Bow hunting Elk alone in your 60s
Elk
What do you think about elk hunting alone in your 60s ?
I do it all the time. The compromise I made with my son is that I have a Garmin Inreach mini in case I break my leg in the woods....which I did in 2018.
Will do it again this year.
Ok Wapiti Bob what state do you hunt in and what kind of terrain
Hunting elk alone isn't the problem, probably easier to kill one hunting by yourself. Killing them where you can pack out before the meat spoils is what you plan for. Make a plan and go shoot one!!
Bad karma how did you break your leg and how far in were you?
I've done it a couple of times. I was lucky enough to have an outfitter camped down the road from me who helped me get my last bull out.
My dad is closing in on 70 and still hunts elk alone at times. He logged for over 40 years so there aren't too many places he wouldn't go for a long time. He is more selective about where he goes now but I have no doubt if he were to shoot one in the morning he would get it out alone before dark if needed.
I’m just a pup compared to Paul, but I’m staring 70 in the face and I hunt solo every year. The hunting part’s easy, it’s the packing out that’s getting pretty darn sucky.
Bow hunting elk in your 60s is great. I’m 71, and hunted elk the past two years and will again this September 15-20. Go and have fun. Pretty soon you’ll be 70 then 80.
Been doing it for 8 years. Just like hunting alone in my 50s, except slower, and I hunt a little closer to roads now.
I am 73 and maybe going this fall if my group gets together!!!!!!
If I had a whiskey I would raise a toast to the over sixty guys who still hunt in the mountains, alone or not !
74 here. Been huntin elk for 50+. Rather hunt alone. Have good friends to help pack. Inreach is a must. Go hunt. U turn around and life is gone.
I'll let you know...just turned 60 back in November...and the majority of my elk hunts are solo.
I am in my 60's and elk hunt alone in Wyoming, Idaho, and Utah every year. I usually backpack a camp into Wyoming and Idaho, but camp at the road in Utah. I do have a NV elk tag this year, rifle, and will hunt that tag alone as well.
Yes, the packing out can be difficult, but still manageable within about 5 miles of the truck. I have given up going much deeper than that without help, but there is still plenty of country to hunt. Rarely do I have much help packing out the meat, but I wouldn't object! It does mean I need a bit more rest once everything is back out, and I wimper a bit the first night, but the pain does subside. Just go and do it. Bill
I'll be 70 at the start of the WY bow season. I will be base camping with a friend but packing oil solo for a few days at a time. I will have a In tech or similar product this year for the first time.
Alone?? Ok once in a while, when all the woolies are rented out. Without human companions? Virtually all the time. The golden being somewhere in the middle I guess, she's disabled so cant pack her own weight but gives me something to spoon with.
IT'S HARDER TO FIND A HUNTING PARTNER THAN A SPOUSE, THERE IS JUST AS MUCH TO FIGHT OVER BUT NO MAKE-UP SEX... (especially after 60 as I aint packing in no viagra)
I stole that but it is funny.
Not a problem. If you have stayed in good shape, it’s non consequential.
I think that bowhunting elk alone in your 60's is very doable as evidenced by those hardcore bowsiters above. I am going elk bowhunting this year but not alone as I am way past my 60's. I will have help because there are just too many things that can go wrong especially if you have one down. The reality is that elk hunting is hard work and an old body can only be pushed so hard until something goes awry. However by getting some youthful help, using "In Reach", not going as deep, and taking it slow I think you can continue for many years past your 60's by trying to stay healthy as possible and with a little luck.
Elk whisperer, stress fracture in my right knee tibial plateau. The longer I sat, at a waterhole, the stiffer and harder it got. I was about a mile and a half in, and the walk back, largely uphill except for the first quarter mile, was about as much fun as you'd suspect.
Oregon, easy terrain but behind gates. I ride my bike 30 miles/day avg when hunting there.
Wyoming, fairly easy with hills and coulees. Packed my elk out by myself last year in 2 trips ( don’t do that).
Never give it a second thought.
I turn 73 this year, still hunt the same rough stuff every year. The majority of time I am alone. I think I hunt better now because I slowed down my pace. But I am very lucky as I am still in good shape, walk,swim, and still can work. Elk hunting is two weeks out of the year, the other fifty weeks I get ready to go.
I think there are very few on bowsite under 60 ;) That why I like it here I fill young!
You have my respect if you do. I pulled a couple bulls out by myself in my late 30's and thought I was gonna die on the first one. The second one, I boned out and took him a mile and a half down the mountain in one trip in meat and feed sacks on a $40 pelican sled from Walmart. Thank God for a burn with no oakbrush and a good snow.
I'm 70 now and often hunt alone. I hunted 17 days solo 3 years ago in northwest Colorado before killing a bull. 3.7 miles in I got it quartered and one hind quarter out, then called the cavalry. I will probably stay a little closer to roads now, but plan to keep going as long as I can.
Turn 60 in August, ask me after Sept! ;-)
I do it year in /year out for many years. I'm 68 now.
Wyoming, Utah and Az. for elk.
Good luck, Robb
I'm 66 and hunt 6 weeks out west packed out my elk solo the last 2 years, the closer to the truck the better!!
I'm also 66 and am elk hunting alone for the 4th year in a row...really like solo hunting!
Hunt uphill from your vehicle. Never downhill.
Check out the “Packout” bags.
I responded above as being 71 and going to hunt elk again this fall, after doing so the last two falls. One more comment, where you hunt elk makes a great difference. Packing in on very steep slopes and then packing meat out is one end of the spectrum. The other end is hunting non pressured elk on private land that may have some relatively flat areas and easy hunting. Ive done both, but am doing the easier route these days, private and not real steep.
"Hunt uphill from your vehicle. Never downhill." Amen, sir! That's rule #1 for me at age 67.
“Hunt uphill from your vehicle. Never downhill.”
Except when the elk are downhill from your vehicle. ;-)
14 Days solo last year (I had just turned 60). Always an adventure, and a spiritual renewal for me.
Hoping I can continue, for another 20 years or more, like Paul@thefort ;^)
I'm not yet 60 but I don't see a problem with it, as long as you're in shape. Also should try to tread a little lighter in general. People get old, so do bones, tendons and ligaments.
I’m 61 and hunt elk solo most of the time. Just stay in decent shape and know your limitation’s.
Do those pack bags work well? Always wanted to try them, but hard to get feedback.
Charlie, the design of the pack out bag makes sense if there’s more than one person, but my question is…if you’re solo, how do you lift it loaded with a hind quarter up and over your head? Then how do you load another quarter in the front pouch once it’s on?
It's very doable, no question there as many of us here do this every year. I would think for myself it all falls on my physical conditioning. When this is in order it builds confidence in my all around abilities to face nearly any situation including packing meat.
I feel at 67 I wouldn't back out of an elk hunt too easily, certainly wouldn't allow a # to be my deciding factor. Good Luck!
ElkNut
With those Pack out bags...all the weight is on your shoulders...no thanks. Use a quality backpack and get most of the weight on your hip belt.
Yep, at 81, last year's bull solo hunting in the Wilderness Area at10,200ft. Been solo hunting for years. Hiked up 1100 ft to mt camp. Can you, do you want to, are you prepared to do it mentally and physically? Do you have the skills and the temperament to hunt alone for up to 2 weeks solo? Only you can answer those questions. I did use a packer to get the bagged meat down. Also a Spot Messenger 3 to communicate home. Find a water source. Prepping is a life style and starts long before the season.
You guys definitely inspire me to keep push and training to keep elk hunting. Harder to draw a tag then put in the work. LOL.
Just remember, mountain lions will take the old and sick first!
Damn. Still want'a be Paul when I grow up........
Age is just a number. But then again, so is 200 lbs of meat....... a different number.
Mostly what I've noticed is it's become a year round deal, this "getting in shape" thing. The farther you let things go downhill the harder it gets to push it back up. Starting anytime is better than not..... but be aware starting to get in elk shape a few weeks out like when younger is likely fooling yourself. And that's if you don't have any other health conditions or issues to deal with.
I'm mid 60's and will more than likely be hunting a wilderness solo this year.
I've done it before many times....but packing a dead elk solo many miles on my back isn't as easy as it was in the past.
Have any of you guys used rental horses and walked them in with a packsaddle?
I've done that many times with different buddies horses and mules...but never the rental horses.
Unlike the old saying…I treat my rented mules like they are at a spa on my trips. Super easy to take care of, they eat anything in the mountains. Fairly even temperament, but they all have their quirks and personality. Make sure u ask the rentee for this when you rent. Lots of books and you tube info on mule skinning.
A few extra 2x daily chores in camp but well worth it once you downed an animal.
I'm of the opinion that only experienced horsemen should take horses, especially rented horses, into the backcountry to hunt. I've witnessed some impressive rodeos at a trailhead. We also had a injured stray mule come into camp with a single elk quarter on it's back.
I'm not experienced with horses and too old to start.
70 around the corner and still hunting solo but no more then 5 miles in unit i hunt.
Llamas…Pack type! I’ve listened to to much Elk101….Lol
I outlived my Llama Pack String........I miss 'em.
Good luck, Robb
I'll be 65 this year. Last summer will keeping in shape I noticed some knee pain. Couple weeks later a torn miniscus. Had the surgery, feeling good after a month and a half. Then more bad pain. I apparently have soft cartilage. February had a total knee replacement. Put on weight last year because I couldn't walk like I normally do. Trying to work it off and it's slow going with the knee. Always wondered what would happen if I had torn the miniscus out hunting??? Would have been a long trek back to camp. Makes me think a little bit more about going it alone. I watch my son bounce up and down the trails and think if only I could do that... Golden years??? They lied!!! That happened when we were in our 20's
Fractured 2 metatarsals about 6 weeks ago while cutting brush, just got the cast off last Thursday (talked the MD into letting me wear my hunting boots instead of a walking shoe).
I have been unable to do my regular treadmill workout with the pack on, so I have substituted it with a HIT type workout, along with core and upper body stuff. Extreme dieting so I do not gain weight.
I will be on the mountain somewhere come September, unless they cut my leg off, lol !
I'll turn 62 this year during elk season and I hunt mostly solo. I've packed out several solo, just have to take slightly smaller loads and make more trips these days. Being retired, time isn't as much of an issue.
I told myself I was going to do a solo elk hunt after I retire. I don't know if I will, but I'll be 61 when I retire. If I'm in similar shape as I am now, I won't hesitate.
In this town, you must be tuff tuff tuff tuff tuff tuff tuff!
Jeff, stop kicking the dog! Lol…Glad the cast is off!
Damn Jeff!!!
Heal up smart and listen to the Dr.,
Robb
Jeff, how did it happen cutting brush?
ElkNut
"Jeff, how did it happen cutting brush"?
Paul, wish I knew!
I was pulling a big manzanita I had down, out from some trees it had grown into. Rock behind my foot, I tripped over it, did some kind of dance, and apparently rolled my foot just right. Tried to walk it out...not happening!
In retrospect, it was my fault. I had some crappy oversized boots I had bought for my sock waders, decided to wear them instead of my hunting boots, because I didn't want them to get sawdust/chain oil all over them. Stoopid !
Took me 61 years to break a bone, and I wasn't even trying :^/
You guys are an inspiration, I am now very close to 60 and have often wondered how much longer I can hunt. Seeing your posts I am not going to worry about it for a decade. Started hunting with Llamas 8 years ago and they allowed for me to keep hunting in the backcountry and not worry about the pack-out.
Jeff wow! Weird deal for sure. Who'd think boots could get in the way as that, bummer! I have no doubt you'll overcome it & be hunting this Sept! Good Luck!
ElkNut
elkmtgear please understand that there are some of us that are traumatized by x-rays on this site.
Not so much ‘tuff’…In shape and hunt smarter helps! ;-)
I'm retiring before then... ;-)
Bummer, Jeff. I broke three of them once in a rock climbing fall. Was in a walking cast for about 6 weeks, and then good to go. But sometimes I would step on it funny, like on a rock, and it would hurt. Nothing that would stop somebody like you from hunting, just some discomfort. You'll be fine by fall.
Chris, be careful, or I'll post my xray again and frighten the newbies!
I shattered my ankle about 10yrs ago hiking the hills here with an 80# pack of rocks- my foot was like a dead fish swinging around on the end of my leg. That xray is hard to look at…..
Don’t you think it's better to break a bone than tear ligaments? Bones usually heal pretty quick.
.
I fractured the talus in my left ankle about 25 years ago in a racing go-cart accident (not a toy, the kind you race on a clay oval track and go over 60mph). My foot was pointing 90 degrees to the left of my leg. The talus is the inner bone where everything pivots, flexes and swivels. I had surgery and a 3" hollow core titanium screw inserted to reattach the lower portion of the talus. I was told there was a good chance blood flow would not return to the portion that broke off and my ankle would have to be fused. Fortunately it healed and blood flow returned. It was a long painful recovery and I eventually had to have the screw removed because it was interfering with the joint and causing excruciating pain. My side to side range of motion (used in side-hilling) is reduced to less than 50% and there are many days in the mountains where I feel it on nearly every step. I regret that go-cart accident on every elk hunt.
Also, when I was in early 20's a tree stand broke and I fell and broke 3 metatarsals in my left foot similar to elkmtngear's, had surgery and got a pin inserted.
Prior to that when I was a little kid, my friends and I were messing around where we shouldn't have been, flipping over manhole covers and shooting at sewer rats with our slingshots. We found a huge manhole cover that was too much for us to handle and ended up dropping it on my left big toe shattering it into 24 pieces. After multiple X-rays and attempts at putting the pieces back together my toe doesn't really bend very much and it's a little misshapen with some boney lumps on the bottom.
Considering these 3 injuries, I'm probably lucky I can even walk, let alone hunt elk in the mountains.
I became disabled in feb 25th 2021. I lost all strenght in my quads. All i could think of was no elk hunting for me so got at it with PT and weights. When the 2021 season came I said screw it and took the Land over on the Wa side above lake Priest idaho. Using my can I went down a jeep trail about 100 yards the using my cane another jusy going through the motions. Yep a bull a nd few cows came through so I shot the bull. (What to do) drove out and called my son who is attending WAZU. Get your Frat buddies , pick up saws kives and so on. I will stop and pick up some beer. About eight guys showed up. Had that elk outa there in several hours. I kept the tenderloain they took the rest back to frat kitchen. My son told me it was gone in a week.
Well, unlike most of you guys, my story is a bit different... Unlike most of you guys, I grew up and still live in Eastern Pa. It was not until I turned 43 that I did my first guided elk hunt, mainly to pick the guides brain and learn first hand the way of the wapiti. I was immediately hooked and started applying for points and hunting solo. Turning 60 this year, training and physical ability are not the limiting factors for me. With a week to go before the Wyoming draw, I withdrew my application. You see, it's about 2000 miles door to trailhead to my area in Western Wyoming. At 7 dollars a gallon min. for diesel it became unaffordable. Also, in my younger years the two day solo drive was not really a problem. Now it is one of the toughest parts of the whole trip. Pushing it, it takes 14 days to do a 10 day hunt. Also I live at about 600 feet elevation so the altitude gets tougher every year. My wife has always been uncomfortable with me doing this because of my safety both in traveling and hunting My desire is still there, so we'll see. Just wish I started doing this earlier in life...
Well, unlike most of you guys, my story is a bit different... Unlike most of you guys, I grew up and still live in Eastern Pa. It was not until I turned 43 that I did my first guided elk hunt, mainly to pick the guides brain and learn first hand the way of the wapiti. I was immediately hooked and started applying for points and hunting solo. Turning 60 this year, training and physical ability are not the limiting factors for me. With a week to go before the Wyoming draw, I withdrew my application. You see, it's about 2000 miles door to trailhead to my area in Western Wyoming. At 7 dollars a gallon min. for diesel it became unaffordable. Also, in my younger years the two day solo drive was not really a problem. Now it is one of the toughest parts of the whole trip. Pushing it, it takes 14 days to do a 10 day hunt. Also I live at about 600 feet elevation so the altitude gets tougher every year. My wife has always been uncomfortable with me doing this because of my safety both in traveling and hunting My desire is still there, so we'll see. Just wish I started doing this earlier in life...
Im hunting a big wilderness area this year so I’m probably going to use the Norseman strategy. I have the packsaddles I bought for a buddy that I can use.
I will just tow one animal around with a fairly light camp; my 12’ dia tipi-5#, light cot, stove then backpack type stuff. Thats a little over one pannier and pretty light. I will probably bring a med cooler as those fit nicely in the panniers but no cases of beer or anything like that. On second thought, it would be nice to have a dedicated “drink mule” with a cooler on each side then I could choose between beer, wine or Whiskey. Grin
Going light I can packup and move as needed quickly without much camp setup…. and if I get something down way back, its 2 trips maximum out.
The big question, do I bring the Compound…..
love the "drink mule" idea... LOL
I’ll be solo bighorn sheep hunting at 60 this year. 10-13k elevation. Then right into elk season. Never gave it a second thought.
Matt
Age slows things up at times. But maybe slower hunts better at times too. I've been told slower often means longer and longer was a good thing.....
Have a Norwegian friend who likes to say (in full Norwegian drawl....) "Sometimes I last two minutes..... and sometimes I'm really fast....."
Hunted solo all through my 60s and now half way thru my 70s and plan to keep doing it. Definitely hunt slower and probably smarter. Like others, I think slower is often better. And I allow myself more time for everything. I can remember when I was a hard charging bull of the woods and that was fun too. Still pack elk quarters. Knees starting to feel it but that's part of the whole deal. So yes, I recommend hunting as long as you can if it's still fun. Oh, and when I'm not bowhunting elk I'm guiding archery and rifle elk hunters. Those younger guys pay attention. Guided an 80 yr old last year and he's coming back for more this year. Told him I felt like I was running an adult day care for him and he loved the BS!
I’m a year and a half short of 60 but still hunt solo much of the time. I’m also fortunate to have friends I can contact and have a packing crew within 24 hours.
My next birthday has two sixes in it. I know my life is finite. If I were to die elk hunting miles in on foot, well, that beats the crap out of dying in a nursing home.
Amen, Kevin. I pray I’ll die on a mountain with a bow in my hand, instead of while my diaper is being changed
Matt
I’ll let you know in 9 yrs. I’m only 61 so this will only be the 2nd yr into the 60s. so can’t say yet. Hope I’m as lucky as some of the more senior guys here.
