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When to stop deer hunting?

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brnsvllyjohn

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When do you stop deer hunting? I have been deer hunting for 50+ years and I am going to continue as long as I can walk away from my vehicle. I have buddies who hunted with me for years but no longer go. Some because of health reasons and others say they have lost interest. A couple tell me that when I start shooting really large bucks they might develop an interest again. Fortunately for me the next generation of hunters (guys between 35-40) are still hunting hard and a lot of times they show up in my camp.
I figure if you really wanted to hunt you would go as long as you could even if you are just shooting small or medium bucks. I know some guys my age won't shoot a medium buck because they have shot enough that it has to be big or nothing. I doubt I will ever get to that point but who knows. I know there are areas I won't go alone anymore because I don't think I can retrieve a deer from some locations but there are plenty of areas I can still get a buck out of. We generally get our deer every year so we have some success but like most of us I have returned from a 10 day hunt with nothing. I am still going to go back. I now hunt alone a lot because I can hunt any day where the younger guys have a job to worry about.
When should I stop going? Not anytime soon.
 
My interest has waned only in the quantity of deer I harvest. In Maryland you can literally shoot as many as you want (it was 6 bucks and 30 doe, split between archery, black powder, and rifle). I almost don’t pay attention to the total now because now I shoot one for the freezer and maybe a couple for the “Harvest for the Hungry”. I will admit to shooting as many ducks as possible as I flat out love to eat them. Anyhow, to each their own...
 
My grandpa's cousin Art the last time I was up at his place he was in his late 80's and still logging by himself in the North woods of WI. He wrote me this winter and he is approaching 100 now. Told me he had to give up logging but still goes out back of the house and shoots deer. I guess he will stop the day the good Lord calls him home.
 
Hold out brother until you can no longer get away from the vehicle..... And then get the younger guys to get you out. Never give up!
 
I personally don't plan to stop deer hunting for a number of years. I am a little surprised that some of the guys my age have stopped or hunt very little now. All have big plans for retirement but then they don't seem to take advantage of the time they have. Oh well. For my plans I purchased a new quad last year and a new truck this year. I plan to use them a lot. I am even debating buying a new rifle this year. The nice thing about being retired is I can get to camp a few days earlier than most and stay longer. The young guys have it made since I have saved the spot and I can usually tell them where I have seen a couple of bucks. Shoot my son doesn't even have to bring anything but a gun. I have the travel set up and usually more food than we can eat.
 
I think the older you get the better. You have more time and money to go where you want to hunt. I still go west and north to hunt alone and I am 70. When you run OUT of HEALTH that is a problem.
 
I'm going as long as I can be outside. Been doing it for 40yrs, & I'll sit in my chair at home if I have to....
 
I don't know when i'll stop buck hunting but seems lately i have been thinking a lot about just this topic.

I remember when my Grandpa gave up hunting, he did so because of his health. About then, I used to be sure to visit him after each of my adventures to keep him filled in with my goings ons. He expected my visits though never had to say so. It might have took me an hour or so to tell him of a out of state trip, Grandma was then usually making busy work out in the kitchen but you could bet she missed not a word. I didn't realize it then but those times filling Gramps in were my way of payback for all the dozens and dozens of times that they had included me in their outdoor vacation adventures... or had maybe just took me fishing for the day. Grandpa's last hunt was on a Thanksgiving morning. I was in my mid twenty's, Gramps in his mid 70's. He had a yearling Brittney pup that he wanted to get in some birds with, i had a place to go, his Britt did well with mine and together we got our limits of wild pheasants out of tall overgrown corner with some great dog work and good shooting by both of us fairly early on. He didn't say much as we headed back the 20 miles or so to the Family festivities that day but i knew how happy he was, how much that hunt meant to him... or i thought i knew at the time.

I took a nice fat 3-4 year old Forky buck in a close by general season hunt several years ago, took him not a hundred yards from my truck. After the gutting, i started dragging him up the hill but he felt like he was stuck so i paused to inquire. He wasn't. It took way more effort than i generally like to admit to, finally got him all loaded up. As you might suppose, i'm having even more trouble getting around these days. I do have 6 points for the Muley draw in my home state though and i'm planning to hunt at least this year and next. I ain't done yet but i understand that the writing is on the wall.
 
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A guy could over think that question, in my opinion the correct answer is never, not until I'm a certified pants sh!tter. Even then ill still go.
 
My Grandfather quit 2 or 3 times(during his late 70's & early 80s) before he finally gave it up for good. He loved sitting in the woods even after his hearing loss and bad knees became a major obstacle. He finally quit when he wasn't able to walk far enough from the house or truck to feel like he was really "getting out there".
 
Stop deer hunting? Never probly. It's the elk chasing that might get me first. mtmuley
 
I'm in my early 30s and I've made it a point to start taking better care of myself so I can hunt a long as I can but my attitude toward deer hunting has changed a bit. I used to shoot anything that walked within range but now my focus now is around deer and wildlife management more than just filling tags. In Oklahoma we're allowed 6 deer a year between bow, muzzleloader, and rifle, 2 of which can be bucks. I'm more inclined now to shoot does to fill the freezer and wait for that mature buck. I hunt more with my bow than I do my rifle and try to be selective about the animals I take. I'm blessed to have the opportunity to manage the property I hunt so I plant food plots, trap and shoot feral pigs, trap and shoot predators, and do controlled burns to try to provide the wildlife on that property with sufficient food, safety, and eliminate non-native competition to ensure good herd health and give them a better opportunity to reach maturity and see their potential. It gives me a great deal of satisfaction to see fat, healthy does in the spring before fawning season and plenty of fawns and yearlings in the fall. I get excited to check my cameras every couple of weeks to see how many resident bucks I have and how their antler growth is progressing. While I've never actually harvested a record book buck I've had to pleasure of seeing some true woodland monarchs on my cameras and in the flesh and that gets my blood pumping almost as much as drawing my bow or squeezing the trigger on my rifle
 
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