It's not the forced march we used to do in our youth. Sometimes we laugh at how hard we would hunt and fish and only sleep a few hours a night. Some nights we would not sleep. It would kill us if we tried to do it now. We still love the hunt, but pass good bucks most people would shoot on sight. Shoot does and spikes for meat. I am sure if a record book walked out he would probably get shot. Pigs are another story. They all get shot. We get more excited about what we are going to cook and eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner while at camp. Sleep in half the time after setting around the camp fire until 2-3 in the morning just talking and looking at the stars. Our boys hunt with us when they are not busy with life and other things. When they were young they were with us every weekend. They don't have the fire we had at their age. I don't push them, just tell them to come on anytime they want. They know we hunt every weekend somewhere starting Sept 1st. I watched my uncles and older brother go through the change and could not really understand. Now I do.

I am 72 and still get excited...we don't have a lot of deer on our lease so when I see about any deer I still get antsy.

stxranchman, that is the best picture of a buck (the Sheriff) I have seen in a long while. Thanks for sharing.

I still go with the same drive and passion about hunting I had 45 yrs ago. Still pull the trigger when I see something I like and what I don't like. I have started hunting Mule Deer the last 8 years now and really look forward to that annual trip out to West Texas. I have also gotten back into photography the past 10 yrs. This year I tagged out early in archery season, so I am stuck with using my camera to hunt. If I had not tagged out then I would have shot this buck. Instead I got to witness a fight and get it on camera.

You need a bow

Yep. It changes everything.

its good theropy. as pappy once said: thought i knew everything bout hunting, till i picked up the bow . still learning.