Hi, I'm 68 with arthritis, back surgery and 2 hip replacements. Now every time I go to the Doctor it seems I've acquired a new getting old condition. I'm having a real hard time wrapping my head around getting old. The mind thinks like a young person but the body says hold on there old timer. I look at the original Jennings compound bow hanging on the wall.A lot of Deer succumbed to its launched arrows. Always used finger release, cant pull that 90 pound bow any more. I open my gun safe and touch the rifles and handguns amassed through the years. And the memories come flooding back, friends, shooting ,hunting trips........ You think, Ill go muzzle loader hunting tomorrow but then your body says you got to be kidding me old man. Its wonderful to have memories but its sad not to have plans and dreams that cant be realized. The closet is filled with clothes for any weather conditions and you wonder why your keeping them, because you know your not going out in that weather anymore. As Ponce Deleon found out there is no Fountain of Youth in Florida. So all you people out there, don't put off your dreams and plans. Don't let time slip by. One day it will be hard to remember that you where once young, and you just turned around and were old. Make your memories and wonder what people who did not think about as they get closer to their destination.
Getting Old Sucks.......
Jay Lavorne
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I just started getting out of my stand early evening. I leave before the best time starts, just before dark. I don't want to hit a deer and track the blood with no daylight. Don't want to leave the deer overnight. I just can't see the blood trail like I used to.
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:bestpost: lets face it getting old sucks , but whats the alternative .lol
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I am 61 years young and have had both my hips done. First in 2013, and other in 2014. Best thing is I can now hike into the woods like I did twenty years ago. No pain!!!!
I am stiff in the morning but that passes after a minute or two so I feel blessed every day in the woods either hunting or hiking. I try and go as much as possible. I exercise my hips daily which I feel keeps me moving without discomfort. God Bless all of us old guys and stay young at heart.[up]
I am stiff in the morning but that passes after a minute or two so I feel blessed every day in the woods either hunting or hiking. I try and go as much as possible. I exercise my hips daily which I feel keeps me moving without discomfort. God Bless all of us old guys and stay young at heart.[up]
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I am 43 with bad back had surgery other day on wrist not to bad looking at another surgery on other wrist after the holidays. I have a messed up back plus arthritis in back , I do my best to make things easier on my dad who is 74 and handicapped I bought him a crossbow cause he can't draw his bow back he killed a bear with it but he said he don't like Hunting with a cross bow o well guess the 1200 dollar bow is mine now. He can't walk so I got a neighbors proerty which is all flat that I can drive my truck onto so hopefully I can get maybe muzzy and six day out of him. I going to retire his 1187 12 gauge. For a 1187 20 gauge slug gun lighter gun plus less recoil. It sucks getting old period but I rather be in pain in the woods then being in pain starring at four walls . Great post by the way just try and get out look for different spots get a handicap placard to hunt from your vehicle
Great post, you've touched a nerve here. Had to switch to a crossbow (shoulder surgeries), lots of knee pain after a day of humping my climber back into the woods, and, oh, I had a Clintonoscopy two days ago![eek] (the day after our national Clintonectomy).
And I'm only 59.
And I'm only 59.
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We feel you pain and understand the condition as many of us are there making the best of the cards we have to play with.
Getting old is a great reason to go crossgun.
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Oh crap, I got long painful way to go before I'm old...
Since we're in a NJ hunting forum, and this thread is about growing old, you can't ignore the fact that growing old in this state really sucks. I live in Sussex County, 64 year old and retired. I just can't afford the high taxes, the high cost of living this sh*t hole state forces on me. You may say- "So leave" problem is I can't. The housing market is dried up. Seems like every other house is either for sale, or vacant- as in foreclosure. All the young people are leaving the county moving to places like Hoboken, Jersey City etc.
My daughter and son-in-law hightailed it out to Georia and they are paying $800/a year taxes. They hate even coming back to Jersey to visit.
Pa. is 7 miles up the road, taxes are 1/3, cost of living is considerably less. People there still look you in the eye and say "Hello, Good Morning" etc. Yes, growing old Sucks, especially in New Jersey!
My daughter and son-in-law hightailed it out to Georia and they are paying $800/a year taxes. They hate even coming back to Jersey to visit.
Pa. is 7 miles up the road, taxes are 1/3, cost of living is considerably less. People there still look you in the eye and say "Hello, Good Morning" etc. Yes, growing old Sucks, especially in New Jersey!
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Chuck my plan is to go to Pa. Waiting for the wife to retire. When I had my Farm in Howell life was good. Then I got sick. First it was trying to keep up with the Farm work. Then the Farm itself. Maintenance on buildings, fencing, house, etc. I just couldn't do it alone. My wife had to keep on working at Rite Aid to pay our ever increasing taxes. When the township raised us to over 12k it was the last straw. We had to give up. It broke my wifes heart to give up our little piece of America. But hey those teachers pensions and new schools got paid for. The Principal at my g daughters school was making over 100k a year plus the 3 vice principals at 80k a piece and they all had other positions throughout the education system they were being paid for. This was a Grammar School. I can't imagine what the others were getting. Why you need three vice principals in a Grammar School I don't know. Every class has a Teacher, and two assistant teachers. All this stuff needs to be paid for. Were do we get the money to pay for all these jobs? No problem we will just tax the living shit out of the guy that swung a hammer for 35 years. And if he runs out of money there are plenty more coming in right behind him.
And you say if you don't like it leave? OK I will as soon as you loosen your grip on me I'm gone. NJ is going to be left with nothing but people that have to run into the city everyday to pay their bills and the people that suck off them. There is no wonder why throughout this country NJ is known as the armpit of America.
And you say if you don't like it leave? OK I will as soon as you loosen your grip on me I'm gone. NJ is going to be left with nothing but people that have to run into the city everyday to pay their bills and the people that suck off them. There is no wonder why throughout this country NJ is known as the armpit of America.
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I see what you guys are going through with my old man. He'll be 60 soon and 45 years of swinging a hammer for a living has taken its toll on him. I couldn't imaging duck hunting with out him. Now the most work he does is paddling in when we aren't in the boat. Other than that my best friend, my brother and I set the decoys and do all the retrieving and other heavy lifting. He did it for us when we were little kids and I'm sure as hell glad to do it for him now. There is no way he could do it on his own any more. I guess my point is if there is a will there is a way. Hopefully you have a friend that can give you the help you need to continue doing what you love. I know it's hard for you old timers to ask for help but if you do I think you'll enjoy the benefits of it
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Very good post Stevo, I agree totally. This state is a great place for teachers and cops. Seems like that's all thats left here in Sussex County. Used to be loaded with the construction trades. That's over. I can't even afford dental, let alone taxes. Ironically, once the teachers retire from NJ, they're out of here to a more retirement friendly state.
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I just read thru each and everyone of these posts. You are only as old as you feel and part of the pre-hunt should be in conditioning yourself for the style of hunting you'll be participating in the upcoming season. I have had the privilege of hunting with 2 brothers for the past 10 years. One brother is 78 the other brother is 74. Obviously, both have a very similar genetic makeup. They both have the desire to hunt in the field. One of the brothers gets up, most days he walks 2 miles, then does a 30 min weight lifting routine. The other brother gets out of bed pops a couple of pain killers as his answer to his aches and pains. Needless to say, the 78 year old brother walks around the woods like a 40 year old and the 74 year old walks around like an 95 year old.
My point is that with all the talk of tuning your bows, scoping your rifles/shotguns and prepping your equipment ( which is all important)......tuning up your body by eating well, losing the few pounds and exercising will do so much for your experience in the woods and beyond.......Good luck to all this year afield!
BTW I'm 54 Years old and I understand!
My point is that with all the talk of tuning your bows, scoping your rifles/shotguns and prepping your equipment ( which is all important)......tuning up your body by eating well, losing the few pounds and exercising will do so much for your experience in the woods and beyond.......Good luck to all this year afield!
BTW I'm 54 Years old and I understand!
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Don't forget to pay your exit tax on the way out................................unbelievable
This was an amazing wake up call to read.
I'm 21 years old with a few firearms and i haven't gone and got my Hunting Licence.
One of my close friends who recently passed at 21 was hunting with his parents since he
was young and I always wanted to go. I applied and got my FID with a few permits,
then i was going to get my hunting license and go with him but he passed from a heart attack
(yes a heart attack at 21) before we could go. Gives me motivation now to do it.
You never know when your hour glass will run out of sand.
I'm 21 years old with a few firearms and i haven't gone and got my Hunting Licence.
One of my close friends who recently passed at 21 was hunting with his parents since he
was young and I always wanted to go. I applied and got my FID with a few permits,
then i was going to get my hunting license and go with him but he passed from a heart attack
(yes a heart attack at 21) before we could go. Gives me motivation now to do it.
You never know when your hour glass will run out of sand.
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1,033 Posts
I'm 62 and I hear what your saying about hunting your age, but it beats the alternative. You gotta get up and get your ass out there as much as you can. Like many of you, my entire life has evolved around hunting. Now that I and my hunting buddies are older(most of them are older then me) I have to keep in mind that if I hunt the ledges behind my camp in Pa. I may not be able to recover the deer/bear by myself easily or at all and that bugs the hell out of me, as well as it will be a pain for someone to recover my fat ass should I stoke out. So I find myself hunting in places I will be able to get an ATV in to for recovery.
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I know what your talking about, I am 69 and pushing 70, and I can no longer hunt as I did, I retired eight years ago, and when I got the job that I still have and have had it 24 years, I made a deal with my boss that I would work 6/2 so I could be in the woods by 3, unless I could get a job done by staying a couple hours exter, not of`fen, but I use to hunt EVERYDAY of every season, and I mean everyday, but over the last few years I have dropped down to a few times a week if I am lucky, new knee that don`t work, back, oh heck I could go on and on,lol but I have some great memory`s on the wall that I sit and recall from time to time, so let me end with this, It is fine for us hunters to get old, just be sure to make some memory`s to take with you to that rocking chair, God Bless and Good Luck, and be safe
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