When to Retire from Huntting ???

[jerseyhunter]

just ran into this article.
http://redoubtreporter.wordpress.com...wn-in-history/

[Goody]

I gave up 4 years ago. I shot a deer and it fell in a plowed field. Couldn't walk in the furrows to drag it out. My neighbor was just coming out of the woods and he dragged it through the furrows for me. Just not worth it anymore if i have to rely on someone else to help me.

[wrenchman]

I am 46 and from 25years of working on trucks my knees are shot my wife says wabbel when I walk in the morning and I can say pick your hunts well when stop hunting u will miss it.
If you need to get a 4 wheeler or anything get it just injoy life while u can.

[Rapier]

Wrenchman,
You are 100% right. We tend to get more conservitive with our time and money as we get older. The thing is though, the time clock for going and doing is running and if you do not do today, you will soon be to the point where you can no longer go and do.

If you can figure a way, go take care of your dreams, before it is too late. Whatever your situation, with age and health, it is not going to get better with more age.
Ed

[skeeter@ccia.com]

Hope this is not too long but here goes. First off my dad told me years ago that no matter what I do figure out a way to do it by myself. If someone does offer help, you can be greatfull but if nobody helps, you have no gripe because you intended to do it yourself in the first place. How true this saying has worked out in my life. Most of the time, people will stand with their hands in pockets while I struggle maybe loading something in my truck..I do not ask for help either..mainly just want to see if maybe they would... so with that said.. when to quit hunting. Thas is a question my friend and I have talked about. He knows one man that just quit at 80..said because his eyesight was not to his liking and he felt he was not safe in the woods shooting at things. I have hunted hard since my dad started takin me rat shooting at about 5. Love the outdoors. Shooting things is not #1 reason to be in woods however it works out at times. I have sat under a pine tree in 2' of snow, cold,wet all day long and at last light had a deer covered in snow, walk right up to the opening in the pine and looked at me only 4' away. I just looked at it and said 'Merry Crhistmas deer'..watched it run away. That is why we hunt, because we enjoy all that comes with it and that is what I think will be missed by most. 2 years ago this Jan 4 I blackpowder hunting up behind my house and ended up in a valley that was all uphill no matter how I left. Out of the blue, I hit the ground with heart attack #7. I woke up once as i lay in the weeds looking at the blue sky with puffy white clouds thinking is this going to be my last day? Was I going to go out like some here mentioned..hunting with my rifle in hand? (I use to say that the best way to go) Out I went again..and wake,out etc etc and each time I made progress with my cellphone I kept in my pants pocket and managed my 911 call. Next time I woke, firemen,parameds,police and the property owner had driven up the powerline and found me. Here I am. Well I took some heat after and at times before..about hunting by myself. I sort of got out of hunting as hard and often as I had done over all the other years of my life. I still managed to sneak out but tried not to put myself in a situation I could not get out of. Back to my dad..find a way to do it yourself. Never count on anyone. This year I spent more time in the woods watching deer,locating buck for my daughter to shoot (got 8pt) than I have in the last 2 years. I have gone crow hunting with my buddy, groundhogs with daughter..is nice to get out. I have over the last 10 or more years enjoyed taking first time hunters be it kids or adults and it is more exciting to look down their gun or bow while they shoot the deer you sicked them on. That is now more fun than shooting them myself and I still get time in the woods...Find a way to do it yourself in a safe way but never count on others ever. One guy that goes with me now carries a cell phone after I 'b' at him for not owning one for both our safety..but he always turns it off..grrrr.. I once hunted all day and when got back to my truck, attack #6 got me. I did the self CPR for about 10 miles but made it home. Hunting neighbor came over as I almost passed out and hung on my truck..even toldhim things arent well, havin probs again..he just said..ok, left and went home..and he knows my heart history but I made it to my porch, only far enough to reach my arm out and slam the door before I went out. Wife took care of the rest of the story..Never count on anyone. Ever. so It would sound nice to go out while hunting, with ole betsy but when face it in the face?..Not a good time at all..What kept me going?..I told people for years, look for the crows in a few days and that is where you will find me with my butt wedged in a Y of a tree to keep out the possums..Well that thought gave me my 2nd wind..I could not even make it off the powerline to the Y in a tree..No possums gonna get me..Survival..funny how it works..but if you enjoy outdoors, go do it..just slow down and never put yourself in a spot you cant get out of yourself..I don't use my tree lounger stand anymore because I found out if you had problems while up in the tree, you are not gonna get down..etc etc..I got deer in archery, and the early pa blackpowder season..so I can keep out of the cold this winter..I passed up nice buck but kept them active wihtthe scrapes to give my daughter a chance at one..that worked..that makes my hunting season this year another memorable one..as we got to watch the big buck fight off the smaller buck and both ended up just 2 steps from us..and ..got away..but made a memory for both my daughter and me..quality time in the field..with family..that works for me..and I can stll see..and shoot..kids do the dragging if I can't take my quad to where my deer are..ok..I can go on and on but enouigh space taken..do what you can while you can because if you look at a tape measure, average age now is 80..look at how close we are to that end of the tape..ewww..enjoy while you can..gets harder every year..you will know when it is time to quit....

[maineguy110]

westerner2 only you can make the choice when to stop hunting. That is what it seems like the guys are saying and I agree. But I do not agree with the part of them telling you to get a new girl friend if she wont talk to you for a week at a time that is a keeper I would rather have the silent treatment the nagging treatment but that is just me. Good luck on the hunt

[skeet]

Maine guy..Neither the nagging wife/girlfriend or the silent treatment from same makes them a keeper. All it means is they are trying to change the way you live YOUR life in their own inimitable way. Remember the words for better or worse? And if a girlfriend, she chose to take you the way you are..why do they NEED to change you? In my way of looking at it..it makes them a throwback. Find someone who can enjoy you the way you are

[maineguy110]

Skeeter I never thought of it that way. I will think on your words.

[Rapier]

Skeet,
Had that exact discussion with my son and daughter over the years. You loved X for what they were at the time you met them, so if you change them to what you want, are they still going to be that person you loved, NO. Accept them as they are, leave them alone. And if it all fits easy, it will work just fine, but you can not recut the piece of the giant puzzle that is a human, to make it fit.
Ed

[Mad_Jack]

I'll be 66 this coming April. My son lets me use his quad if I need it. I'm a member of the Rangers of the Ohio Company. It's a historical reenacting group from Washington PA. I hunted this year with some of the guys, 59-68, in the early doe only ML season using our flinters. We take our time and check on each other. My wife likes that. She dislikes my going out alone, just like other wives. But she was glad I got my buck the second tuesday of regular season....by myself. Big deer, messed up rack, meat tastes great. I think that regardless of your age, you need to be intellegent about how we hunt. If your breathing heavy and the heart starts thumping, STOP, rest and when your calmed, restart. Be smart. Do your Dr appointments and be smart. If you doubt your ability to go out hunting, remember the good times. Don't fret it; find a new hobby and create new times and memories.

[skeet]

In the latter part of November I had a bout of Atrial Fib. Not the worst heart problem but not good. Spent a few days in the hospital and got straightened out. Heck all my life I have had low B/P and pulse..thunk I was good to go. Now I find out AFib is endemic with low pulse and B/P. Luckily I didn't have to have a pacemaker put in..but the big thing is.. Doc said no hunting up high..I hunt elk at 10,000 ft or so..so the elk hunting was nixed this year....till after Jan 1st..but we had lots of snow up there..we all said to heck with it. Sucks..but with no more problems I can go next year.. I hunt with 3 other guys. We never go too far from each other. I am the young'un at 65 so as MJ said..hunt with friends and keep a check on them. As far as the deer..heck I'll sit out thee in my camo bathrobe with a camo coffee cup and my camo ...naw no camo gun..and shoot one out of the winder at the breakfast nook!!

[Mad_Jack]

Skeet,
Like I said, I'm 65 soon 66. I had a quad bi-pass on Jan. 6, 2012. I was told the best exercise was walking. I could hunt when I could walk without much straining, but to "BE SMART ABOUT IT". Ones physical and mental condition should be the guage. I'm not sure of the year, but back in about 1985, my sons' classmate lost his father do to a massive coronary. The son was with his father and they got up after the alarm didn't ring off. His dad was trying to run up the mountainside pulling himself up using smaller trees, telling the son to "Come on hurry, we need to get up here before the shooting starts". Those were the last words the son heard as he saw his father let out a loud groan, stretch up high, dropped his rifle and fell over backwards wide eyed and not breathing. The son was a Jr perimedic with his local fire rescue company but that was no help. His deceased father was a 6'4" power of a man, construction heavy equipment operator. And, he was a perimedic. His son acknowledges that the father should have known better at age 37.
So, everyone should take heed. Take your time, if winded or your heart beat seems to be a little fast, stop and rest. The deer that passes behind your trail is unknown to you. I.ve shot a few watching the backtrail while standing on rest. BE SAFE!!! and SMART!!!

[VaRedneck]

Well....not much I can put out there that ain't been already said. But here goes...

I just turned 50..been feelin the aches and pains becoming more regular....drugs only do so much. Heart still good...eyes slowly going. Thought about this topic while in the stand on more than one occasion. Here's my decision.

I will still hunt....
-while I can still hit what I aim at
-while I can still drag them out by myself, with or w/o mechanical help
-while I can still stay awake

When I can't do any of the three, I'll put the camo away and take down the stands.

...prolly get back into fishing after that.

[Hoyt]

I'm 66, been hunt n' something ever since I could walk good. Hunt alone, a long ways from a road and up steep ridges, behind my house on National Forest now days. Haven't seen another human back in the areas I hunt in the 6yrs I've hunted it.

Had my first serious health problems 25yrs ago with heart by-pass surgery, then, 4 angio plasties..balloons, major knee and back surgery, another 5 by-pass heart surgery in 2001...cost me 6wks of gun season and all the by-passes blocked back up before I finished deer season out. Had to sign a waiver from my cardiologist for refusing to go back in hospital before deer season ended.

Soon as it was over I went back in and started on heart stents. He said I'd have to have up to 13 as needed. Got number 7 this August had my appendix removed two wks later and since had two minor strokes, two minor heart attacks, a stent put in carotid artery in throat, a hernia I'm seeing a surgeon for the 24th of this month to see if he will operate with me on blood thinners..lots won't and I can't get off of them and stay alive.

Packed two bucks out from over a mile, up and down ridges this season I killed with my recurves...so I would say I have really been blessed. Wasn't all that long ago when heart problems put many men on the couch for the rest of their lives and open-heart by-pass surgery survival odds weren't very good.

I've had heart attack alone deep in the woods, made many slow, scary walks out when I'd have to just lay down in a damp creek bed or mud hole to try and cool off and get myself together to get out or keep moving to stay warm. But, I don't know how not to hunt and don't have any plans to try and learn.

[Dan Morris]

Lessee....during deer/elk hunt this year, I'll turn 73...group that I hunt with knows my body has been donated to a med school....800 number is in my pocket.....just hope I remember that when the moment comes!!!! Mean while.....enjoy the trip n hunt. By the grace of God, I've been blessed with good health...still doing my walks and weights daily...have the usual breaks and scars from a very active life!
Dan