Getting older/different shooting priorities

[wvbuckbuster]

As we get older those of us 65 and older say, has or are your shooting priorities changed or changing? Maybe health issues, loss of hunting land, lack of interest in hunting as much, whatever. I find myself thinking more of just range time shooting than so much about hunting these days. Have already passed on couple of guns to my son and a grandson. They might as well have them now to use. Still have enough to have fun with. When thinking of purchasing a new firearm I think of being a range toy instead of for hunting even self-defense. Maybe this is part of the old age process kicking in, I don't know. Just some wondering thoughts. Anybody else have any comments along these lines?

 

[JD338]

Maybe...
I'm 66 and I'm enjoying life.
I passed up 6 does yesterday, I didn't feel like messing with one. New Year's day I passed on 12.
I still have about a week left of season and want to get one canned up. I still have time.

JD338

 

[wvbuckbuster]

I'm 67, slightly above you Had a doe tag left but didn't really need any more meat and wasn't too keen on skinning another deer this year.

 

[diverdown]

Very interesting comment. I'm 81 and my shooting habits have basically changed over to handguns. I'm still qualifying on a yearly basis for my HR 218 and both that and just plain having fun takes up my time. I've hunted deer in Maine since 1960 and with a couple of side trips to New York state and Pennsylvania along the way. I moved to Florida in 92 after retiring from the PD and found after a number of years my body couldn't acclimate to the cold weather up North. My last year of Deer hunting in Maine was 2016 when the morning temps were 6 degrees. I put on so much clothing (with hand and foot warmers) that I felt like the Michelin tire man. I still got cold. I enjoy the Florida Duck hunting (cold morning is in the 50's). I have a good friend that lives in the next town over from me (6 miles) and I can shoot anytime I want and anything I want on his ten acres. I absolutely loved hunting for many years but age has a habit of catching up.

 

[NYDAN]

Yes, my priorities have changed. At this point in my life, I get more enjoyment out of helping others and seeing them be successful than I do out of shooting something myself.

For me, it is very rewarding to see another shooter/hunter gain confidence and skills while shooting accurate loads I have developed for them. That grin they have when they take game using their acquired confidence and skills does more for me than shooting an animal myself.

I enjoy load development now just for the sake of load development rather than viewing it as a necessity to get the ammo (cartridge, bullet, accuracy, and velocity combination) that I want. It is a continuing learning experience.

 

[salmonchaser]

Now that I’m retired I get to the range once a week. That keeps me out of Catherines hair for the day, as well as several evenings during the week, keeping up on my loading. Hunting is still a priority but I primarily worry about getting a hike in every day to keep in some kind of shape. The rifles are good and I figure I’m good to 4 or 500 without much practice. At 70 conditioning will play much more of a role in hunting success than shooting. The dogs require the exercise as well. I have well developed loads for five or six rifles. Mostly using accubonds backed up by ballistic tips. I have no need or desire to change that at this point, plus I bought a lot of bullets at the start of covid. The 338; 300 and 275 also have a reliable mono load I can go to if I travel to hunt where such is required. I will occasionally use the bench but for the most part I’ll shoot to 400 (max distance on our local range) on steel from shooting positions. Since my trip to South Africa in 22 I’ve started using sticks more, at the range anyway. Carried them every year at home but deer, antelope and elk have been shot with out the aid of sticks. Keep forgetting they are on my pack. Trying to improve on that. I have a trip booked to South Africa this May, I need to be stick ready when I go. PH was very frustrated when he would throw up the sticks and I would drop to kneeling or prone to shoot. The only shot I missed last time was a touch over 300 on a bushbuck from sticks. My longest was 500 shooting prone on a Kudu. Don’t want my PH getting frustrated.
I’ll typically fire three rounds from one of the #1s at 300 to 400 and then pick up the cz 22Lr and fire about 10 rounds on a 100 plate. Just working on getting a quick sight picture, breathing and quick squeeze.
I’m not sure when I’ll get down to Tucson this year, we had hoped to be there by Thanksgiving but the Son in Laws rapidly advancing cancer has us staying close to home while they work out a treatment schedule. Outfitter in Africa will allow me to move deposit to 27 if I can’t make it this year.
As application season approaches I will likely put in for points if I draw Idaho first. I’m not going to try for Montana, Wyoming if I get Idaho, I’ll know by the end of January on Idaho. Oregon hunts will start about 500 yards from the house, so I can make that work.
If we make it down to Tucson I’ll take one or two rifles, a couple of shotguns. There is a very good 1000 yard rifle range and one of the best trap and sporting clays ranges in the country near by. I’ll probably take a couple hundred rifle rounds rather than loading equipment when we go.
What the hell was the question? Oh yeah. Hunting is still a very important aspect of my shooting but I’m now shooting just for the sake of it. A little ego too. Nothing like ringing the 400 yard gong with a 375 HH on 5x from sitting while some “kid” using 15 power on a creedmore space gun is using a bipod off the bench to do the same thing. I always offer to let them shoot the 375, very few takers.

 

[Firebird24]

If you make it to Tucson-go find some mearns quail-one of my favorite gamebirds in beautiful country!

 

[Blkram]

While I am not quite there yet, having just turned 57, I do find that my priorities too have changed somewhat, and will continue to change in the coming years.

For firearms, I am slowing down on the acquisitions (only have one rebarrel project for this year; turning the LH Browning X Bolt All Weather 308 Win into a 25 CM with a 24" 1:7.5 barrel - either a Benchmark 5R or a Wilson carbon fibre TBD.
While I am not quite there yet for downsizing too much yet, I have been thinking more about how, where, and when to start. As previously mentioned in 2023, I did sell off a number of my Marlins that were not seeing any use, to fund my father/daughter hunt in Colorado. That was a great adventure that we both enjoyed, and I can see doing that type of activity again to help fund further adventures.
Unless my grandkids are left handed shooters, only some of my firearms (the right handed lever actions, single shots, 22's and shotguns) will get passed own, and the rest will be sold off over time, or after my passing. Hopefully, there won't be too many of those left at that time.

And I am hoping to get the addition built this summer, and will finally be able to get my reloading bench set back up, so that I can get to all those load development projects that I have been planning! This will get me back to the range more again. I will also have completed a 18 month program for work in March that I have been putting a lot of extra time in on since Aug. 2024, and free up more time every week for me. Having also sold the horses now, I will also have more spare time for reloading, shooting, hunting, etc., not to mention the monies for more trips!

As for the hunting, I have definitely begun hunting smarter than harder, and am doing more with my wife and daughter and her husband, where I am shooting less. And as I continue to age, there will be fewer difficult mountain hunts and more time spent upland bird hunting and fishing! But I still have some time (at least I hope so!) to get in a few more hunts that I want to do before I can no longer do those arduous adventures for sheep, and the open tundra for musk ox and caribou.
I also hope to do more hunts abroad for exotics, plains game, etc. where Susan can still cover relatively flat ground over short stalks, due to her limited mobility. (Argentina, Africa, and once this tariff war subsides, I still want to hunt Texas and New Mexico.)

 

[AFG270]

I retired 10 years ago, I spent most of my life deer hunting on horseback. Packing into the wilderness to get as far away from the road hunters as possible. My mountain horses have all passed and now I mostly hunt coyotes and target shoot on my 65 acres. I have a 100, 200 and 300 yard target range just a short walk from my house that keeps me busy. I gave my 300wsm to my son and 243 to my grandson at Christmas.
Nice to see I'm not alone!

 

[ronco]

I turned 68 in December. I was walking 1.5 miles one day and workout in my basement on machines and free weights the next day and rotate, taking one day off a week. In November, I had a slight pinch in my chest for three days while walking or working out, no other symptoms. On the third day I had the wife take me to the hospital to see what was going on. Well after testing and blood work, I found out I had 90% blockage in one of my arteries and 60% in another. They put in a stent where the 90% blockage was and won't do anything about the 60% blockage, because the insurance won't cover it until 65%. I hate the meds they put me on, blood thinners and statins, don't like the side effects. I'm walking 3.5 miles every other day now and working out again. I'm hunting pheasants 2-3 times a week, walking 5-10 miles each trip.
I drew a buck deer tag and a cow elk tag here in Colorado and didn't go hunting. Maybe lucky I guess, after hearing about a guy dying of a heart attack in Montana packing out an elk. We live on a 90 acre farm northeast of Denver and have a lot of doves on our place, I never went one time shooting doves this season.
I've given 2 of my rifles to a Grandson and will probably give him more of my collection. I have no interest in buying any new guns in the future. I'll probably be doing more bird hunting and target shooting from now on. We have a 100 yard range on our place, that I can stretch to 300 yards.
I lost my hunting buddy, my Granddaughter. We hunted together for 6 seasons and I guided her to every animal she has taken. She filled every tag she had, deer and antelope for those 6 seasons. She went off to college in Missouri 2 years ago and I've really lost interest in hunting.
Sorry for the long rambling post.

 

[Ridge_Runner]

Yep, at 65 I'm more particular about where I hunt and where I shoot game, don't drag them far anymore, and downhill is highly preferred!

 

[Charlie-NY]

Many of my hunting and shooting buddies have either "aged out" or have passed on. While I still shoot every week, I don't have my friends to enjoy the time with. I've also cut back on my hunting adventures because I've got to book things by myself and it just isn't the same. I always enjoyed the camaraderie associated with our hunts, everything from the planning, travel, hotel stays, on through the actual hunt and celebrating the trophies of the guys who were successful. I do manage to get an old friend, here or there, to go along on the easy hunts but it's just not like the good old days.

BTW - all of my hunts are outfitted today. The days of roughing it are long behind me. Decent accommodations, good food and a hot shower are a must. Hauling my harvested game animal out is better done by the young guy who is looking for a good tip.

 

[JD338]

I like the way you roll Charlie.

JD338

 

[RL338]

Being that I’ll only be 55 this year makes me sound young amongst the rest here. A little secret I don’t feel that young anymore. The biggest change in the amount of shooting I do changed when I switched shifts at work 9 yrs ago. Working second shift I would go out in the morning A LOT , now working first I don’t have the go at the end of the day. This time of the year daylight is short and weather is an issue.

 

[salmonchaser]

I turned 68 in December. I was walking 1.5 miles one day and workout in my basement on machines and free weights the next day and rotate, taking one day off a week. In November, I had a slight pinch in my chest for three days while walking or working out, no other symptoms. On the third day I had the wife take me to the hospital to see what was going on. Well after testing and blood work, I found out I had 90% blockage in one of my arteries and 60% in another. They put in a stent where the 90% blockage was and won't do anything about the 60% blockage, because the insurance won't cover it until 65%. I hate the meds they put me on, blood thinners and statins, don't like the side effects. I'm walking 3.5 miles every other day now and working out again. I'm hunting pheasants 2-3 times a week, walking 5-10 miles each trip.
I drew a buck deer tag and a cow elk tag here in Colorado and didn't go hunting. Maybe lucky I guess, after hearing about a guy dying of a heart attack in Montana packing out an elk. We live on a 90 acre farm northeast of Denver and have a lot of doves on our place, I never went one time shooting doves this season.
I've given 2 of my rifles to a Grandson and will probably give him more of my collection. I have no interest in buying any new guns in the future. I'll probably be doing more bird hunting and target shooting from now on. We have a 100 yard range on our place, that I can stretch to 300 yards.
I lost my hunting buddy, my Granddaughter. We hunted together for 6 seasons and I guided her to every animal she has taken. She filled every tag she had, deer and antelope for those 6 seasons. She went off to college in Missouri 2 years ago and I've really lost interest in hunting.
Sorry for the long rambling post.

Glad you caught the heart issue.

 

[salmonchaser]

I’m facing the same issues Charlie is, my guys are aging out. I’m 70 next nearest are 58 and 59. Drop to 55 years then a 49 with the tail end brought up with a 29 year old. Sitting in elk camp last fall on the last night. General discussion on the warm weather and slow hunting. 55 year old says “ Don, when are you going to give elk hunting up so the rest of us can quit and just hunt birds. The muttering seemed to make it a near unanimous opinion. I may be hunting by myself next year Who in their right mind would want to give up hunting this country? Dang kids.

 

[wvbuckbuster]

Lot of good personal perspectives here. I appreciate your honesty. Seems a lot of us are in the same boat, on the same page so to speak. Don, I was the young guy in a hunting camp for a number of years, but I didn't ask the older guys when they were going to quit hunting. One of them did tell me one of these days you're going to slow down like us. He was right. I hope to keep shooting and hunting some as time and health allows. As for my guns, my son and I had a talk back during deer season concerning them and I told him they were left to him in my will but what he didn't want to give to family members don't sell them. Grandkids and nephews would appreciate them. So, as Red Green said" Remember I'm pulling for you. We're all in this together."

 

[salmonchaser]

For me it’s just being out there. Next to Gods grandeur I marvel at the strength of the pioneers. There’s remanents of wagon roads on all those ridgetops, How the hell did they do that? Much of the history in the Oregon country is lost, the old timers I befriended as a youngster are gone, guess I’m within striking distance of being an “old timers”
The head stones are relatives that added to the Oregon Trail death toll; one per mile. No evidence left of a cabin, just the stove and chimney, About 1/2 way between the two places is Don’s Canyon. Killed a lot of elk down there.

 

[jimbires]

I'll be 64 in June . I've been less interested in hunting the last 4 or 5 years . at one time I was whitetail hunting 2 or 3 states and sometimes going west for elk . my last couple western elk hunts were solo DIY hunts .no one was interested in joining . I dropped out of the group I hunted Kansas whitetails with , the excitement wasn't there for me . I dropped out of the group I hunted N Carolina whitetails with again just no excitement . both groups of guys were great . I have an opening to get back in both groups , all I need to do is make a couple calls . I dropped out of the hunting / shooting lease I was in , I was the treasurer . lets just say school girl drama , and the need to out do others , was the reason for this . I really enjoyed shooting long range on the lease , but being a member wasn't worth the drama . I was making a list of components to put together a big hammer , a 408 cheytac , but decided against it. I wasn't sure about staying in the lease .without a long range why have that equipment .

I got back into trapping a few years ago , and really enjoy it . This year I didn't hunt at all . I trapped K9's a few weeks in one area until the deer rut was going good . I kept getting in to hunters and decided to pull out one day I was there by myself . I then moved to another place and put out a trap line ,and pulled it just before the Deer rifle season started. after rifle season ended I started to put traps out again , and quickly realized there was a thief . so I pulled out what I had left .

I'd like to find a kid , or someone new to hunting , to mentor . I've done this a couple times and I really enjoyed it . I'd also like to find a new reloader to mentor . I've done this a few times and really enjoyed it . I've thought about talking to the owner of a local gun shop about having a winter reloading class , but I'm not sure . I hate to get involved in something like this and then want out mid class . I've also thought about getting involved in hunter safety classes , I'm sure they could use help .

 

[Charlie-NY]

I had a free, guided mountain lion hunt in Utah available to me. I asked several guys to join me for the adventure, and I offered to pick up the entire tab, including the air fare. Believe it or not, I had no takers. The offer had a limited timeframe, and it passed by. What a shame.

If that offer was made to me, I'd be all over it. My buddy got a rare NR moose tag in New Brunswick. I took a week off of work and joined him. We had a great time and I think I worked harder for that moose then he did, and I didn't have a firearm. LOL