Getting older, priorities, being happy!

[Mike Bolin]

I am 62 years old now, but a lot of miles on the body. 2 ankle surgeries, 2 foot surgeries and 2 knee surgeries before I was 45. Double knee replacement in November of 2016. Impingement in both rotator cuffs. Nerve damage in my left lower back. Other than that I'm good!! LOL!

Like a lot of you, I have a bucket list of animals and places I want to hunt, with Moose being at the top of the list. Lately, I find myself enjoying my time in the woods here at home more and more. Having the time to spend hunting this year, I learned more about the deer and turkey movement and the property in general than I have in the last 10 years. I spent a lot time in the spring and summer doing habitat work and some food plots, not just for deer, but for turkey, rabbits and quail. Actually have a few quail now and I've seen more rabbits this year than I have in the last 10 years. Property was logged a few years ago and I cleaned up a lot of the treetops for firewood and made brush piles for the rabbits and quail. My wife helps me on all of this. She drives the tractor and runs the small chainsaw. We plan to plant a few pear and crabapple trees this spring.

I actually get around fine. I can hang stands, cut wood...pretty much anything I want (can't get down on my knees very well) at my own pace. I just stop and rest when I need to. Dropped my bow weight to 50# in February and shot over 100 arrows yesterday and feel just fine today.

I have come to the realization that I just don't want to spend 2-3 weeks away from home. I get so much satisfaction working on the property and seeing the work make a difference for the critters. I like spending time in the woods with my wife and being home at night planning what we'll do next. I want to hit some of the bigger bow shoots and the smaller local ones too. 3-4 days at a shoot then back home. I will still hunt deer like my life depends on it and want to get back into chasing turkeys. May take a few days once in awhile to go someplace for pig hunting, but the wife can go along for that. No big plans, but I am a happy (lucky) man!

[Stumpkiller]

58, only one knee surgery so far.

But 12 years ago THE ADMIRAL and I sold the sailboat, sold the house the suburbs and bought a modest cabin "in the sticks" on 20 acres (mostly wooded).  Our property backs into a 5 mile x 8 mile wooded hill.  It has been our little slice of heaven.  Two nights ago we had deer 15 feet from the bedroom window browsing a sapling.

I walk out my back door 250 yards to my tree stand or a little further to a ground blind.  Very content with the whitetail available locally.  Achievable but still a challenge.

And more stumps and rotted trunks than a man could ever need.      

[ron w]

Older and wiser maybe.......I hear what your saying, wish I had a good place to hunt so I would think about traveling to do so. Maybe when the day come I move south things will improve on the on the hunting end. Still like to stump shoot when ever I can. I went on Bear Quest #9 and I might do that again......it was a great time with good people. Heck I even shot a bear.......ding things at your own pace is not a bad thing.

[Alvey]

Mike,Sounds like your living the good life...Enjoying the simple things

[the rifleman]

I couldn't agree more.  Ive always been a hunt close to home type.  My wife and i bought a 30 acre farm of which half is wooded and i am blessed with some farms nearby to hunt.  I retired this past summer and seldom leave the property or walking distance woodlots.  I do find im much more aware of the deer population which curbs my harvest.  Ohio has been too liberal with doe tags and nuisance permits and my area has pretty low numbers.  Id love to hear some of your habitat improvement projects.

[northern lights]

Mike, I'm 63 and sounds like we're doing the same things , lucky enough to have a nice chunk of property to mess around on , small food plots, planting some trees , running  some trail cams, and naming  a few bucks, its the  best, enjoy yourself I sure am.

[Terry Lightle]

Mike I know what you are saying.Have been moose hunting and killed one,a couple of black bears but have enjoyed chasing whitetails here in Okla more than anything this year.
Terry

[Big O]

Life can beat the Hell outta ya.So anytime I read about brothers slowing down, enjoying their retirement,& passion for archery it makes me happy!

[fmscan]

Mike you are a lucky man and you are smart enough to know it. As we age things that used to be in the bucket list don't seem as important, we enjoy a sunset and the quiet things in life, like the wife, did I say quiet....

[Ken Babicky]

[The Whittler]

As the saying goes if I had known I would of lived this long I would have taken better care of myself :-)

[tippit]

Will be 72 in January, retired 5 years ago and spend winters in SC & GA hunting hogs, forging knives, riding my horse and just enjoying life after practicing over 40 years.  Life is good!

[achigan]

I hear ya Mike. I've read that the secret to satisfaction is managed expectations. Doesn't mean that I gave up any dreams, just looking at my future realistically.

[myshootinstinks]

I'll be 62 in a month and am in a hospital bed for the next 3-4 days. Second bout with endocarditis in seven years. I retire in February and plan to spend time with family fishing and hunting local favorites. I have no desire to travel long distances for adventure when there's plenty to keep me busy close to home.

[Mike Bolin]

Really didn't expect this much response and I thank you all for the positive comments! There are times that I read about some of the hunts and adventures here on TradGang and I feel guilty for not planning a big trip somewhere. Almost feel like something must be wrong with me not wanting to go out west and chase critters!
I still love to read about everyones adventures here and I am sure I always will and if anyone ever has an abundance of Moose or Elk meat I would be more than happy to "store" it for them!
Mike

[Bowwild]

Hi Mike,
Glad to see you are doing well even after all the physical challenges!  Super great to see you are in high spirits and having fun.

Our mutual buddy Jim, in Lafayette is doing well except he can't shoot the bows he likes best. That tree stand fall two years ago boogered him pretty good.

I love my time hunting here at home with my son, son-in-law, and more and more the grand children. My so and are enjoying our new property as well, most of the work is just bush hogging to keep it from becoming a cedar forest.

My brother, son, Jim, and I still try to make it some place for something economical and not too rowdy (black bear, pronghorns, and turkey).  I have a chance to go on first (and last?) moose hunt this next year (Alberta) but I don't know if I'll do it yet.

I'm planning, if God agrees, to retire at 67 (I'll be 64 in Feb.). I do delegate a lot more these days.

[Jon Stewart]

You did it right Mike. I retired at 51 from a local police department (we had a 50/25 and out and I took it). Wife and I traveled a lot by riding a bicycle self contained across the United States which was of course our longest trip but we did many other long rides around the U.S, Europe and Ireland. Now at 68 I read the obituaries to make sure my name isn't in them and thank the Lord for waking up on the right side of the grass everyday.

[George Vernon]

Mike,
Thanks for sharing.  Having gone through a similar ‘awakening’, I beginning to think/wish I’d done it 20 years sooner.

[tracker12]

Life is always about what makes you happy.  At 65 I still like to do a  trip out west somewhere each year.  It was aways hunting but I am now planning fishing trips as well.

[no]

52, 2 knee surgeries, I just cant grind in the woods every day like I used too. Sometimes just need a sleep morning. Mike