Passing along all of my muzzleloading equipment, sadly it's time

[Muley Hunter]

Oh come on guys. I'm 68 and looking forward to my first year using black powder next year. Yall are only as old as you allow yourself to think you are. I'm in better shape now than when I was 50.

All that shows is you were in lousy shape at 50. I was still running up the mountains at 50. It takes me half the day now.

 

[brownisdown]

Hey guys,all I can say is do what you can for as long as you can.Listen to your body,I found out if I listen to my heart or head it usually ends up in some kind of pain one way or another.

 

[Muley Hunter]

I don't listen to my body. I laugh at it and keep going.

 

[michiganbowbender]

Sounds like many of us are in the same boat. Seldom was the day I wasn’t hunting something during an open season up until I retired at 62, at that point I had killed more than my fair share of deer, ducks, and assorted small game. I chose my days to hunt, and spent more time with family and friends and doing things that needed to be done.
At 68 both knees were fully replaced (the same morning) and slowed me down for a year. I can still use a climber and often do because it has been very productive for me.
Last week I wore a heart monitor for the first time and there has been talk of a pacemaker.
The final kicker for me was our special muzzleloader season only is now a thing of the past here in Michigan.
Centerfires and straightwall cartridges are now being included, pretty much making it an all inclusive season.

I have no children and the only nephew lives in Texas, has no real interest in hunting, and being young his wife, his two kids, and his job leaves little time for it even if he were to.
The desire is still there but the flame has been kindled so to say. I’ll do the things I can as long as I can on my terms.
And I ain’t dead yet, most days that is the preferred part. All the rest will come soon enough.

 

[michiganbowbender]

Semper Fi Marine

Semper Fi my brother bulldog and thank you for your service......oooh rahhh

 

[Squint]

Age isn't really a state of mind, and it takes its toll. I wasn't able to kill an antelope last fall, but I did get a turkey and one grouse. Going to be 82 in a couple of months, still enjoy hunting just don't do much of it. I gave up tree stands when I turn 78, still hunt with a bow but poorly. My main muzzleloader target is a sheet of paper, but cleanup is a snap. Still competitive shoot muzzleloaders a couple times a year and almost hold my own. Went to a percussion as my flintlock is just awful heavy. Don't give up easy guys, I still get as much enjoyment out out casting round balls, it just doesn't take long to make enough.
Squint

 

[Muley Hunter]

I'll follow your lead Squint. That will give me 4 more years.

Elk meat is too good for me to give up hunting.

 

[michiganbowbender]

Age isn't really a state of mind, and it takes its toll. I wasn't able to kill an antelope last fall, but I did get a turkey and one grouse. Going to be 82 in a couple of months, still enjoy hunting just don't do much of it. I gave up tree stands when I turn 78, still hunt with a bow but poorly. My main muzzleloader target is a sheet of paper, but cleanup is a snap. Still competitive shoot muzzleloaders a couple times a year and almost hold my own. Went to a percussion as my flintlock is just awful heavy. Don't give up easy guys, I still get as much enjoyment out out casting round balls, it just doesn't take long to make enough.
Squint

Dang Squirt, when I grow up I want to be just like you !!

 

[redear]

I had to go to a crossbow during bowseason or quit due to a rare nerve disease and glad I did as it keeps me out there. the smokeless muzzleloader CVA Scout has really become a favorite though, I didnt see that one comming.

 

[exarcher]

I had to do the same thing but I was even too old for the longbow. I went to a crossbow. Isn't getting old fun?

Have fun whatever you do.

I've had a couple good crossbows,, & i just plain don't like em... too bulky, heavy, and unwieldy, & i don't want to spend so much on one of those 2k ones... If they would allow "air bows" during archery i could rig my 45 cal big bore pcp... I got the crossbow, hoping the grandkids would take a shine to it,,, seems nobody in my family likes em.. ML and gun seasons are so long here in Tn. now, I don't even miss archery season..., too hot, bug bites & poison ivy keep me in until it gets cold!.. to each his own though!! if you like it, have a ball! (& i'm a senior too!)

 

[Muley Hunter]

It's more of an only choice than like it. Crossbow or don't hunt. What would you do?

 

[redear]

I use an excalibur recurve crossbow, and sit it up there on a set of shooting sticks while siting on a stool, it is a great way to get a buck with the steadiness of that rest 40 yds is no problem unless he jumps the string.

 

[exarcher]

It's more of an only choice than like it. Crossbow or don't hunt. What would you do?

i understand completely! Didn't mean to come off smug or something,, i would learn to like it if i had to, just giving my excuse for not shooting mine.... Be well.. & enjoy hunting however you like it, or have to do it... please share/mentor with a younger hunter too if you can... By the way,,, we have lots of "archery hunters" who still think crossbows shouldn't be used during bow season,,, The problem is, enough deer are not being "harvested" to keep herds in check. (so the position they used to have don't hold water) .. i don't want to come off of as any type of anti weapon use for hunting! If you want to use a sling shot, more power to you. i truly mean that..

 

[Cwshooter14]

I've gone the other way as muzzleloading is my only hunting now at 77. Bad left shoulder can't bow hunt, to dam cold for me now during gun season. Muzzleloading in NY starts the third week of October. Where I gun hunt starts third week on November.

Where do you hunt in ny? Where I hunt Mz is after rifle season which ends mid December in in 4F

 

[exarcher]

I've gone the other way as muzzleloading is my only hunting now at 77. Bad left shoulder can't bow hunt, to dam cold for me now during gun season. Muzzleloading in NY starts the third week of October. Where I gun hunt starts third week on November.

Did your Left Shoulder injury come from the compound?? mine did, still hurts so that shooting is not fun any more.. I retired from competition because of that..The new parallel limb compounds don't hurt like our old shoulder pulling wheel bows. Anyway, plenty of firearm hunting in my back yard. where i do 99.9% of my hunting now. Took one with a bb gun a couple yrs ago! Now, my biggest thrills come when one of my 4 grandsons take the deer! (i noticed the cold this year more than usual...)

 

[Chick]

I don't understand. If you can bow hunt and regular rifle hunt, why are you giving up muzzleloading?

 

[GregK]

I’m sorry to hear that but like so many others I both sympathize and empathize. My problem started in my 40s but I didn’t realize that some thing was developing at the time. I hunted every day that I could between October 1 and January 1 covering all of our seasons. When I wasn’t in the woods I was a staff shooter for Mathews Archery. I traveled and shot competition with my partner and two Hoyt staff shooters.
During one competition at full draw my left elbow kept collapsing. That was the beginning. I gave up the compound bow and competition shooting and switched to a Ten Point crossbow. I harvested some deer with that from the ground of course but within a couple of years had to give that up
Now at 57 with diabetes and complications including severe neuropathy I no longer have any feeling below my knees other than pain and burning, I’ve lost at least half of the feeling in my hands, I no longer have any feeling in the roof of my mouth. The nerve damage has been a slow progression. The neuropathy has affected my hips and made it very painful and difficult for me to walk. I have aneurysms on the back of my eyes and currently have to have a shot in my left eye every five weeks. I cannot see in the dark or low light. Even walking out to my blind with a flashlight I cannot judge the uneven ground and will fall down. I’ve lost a tremendous amount of muscle. I have fallen many times and both of my shoulders are now shot. Top that off with two different cardiac problems and it has really slowed me down. I’m still getting out but I only hunt our gun season and our muzzleloader season. If I hunt from anything elevated it’s a big comfortable ladder stand. I’m unable to climb things like climbing sticks anymore and I’m not stable enough in just a basic stand. Even with a safety harness nobody wants to fall out of their stand. LOL

I was fortunate enough to take a very nice buck this year and have a friend come out and do all of the work including loading the deer into my truck. Fortunately the buck dropped in the picked cornfield & I could drive my truck right to it.

This wasn’t what I expected to be at this point in my life but the Lord has been good to me.
I can see the end of my hunting days coming and like you I will hang in there as long as I can & do what I can.

Good luck with the time you have left the field. I hope and pray for many more successful outings for you. I hope that your post any success that you have on here so that we can follow along.

Greg

 

[Squint]

I’m sorry to hear that but like so many others I both sympathize and empathize. My problem started in my 40s but I didn’t realize that some thing was developing at the time. I hunted every day that I could between October 1 and January 1 covering all of our seasons. When I wasn’t in the woods I was a staff shooter for Mathews Archery. I traveled and shot competition with my partner and to Hoyt staff shooters. During one competition at full draw my left elbow kept collapsing. That was the beginning. I gave up the compound bow and competition shooting and switched to a 10 point crossbow. I harvested some deer with that from the ground of course but within a couple of years had to give that up
Now at 57 with diabetes and complications including severe neuropathy I no longer have any feeling below my knees other than pain and burning, I’ve lost at least half of the feeling in my hands, I no longer have any feeling in the roof of my mouth. The nerve damage has been a slow progression. The neuropathy has affected my hips and made it very painful and difficult for me to walk. I have aneurysms on the back of my eyes and currently have to have a shot in my left eye every five weeks. I cannot see in the dark or low light. Even walking out to my blind with a flashlight I cannot judge the uneven ground and will fall down. I’ve lost a tremendous amount of muscle. I have fallen many times and both of my shoulders are now shot. Top that off with two different cardiac problems and it has really slowed me down. I’m still getting out but I only hunt our gun season and our muzzleloader season. If I hunt from anything elevated it’s a big comfortable ladder stand. I’m unable to climb things like climbing sticks anymore and I’m not stable enough in just a basic stand. Even with a safety harness nobody wants to fall out of their stand. LOL

I was fortunate enough to take a very nice buck this year and have a friend come out and do all of the work including loading the deer into my truck. Fortunately the buck dropped in the picture cornfield that I could drive my truck right to it.

This wasn’t what I expected to be at this point in my life but the Lord has been good to me.
I can see the end of my hunting days coming and like you I will hang in there as long as I can & do what I can.

Good luck with the time you have left the field. I hope and pray for many more successful outings for you. I hope that your post any success that you have on here so that we can follow along.

Greg

Darn Greg, that's tough, but I'm glad you're hanging in there. I just wrecked my other shoulder 2 days ago when my drill press grabbed and I was holding on to the piece, go for an MRI friday. i think it might end my archery hunting, now it's just camping. I agree, I'm thankful for every day.
Squint

 

[Dond31]

Glad to see you still want to get out and enjoy the the great outdoors with whatever weapon you choose, hope you have many, many more enjoyable years to come!

 

[michiganbowbender]

I don't understand. If you can bow hunt and regular rifle hunt, why are you giving up muzzleloading?

If the question was directed to me I have numerous reasons but not in any particular order.
We no longer have a muzzloader only season like we did. Tradionally there has been a quiet period after Nov 30 that lasted 10 days or more which allowed the deer to settle back into their regular routines again. Fewer people participated because they either didn’t have a tag left, didn’t have a muzzleloader, or didn’t want to deal with the brutal weather conditions we often experience here in December. It was kind of a last chance, “for the hardcore guys” that enjoyed the challenge of hunting with a somewhat range limited gun, although inlines have made that a moot now.
Now centerfire and straight walled cartridges are allowed and their is no quiet period, just a 30 day extension of the Nov 15-30 regular rifle season

My archery season is done now with a crossbow after using a vertical since 1972, not by choice but because of neccesity. It’s a long season and often my tags are filled before rifle season starts. I would purchase an antlerless tag beforehand so I could legally be out there with no intention of killing anything because the tag was dedicated to our one time special muzzleloader season but that’s no longer a “special” season to me the way things are now.

At some point in life a person has to face the reality that their remaining time is limited.
Some things become more important than others, some things they just can’t do like they once could, and some things, well, the desire is just not there like it was before.

I am at that point in my life.........It’s time