Any senior citizen hunters here, has age changed your hunting habits, style and guns, have you simplified things.
Harder to get off the ground once I'm seated. Gives my hunting partners a chuckle!
Man, ya got me worried! What's the limit on senior citizens? I'm 63 and now I'm not sure I'm going hunting this year! :toothy9:
Yes, not able to run and gun anymore, i have some brush blinds i hunt in good area's and i use a saddle mount on my gun were i can still see the bead for up close and a scope for little longer shot's , eye's are not as young. I still enjoy going like it was my first day of turkey hunting. I have bought better calls over the years and better equipment overall. Made the switch over to a 20 gauge last year that i built and i really enjoy carrying the lighter gun. Carry lot more water and snacks and just enjoy life and nature and those pretty sunrises. If i kill a turkey it's makes for a pretty good day...Life is to short guy's enjoy everyday...April 1 , it will be around 34 years for me turkey hunting.
Quote from: 2eagles on March 26, 2017, 07:30:50 PM
Man, ya got me worried! What's the limit on senior citizens? I'm 63 and now I'm not sure I'm going hunting this year! :toothy9:
FUNNY I AGREE....
But seriously at 63 I haven't changed much in my turkey hunting style. I walk in just as far as I used to. I carry as much gear as I used to. But I am more patient than I used to be. I can sit on one place longer than I used to and am happy doing it. And it is getting harder to get up off the ground. And I do take catnaps while hunting. Turkeys and geese are often noisy coming in so I will doze off. Deer and ducks are usually quite so I stay more alert.
At 53 I haven't changed much but I THINK I hunt smarter now. Birds often show me that I don't!
I'm going on 66 and still like to run and gun but have dialed down the 'run' part just a notch. I lightened the load a bit by ditching the heavy 11-87 in favor of a TC Encore.
I'm going to hit the big 66 myself this year. mgm's comment about getting off the ground once I get down is right on the money,...glad I am not the only one. Another thing along that same line: when I stumble, I am much more inclined to go all the way to the ground rather than being able to catch my balance. I used to feel like I was somewhat "graceful" when I fell,....now I just go down in a heap with a big thud.
I still like to think I can go that extra mile to find a gobbler,...but I debate whether or not I really want to make the effort in my mind a lot more than before,...and it takes me longer to get there.
Although I still really like to kill a gobbler once in a while, that part of the hunt doesn't seem to be quite as important as it once was. Of course, some of that is due to the fact that I get to hunt a lot more now than I used to, so I am less likely to be concerned about killing a gobbler on any given day. A good morning in the woods without a kill brings me a lot more satisfaction nowadays than it used to.
Will be 63 this fall. Still have the desire and love to get out there every spring season here in NY. I have a tendency to stay put longer now, rather than "Running and Gunning" like when I was younger. That turkey lounger really makes those long waits much more enjoyable!!
yep i've down sized quite a bit.will be 74 this year,bought a new chair to help.can't get off ground look like a walrus.hope nobody around to see trying to get up,be great entertainment to any one seeing that.hope to have a few years left.
I'm not quite a senior yet, (57), but I sure feel like one!
Old injuries haunt me on cold damp days.
I would say I'm slowing down each year and find my lounger or blind more comfortable.
Can't take the cold like I once could.
I'd still be hunting somehow even if my travels didn't take me far for as long as I can.
Somehow, someway.
:OGturkeyhead:
Quote from: GobbleNut on March 26, 2017, 11:59:41 PM
Another thing along that same line: when I stumble, I am much more inclined to go all the way to the ground rather than being able to catch my balance. I used to feel like I was somewhat "graceful" when I fell,....now I just go down in a heap with a big thud.
I hear ya here, when I hit the ground I stay still for a minute to make sure everything still moves, LOL. I also stay down to make sure the old heart is still pumpin', had a BIG ONE in 2008.
I'll turn 70 during the season, but I think maturity has helped me be a better turkey hunter. Sure I don't get around as well as I used to but my ability to sit still has improved. I don't spook as many birds as I used to and my equipment has finally been sorted so I'm not burdened by too much un- necessary stuff to carry around. I enjoy the whole experience now not just the taking of a gobbler.
I just turned 62.The passion is the same as it was 42 years ago.I have gone from run and gun to sitting in one place alot longer. I have gone to a 20 guage,and dont carry near as much junk in my vest as I used to.I was taught when I was a young man to run to a downed bird.Aint happening nowadays. It might take 30 seconds for me to get up now,and thats with a good hand hold on something.
Agreed. It's troublesome to get up, almost comical.
Funny....That getting up thing an issue for us all.
I'm 64 and part of it is going to the gym, walking slower and paying attention more and staying in one place longer, letting things develop. Also doing more thorough scouting, having four or five good spots lined up. I tend to think this turkey hunting keeps looking me forward to my time chasing the 'harder birds'.
I am perhaps the exception. I'm so close to 66 you might as well say I am. I have struggled with my weight all my adult life, and when you would look up the term "yo-yo" dieting, my picture appeared. ;)
A little over 2 years ago I realized it had become difficult for me to get up out of a chair without pushing off with my arms. Climbing a hill on the way back to the truck after a deer hunt and the shortness of breath that ensued convinced me I had to do something. It dawned on me that I couldn't carry around as much excess weight as I did when I was 40 and still be able to do the things I love, mainly chase turkeys.
I have a mowing business, so during the mowing season, I remain active, but during the winters, I was a total couch potato. I started riding my exercise bike or walking on the treadmill at least 5 or 6 hours a week, and have lost about 40 pounds, 50 from my all time high weight a few years ago. It is still a struggle, and I hope to eventually lose another 15 to 20 pounds, and, hopefully, maintain that weight the rest of my life.
Although one can't totally eliminate the effects of aging, I can actually get around better in the woods than I could 20 years ago.
58 now and feeling it. My brother has 10 years on me and has been warning me yearly about the difference. Last year we were moving on a gobbler up a steep grade and he looked at me and barked at me "I can't do this anymore" it made me feel rotten. It is pretty funny watching us both rolling around trying to get up. I can still get up and on a downed bird fast, but I'm sure that will get slower as time goes by.
Quote from: Neill_Prater on March 29, 2017, 12:43:07 AM
I am perhaps the exception. I'm so close to 66 you might as well say I am. I have struggled with my weight all my adult life, and when you would look up the term "yo-yo" dieting, my picture appeared. ;)
A little over 2 years ago I realized it had become difficult for me to get up out of a chair without pushing off with my arms. Climbing a hill on the way back to the truck after a deer hunt and the shortness of breath that ensued convinced me I had to do something. It dawned on me that I couldn't carry around as much excess weight as I did when I was 40 and still be able to do the things I love, mainly chase turkeys.
I have a mowing business, so during the mowing season, I remain active, but during the winters, I was a total couch potato. I started riding my exercise bike or walking on the treadmill at least 5 or 6 hours a week, and have lost about 40 pounds, 50 from my all time high weight a few years ago. It is still a struggle, and I hope to eventually lose another 15 to 20 pounds, and, hopefully, maintain that weight the rest of my life.
Although one can't totally eliminate the effects of aging, I can actually get around better in the woods than I could 20 years ago.
Congrats on the weight loss; any thing a person can do to inprove health keeps us in the turkey woods longer. Will be 62 this year and yes I have slowed down a little just because my body says i am suppose to. But don't want to and when I get turkey hunting I don't Yet, I act like I am 35 when hunting. :emoticon-cartoon-012:
I saw a folding chair in Walmart's turkey hunting section the other day. It was advertised as being short legged for turkey hunting (don't remember the brand) and I thought it sounded pretty good.
Got one out and opened it up and sat it on the floor. I looked down at it and thought no way I'm trying this out in the store. Figured if I did manage to get in it I'd never get out without making a scene haha.
I don't go as far and deep in the woods as I used to either. I had to carry a big tom back to the truck last year. It was a pretty good ways and all uphill. Sure let me know I was getting old!
Last year Me and my brother he is 70 and I am 74 we are slowing down but still do it...
Quote from: platinumwindow99 on March 29, 2017, 08:41:24 PM
Last year Me and my brother he is 70 and I am 74 we are slowing down but still do it...
...and still getting it done apparently. Good for you guys! :happy0064:
I hope to be turkey hunting well into my 70's.
Hats off to all my contemporaries, we should ask the Administrators to give us seniors our own forum so we old timers can keep in touch, talk through our senior citizen hunting issues.
Quote from: longislandloco on March 31, 2017, 03:10:50 PM
Hats off to all my contemporaries, we should ask the Administrators to give us seniors our own forum so we old timers can keep in touch, talk through our senior citizen hunting issues.
Great Idea...
When I used to hunt the heavily wooded Shawnee National Forest in Southern Illinois, I was about 30 years younger and would run a lot but do very, very little gunning. Now that my home county has opened, wood lots/pastures have become the landscape, and I'm in my 7th decade, I've adapted well to sitting in my ground lounger with some decoys and playing the waiting game. Sometimes I'm home by breakfast while other times it's more like lunch and planning tomorrow's strategy. Usually, I'm eventually able to fill all three of my tags. In the past 30 years, I've moved deer hunting from first to my fourth hunting interest behind turkey, tree squirrel, and cotton tail rabbit hunting, depending on what is in season. I suppose that it's a "senior thing". It's all been fun and a learning process.
I'm 76 years old and still running and gunning killed this South Florida Osceola on public lands no quota hunt yesterday 9" beard 1" spurs 14 lbs. At 10 feet with my stoeger m3020 and Tss 9 shot .
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My Brother did not make it down this year but I filled both my tags with 1 tag to go, He is 71 and I am 75 we still run and gun, so far a great season...
No senior citizen here. I am 47, and things have changed for me...
I went back to one of my old haunts this year our of desperation. Normally does not hold a lot of birds, and it is a bit more physically demanding than other spots...
I ended up somewhere between 1-1.5 miles downhill from my quad, and surprisingly struck success... About 3 years ago, I killed 2 birds out of this same canyon... I remember after hauling the second bird out thinking "I need to find a new spot."
This year walking out with a bird up that steep grade, I was thinking "I hope I have cell phone reception for 911..."
I am still young enough to be stupid enough to go back though... Chased another gobble down there, but did not get a bird.
Well, I don't think I'm a senior citizen yet but may be when I turn 72 in a couple days! My hunting style has always been what the "kids" have dubbed run and gun. I've always just called it walking and calling. I may not cover the ground I used to but can still travel over 5 miles or so in a morning hunt if required....and perhaps at a slower pace now! I try to stay in decent shape by walking 3-5 miles a day at a good pace. I used to mountain hike (Adirondack 46er) but don't do that much anymore. I believe having the proper mental attitude and desire foregoes some of a person's physical shortcomings.
I am 66 and get around better than I did when I was 56. Lost some weight and had right hip replaced 2015 and left hip replaced 2016. Still can't jump straight up need an assist, but much better than with 2 bad hips. I had to look for the right tree before I sat down so I could hug the tree to get up. I read where a lot of guys use a lounger. What one is best ?
at 74 I stopped walking with a shell in the chamber, at 75 I got a chair that was 4'' higher and at 76 I searched google earth for spots real close to the road......now 78 and doing duty at home but I'd go tomorrow if I could.....not much thought about missing fall hunting , but missing spring gobbler is painful..
To all the senior's out there, I'm only 57 and I'm starting to slow down also. Got my two birds down here in FL. In the past couple years we've had a couple senior's fall dead of heart attack. JS DON'T OVER DO IT.
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I started spring turkey hunting in my late 40s in the Shawnee National Forest in Southern Illinois when a buddy invited me along. He was a run and gun type hunter, so when he quit hunting, I continued like I'd been taught, taking a gobbler about every third year. I did that for probably 15 years until I read an article by Ray Eye concerning the dominance factor in both the male and female turkeys. I changed my tactics to sitting in a ground lounger with decoys near the roosted birds and trying to sound like a hen that has a new tom suitor. Much to my pleasure, the peck order worked and that's my main approach to turkey hunting still today, usually filling all three Illinois tags. So far this season, I'm 2 for 2 on this approach with my third and final tag opening tomorrow. At the mid-70s mark, it's a lot less strenuous and provides for a nap if there's no action at fly down time. This approach lends itself to the scattered wood lots in my area, but could be successfully used in the big woods.
My 3th and final bird 2017 season At 75 I hope 2018 will be as good as 2017 was....
I take my cap off & salute all you older turkey hunters. You are the ones I look up to & admire with all that turkey hunting knowledge & experience. I will probably be buried before I become a good one like you guys. I didn't start until I was about 45 so I got a late start. I turned 58 this past February & the passion for it is as strong as ever but bad arthritis, 2 rotator cuff surgeries & a disc fusion in my neck since 2014 has sure caused me to slow down quite a bit the last few years. I just don't cover as much ground as I used to & like others have said it's pretty funny watching me trying to get back on my feet after sitting for a while. Also like others have said I tend to sit longer in one spot than I used to. But when that turkey gobbles in the distance I forget about all those aches & pains. So I'll be back up at 3:00 am in the morning & going at it again for the last time this season. God bless all the older turkey hunters & hope we all have many more years to keep at it.
Need to start a senior forum...
WELL I GOT SOME GOOD CHUCKLES ON THIS ONE TOPIC , IM 62
What I miss when I WAS younger I wouldn't think twice, I'd just GO and have fun
NOW I think twice , sometimes three times .......... OOOOO I MISS THOSE YOUNGER YEARS.."...
I'm 64 and slowed down, have an altered rt foot, had a triple by-pass. Went out to Ashfield here in Mass. with a friend of mine 51, and his 20 yr old son. Climbed what they call a hill, I call a mountain. Got almost to the top meadow and the 'kid' was waiting for me. He said 'you get around good for a senior citizen' and said he was glad for the breather. His father and I called in five jakes, and they gobbled in unison about 30 times. The dad and son doubled up and I passed. I enjoyed the 'mt top concert and had no desire to harvest one. I find as I get older I like to hook up with a longbeard or limbhangar and have a hunt that makes you think and get involved. I carry a short barreled Rem 870 Super Mag and carry less calls but they are from top makers. I slowed down and enjoy the woods waking up and sharing what I know (which ain't much) with younger and inexperienced hunters and share their victories in the turkey woods. Don't mean to ramble but I love this old style turkey hunting so............ :turkey2: