Feeling old....

[Robinsons Rebel]

I had a good hunt last weekend. Took my daughter in law hunting and I was lucky enough to kill a spike. It died about 10 feet into a thicket and had to struggle a little bit to get it out. By the time I got it to the truck, I was starting to feel a little old. I was able to use my truck deer hoist for the first time and glad to say it worked out fine. Trying to hunt smarter not harder. DIL said she didn't mind helping to skin it out but didn't want any part gutting it. Can't really blame her! Going back with her Thanksgiving week and hopefully she'll be able to kill her first deer. Good luck to everybody!!

[mr meat]

Congrats

[longbow joe]

Congratulations also .When l killed my swamp buck last week l was almost a mile in the middle of nowhere I was gutting the buck and being very careful not to wack my fingers off after that l had a choice to drag him through foot high mud with no vegetation or go up a few feet to "dry" but deal with deadfalls and many obstacles...I chose the mud.
I weight 158 pounds he had me beat by a few pounds
i could could drag him about 10 feet at a time to about 200 yards to get to a dirt path where my brother was coming with the crawler cart.
I go to the gym walk my dog a mile every morning and most days nights too but it doesn't matter he kicked my a$$ but good.
I figured if l died then n there l was perfectly content.
The thought of dropping was there but l was doing something l loved lol. ..the ugly thought of cutting his head off blinked default in my mind ...only kidding.
During the haul l literally lost my bolts out of my backpack quiver in the brush l was boltless.
I'm not afraid of the dark but l keep my ruger .38
Lcr in my backpack I was really glad it was there. The woods can be a lonely place.
I honestly have no interest in anything "deeper woods"
You can have your 4 mile ventures and packing meat.
Not my idea of fun unless you got a horse even a quad wouldn't have helped me till l got him out of the thick.
Almost gonna be two weeks soon and my groin and butt still feel sore if I move wrong.
Yep getting old stinks but l feel l got a few years of hunting the swamp in me l have friends to call and options but I still want to be independent as long as l can.
I was really glad to see my brothers headlamp that night for sure..
That's why the swamp has big deer they know basically no one is coming for them only an occasionally stupid 58 year old .

[robertyb]

If it is bothering you at 58 just wait until you get old. I am turning 73 next month and still hunt daily and have dragged 2 bucks out of the woods so far this season (one was a friend's buck). If not for my Crawler cart and deer hoist I might have to give up hunting. Another 30 minutes and I am heading to the woods again.
This one was shot by my younger friend yesterday and we had to drag it a few hundred yards up a fairly steep ridge.

[papabear1]

Hey guys, when ya git older you for sure work smarter,
at 80 yrs. old i got reeeeeealy smart
it's not easy but if ya want it bad enough you can do it.

Dave

[longbow joe]

My dad was a real outdoorsman from childhood for some reason when he was in his early 50s he used to say to me when you get your first deer I'm gonna quit older brother had gotten many by that point.
I actually got my first deer without him had to gut it on my own etc no youtube in those days.
He was extremely supportive of our hunting but after that he just hung it up.
He would come fishing with us but l guess he had enough of the hunting
I still love hunting but l can see a day when l will "probably " find something a little easier l will probably just fish more I love the outdoors.
I wouldn't mind getting a drone someday but that would probably morph to me perving on women or probably getting into trouble with it so hunting is good for now.
I have slowed down a tad but l still have a few good hunting years ahead l hope n pray.

[xcaliber]

With my health being where it is I'm slowing way down, and thinking the end of this activity is closer than I would like it, but I'm not complaining. I have memories that will last a lifetime, and luckily I have influenced a couple younger kids that will remember me long after I'm gone, I hope anyway! Every year I look for something to make it a little easier, and that's what keeps me out there I think.

[Boo]

I'm 69 and while old age certainly isn't fun, it's all you have and the alternative isn't good. I'm a bit smarter now. I use a drill powered Warn winch, a few hundred feet of 5/8" rope, pullies etc. I haven't had to use much of the rope because I'm using bigger broadheads and being more patient. I'm pretty beat up but not giving up anytime soon. I still have lots of fight in me

[xcaliber]

I'm 69 and while old age certainly isn't fun, it's all you have and the alternative isn't good. I'm a bit smarter now. I use a drill powered Warn winch, a few hundred feet of 5/8" rope, pullies etc. I haven't had to use much of the rope because I'm using bigger broadheads and being more patient. I'm pretty beat up but not giving up anytime soon. I still have lots of fight in me

You’re just tenacious Don!

[Boo]

I'm 69 and while old age certainly isn't fun, it's all you have and the alternative isn't good. I'm a bit smarter now. I use a drill powered Warn winch, a few hundred feet of 5/8" rope, pullies etc. I haven't had to use much of the rope because I'm using bigger broadheads and being more patient. I'm pretty beat up but not giving up anytime soon. I still have lots of fight in me

You’re just tenacious Don!

Naw , just old and grumpy

[AJ01]

Age and wisdom seem to go "hand in hand". Those days of packing into a remote area, and then "working" to kill a good buck or bull, have passed.
Age and wisdom allow us to appreciate more of the little things. It makes us watch "youngsters" and grin as they bust their collective tails trying to get some tasks accomplished. And when they have finished, we say, "Why didn't you try it this way?" And hear them say, "I never thought of that."
We didn't either the first hundred times we did it your way!!

We get to enjoy life because we have lived it. We have memories that we can savor like a fine wine or a good shot of whiskey. We can sit back by the roaring fire and sip those memories to our delight. We cherish them.

To grow old, is to live. As Boo stated, the alternative isn't on my list of things to do today!
Enjoy each and every day.

And NEVER give up!!

[papabear1]

Speaking of doing things easier i'm looking for a crank for my Equinox
and i cain't remember the name of it.

Dave

[artifact]

I don't feel old, I AM OLD!
I'm 75 and my hunting buddy is 70, we joke that between us we couldn't equal one good young hunter. We used to hunt the mountains of Maine and drug some 200#+ buck out, we also hunted PA 2 1/2 miles back and 2 benches down from the top of a mountain for a few years. Those days are behind us and without a deer buggy we wouldn't even be hunting where we are now. Some of our prime hunting spots are now off limits, they are either just too far or way too hard to get deer out anymore, glad to still be still getting out though. I still have one last option, just off my yard I have a tree stand, won't be long before that ends up as my final hunting spot!

[grouse]

I'm 73 and have arthritis in about every joint in my body. Still, I feel like I'm doing pretty well. I have dragged one deer out of the woods this year including a difficult pull up a high, steep creek bank. That struggle didn't bother me a bit because it meant that I had a successful hunt. The same goes with field dressing a deer. There is nothing naturally appealing about it, but I look forward to it because it means it was a good day.

I don't intend to slow down any time soon. A couple of weeks ago a friend of mine (who is 71) and I cut down a good sized oak tree, cut it into lengths, then split the cut logs and stacked them - all in one morning (we did use a power splitter but I still split a lot of wood by hand).

Something will get me eventually but I intend to go down fighting.

[bobcattrapper]

I am done dragging deer. I use to drag em up steep canyons across creeks etc… now I just bone em out where they lie and carry out boned meat. If they die in a bad spot I do drag em to a open spot close by. Plenty of utube videos out there how to do it. This way too I know the animals will clean up whatever I don’t use.And the hide with ticks stays in the woods too. I do cut up my own meat too.I do realize some public hunting places may make you bring out the whole deer but if you have the option try boning it out. It’s really not that difficult.