Elderly Hunters- When to call it quits?

[MallardSX2]

My dad is 76 this year and he hunts more than he ever has.

 

[WyoKid]

I had a similar epiphany but an equally opposite corollary: More solo hunting!

Setting up camp and packing an Elk out by myself is a chore. There are periods of boredom, which I prevent by hunting all day and coming out in the dark so there is no time to sit around a camp fire after eating and getting ready for the next day.

But, as I have gotten older, I've become more grouchy and fixed in my ways. Although not heavily opinionated or political, I don't have a lot of tolerance for those that are and absolutely no tolerance for nonsense, impracticality and complaining. So, I would rather hunt by myself these days.

 

[Weldor]

I have a few friends who probably should give it up. Some lost their hearing, some their mobility and others are just in bad physical shape. I fiqure it is up to them to decide. The best quote this year was "I'm only putting in for the early bull hunt from now on" from the guy who has almost total hearing lose.

 

[WoolOverAll]

A mental or physical disability that prevents you from hunting is the same regardless of age. 'Limiting' someone should be based on what their individual issue is. I've had to tell multiple young men that they shouldn't hunt anymore because they couldn't put down the bottle. The same would be true if they were 70 or 80.

An older hunter might be slower and need to compensate in other areas, but it doesn't mean their are incapable of doing anything. Their individual issue should be the focus, not the fact that they are a certain age. I hunt with plenty of older guys that do fine, just slightly slower than they used to.

 

[mtnwrunner]

You just have to have friends that can carry you........

Randy

 

[hobbes]

I hunted with a friend on his last hunt when he was 93. I hunted with a friend last year who decided it was his last elk hunt and he is 72. I've added stairs rather than ladders to most of my box blinds that I hunt whitetails out of.

My two truths that I live by....
1. My body is like concrete..... as long as I keep on stirring it..... it doesn't seize up!
2. You don't quit hunting because you get old..... you get old because you quit hunting!

Not a bad plan, but just so you know, concrete will still "seize up" while stirring.

I would have made sure my dad could hunt until he was ready to quit if he hadn't passed 4 years ago at 76. I'd cut my right arm off to have that chance at this point. He gave up more than enough of his time to make sure I could when I was barely big enough to pack a gun on my own and I'd have damn sure done the same for him when he was "too old" if he wanted. I hope my boys do it for me for the same reasons if I make it that far.

 

[lukebrowning]

I will never let physical fitness be a reason why I stop hunting. I’m sure I will not be able to pack into the same areas I do today but I will not stop hunting altogether.

I also think you need to balance when to call it quits with life responsibilities. If you are at a high risk and still the main provider for your family then it may be a good decision to hang it up. If you are retired, everything is set, you still have a passion for hunting, and you are already playing extra innings then let it ride until the magpies find you.

 

[thinhorn_AK]

Hard to say since people are all different, I guess it seems like it’s time to stop when you can no longer scale things for yourself or it stops being fun.

When I was growing up, my dad would do massive pack outs on our elk hunts back before there were awesome boots, backpacks and other light gear. Now days he pretty much sticks to lodge based hunts in Texas where he can ride around in a side by side, sleep in a bed, eat real food and rest mid day.

I enjoy doing that too once every few years, I’ve done enough real wilderness stuff in AK that I don’t mind the lodge thing every once in awhile. And it’s fun to get out with my dad still since he’s 75.

 

[IronNoggin]

My Dad's last hunt was last year, with my younger (and sadly departed) Brother.
Dad took a rather good mulie with a crossbow - North Dakota. 90 years young.
Afterwards he called me to explain just how much fun the bow was and that he should have been doing that for years! I had been trying to explain just that to him for well over 20 years!!

He decided to bail this year - mobility issues and with my Brother now gone (as are the vast majority of his old hunting buddies) he felt there was / is no-one to pick up the slack. He noted he did not want to "be a burden on anyone".

This is one of those times I wish like hell I lived a LOT closer...

 

[ihookem]

Now days I only hunt public land and it is all cat tail marshes and dead ash trees laying all over. It is to the point you cant walk without falling ass over tea kettle. When i am too old for that, I will hunt some private land in central Wis. If I can no longer drive, I will hunt my small 4 ac. parcel till I cant anymore. At 62 I can still do it. I am going to retire or slow way down in June when I turn 63, mostly so I have more time and energy to get to my stand and back . Four years ago , I shot a 1 1/2 yr. old buck . I dragged it .9 miles through the grass and cat tails. I rested about 30 times, but I never sat down. Last fall, I shot the same size buck . I only had to drag it about .3 miles and I stopped to rest about 20 times and had to lay down a few times. I know I am not what I used to be, just 4 yrs. ago , but I will go till I can't. Then I will just enjoy life like just fish .

 

[Royboy99]

I'll be 78 in June and have no intention of stopping in the foreseeable future. I have a friend the same age and we hunt on foot, back in the big woods as well as stand hunting. I still use a climber on occasion. It's all a matter of staying in shape. I work out strenuously five days a week, watch what I eat, gave up alcohol a few years ago.

I have to say, I find the first sentence in this thread mildly offensive: "..when to limit our elders..." Thanks for your concern, but we "elders" are perfectly capable of making our own decisions.

 

[EastHumboldt]

Just turned 68. Man it freaks me out to see that in print. My fondest hope is to die of an excitement heart attack on a hunting or fishing trip. “Jesus! Look at that bull! Oh my lord, I’m coming lord!. It’s the big one! (Fred Sanford). “

My only reservation is it’s very inconsiderate of my partners.

 

[ihookem]

Just turned 68. Man it freaks me out to see that in print. My fondest hope is to die of an excitement heart attack on a hunting or fishing trip. “Jesus! Look at that bull! Oh my lord, I’m coming lord!. It’s the big one! (Fred Sanford). “

My only reservation is it’s very inconsiderate of my partners.

I knew an old christian man about 50 yrs . ago that shot a buck and walked up on it then died of a heart attack. When they found him , he still had a smile on his face.