I see changed is the commercialization of hunting. Hunting shows have gotten extremely popular to point of those people becoming recognizable 'celebrities'. They promote our sport but its also provided a huge influx of hunters as well.
It's nice that there's still people longing for the journey of the hunt rather than just the harvest. Still the goal of hunting is to bring home your game (or why bring a weapon to field at all?), but some of us attach a little more meaning to it.
Altiman94, Just so you know, years ago everyone sold hunting stuff. Hardware stores, Wards, Sears, Western Auto, Big N, K-Mart, Gas Stations and the list goes on. Around here Wal-Mart does not sell guns anymore and half the ones I listed are no longer in business.
I want to thank that responded to this post.....I never thought it would go 6 pages. Some good thoughts from all....... :thumbsup:
My knees remind me every day that I should have never played high school football. Ibuprofin and my recliner were awaiting me when I returned from my squirrel hunt today. I'm 54 and wonder sometimes how the old guys must feel at the end of the hunt.
I lost three hunting buddies so far, two were close to my age. One of those was just last week. I think of them alot when I'm out hunting and just how short life is. I appreciate every day that I get to take my bow into the woods.
Things have definitely changed for me. Like many, when I was younger I hunted a lot, and was very driven to have success in taking an animal. Today, I know I love archery and bowhunting as much as I did back then, even though I no longer feel I have to take game to be successful. I no longer feel guilty for not being out there everyday of season. Early in my bowhunting career, I realized that the most important thing to me was to enjoy it, and try not to measure my success/dedication/seriousness/etc as defined by others.