For The Old Timers
Wisconsin
For the old timers, the guys in their sixties and seventies. You have been bowhunting for a while now and you are aging. What effect is age having, and how do you handle it?
I'll start with just this. My balance is not what it used to be. I use a walking stick now every time I leave the cabin and have become much more safety conscious in my tree stand. I am seriously considering increasing the use of ground blinds. Then there is the stamina issue. Even tho I walk at the mall 3-4 times per week I find it takes me longer to get out to stand and the hills seem a lot higher & steeper. I think improved conditioning is the answer, but at 72 improvement is a challenge. I sure don't want to quit bowhunting, or go to a X-bow. But I will say this, there comes a time when you realize life does not give as much and begins to take more. As a bowhunter, how are you dealing with aging?
Casekiska - I've never thought of myself as an old timer (67 yr's old now), unless my wife says to me, "Start acting your age", but realization has somewhat set in this past year. My shoulders are shot and haven't bow hunted in two years although recently I've been rehabbing my shoulders and two weeks ago I was able to pull my bow again. Getting fired up about the possibility of bowhunting again. My knees are now getting bad, as every time I go to get up they are stiff and crack, but once I get going I go. I love walking and scouting for what ever. I still put ladders stands up for bear hunters, run baits, do some trapping and snowshoeing but the hills are starting to take a toll. I know I always do more than I should, and I should slow down but if I do that, I'm finished. I'm not one for sitting around the house. Probably my up bringing from my g'father of being a worker. The one thing I've really noticed more this year is where does the time go in day, it just seems to fly by. Question on splitting wood, why were those fifty pound chunks of oak five years ago now weigh well over a hundred today? lol
I am fighting it@58. I play 5 hours of tennis everyweek and backpack 100 miles over 10k feet every year but the hip knees are wearing out.
Bill I am 74 and the last year things started coming home to roost. Sheep and goats are pretty safe these days its mainly deer now. I hunted California Blacktails last summer and whitetails here still chasing muskies in Canada 3 weeks last year.I had new knee last spring and ended up with a Staff infection and I am still working. See you at the meeting in a few weeks.
Should have been still working on the staff infection
63 and knees are bad. I had one scoped but it is worse now so will likely get more work done. Up until a few years ago I rode bike 200-300 miles a week in the summer although that dropped off with work at times. I skied at least 100 kilometers a week but that is not happening now. I don't shoot recurve much anymore with some shoulder issues even though the therapist helped big time with those. Sleep less so getting up early to hunt is not a problem though. Put on too many pounds so along with the bad knees the long walks and drags in the woods are fewer.
We young guys might not be commenting but just want you old rusties to know we're listening.
Hi Tweed - "old rusties" - Ha Ha! I like that! P.S., good photo choice too!
Well in my opinion, unless your dealt with a serious injury or illness, it depends on how bad you want it...... I will soon be 67, and my downfall is my occasional bourbon, h aha
smokey my right knee in 2011 I could not walk on,,,,, two doctors told me to have it cut, and they will put gel in it,,,,,, than a young doctor who just got out on his own as a surgeon, asked me, tell me what you eat for breakfast??????? after I told him, he changed my life........ he said get rid of cereal, it is all junk, get rid of milk, at your age not needed, 8 eggs in you a week, get rid of the wheat, and juice every day.... no need to cut anything at this time, your inflaming your knee on what you eat,,,,,,, he prescribed flax seed, chia see, water, two fruits, low sugar ones, and spinach, and get it down twice a day,,,,, than he said see me in 90 days,,,,,,, well he was right,,,,,,
I get off my ass, I hit the gym, or for me the Y, 4 days a week, I swim a ton, and do a lot of weights, and yoga and stretch, in the water,,,,, (military fit . com) besides light weights and machines........
My motivation, is simply, I love to hunt, the burn in my belly is there, as much as it always has been,,,,,, I might drop next week, but I will continue to do what I can, to pull that bow and hunt.....
I also thank God every night, for seeing another day
another tip he gave me,,,, get off the beef, which I did,,,, get off all deli meat which I did....... eat all the wild game you can, and very little beef,,,,, your joints will thank you,,,,,, it has worked for me,,,,, he said this, because of my age, and where I am going one other tip, was NEVER STOP MOVING
"NEVER STOP MOVING" is spot on. My grandpa is 84 yrs old and you'd never know he was a day over 60. It's all because he continues to keep himself busy. He's retired and has no hobbies but with my uncle owning a couple businesses and rentals and him doing the paint/material pickup/delivery for my business in the warmer months he's still as busy as if he was actually working. He swears that's what keeps him healthy so we just keep putting him to work. I have to cut the grass on his hill and clean the gutters on his house but he can still do everything else. And..... I have never heard him complain. Not even one time in my 34 yr life. Keep busy old timers, it will keep you young.
Best advice Cd. Plenty of time to rest when im dead.
I now shoot at 45 lbs with my Mathews . With the new bows & arrows 45 lbs blows a hole thru a deer at 40 yards . I know 8 guys that use Crossbows because of " shoulder issues " . All 8 of them are full of crap. Almost anyone can draw back todays compound bows . Feet don't move as fast as they used to . No more treestands. But that has actually made hunting more exciting . All my spots are mapped & labeled & the wife knows what spot I'll be at in case I don't show up . Hi intensity flashlight , handgun & GPS are now mandatory.
Well, I shoot a recurve without sights and my distance vision was going, which limited my effective range, so I got Lasik and that fixed that problem. Now, lately I've been dealing with a very sore shoulder (rotator cuff issue?) that hurts like hell certain days. I've been putting off the doctor but if something don't get better by fall I know it's going to become my next "old fart" issue. Other than that the only problem I have is heat loss due to going bald!!
At 62 I'm planning on going Solo elk again in 2018. I bike 10-12 miles a day in the spring /summer. At work I walk about 15,000 steps a day, so I guess I'm fairly active. Yes, shoulders and 1 knee hurts but mostly its mind over matter. I definitely am more cautious, all stands have lifelines attached to them I generally let 1 or 2 people know which stand I will be in for the day. If that doesn't work, anyone watching my live thread should know where I'm at.. I'm still shooting 65# with my Bowtech Insanity, not that I need that much poundage but because I believe in retaining my muscles as long as I can. I will turn it down when I need to. Yes, 50# pieces of firewood seem like 100#. Getting a (smart) Insulin pump in April. No more needle pokes 6 times a day!
I like what Ruger says, but I do not carry a handgun, more weight I do not need, but maybe I should,,,,, South Farm get that rotator cuff done, and do it now,,,, my wife is just now back, at 90%, and that is it,,,,, she had her done last May,,,, long haul, lots of exercise program I had to do for her, plus therapy twice a week,,,,, its a long process, but she had a doctor, who does the Brewer shoulders, so she was in good hands...
My down fall, is being places where no one knows where I am at,,,,, for me, its impossible to say where I am going to be, I can not hunt like that, because I might decide to look over the next hill..... My daughter is going to get me a SPOT,,,,, the MI State Police said, that they will know exactly where I am at,,,,,,, I should learn how to use a GPS, still a compass guy, and even this year still got lost, at least for a little while ha ha
However, I am very cautious, never in a hurry, take my time, and have a good medical kit with me at all times, and I know how to use it.......
around my neck is a 911 card,,,, If I am not responsive, no responder is going to be able to ask me anything,,,, It is laminated, and has on it, my name, emergency contact numbers, blood type, medications, and what I am allergic too,,,, good thing to have
Southfarm, get that shoulder checked out. If it is rotator cuff the longer you wait could mean reduced benefit of surgery and therapy.
A friend tore a muscle in his rotator cuff at work. Workman's comp would not agree to the surgery until after this, that, and the next thing. When they finally agreed to pay for the surgery the doctor said it was too late for him to fix it. Same with me, I was being told it was not rotator cuff by a doctor and chiropractor. Wasn't till I ended up in the hospital for another issue that the doctor diagnosed it by just looking at my shoulder from 5 feet away. Surgery helped but not like it could have if done earlier.
My backs a mess . My shoulder's are a mess . My joint's suck , eye sight is worse every year. Ankle's suck . But besides that I'm doing good . Can still shoot a bow damn good and Depends free .
Turning 65 pretty soon. Remember going from single vision glasses to bifocals. First time in a tree stand after that was weird. I was use to looking through the bottom of my glasses when I looked down. Not it was all blurry. Had to learn to point my nose at what I was looking at.
Up to this point I have been in pretty good shape for the shape that I'm in. Didn't bowhunt this last fall because of a shoulder. Physical therapy didn't fix it. Will probably have to take that to the next step. Have a nice Mathews 64# bow that is missing me. A year in the life can make a big difference. I really want to go back to my bow but may have to go to a lower poundage like Ruger said.
Oh and I forgot. Lyme disease a few times as well as other tick borne illness gave me on going issues. One they will not say is related to Lyme but I believe it is. Some heart issues; one medical staff diagnosed as SVT. So far not able to treat but tons of Doctors and uncomfortable times. With that I just try to stay active and not worry. Trust in the Lord.
I started to consistantly carry a handgun after an accident 2 years ago . I was walking back from a stand 600 yards from the Jeep when I tripped over a log & fell flat in a foot of water with rocks and branches . I layed there for several minutes with sharp pains in my ribs before I slowly got up & walked to the Jeep soaking wet in 15 degree water .
I often wondered how I would of handled laying there unarmed for 1/2 the nite .
Probably should have been, "...15 degree weather." A small error, no big deal. We all get our words or thoughts mixed up sometimes.
Well, I'm 64 and generally hurt from the hair down :^).
Had my left knee replaced and the right's pretty gimpy too. No biggie. Yeah, keep moving. I'm still welding and working 10 hour days.
I play golf at least 3 times a week and shoot traditional archery...now shooting 53lb.
While you do slow down a bit, age is just a number. Keep busy...keep moving...do the things you love...live life.
