I hope it's nothing serious

[white eagle]

Question.
Has you desire to hunt ever lessened
I find as I am getting older my desire to hunt is not what it was just a couple years ago.
Just wondering if happened to any of you older fellas and gals or if it's just me
I know my father had the same happen at some point

 

[Smyrnagc]

The desire to always shoot something has declined but being out in nature and away from the hustle of life hasn't. Actually, it doesn't bother me if I don't see anything worth shooting, just to be still and quite and to observe nature seems to recharge me.

 

[Fyrstyk]

For me it is just the opposite. Now that I am retired, I find I finally have the time to spend in the woods that I always wished I had. My desire to hunt is even greater cause I know I can.

 

[ENCORE50A]

58yrs of hard hunting, only twice have I not hunted. When the wife was injured a couple years back, and this year. We have all the meat we need, so I took it off.

 

[snapbang]

Encore. Maybe donate to a food bank or take a kid hunting.

 

[RobRed]

Take this season off, not a big deal.

Maybe find a new way to hunt to get the juices flowing again. Or get more into something else like fishing.

Keep life fun

 

[hockeyref]

Gotta say yea. The weather keeps me home a lot more these days and I admit to passing up shots cuz I didn’t want to have to deal with getting them out of the woods.

My Dad’s gone 26 years now, brother quit hunting before dad passed, oldest daughter doesn’t go out anymore cuz she spends all of her time with her boyfriend and he’s into cars n snowmobiles - she tried, he’s not a hunter or shooter. My lifelong bud and hunting parter died of lung cancer during the wuhan lockdown. He was Diagnosed right before the lockdown, his cancer was inoperable, small cell aggressive something or other. He fought it for 11 months but knew going in that it was terminal….. never got to say goodbye and in the end he refused calls and visitors (hospice at home).

At 58 I am too old to find a new hunting partner and think hard every year before dropping $50+ on a license and tags. Anymore, I probably go out more to be alone in nature than anything…..

Heck, even my range time is solitary any more and I have thoughts of cleaning out a lot of the stuff in the reloading room and gunsafe that my girls won’t/cannot use just to save the hassle of them trying to dispose of it later.

 

[bronko220002]

When I was a young buck you couldn't stop me from hunting no matter the weather. From the time I was 16 to now at 70 there has only been 3 or 4 years that I didn't harvest at least one deer. But thes days, maybe the past 5 years I go when I feel like it. If its raining or windy I'll stay in bed. Heck most of the time I stay in bed and hunt the evenings. I still like being out in the woods and I've taken more than my share of deer so that's no big deal. I enjoy watching the squirrels, turkey, birds and other critters go thru their normal routine not knowing I'm there.
Yeah, my "killer instinct" has dwindled which is fine.

 

[rangerod]

When I was a young buck you couldn't stop me from hunting no matter the weather. From the time I was 16 to now at 70 there has only been 3 or 4 years that I didn't harvest at least one deer. But thes days, maybe the past 5 years I go when I feel like it. If its raining or windy I'll stay in bed. Heck most of the time I stay in bed and hunt the evenings. I still like being out in the woods and I've taken more than my share of deer so that's no big deal. I enjoy watching the squirrels, turkey, birds and other critters go thru their normal routine not knowing I'm there.
Yeah, my "killer instinct" has dwindled which is fine.

I like your approach. We are the same age and I wouldn't consider a morning stand. Truth is I never much liked em when I was younger. Just not much of a morning person. There's just something about the anticipation of darkness coming that's always appealed to me. I don't even go out for turkeys until around nine. Probably ninety percent of birds I've shot have been late morning.

 

[toytruck]

I sat out this season, first in 36years. The wife health is not good and I couldn't get away. Still have a lot of steaks, burger and bologna from last year.
Like others have said at 71 I don't enjoy getting out in the cold mornings anymore. I still have the desire, but not the time for deer. I do enjoy squirrel hunting and turkey, so not giving up.
Just hoping she is better by next year.

 

[Mnt monkey]

How we hunt ,and why we hunt ,and what hunting means to us seems to be a very individual to each of us, I try not to put my template on other hunters around me whether young or old, I've hunted a lot of the season this year with a young man he reminds me a lot of myself at that age a little wild, a little outlaw he is a dog runner. If we are maturing and growing as men and hunters how can our perspective of hunting not evolve? I have over the years of hunting watched in person men who would almost sell their soul to kill a big buck by that I mean I've seen some men that had a very honest good personal ethic about them do some of the most crazy and yes Outlaw things just to take a deer or a quote trophy deer and I have to admit I was in that category as a young man probably a lot of us that read this were also. I am grateful during the process of those years I fell in love with just being out in the woods enjoying every moment of the experience.
I could at my age easily set out a season but my heart and my mind would be wondering what's in the woods when I drive down the highway during that hypothetical time I would be looking for deer in the field edges and any place that look like it should have a deer in it I will always be hunting somewhat even if I'm not ,the part of my human being and personality that has fallen in love with hunting whitetail deer and just being in the woods will always be there, I'm grateful for it I hope to get to where I can nurture that and others.

 

[Brewcrew]

Question.
Has you desire to hunt ever lessened
I find as I am getting older my desire to hunt is not what it was just a couple years ago.
Just wondering if happened to any of you older fellas and gals or if it's just me
I know my father had the same happen at some point

Yeah, that's happened to me too. I still go out once in a while. Harvesting game isn't a priority. Seeing them is good enough. A big buck might be the exception. Lol.

 

[Hausser1]

I sat out this season, first in 36years. The wife health is not good and I couldn't get away. Still have a lot of steaks, burger and bologna from last year.
Like others have said at 71 I don't enjoy getting out in the cold mornings anymore. I still have the desire, but not the time for deer. I do enjoy squirrel hunting and turkey, so not giving up.
Just hoping she is better by next year.

Here's hoping your wife makes a full and speedy recovery.

 

[toytruck]

Here's hoping your wife makes a full and speedy recovery.

Thanks, I wish it was that simple.

 

[Hausser1]

Prayers sent. I hope your holiday season improves quickly.

 

[user 30396]

Question.
Has you desire to hunt ever lessened
I find as I am getting older my desire to hunt is not what it was just a couple years ago.
Just wondering if happened to any of you older fellas and gals or if it's just me
I know my father had the same happen at some point

I’m 75 yrs old with several body parts not running smoothly like they used to even a few years ago. Fell four years ago and suffered 3 compression fractures which cause sciatica so I an unable to walk far.
When younger I loved to hunt and did so for deer, pheasant, quail, ducks, rabbits and squirrels. Still enjoy my many firearms and have a safe and a gun case full of long guns and handguns, including two BP rifles and three BP handguns. Never give them up, kids will have to deal with that.

 

[Wilyote1]

At 63, I still have the desire to hunt. Don't exactly have the desire to shoot something. I thoroughly enjoy being outside. It reminds me I am fortunate to be one of the living. Have hunted since I was 16 and only missed a few seasons. My Dad is 93 and doesn't hunt anymore. My boys are 32&40 hunt when they have time. I see them get frustrated when the deer gods don't shine on them. I reassure them that it isn't about killing, it's about spending time in the woods with mother nature. I am blessed that I passed on the hunting gene to these two. My nephews and nieces like to shoot my guns but aren't into hunting. Maybe some day. They all like eating venison when I cook it.

I have moved back in to more primitive weapons the past couple of years. Muzzleloaders being one of them. This coming year I plan on hunting with a recurve provided my shoulders agree. My biggest hurdle is I can't stay warm. I used to hunt predators in sub zero weather in deep snow. That is a distant memory now. A heated vest helps but it can't keep my feet warm. This is probably the reason I am going to take advantage of archery season since it starts Oct 1st.

It's kind of ironic for me since I spent 30 years doing habitat improvements on our place and it's really coming into its own. I spend a lot of time watching the animals through binoculars now.

 

[gman57]

At 76 I have felt all of the feelings mentioned here and it makes me feel good I still have the desire to get into woods. My buddy I hunt with is 10 years younger then me and half the gameland reservations I made for us he passed on. I likewise don’t get into the woods in the dark usually time it to when I can see where I’m headed. It is getting harder to pull the trigger and end a life. I have passed on many last couple of years, but still managed 8-10 hrs in tree watching game. Hopefully I feel this way for many more years.

 

[JIMYJAC]

I do not do as many early morning hunts as I use to. But I love to fill the freezer. Recovering from surgery I haven`t used my climber as yet. But I still enjoy the hunt. I sat in a brush blind a few nights ago. A 130+ came in within 35 yards. Stayed around 15 minutes looking for the bleating doe. I could not thread the needle. If I was in my climbing tree 15 yards away I would of tagged a trophy. Was not to be. I thanked the Lord for a successful hunt. Thanking Him for enabling me to enjoy the hunt physically and mentally. I left blessed recharged for another day. Good day.

 

[alternate]

Question.
Has you desire to hunt ever lessened
I find as I am getting older my desire to hunt is not what it was just a couple years ago.
Just wondering if happened to any of you older fellas and gals or if it's just me
I know my father had the same happen at some point

Hunting desire often is a product of who you hunt with. When I was in my 20's I had 3 close friends that hunted with me every year and all over the place.(Colorado, Ohio, Ontario, Pa. NY, CT). Then one passed, one quit, and one became a camp queen. I was the only one hunting seriously and I started losing my zeal for it. I was about ready to quit when my sons became of age and started hunting with me. This encouraged me to hunt more seriously than ever amassing a dozen trophy heads thru the years. Now I'm 75 and I find serious hunting (dark to dark, miles in the woods, tree stand on my back) nearly impossible. I still enjoy spending the week in hunting camp but freezing my ass off in a tree not so much. It may be time to become a camp queen myself and start doing half days closer to the road. I'll still shoot a trophy but I let does and small bucks walk on by because I have to interrupt my son's hunt to drag it out.