How Has Aging Affected How You Hunt?

[Ed L.]

I'd like to say I'm a young, soon to be 62 but the truth is 38 years of sitting at a drafting board for the first 10 and sitting behind a computer for the balance of the time has taken a toll on the old body. I do feel fortunate I have not had to fight the beast my sister and brother have fought over the past yew years in the form of cancer (and have won I might add) but it is in the family so it's always in the back of my mind. Yes, I know I shouldn't be complaining since I sat in an air conditioned office and didn't have a strenuous work life like a lot of people have had but lack of movement and exercises can be just as bad. So with that in mind I don't have the stamina to trudge though the muck with a couple of bags of decoys, backpack and a gun like I once did. I don't sit all day in the blind like I used to or build blinds so big you could have a card game going in the back room while others sat out front eying the sky. I do still get up at 0:dark thirty and run the river but maybe not as fast or as far as I used to. The days of putting out 3 or 4 doz. duck decoys and 2 doz. goose decoys are done. When I wake in the morning and I hear a strong south wind puts me in the mind to go back to bed more often. I do hunt mostly alone since I've lived and worked in many parts of the country when I was younger. Now back in my home town the guys I grew up with in my youth have either given up the sport or unfortunately are no longer with us. I do love the solitude of watching the sun come up or hearing the whistle of wings overhead in the dark or hearing that crack of stick or leaves as I sit waiting for that deer to come into view or most of the time that squirrel that loves to harass me as I sit in the deer stand. I enjoy my quiet conversations with my dad (now passed since 2001 and my great uncle whom got me interested in the sports of hunting and fishing at an early age. Thankfully the duck count at the end of the morning isn't as important as in my youth as time has taken it's toll on the waterfowl numbers in our area. There are still enough to get me all fired up even now as I'm sanding and repainting yet another duck boat but I don't have to buy shells every time I go out like in days gone by. AND, this year started out well with having not one but putting two geese in the freezer already for my traditional Christmas dinner. Duck season starts on my birthday this year. Whether there are ducks hanging from my strap or not there will be a celebration!

 

[Eric Patterson]

Will hit 75 this November...Of course, having a few bionic parts-hip and shoulder help, as does shedding around 70 pounds. Enjoy your moments afield, because you never know when the whole thing will end![]

70 pounds? Really? That's a lot of weight to drop at any age but in your mid 70s must have taken incredible dedication.

I hit 51 a few weeks back and there is no question my drive is less than it once was. Public hunting is such a young man's game. Being able to tolerate lack of sleep and the physical demands pretty much dictate a youthful lot of hunters. I think I pushed myself a lot over the past 12 years in order to take Thomas, and if he had no interest I would have curtailed my days in the field years ago. Since he's capable of going on his own (actually usually with friends), I hunted less last year than ever, 6 times total. That down from 30+ days a year for over 30 years. Part of the sudden drop-off last season was the dry warm weather, issues at the hunting property, and lack of birds. But part of it was less desire to get up early and more desire to work on and in my woodshop. I doubt I'll ever hit the 30+ day a season mark again, especially now that they have changed the WMA by rules eliminating hunting Tues-Thur. I hate crowds and that's all there will be with the new rules so the change in management philosophies compounds the declining desire to hunt brought on by age.

One thing that has impacted my desire to hunt more than anything is the decline in my night vision. I can't see shit in the dark and hate fumbling around getting the boat to the destination and decoys out. So much of hunting requires being able to see pre-dawn and when that ability goes it makes you want to do other things. Head lights are wonderful but are not a replacement for youthful vision.

I honestly don't know what my desire down the road will be. I might stick with it, or I might just become one of them old farts that likes to talk about the good old days. Time will tell...

 

[R. Greco]

Knees arent feeling too good after sitting in the duckboat a few hours...Plus I almost never hunt in the rain anymore...
In fact I dont get fired up over mediocre conditions...I would rather wait for ideal conditions now or not go at all..I still love the snow especially..still enjoy that!
Last season was the first year I can honestly say the cold bothered me...got right into my bones on a particularly nasty day..
The old days (Im 55) I would have shrugged it off..
No more slogging boats across the mud flats either...I try to hunt smarter...head out on a tide and return on a tide..
Watched my first lab grow up...trained him...become a good duck dog and die...Then another....all gone...
Sometimes the memories get the best of me out there....but heck I'm still out there!

 

[ScottCK]

51 also. My big thing is I don't enjoy being out in bad weather anymore. The cold seems to get to my bones a lot faster and stay there longer. If it is raining, I would rather just stay home and use the "hall pass" on another day. I have also got the point that I will not get up at 1am to fight for a spot. I would rather sleep a little longer and only shoot a bird or two (or none). Really found that the "hunt" is more about the people I go with instead of the birds I bring home. Just like a lot of you, passing the tradition and honor of the sport to my teen aged son is really my motivation for going. It is not uncommon to just watch birds work into my handmade decoys and never pick up the gun. Some days I will just watch the decoys floating in the waves and not even look for birds in the sky. Age has just changed perspective, desires, ability, and needs. I don't mind it at all. In fact I told my wife the other day that I think I enjoy the prep work (boat work, making decoys, rigging decoys, .....) for the hunt more than the hunt.

 

[Steve Sanford]

Great thread, Larry!

I have enjoyed reading through all of the responses - and accumulated wisdom. I am 64 and - thanks to Youth Waterfowl Weekend - have just commenced my 53rd season. (Although we Old Guys don't get to shoot with the Youths, I think we all feel the 2017-18 Season has been a success.)

Although my health is generally good - despite needing to shed lots of pounds - it has not had a major effect on my gunning habits. The biggest health-related change is that my 2 artificial knees preclude much kneeling. As kneeling had always been my preferred position in a canoe or while crossing a bay in my Sneakbox under power, I have had to adopt other truly graceless positions and maneuvers.

The biggest change Age has made is my workday. Until a couple of years ago, I always viewed an average work day as 14 hours long. No longer in my 50s, I am content to spend my evenings not in the shop or up on a ladder, but in front of a fire with Susan, often with a British mystery on TV. And, since I often arise in the middle of the night - or at 4:00 AM if I "sleep in" - a nap after lunch is another concession to the life of a sexagenarian. My work day is now about 10 hours long and so less gets done in a work year....

I hunt no less than previously. I hunt virtually every day of my local seasons. The rivers in the late season exert a pull on my psyche; a biological imperative tells me I must hunt every day, especially if snow and ice abound. Once we close here, I get to Long Island 2 or 3 times each January. I still play The Guide frequently and perform at least my share of the "work" involved in pursuing ducks and geese. Thanks to this site, the interwebs in general, and a life-long collection of gunning friends, I now busy myself with waterfowling projects year-round. Having too much to do keeps one focused and moving along.

One recent change - an increase - has been the frequency of deciding to not fire the gun. I still savor the pleasures of a "memorable shot" with my Model 12 and the opportunity for a triple is always lingering in the recesses of my brain, but - when hunting solo - I more often decide to just watch the world before me, and not alter the course of events by making a loud bang and educating some unsuspecting wetland creatures. I can be content to just watch the morning unfold. This is not an entirely new practice - but one I learned from my Dad in my earliest years of gunning. Similarly, more satisfaction comes from watching others - especially the rookies and the "advanced veterans" - enjoy themselves in the marsh or on the riverbank.

With help from good friends and from myself, my Dad shot his last birds - a double on Brant - in his 85th year. At this point, I presume I will enjoy a similar denouement to my gunning career. In the meantime, it's out to the shop: decoys, boats, a new blind, a new roof rack....

Best of luck - and health - to all,

SJS

 

[RLLigman]

Naps have a significantly higher benefit to folks in our age bracket, physiologically and in terms of benefits to mental acuity, since we don't "enjoy" extended REM sleep periods that we did in our younger years. Steve, if it is any solace, I have a broken back and three herniated discs that limit how long I can stay prone at night. A one to two hour nap in the afternoon is quite refreshing...

The second half of opening day was very slow mid-afternoon, and warm, my 32 year old hunting partner teased me for falling asleep while sitting in the boat/blind!