Senior hunters over 62 years old

[sweet old bill]

At 68 I am just starting to think that I have to call it over with the bow. I stioll am like that kid who can not wait to hunt and work all year long shooting to make sure I still have a good skill base with the bow either the recurve and or the compound. I just like shooting. But now it seems I have all I can do is get to the stand, the legs do not seem to work, I get there and the best I can do is stay in the ground blind for about 2 hours and then walk it. Maybe it also the weather with all the rain, legs hurt, back hurt etc...I have even missed 3 days so far of just not going out in the heavy rain.

My question is does anyone else have the same problems with now staying on stand for most of the day ? Or is my problem just a old age problem.

Bill

[frassettor]

I cant answer your question, I'm 36, but I can tell you that if the fire is still burning I would just either hunt when it is comfortable for me to hunt, rather then give up my passion.

We all have to adjust to our current situations, and I would rather see you happy in the woods , then unhappy out of the woods. I am facing something similiar with my father in law, and I will do whatever it takes to make sure I can keep his pilot light still on! The twinkle is still in his eye, and if I have to give him piggy back rides to his stand, so be it...

[QUINT]

I'm well into my 70's, and some years I only get out there a very few times a year, when the weather is favorable. It's all worth it to watch the small game all around you. I'm not even sure I would put an arrow in a deer again even if I  had a sure shot. Getting out and enjoying being in the woods is what it's all about.(There is NO WAY you could have made me believe that 55 or 60 years ago!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

[centaur]

I used to get out and tough it out when it was zero or below. I decided that hunting in extreme cold was not fun, so I quit doing it. That being said, I will be going out this morning, and right now it is snowing and 25 degrees with a 20 mph wind. I may not stay too long, but I know where there is a good buck, and I am going to give him a chance to receive an arrow.
I much more enjoy hunting when the weather is pleasant, but I will go out in stormy stuff, at least so far. I'm 62.

[RayMO]

Bill, I am 62 and I sure can tell the difference like you, I stay out of trees these days and that does help. All the hills seem harder to go up and down, I just go slower which is probably better anyway. Nothing wrong with a 2 or 3 hour hunt. I have some health problems that makes it difficult for me to sit much past 1 hour so I just take a stretch for a few minutes and sit again.

Like you I still get excited like a kid when hunting season comes and that is a real blessing. I don't know if any of this has helpped, but I will be going out and hunting as long as I possibly can.

RayMO

[northener]

I know the weather effects my body,especially the rainy/cold weather we have been having lately.

I am betting it's your age/body that is making it difficult for you. I am only 55 but my body is in really bad shape,especially my joints, after 30 years and counting as a carpenter. I learn to live with it for the most part. I tried the other day to put up my portable and I could not do it, my elbows were hurting from the screw in steps. I had all I could do to get the stand in place. I quit and went home. I now realize I am on the ground or ladder stands from here on out.

Like the saying goes  "Old age is not for sissy"

I would say to you,  Go out and enjoy it just like you used to but with different expectations. The bright side is your still able and willing!!  Good luck to you.

[LongStick64]

We all have to adjust as time goes by. Just make sure what you do is what you can handle. Take it minute by minute if you have to.
With my recent family illness problems, increased work schedule, being a dad to a couple of happy go luckies, I haven't had a chance to sniff the woods yet. I'm just staying positive, if I miss this years deer season, there's always Spring turkey season. If I miss that, well as long as I can still put an arrow where I want to, I'll just be happy to wait.
Take it slow, treat it like a walk in the woods, who knows, if you walk slow enough, ya might get lucky.

[trad_bowhunter1965]

I am not a Senior yet my Hunting Bud is, He told me many times "if I new my body was going to last this long I would of taken better care of it" we have been hunting 26 years together you would have thought I would pay attention better.

[Bill Carlsen]

I'll be 66 next month and I am out almost every day. This year Laura and I (age 52) did a week long bear hunt and a 10 day do it yourself moose hunt. I have developed stenosis in my neck and I have pain in my shoulders and arms at times but i see the doc and do PT so it is under control. I still shoot a 60# bow and will continue to do so until I cannot....I just can't go long periods without shooting. If I do then  I feel it somewhat so I am thinking that I may drop to 55# in the next year or so. We also own property that we have to walk or canoe to at a distance of 1/2 to 3/4 of a mile and I do a lot of tree stand changing during the year. I also go to the gym at least  four times a week in the off season. In fact the doc encouraged me not to stop doing the things I like or my problems will just get worse. I guess what I would suggest to you is not to stop....you will just rust up and seize up and your problems will in all lliklihood not be just archery related. Stay active and continue with the things that you like to do...otherwise life can loose meaning and value. In the off season join a gym or buy a bike and get that body back into shape. Things may not be as easy as they once were but I, personally, do not see stopping as a solution. Get a good physical with a good doc and explain your changes with him. There is a lot that can be done about the aches and pains most of us have to deal with as we age. Strength and flexibility do not have to diminish to the point you can't do what you love to do. You just have to make the time to do it.

Just for background info...my mom lived to be 87. Every time she got an ache or pain she used it as a reason not to do things. By the time she passed on she was weak and tired as well as incapacitated to a degree I wish to avoid. When my time comes I think they will have to come and find me in a treestand or ground blind and drag me out. And, at the risk of raising some hackles if I have to  I will hunt with a crossbow. Hunting is where it is at for me and if I have to change weapons because my body won't allow me to shoot my bows, I've already got the plan in my head.

[ron w]

I'm only 57,but I hear what your saying. You have to do what you can and not throw in the towel. If you can't sit for 4 hours, sit for 2 or even 1 1/2. Try to get out and stump shoot when its warm and stay active. You have enjoyed this for a long time so there is no reason you can't still enjoy the fall woods.

[reddogge]

I'm 65 and don't like to hunt in rain.  I also have been staying on the ground lately but am in the process of putting up a ladder stand for the unfavorable wind conditions.  I work out at the gym but have had by-pass surgery and elbow surgery in the last two years.  I still shoot every day and have put together a neat little bag target 3-D range on my property to have some fun so basically I'm still a kid at heart.

The urge to kill is not as strong but I like to take a deer or two each year for meat.

[Mudd]

I was thrilled to learn that I haven't made it to senior status yet. It means I have at least 3 more years of pre-senior hunting and I pray that I make it to old age hunter which I believe is the next step beyond senior...lol
I hope you go everytime you feel up to it, I know that's my plan and as Bill said "I'll change to whatever weapon I have to in order to keep doing what I love!" I hope to keep going to the point that all I can hold up is a ultra light digital camera.
God bless,
Pre-senior Mudd

[George D. Stout]

When you quit trying, a lot of other things may go as well.  I remember my father-in-law bowhunting when he was 88;  he can't hunt as much now since he is 95, but he still wants to go to the woods.  Slowing down was not his choice and he didn't do it until he just couldn't go much anymore.

Get out when you can.  I'll be 64 in January, and I don't run the ridges like I did when I was 34, but I still have the want-to.  Just because you can't go full speed, doesn't mean you have to stop.  There is a mid range you know...gear down, don't stop.

[SCATTERSHOT]

Check out Dick Wightman's thread on a recent pig hunt. He's an older gentleman with health issues, and he just got back from Texas after arrowing a javalina with a bow he made himself. If you like it, do it, within limits.

You're not 30 any more, but you're not dead yet, either.

[Dave Lay]

Bill C., great post. I am 56 and have endured a lot of injuries/health issues in the last 5-10 years  and it does get harder to keep up with my much younger mind. but like you I still shoot a 60lb bow, but have to stay with it, same for climbing trees, hiking etc.. one reason for some of my injuries is the weekend warrior syndrome without being in the condition i was years ago but still trying to do the same thing. It just takes more work and dedication. But I am sure there is a line somewhere where I will have to ease up.. were all diffrent, this stuff needs to be enjoyable, if ya get to where it isnt,  its time to do something else, but still try to be as physical as possible... Bill, good luck with it, if ya cant shoot a bow, or hunt then just take a hike as long or short as ya want and enjoy the out doors..

[centaur]

Gotta chime in with Bill Carlsen on staying in shape. I work out regularly, and do a lot of hiking and biking to stay fit. I don't climb mountains as fast or easily as I did when I was 40, but I can still get the job done. And my passion for hunting is even more now that I am retired and have more time to spend in the woods. This morning, I did go out and shivered in the snow and wind, but saw several deer (no shots) and had turkeys within 10 yards (how do they know that you have already filled your tag?). Maybe if I was in my 30s or 40s, I would still be out, but I decided to come home and have a cup of coffee. The weather is supposed to warm up tomorrow, and then I will spend the day out hunting. It is still all good!

[Ron LaClair]

Hey Bill, father time catches up with all of us sooner or later, hopefully it's later for me. I'm 73 and have two artificial knees but I'm still going. in fact I'm leaving in the morning for Shrewhaven for a week with the "Crew". The changes I've made are,... hunting out of ladder stands and portable ground blinds. Also dropping down in bow weight, I used to shoot and hunt with bows in excess of 80#, I'm down to the low 50's now. I'm even taking my 40# Motel-T to camp this year, I'm sure it can do the job for me.

I'm thinking you just gotta keep puttin one foot ahead of the other until you can't lift your foot anymore...  

[Ia Hawkeye]

Bill,
I feel your pain and know how you feel ! I'm 70 and have leg and back problems and can't walk very far. I just use a stool put back in the brush. Don't go out very much . Been hunting 65 years (46 with bow), and the fires going out.

That being said, I was out this AM and saw a really nice buck about 40 yards away. That  really perked me up and rekindled my fire somewhat.

Hang in there !!!!

[Straitshot]

I'll turn 65 this next month. I shoot bows around 50# and like some have said must shoot often to stay loose and tuned. If I lay off shooting too long things start getting stiff and my form starts trying to go south. I still hunt from latter tree stands but find it a little difficult trying to climb trees any more. I also use ground blinds more often than I use to. I still want to attempt one more elk hunt before my knees get any worse. It has been my life ambition to take a bull elk with trad equipment which I have not yet accomplished. I have always tried to do it on my own and have found locating the elk to be the biggest difficulty. Hopefully one more shot before I am unable. One of my best friends who was very instrumental in my love of archery passed away at 83 this last month. Till his death he shot his bow in his back yard, and a few weeks before had purchased a new longbow.

 "I'm thinking you just gotta keep puttin one foot ahead of the other until you can't lift your foot anymore... "

I'm with you Ron.

[bear1336]

I will be 63 in Jan and I have health problems, I mostly hunt old logging trails and ground blinds a 150 yards or so from the less traveled back roads. I am now limiting my hunts to 2 to 3 hours at a time both morning and evenings giving myself extra time to get to my blinds.I will give up bowhunting when they have to pry my bow from my dead hands. I can only handle bows in the 45 lb range since my stroke but limit my shots to 20 yds or less. Just keep going Bill dont give up..