Elderly Hunters- When to call it quits?

[Colorado Cowboy]

My answer is the same as another poster......when it is not fun anymore. I still get excited planning a hunting or fishing trip. After it is over, I'm glad to get home for a shower and my own bed, but really don't want the trip to end. I am 84 and killed a cow elk this year as a second choice. I'm saving and building points for a guided elk hunt. I have 15 here in Colorado. I have been using leftover and second/third choice to hunt elk. I only have 1 point for deer after filling my tag last year.

I took my Dad on his last big game hunt when he was 90. He killed a 5x5 bull. He continued to hunt waterfowl until he passed at 96. He owned a duck hunting club until he died.

 

[Lionheart]

After looking through the "Elderly Drivers..." post and responses, I began thinking about a similar question about when to limit our elders in the hunting fields and woods.

I'm curious to know what people can share for insight on this. Obviously, hunting isn't a daily necessity like driving can be, but still their ability to hunt safely either by themselves or alone becomes called into question as age diminishes the body and mind.

This is something that I am dealing with my own father. He is 80, but various ailments leave him unsteady in his mobility, and I find his overall gun safety to be more lax. He still wants to hunt and is honest about some of his inabilities, but I still get uneasy now when he wants to go out.

Does anyone else have a parent whom they want to tell to hang up the gun?

I don’t know why exactly but something about this post just sticks in my craw…
maybe it’s about the “when to limit our elders” part?
Who put you in charge of your elders freedom to do anything?
I’m approaching 70 and I don’t intend to ask “permission” to go hunting anytime soon. If your fathers gun safety makes you nervous then help him.
He probably wiped your ass when you couldn’t.
Or just stay home.

 

[Boarmaster]

My answer is the same as another poster......when it is not fun anymore. I still get excited planning a hunting or fishing trip. After it is over, I'm glad to get home for a shower and my own bed, bed really don't want the trip to end. I am 84 and killed a cow elk this year as a second choice. I'm saving and building points for a guided elk hunt. I have 15 here in Colorado. I have been using leftover and second/third choice to hunt elk. I only have 1 point for deer after filling my tag last year.

I took my Dad on his last big game hunt when he was 90. He killed a 5x5 bull. He continued to hunt waterfowl until he passed at 96. He owned a duck hunting club until he died.

Me as well. Right now I am in up in NC spending Christmas with my Mom but come tomorrow morning I am head to Alabama for 8 days of whitetail hunting at my cabin and lease. I am just as excited as ever.

 

[mtnbiker208]

I don’t know why exactly but something about this post just sticks in my craw…
maybe it’s about the “when to limit our elders” part?
Who put you in charge of your elders freedom to do anything?
I’m approaching 70 and I don’t intend to ask “permission” to go hunting anytime soon. If your fathers gun safety makes you nervous then help him.
He probably wiped your ass when you couldn’t.
Or just stay home.

This is all well and good, as long as your skills are greater than your ego. Taking the keys away from my
Dad at 63 was not fun(brain cancer), but explaining to him that he will lose everything him and his wife worked for was not the answer either, especially if he was negilgent in an accident.

 

[Calcoyote]

I am 62 and moved to NW Wyoming last year. This coming season will my first year hunting as a resident. I am on TRT and have good knees and good hips. I work out regularly and watch what I eat and drink. If the good Lord will help me I want to still be going after it into my 80s and beyond.

 

[7mm-08]

I don’t know why exactly but something about this post just sticks in my craw…
maybe it’s about the “when to limit our elders” part?
Who put you in charge of your elders freedom to do anything?
I’m approaching 70 and I don’t intend to ask “permission” to go hunting anytime soon. If your fathers gun safety makes you nervous then help him.
He probably wiped your ass when you couldn’t.
Or just stay home.

I don't think the intent of this thread was to govern when an older person can or should hunt or not. My sentiment was that it was contemplation as to when older hunters became unsafe to themselves or others. Trust me, I've hunted around plenty of younger men and women who "lazer" others with their muzzles without any consideration about their actions. I also agree that older hunters, unfortunately, do this more than younger ones as their cognitive abilities erode and their self-awareness diminishes.

 

[IronNoggin]

Although I can no longer do the sheep & elk hunts in the mountains any more (too many trips down the hill with loaded packs shot my knees) I still greatly enjoy my rifle and bow hunting trips on deer and levelish ground moose & elk hunts.

Don't think I'll give any of that up until they slid me into the box with my favorite rifle, pistol, loads of ammo and the ashes of my favorite Fur Kid...

 

[Blowdowner]

Find a state that allows baiting. If eyesight is going the only weapons that make sense are shotgun with slugs or crossbow. Especially if successful that one trip might be good enough for the year.

 

[Lionheart]

I don't think the intent of this thread was to govern when an older person can or should hunt or not. My sentiment was that it was contemplation as to when older hunters became unsafe to themselves or others. Trust me, I've hunted around plenty of younger men and women who "lazer" others with their muzzles without any consideration about their actions. I also agree that older hunters, unfortunately, do this more than younger ones as their cognitive abilities erode and their self-awareness diminishes.

I appreciate your effort to smooth this over. I disagree. I do think this thread was intended to discuss when and how to govern an older person’s right to hunt or not. Frankly, I wouldn’t want to be the OP’s dad. If I had to guess he was a mask Nazi during the recent Covid scam. And I’m still troubled by the clear language about governing when or not an older person should hunt or not. It’s clear the op views that decision as his to make and not the senior citizen. Personally I will feel safer around the campfire with the elderly folks over the juniors with much less judgment and experience,
Or I am missing something here? This a big problem? Old feeble hunters shooting up folks at hunting camps all over? I would guess the old guys save more lives and avoid more disasters than they cause. But, maybe I’m wrong…

 

[Lionheart]

This is all well and good, as long as your skills are greater than your ego. Taking the keys away from my
Dad at 63 was not fun(brain cancer), but explaining to him that he will lose everything him and his wife worked for was not the answer either, especially if he was negilgent in an accident.

I’m sure that was difficult. I don’t think it really applies here. Taking the keys from a brain cancer patient isn’t really an age issue. I would love to hear the OP’s dad’s side of this story…

 

[Lionheart]

Just shooting but I just quit inviting my father to go shooting. He was maybe 75 yrs at the time.
He still drives, maybe he goes on his own.
His muzzle control went out the window when he decided that if his rifle wasn't pointed at my A zone, he was good enough. He could still do it if he gave a hoot.
He asked a couple times a while ago but I can say "I haven't been shooting for a long time."
There are other things we do together, but I got tired of being flagged.
He was a late-bloomer with guns so there are no heirlooms and he's been thinning his arsenal voluntarily.

Could you explain how your last sentence above fits into the narrative?

 

[RS_Non-Res]

Could you explain how your last sentence above fits into the narrative?

Hmmm... It was just an observation that he knows that he's living on borrowed time. So I guess not completely within the narrative. I guess it could have been inferred as "he's got nothing for me so I won't help" or some other nefarious logic/justification, but that's not where I was going with it. I did purchase a thunder chicken scope (10x) from him. Of course just the other day he said he has a hankering for a 308. I owe him a lot but I'm not interested in giving up my life for something careless.

 

[Lionheart]

Hmmm... It was just an observation that he knows that he's living on borrowed time. So I guess not completely within the narrative. I guess it could have been inferred as "he's got nothing for me so I won't help" or some other nefarious logic/justification, but that's not where I was going with it. I did purchase a thunder chicken scope (10x) from him. Of course just the other day he said he has a hankering for a 308. I owe him a lot but I'm not interested in giving up my life for something careless.

Thanks. I’m still a little confused but that is not unusual lol.

 

[tall]

I hunted upland and turkey with a friend into his mid 80s. We had a great time. That being said, he was careful about gun safety and muzzle control. I wouldn’t have risked my life to keep hunting together.