Have things changed over time

[ron w]

Originally posted by Bow-n-Head:
I'm 72 (i think) and i can't remember what i was going to say.

[Gordon Jabben]

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!!!

[Roadkill]

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....

[hickstick]

Originally 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

[Dan bree]

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.....

[Orion]

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.

[SELFBOW19953]

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.

[elkken]

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.

[Bighornangler]

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.

[bofish-IL]

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.

[jess stuart]

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.

[Cherokee Scout]

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.

[pdk25]

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.

[Gerry]

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

[ron w]

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!!

[Shakes.602]

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.  

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.

[Kris]

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

[Hoyt]

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.

[ron w]

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!