The End Of Things

[ACP230]

It's official now, I guess.
Cold is just too hard for me to handle.

I used to like to still hunt and stalk deer and put miles on my boots doing so. I got older, fatter, got asthma, and took to sitting in blinds almost exclusively. (I did stalk the last deer I killed, a small doe, but it was in a special early season in September. Last year I barely hunted (more medical problems).

This year I had dropped some weight, exercised more, and expected to spend more time in the woods in deer season. It didn't work out that way. The time I went out the wind off of Lake Superior cut me up and I was back in the truck in just over an hour.

Today I spent a few minutes clearing up the driveway in 34 degree weather and had to spend an hour recuperating inside. If I'd had to drag a deer out of the woods I'm not sure I could have.

Last fall my oldest son decided to quit hunting. So it's been a bad couple of years.

 

[Kingcreek]

Sorry to hear this.
I have some strong opinions on health and "health care" (which doesn't have much to do with health and should be properly called pharmaceutical disease management). Check the side effects of any and all meds you take. Sometimes these are overlooked and cause many problems.
I realize age and some health conditions are beyond our control but most of our challenges come down to diet and lifestyle choices.
I don't know your age or the details of your health concerns but don't give up. Find somebody else to hunt with, other styles of hunting, or other game. Strive to be healthy wether you hunt or not.
I hope my comments haven't offended anyone.

 

[pax]

ACP230 ~

I'm sorry.

Got a friend who hunts with a handicapped permit. It allows him to hunt from the access roads, and he can have a healthier friend do all the scut work. He's not an old guy, but he's had a run of really bad luck. Just about killed him when he thought it meant no more hunting, but ever since he got his handicapped hunt permit he's been a lot less blue.

pax

 

[DigMe]

Sorry to hear this.
I have some strong opinions on health and "health care" (which doesn't have much to do with health and should be properly called pharmaceutical disease management). Check the side effects of any and all meds you take. Sometimes these are overlooked and cause many problems.
I realize age and some health conditions are beyond our control but most of our challenges come down to diet and lifestyle choices.
I don't know your age or the details of your health concerns but don't give up. Find somebody else to hunt with, other styles of hunting, or other game. Strive to be healthy wether you hunt or not.
I hope my comments haven't offended anyone.

Also, if you're willing to spend some money on good, high-performance cold weather gear you could really improve your comfort level.

brad cook

 

[MLH]

If you can afford it

You might try a 4 X 4 ATV with a windscreen on it! Then you'd have something to haul your game on and be able to stay a little warmer.

 

[Subby]

What DigMe said. I still see lots of guys in 20-30 degree weather wearing jeans and sweatshirts, they last an hour or two, walk some powerlines, then call it a day. Polypropylene long johns, wool pants n shirt, good socks, good boots, coat long enough to cover your plumber's crack, etc. The way I look at it is, I took a day off work to get out in the woods, I'm not gonna waste it sitting in the truck drinking coffee and wondering what might have been. Also, if I'm stand hunting, I'll walk in wearing as little as possible, get those clothes sweated up, arrive at the stand, peel off my sweaty t-shirt, let the sweat evaporate. Then I'll get dressed in long johns/sweater, etc. It helps a lot, not having to wear sweaty clothes all day.

Sub

 

[Lupinus]

it isn't as much of a challenge but see if you can't get a disabled hunters liscense of if you have a truck if there are any off road trails through the woods. Wont be the sae but it might be better then nothing for you.

 

[dfaugh]

I can sympathize

Been out a couple times this year..I'm fortunate that I have a small piece of land that I can hunt...I just have to walk about 200 yards out behind my house...However, it nearly kills me just to walk that far, and the trip back (uphill) is even worse...takes at least a day to recuperate... We've had some warmer weather which is a 2 edged sword...If I dress warm, I'm sweating bullets from moving around, then when I sit in stand I get cold, after a while.... Tried some walking the other day and it nearly killed me (I have to have both knees replaced)...Not sure what else to tell you, just that you're not alone..

 

[Sharps Shooter]

I'm sorry ACP.
My Dad gave up hunting about 10 years ago - heart problems. He could have hunted for a couple more years if he would have got a disabled licence. That would have allowed him to shoot from a vehicle. But he knew that he'd never be able to drag, even a small deer, to the truck. So he quit hunting. It's been pretty rough for him this time of year since. But you know what, and I don't want to sound too philosophical or something, even Dad will tell you nobody can take away the memories.
I can still hunt. But I use to climb. I've been to Denali, Rainier, Hood and to the Tetons many times. I still daydream about going to another big mountain someday. Reality is, no matter how well I take care of myself, both of my grandfathers died of heart problems before they were 60. Dad had 5 by-passes 15 years ago and he's 75 now. I'm 57 and counting fast. I'll never go to another big mountain. But nobody can take away the memories of the ones I've already been on.

 

[Larry Ashcraft]

The time does come, and as others have said, you have the memories.

My grandad quit hunting at 71. He had to hunt close to camp and when my dad shot a six point bull, all he could carry out were the antlers. He said if he couldn't do his part anymore he was quitting.

My dad hunted his last elk last year at age 77. In fact the last couple years he was just going through the motions, he doesn't have the arm and shoulder strength to properly mount and fire a rifle. Dad figures he has killed somewhere in the vicinity of 35 elk and countless deer over the years, so he seems happy with that.

Up until I was about 18, we had beef only rarely, and I thought it tasted greasy.

 

[smokemaker]

My dad's health has been failing for a while now, and last year he hardly went out and got skunked for the first time I can remember. He was crushed all summer. I talked him into a drag cart and a quad. Both items have been already used this season and he is a new man. What a difference. He also got a draw lock permit for NYS, which helped too, even though he didn't get a shot in bow season. The right equipment can extend the time a man can hunt. No doubt in my mind.

Mr Ashcroft, I too rarely had beef before I joined the USAF, and have never thought it better than venison or moose.

 

[Darth Ruger]

How about if you concentrate on small game hunting? You can use rifle or shotgun, and don't have so much hiking to do, or more meat than you can handle to pack out. A couple of rabbits or a bag full of squirrels can make a few tasty meals with much less physical effort required on your part. What about birds? Pheasant, quail, etc. You don't have to give up hunting completely just because deer is becoming too difficult for you.

Last fall my oldest son decided to quit hunting.

Why did he quit?

 

[ACP230]

I did do more small game hunting this year. (Grouse and squirrels were thin on the ground where we went.)
And a little bow hunting for deer, before it got cold.
I have some other options, but it grinds me that I can't hunt the way I used to. I like deer hunting more than turkey or bear hunting, and venison more than either meat too.

It also bugs me that I didn't do more before this.
I only got in one trip West to hunt mule deer. (Fun, but no deer.)
Never hunted antelope, which is something I wanted to do for years.

I also feel like I'm shortchanging my 13 year-old. He likes the woods, but I often can't take him there, or stay long if we get there.
I'm allergic to dogs too, now, so no mutt for him to hunt with either.

I used to wonder why guys my age quit hunting. I didn't think, years ago, I'd ever find out first hand.

 

[rust collector]

Sounds like you need a hunting buddy that can drop you at a blind, haul your critter and generally help you out. That might be a fair exchange for the benefit of your experience and wisdom, if you can connect with a young guy that is just getting started. The 13 year old is a might young to fill all these roles, but I am sure will benefit from your example.

There may be some cold weather gear such as a balaclava that can help humidify the air you breath and ease your symptoms.

Yes, it's frustrating to think how youth is wasted on the young, but it's important to keep getting out there. I'm afraid that timeworn "use it or lose it" expression still holds a lot of truth, and the key to longevity is activity. We are all slowing down as we age, but we do what we can with what we have.

 

[Darth Ruger]

There's a product called ThermaCare that can really help with the cold. It looks like a large gauze bandage, but it contains the stuff that generates heat. You open the package and expose it to air to activate it, and it makes heat for about eight hours. My wife uses them a lot on her shoulders (had surgery a couple of times).

Get the kind for your lower back (they're available in small and large). Put one on your lower/middle back and one on your stomach. You might even want to put one on your chest. Then put all your layers of insulating clothing over them and something on the outside to keep the wind out, and it will create a lot of heat to keep you warm all day. There's also a smaller one for the back of the neck, you might want to try putting a couple of those on your thighs. They work really well. You can find them at almost every drug store, Wal-Mart, grocery store, most places that sell drugs/medicines:
http://www.thermacare.com/ourproducts.jsp

 

[20cows]

I note that you're in Upper Michigan. I think there are other solutions to your cold weather stamina problems.

Move to Texas.

Though it got down to 35 this morning, it's 60 outside right now. Two weeks ago it was in the lower 80's.

 

[Buzztail]

The weather ain't bad in Florida right now either.

 

[dracphelan]

I know what you mean. I'm only 35 and just getting into hunting. But, I was sideswiped by a Lexus while riding my motorcycle 8 years ago. I can feel the weather changes in my knees, and it get's worse every year. Top that off with my asthma coming back, and I know I don't have tha many more years to get some hunting in.

 

[Atticus]

Do what you CAN do. There's no reason to quit period, just because you can't do what you used to do. If that were the case I wouldn't have sex any more...no wait...that's not a good example. Just do what you're able to; you might find that you can do more than you expected.

 

[Matt G]

Well, get on down here, then.

In S. TX, the little white tail are often thick as flies, and you can often hunt in your shirt sleeves. I've sweated buckets while cleaning a deer or javelina on occasion. Sure, we get our cold fronts (like the one we're having now in N TX), but it's rare for temps to last below 40 for more than a day in S. TX.

Add in the bow hunting season in October, (probably the finest month on the calender), and there's plenty of pleasant time to hunt ahead.

Do plan ahead with your wardrobe, though. Dad finally got a pair of Gortex, Thinsulate-lined boots for the first time a couple of years ago (he'd always just put on wool socks under Redwing bird-hunting leather boots), and he discovered that life outside doesn't have to be so damnably unpleasant!

 

[HSMITH]

I am not all that old but I tend to learn the hard way.

I duck hunted for years in upper midwest freezing weather and thought being miserable was part of the experience until fate found my cheapskate butt in front of a clearance rack of very expensive coats and bibs. Normal retail put the coat and bibs at about $750 for a set, and I ended up paying about $275. Mind boggling for me to spend that much on two pieces of hunting clothes but I will tell you now, if I EVER need clothes to hunt I would not hesitate to pay the $750 for them at full retail. Cold just doesn't matter with the right clothing, the difference is plain staggering. Once upon a time I thought the guys with $300-$400 coats were morons, now I are one of them morons and LOVE IT!!! I am still a cheapskate though, I try to buy clearance/discontinued clothes so they aren't so painfully expensive but I would not be without real quality outdoor clothing again.

 

[kumma]

Sorry to hear this, I hope things get better for you. Sounds like you need friendlier ground to hunt on. After this season Im looking for some to. I took my cousin up deer hunting for his first time this month. We hunted state land just south of Mass City. That wicked snow strom that dumped 20" of snow sure killed his enthusiasm for the hunt. He went out 2 days out of 5 and Im pretty sure he's never coming back up again.

 

[Kingcreek]

You mentioned a desire to hunt antelope. The weather in Wyoming at the start of the lope season can be quite mild and walking can be as much or as little as you want.
You might consider booking a hunt for you and your sons. not too costly as hunts go, your 13 yr old might like it and it might get your older son back into the sport.

 

[Atticus]

I'll second what HSMITH said. Good clothes make all the difference. I found that it can be done fairly cheaply if you buy the components of those $700 outfits piecemeal >>>- poly underwear - a layer of good thick fleece - Some bibs- a cheap down or insulated poly jacket - and topped off with a good quality gortex rain suit. Throw in a good pair of insulated, waterproof gloves and boots and you're good to go. I bought my stuff over a 2-3 year period mostly after the hunting season, when they were on sale. As a DNR guy told me once, "there is no such thing as bad weather, just poor choices of attire".

 

[Darth Ruger]

..."there is no such thing as bad weather, just poor choices of attire".

I used to give folks another variation of that. In my younger days, my enthusiasm for riding my motorcycle was so great that I was on it seven days a week, even in the freezing rain, fog, and pounding hail. And I didn't have expensive riding apparel, just a leather jacket and blue jeans, with as many layers of t-shirts and long underwear as I could squeeze under them. During the winter months, I was always soaked to the bone when I got where I was going.

When someone asked me why I liked to ride in bad weather, I'd say "There's no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather."