For old coots who hunts

[noodle one]

i consider myself a young old coot at 68 years young..

Tell us how old are you.

Do you hunt as much today as you did when you were younger?

I don't hunt as much as I use to ,but I think that I am a smarter hunter and use my hunting time more wisely.

Do you hunt every day?

I pick and choose the days I hunt now. When I was younger and still working, I would take the first week off and hunted come hell or high water, everyday no matter the weather, morning to dark.

Do you walk in to your stand or do you ride in ?.

I walk in to my stand and if I get luckly ,I walk out to my truck and go home and get my ATV and go back to get it., I live a half of mile from where I hunt.

What season or seasons do you hunt when deer hunting ?

I hunt with bow ,gun and ML. .

What other seasons do you hunt?

I hunt turkeys and deer only.

So if you are an old coot ,tell us about yourself.

[DTG3k]

I am 23.

Edited November 25, 2011 by DTG3k

[MuzzyLoader]

So if you are an old coot ,tell us about yourself.

How old are you.

I'm 65.

Do you hunt as much today as you did when you were younger?

No,,, my legs are close to having a 100,000 miles on them, and I don't know their shelf-life. So I take it kind of easy now.

Do you hunt every day?

Yes... for my glasses, teeth, hearing aids, etc. Oh wait- you probably mean in the woods! Not anymore - I'm one of those 'fair weather' dudes now.

Do you walk in to your stand or do you ride in ?.

I walk! And the mountain I hunt is 500' higher than the valley floor.

What season or seasons do you hunt when deer hunting ?

I LOVE Archery Hunting... gun season not so much

What other seasons do you hunt?

Summer - Swimsuit season at the lake!

I hunt turkeys too.

[fasteddie]

If members updated their profiles you wouldn't have to ask how old anyone was ......... Apparently some members don't want you to know their age .

I am 70 and I hunt more now than I did in my younger years .

[jusputtn]

How old are you.

Not old enough to even be considered an Old Coot Prospect at 47 (I intend to answer this question in the same manner well into my 80's).

Do you hunt as much today as you did when you were younger?

No,,, got young kids to raise. Things could pick up soon, my son is only about a year out from 12. He seems to be interested in hunting and I swear I've only gently nudged him toward it. My daughter's only 5 but I think she may be interested as long as her gun is pink.

Do you hunt every day?

Who could before retirement? Though I do have a friend that comes close due to a lot of shift swapping.

Do you walk in to your stand or do you ride in ?.

I walk! And the hill I hunt is 500' higher than the valley floor. Two older fella's (they sorta came grandfathered to the deed) walked that hill well into their 70's. I figured if they could do it so could me and my buddies. Now I'm really glad that everyone must walk to hunt, just makes for a better experience. Wheeler's are only used to set stands and pull out deer.

What season or seasons do you hunt when deer hunting ?

Southern zone gun season. Use to do archery, likely will again someday.

What other seasons do you hunt?

Small game gun. My favorite part of small game is that, outside of turkey, no one's figured out what to measure up for score on the critters. And everyone's happy to bag something and toss it in the stew pot.

[Single_shot]

Haha...I like this thread ya old fart. ... I say that with the upmost respect.

I'm 47,lost my dad at 65yo on 08/08/08....he was my best hunting buddy. Miss him real bad I do.I miss helping him do things,miss picking his mind just for some info on how to fix my kitchen sink.Can't believe I did'nt time out yet...just trying to type this. You old timers mean the world to me. I mean that from the depths of my heart.You have all my respect. I miss helping my Grandpa putting his shirt and what not on, on opening morning,he had " The Burcitus" in the shoulders......and years later after he had passed,Dad had RA real bad.....the swollen joints were so bad it was all he could do just to pick a rifle up. But he went on as far as he could. You old timers just keep on doing what you can,never let a young buck tell you ya can't and keep on swingin! Love you guys.

[Suilleabhain]

I'm 59 and just crossing the cusp into old coot territory. No, don't hunt as much as I used to. Just too much family stuff with kids, grandkids and family obligations. I hunt every day I get, rain, wind, snow, or froze toes, dawn 'til dusk. I walk to my stand but it's a shorter and flatter walk. I hunt regular southern, may do muzzleloader next season. Keep buying the stamp but not getting to go. But I drive 300 miles farther, does that count?

[nyslowhand]

Spend all year looking forward to turkey (gun) & bow season for deer.

Never was much of a "walker" when hunting deer, so that hasn't changed.

Yeah, walk much less for turkeys now than when I scoured Sugar Hill's 9000acres looking for them.

Gave up hunting for a few years, but have jumped right back in with both feet a few years ago.

One thing I did have to give up are those damned climbing treestands.

Still have one, but use it very seldom.

Own 60acres, so I always walk to the ladder stands during bow season.

NO more dragging deer. That's what ATVs are for!!

Only thing I find is different now that I'm in the "old coot" stage is my tolerances.

Can't tolerate sitting in the rain, high winds up in a tree and late gun/MZ season with the cold temps.

Those early morning and late day hunts, day upon day do take their toll.

Can sit for about 5-6 hours. After that I need to move or quit before rigermorteous(sp?) sets in!

Last thing that has changed is during SZ gun season, I now use my muzzleloader exclusively.

What hasn't changed is the excitement and thrill I get when I have encounters with deer.

Especially during bow season!!

[sweet old bill]

a old fart at 70 years young. I shoot the bow several times a week and go to a lot of the 3D's shoot in the area. MY shooting buddy just hit 75.... I walk to my ground blinds made out of natural material in back of the house. I just have 20+ acreas to hunt. I do no longer shoot doe's and or young bucks. I want a 6 point or more. I do find I no longer hunt as much as I did in my 20's. Maybe it was due to having only a day or two that I could hunt so I would stay out most of the day. I now walking a 1/2 hour from first light and come out in less than 3 hours and I walk in the PM at about a full 2 hours prior to dark. I have hunted over 85% of all days available so far. I saw a lot of doe's and some young bucks in the bow season and only one spike buck on opening day of gun. SO nothing down as yet. I did have a 6 point in the bow season in the first 15 minutes of first light, that when I drew on him I could see some small branches so I let down and let him walk. I have only lost one deer in 55 years of hunting and that was due to a poor shot due to a twig it hit that pushed the arrow to far back. I also have to say I I still love the sport but miss so much my past hunter buddies that passed on with cancer and also being a member of a local hunt club. It just is not fun going out there my myself. Maybe that why I like the 3D shoots so much, I get a chance to shoot with younger archers and love when a old fart can still do well. I went from shooting a 68 lb bow about 10 years ago to now the boiw is setup at 58 lbs and 29 inch draw and my traditional bow is setup at 50 lbs at 28 inch draw and my actual draw is 28 1/2. I also shoot at the house I have from when I had the archery shop a 3D setup to keep me shooting. I have 17 location and a total of 34 targets made up of deer, bear and a few turkey targets. I keep the stakes at less than 30 yards.

[Moosemaple]

Ditto on all of the above, at age 69 I still hunt and fish everyday that I can, even though I still work full time. I tried the retirement thing in 2005, that lasted about 3-weeks, (lucky me the owner of the private company that I have worked at for the last 45-years is my age, and welcomed me back with open arms.) My motives are different now then they used to be. I get more satisfaction out of watching the sun rise on a cold morning, and hunting with my grandson, and son. Last year the three of us all had our deer before 9:00 AM. I do use an ATV and ground blind, the area that we hunt in is two miles from the main road. I now realize that the hunt is much more important then the harvest of an animal.

[Pygmy]

I'm 61.... Until I was 50, I really did not see much difference ...

In the years between 50 and 60...BIG difference..

I don't hunt as much or as hard as I used to...For years I hunted spring turkeys EVERY morning ( including mornings before work) as long as I had a tag left..I also hunted deer every hour that I could during the gun season and hunted with the bow nearly every day after work during the bow season.

Besides that, I hunted squirrels, rabbits, crows, foxes ,coon, ducks ,geese, woodcock, grouse , pheasants and fall turkeys.

I haven't shot crows or foxes in years...I gave up my bow a few years back..I always preferred to hunt from a tree, and I am not as agile and sure footed as I once was. I'm getting kinda nervous about climbing trees.

I still hunt the gobblers pretty hard, but don't cover the ground I used to. I can still get to the top of the mountain, but it TAKES me longer than it used to.

During gun season for deer, I take a day off now and then, just because my body tells me to..I no longer care about big racks. I'm happy just to get a deer or two for the freezer.

I still hunt waterfowl a few days a year as well as squirrels and rabbits..

I don't hunt upland birds because I no longer have dogs..

Over a period of about 20 years, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to hunt in a number of wild and wonderful places on this continent. I've hunted Alaska, New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, Texas, Northwest Territories, Northern Quebec, New Brunswick, Newfoundaland, and several other states and provinces.

I think most of those hunts are behind me now, both for financial limitations and phyisical limitations..

[Doc]

67 years old and closing in on 68 (another month and a few days).

Sure enough I have slowed down a bunch. But then I hunt in valley country and most of my hunting is done on top of a killer hill (actually it did kill my much younger neighbor a few years back). When I feel like it, I'm not afraid to take the ATV nearly all the way up to the top and begin hunting from there, but I have climbed that thing many times by foot as well and more trips are made on foot than by motor.

What I have found is that I think a lot more about the practicalities of dragging a deer out from wherever I hunt these days when not too many years ago that thought never crossed my mind, and I always seemed to find myself hunting a ridiculous number of miles from home or transportation ..... lol. I tend to favor those areas where I can use my ATV for at least part of the drag.

I've also turned into a bit of a fair-weather hunter. I try to keep in mind that hunting is a recreational activity and undue excessive hours of torture and discomfort are not really the goal of the activity. I've paid my dues and I now expect that shivering uncontrollably with wind-whipped rain soaking through my clothes probably is not the best way to spend my day.

[NYDeere]

I am pushing 64 and feel myself slowing down.

I hunt, (alone) about 3 times a week and sometimes wonder if I shot a big buck just how would I drag it out of Cicero Swamp alone.

Most of my hunting is for deer but would like to try the wild boar hunting down near Cortland.

When younger I did a lot of rabbit hunting with a Beagle but just don't see many rabbits anymore, just the ones in my back yard.

I feel I enjoy hunting more now, life is sweeter.

[hunter49]

I thuoght some of the old coots will enjoy this :

" The Old Hunter"

When I was just ayoung man and my body

wasn't lame

I could run the woods all day to hunt most every

game.

Deer and bird and hare I've sought I've savored

every chase.

Eager to make a well placed shot and did in

many a case.

The camp fare of heart and liver was not my

biggest thrill

But to be the first one back to brag

about my skill.

It seems as time goes flitting by, erosion takes its

toll

The canyons just get deeper and higher grows

the knoll.

I sense my running days are ending and my

braggin' days near done.

I've had to slow the pace a lot and pack a lighter

gun.

But, now I've leaned the secrets of the graceful

hills and trees.

It isn't what a man hunts or stalks as much as

what he sees.

I see flowers,birds and squirrels and there's

many sounds to hear.

All tend to help me realize why I,m really

here.

It's not just the kill that counts although the fare is

great.

But to commune with mother nature before it

gets too late.

So when my huntin' days are over and my

campin' days must end,

I'll pass along my bow and gun to a young and

trusted friend.

I hope he won't be offended when I include my

sage advice.

"Go slow ! Stop ! Look and Listen ! and you'll see

it's pretty nice

To find there is so much, much more in the

woods to give a thrill

Than just the rush back into camp to tell about

your kill.

So learn to take it easy just like I should have

done.

You'll hunt a whole lot longer and have a lot

more fun" !

I found this in my fathers hunting things after he passed in April 1990, and have had it ever sense.

[grampsretired3]

Oh so true.

[GreeneHunter]

I'm a member of AARP ..... enough said !

[noodle one]

Very good, Hunting the way hunting is ment to be. Thank you.

[Geno C]

ill be 31 in a few months...

i hunt every chance i can, i find myself hunting more and more the past few years compared to say 10 years ago.

i walk in, only time i ever rode in was when i was in a club and there was alot of land. I prefer the stealth approach, slow steady and quiet. (descented of coarse!)

Archery Season is my favorite! you feel more intune and at times can offer a more challenging hunt. Its not always the case but i enjoy it.

[Gthphtm]

I am 2 years older then SOB,I bought my property where I live now simply because I love hunting and fishing.Being retired and have a little piece of property on the side of a hill that I can hunt whenever I feel like to,I have put a lot of time and effort into clearing areas and planting wildlife grasses and it seems to be paying off,I have had 8 deer hanging around on my property all hunting season (all does) letting them walk to build up the herd,the 2 bucks wandered off during the rut and never returned( most likely shot) Hope we are all here to do it again next year.

[Grizz1219]

How old are you.

Not old, but I'm 47...

Do you hunt as much today as you did when you were younger?

Hunt more now than I ever did... Kids are grown up giving me a lot more time...

Do you hunt every day?

Every day I can.... Work the rest...

Do you walk in to your stand or do you ride in ?.

I walk, can't afford a "ride".

What season or seasons do you hunt when deer hunting ?

Southern zone, archery, rifle and muzzle loader... Usually use my muzzle loader during reg. season though..

What other seasons do you hunt?

Small game, very much into turkey hunting... Trying it with the bow again this year...

[bowhunter70]

I'am 71 still hunting and fishing you could say "the old hunter" fit me go. thank you hunter49 may we all hunt forever

[twelvegaj]

I'll be 58 next season. Minds still young, body not so. Still walk to stands and this year started to use a wheelbarrow or sled to haul out deer during bow and gun season. Normally hunt on 60 acres.If hands or feet get really cold just walk around or go back to camp for an hour or two but still hunt from inside.

I also hunt turkey and duck. Duck is a little rough not much of a fan of standing in waist high 40 degree water as i used to be. Just seems to be A little harder putting on waders, carrying gear etc.But still and will enjoy as long as I can. Hunting is my life and will probably meet my maker in the woods hopefully not for another 20+ years.

[Culvercreek hunt club]

Tell us how old are you.

I will be 47 in June.

Do you hunt as much today as you did when you were younger?

I probably hunt about the same amount as when I was younger. I went through a period when my daughter was young that I really scalsed back. Now she is going to be 17 and is pretty much doing her thing and I get to hunt more now.

Do you hunt every day?

Wish I could but I still work. I am 20+ years away from hunting every day

Do you walk in to your stand or do you ride in ?.

The only time I ride is if I am trying to get from the house to my stand for a quick after work sit.

What season or seasons do you hunt when deer hunting ?

Bow SZ --ML in NZ and SZ-- Gun in NZ and SZ

.

What other seasons do you hunt?

Small game when I get the chance. Turkey and I want to get back into waterfowl hunting this year. If they switch the bow opener to Oct 1 , I probably will get out for ducks a few times.