Stay In The Hunt As You Age

If you’re a deer hunter who has reached the half century mark or more in years, you well know your body is not like it was when you were in your 20s. Our bodies and senses are slowly deteriorating and slowing down due to age. But that certainly does not mean we need to hang up our hunting boots and retire to the couch.

It does mean that we need to make some adjustments, equipment changes, and maintain our bodies to stay in the hunt.

Charles Howard started bowhunting in 1965 and killed his first deer, an 8-pointer, on Blackbeard Island with a Ben Pearson recurve bow. Now 82 years old, the Statesboro resident still hunts regularly and manages to harvest several deer each season with his Bowtech compound bow.

At 82 years old, Charles Howard is still bowhunting and bringing home deer. Charles has made adjustments to his hunting styles, and he works at staying fit.

“I push myself, I just like to be in the woods,” Charles said.

Though he is still very active, it isn’t by luck and good genes alone. He has survived Stage 4 cancer, a stem cell transplant, cataract surgery and a “widow maker” heart attack.

And Charles keeps going—and going hunting.

Charles has come a long way from his recurve days, and he has had to make some adjustments through the years. He still hunts with a group of guys, several also in their 80s, from a club started in the 1960s. He doesn’t hunt with a gun at all and does not use bait, scents or calls, yet he still kills several deer each season.

Charles’s bow is set at 50 pounds of draw weight, and he uses stick ladders and a Hunter Safety System strap.

“Best decision I’ve ever made,” he says of the safety system.

He uses his 4-wheeler, 2-wheel game cart, a bicycle and a walking stick for balance.

“I drag deer out myself, sometimes I’ll use a 2-wheel cart, I just can’t go as long,” Charles said.

But what he attributes to his outdoor longevity is his fitness?

“I do chin-ups and pushups every day. I average 120 pushups, and I do upper body exercises to build up my muscles,” Charles said.

“I’ve converted a bedroom into an exercise room with a Nordic Track, a treadmill, dumbbells and a weight bench. A lot of people give it up, but I stay in shape and keep going.”

The importance of fitness and staying in physical shape cannot be overstated. If you want to keep hunting into older age like Charles Howard, you don’t start when you’re 80. A regular exercise routine, lifting weights, walking, running and stretching are all critical to your physical and hunting fitness.

Tom Nelson is a hunter you’ve likely heard of through his American Archer TV show. This 63-year old sportsman has been a hardcore bowhunter for 50 years and goes nonstop all season. Tom’s attributes his good conditioning and longevity to one primary practice—running.

“I was an athlete growing up, and after school I began gaining weight, so I knew I needed to do something and so I started running. It started out as one mile, then two, and I kept increasing it, and it grew over the years to one of those habitual things that if I didn’t get a run in I didn’t sleep well. Now I seldom miss and run almost every morning and also do road races including half-marathons. I run 5 to 6 miles a day, and on Sundays I’ll do 8 to 10 miles. I stretch before and after running and lift light weights and do 100 sit-ups every other day,” Tom said.

Tom’s physical fitness is a large factor in his ability to keep hunting hard, but he has made other modifications.

“I used to shoot a 68- to 70-lb. draw weight compound bow. In my 50s, I shot 60 pounds, but my new PSE bow for this season will be set at 52 pounds. It just feels more comfortable,” Tom said.

He also watches what he eats and closely maintains his weight at 162 pounds.

Other adjustments that Tom has made are switching to ladder stands and ground blinds. He typically walks quietly to his stands, but he has begun using a Rambo electric bicycle to access his ambush spots more quickly and quietly.

“Working out is real key,” Tom insists about staying in the game. “I see hunters spending money on expensive western elk hunts but end up being miserable because they’re not ready.”

While a Georgia whitetail hunt may not be as strenuous as a Colorado elk hunt, you’re still much better off being in shape than not. When it comes to walking, climbing trees, erecting stands and dragging out deer, the fit hunter will always perform these tasks much easier and avoid injury and weakness.

The author turned 61 years old a few weeks go. Here’s Eric with a Gwinnett County 10-pointer taken with his bow last November. He had to drag this 180-lb. dressed-weight buck out of the woods by himself.

Eyesight is one of the first senses that starts to fade as we age. Fortunately there are numerous things we can do to compensate for that. For starters, get an eye exam and acquire the proper glasses for your eyes. A pair of quality binoculars will help you identify that brown blob in the brush and bring the woods to life. Scopes on your rifle, muzzleloader or crossbow will help pinpoint your aiming spot. For elder archers, lens that magnify and clarify your sight pins and target in the sight bracket or peep sight can make a world of difference.

As we age, our mobility is also affected. The tasks of hiking for miles, climbing trees and dragging out deer are becoming more challenging, and we need to make adjustments. Options to access your stand include using a 4-wheeler or truck, but these can be noisy and noticeable. An electric golf cart or an electric or regular bicycle can be a quieter method and less obtrusive.

Some aging sportsmen find climbing tree stands to be more than they care to tackle. Climbing stands as well as using screw-in steps and even some climbing sticks demand a level of agility and strength. Ladder stands are a popular way to hunt deer, and a wide sturdy ladder is easier to climb and a comfortable way to sit. Help may be needed to set them though as they can be a challenge. One of the safest ways to wait on a whitetail is a ground blind. Whether a store-bought material blind or a homemade one made from sticks and branches, staying on the ground is a much more secure way to wait.

James Cairnes, of Macon, started hunting small game when he was 7 years old and began deer hunting in 1974 when there weren’t many deer yet in Georgia.

“I hunt every chance I get, I still just get up and go,” said the 69-year old.  “I used to bowhunt, but my shoulders wore out from turning wrenches,” said the former aircraft mechanic, so he rifle hunts now.

James still uses an old Warren and Sweat climbing stand, but he also uses ladder stands and has upgraded his safety equipment to include harness and line. He now uses a 2-wheeled hand-truck to roll his downed deer out of the woods.

He also hunts from the ground. One of his favorite ambush locations is what he calls “snake pits” which are blowdowns, branches, downed trees or other natural cover formed into a blind. That way he can blend into the surroundings and stay safely on the ground. James usually harvests a couple deer every season from his Talbot County hunting club.

Not a runner or a regular exerciser, but James stays active year-round primarily with yard work and gardening that he does on his house and an estate that he maintains. He’ll be 70 next deer season, and he plans to be out there again as long as he can and loving every minute.

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Safety is an important issue for every sportsman who ventures afield, but it becomes even more crucial for elder hunters. With diminished agility, strength and sometimes thinking, an accident in the woods or getting lost could have dire consequences, especially if help doesn’t arrive in time. For those reasons it’s imperative to leave word of your location and expected return to a friend or family member before venturing afield. Carrying a charged cell phone is an obvious accessory for every outdoorsman to have.

With all the new advanced safety harnesses available, every hunter old and young should be strapped in and secure when you step up off the ground and into a tree or stand. Stories abound of unsecured deer hunters pitching out of a tree and hitting the ground causing injury or worse.

If you have more hunting seasons behind you than are ahead, you probably already are noticing a decline in your strength, senses and agility. But certainly don’t let that keep you at home when there are bucks to be hunted. Be careful about going about things like when you were 20, but wise adjustments and compensations will keep you safe in the woods for many more years. Know when to back off, ask for help, or sit one out if your body is telling you it hurts or is not quite up to it. There’s no shame in punting and going back out the next time.

Thomas Evans, 71, of Oxford, shared his fitness formula, which started when he was 45 and was concerned about bone density. He purchased a weight bench and began a routine of lifting three times a week. When his trainer challenged him to do a triathlon, Thomas trained and competed, and this began a pattern of participating in them for the next 14 years. With a schedule of swimming, running and bike riding, he regularly places in his age category.

“Now I’m not expecting all hunters to go crazy like me, but they can walk for 30 minutes or more. Lifting weights, light and multiple reps, running or swimming is great exercise,” Thomas said.

All this translates into not only a very fit man for over 70, but one who is able to hunt and climb with ease and likely will continue for many years.

It is apparent that if you want to remain an active and effective hunter into old age, your health and physical fitness are paramount. If you have maintained a healthy lifestyle, keep it up. If you haven’t, it’s never too late to start. Begin lifting light weights and working up in poundage. Begin walking, then run short distances and slowly increase the distance. Sit-ups, pushups and stretching are all very helpful to maintaining flexibility and agility. There are plenty of programs, apps and trainers available to get you started and on the right track.

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Despite the downsides to aging, there are some positives. We old guys have the advantage of wisdom and experience, which many times help us make better decisions. From past hunts, we know when to take a shot, how to read the weather, when to take up a blood trail, how to read deer sign, how to recognize danger, when to stay home and many other learned skills.

We know what works best for us and have fine-tuned and have our system down and running efficiently. Another benefit of being old is that most of our hunting equipment has already been obtained, and we have more expendable income to use on gear, trips, leases and other outdoor expenditures. But the biggest perk is more time. Many senior sportsmen have retired and have plenty of time to pursue what we please. No need to ration vacation time, haul kids to practice or let work get in the way. We can sleep in if it’s raining and hunt every November morning if we want.

Know to let the younger sportsmen help out with the harder camp chores, setting up stands and getting deer out of the woods. And don’t discount the huge value of having a lifetime of stories, true and embellished, to tell around the campfire.