Ever feel like "The good old days are gone"?

[2rocky]

Maybe it is middle age, but growing up I always dreamed of hunting the Rocky Mountain West like I heard the old timers talking about. Stories of 30 inch bucks on OTC tags in the Four corners area, Black maned bugling bulls in the Selway ans wall tent camps deep in the wilderness.

When I reached my early 30's I was finally able to go out of state and chase some of those critters and even had some success. Now after roughly 15 years and drawing a few good tags, just being out there with the unwashed masses in a general unit doesn't hold the appeal it did when I was young and hungered for new horizons and "exotic" big game. I've had a taste of the "good life" and eclipsed my youthful expectations of wild country and critters.

For those of you in your 50's...Did you have a time period where other aspects of your life took your focus away from hunting for a time period? Did you find you WANTED to be as focused and relentless in your next big adventure but feel like you had your best days already?

How do you reconcile being in No Man's land on points for hunts you might finally draw when you could be considered elderly?

Ironically, My father in his early 60's began his out of state hunting for deer elk and antelope. I could count on him as my hunting partner. Now he is slowing down at 75. Maybe that is the part that is making me a little melancholy...

 

[VikingsGuy]

The lament of every generation. For me, it's about the time spent with friends/family, father/son (father/daughter), the time outdoors, meat in the freezer, with this focus there are still many many big game options - many memories to be formed. I think much of the current angst and whining is derived from (in my opinion) a serious over valuing of antler size (or antlers at all). If it's about a trophy the current situation can seem futile, if it's about the experience there is still much fun to be had.

 

[jeremys4]

I’m currently in a in between the good old days. I’m 32 have a 5 year old boy and 3 year old daughter. These are great times at home but my hunting and fishing got cut drastically. I used to hunt at least 30 days in a tent not drive home every night. Depending on who gets what tags I can do 20 days. I believe I’ll have another good old days just like when I was in high school and couldn’t wait for my dad to pick me up on Friday afternoon to go deer hunting. I hope my son and daughter get deer fever at an early age for my sake.

 

[noharleyyet]

2rocky the good 'ol days start tomorrow...

 

[Dave N]

Always wanted to, had a few opportunities (0 for 2 on elk, 1 bear killed in 2 trips), and really, REALLY want to do SOMETHING in Alaska before I take the dirt nap. Time is creeping along and I just ain't getting any younger. Anything out west again is pretty much out and Alaska is slipping away every year. Kudos to those guys that keep on plugging in their 60s and 70s or more. Trying to get everything paid off and get debt free before I retire without tapping into the savings. Trips are one thing, but HUNTING trips may not go over real well. Like they say, hindsight is 20/20. Woulda, shoulda, coulda sure does fit!

 

[BuzzH]

I think there is certain hunting that I've done that will never be the same as it once was. My whitetail spot in particular, had it good for a lot of years. Its still OK, but I doubt like hell I'll ever see it like it was in the mid 90's-2005. That's OK though, I'm fine with knowing I made the most of it when the gettin' was good.

Elk in Montana, best days there are in the rear-view with things getting worse every year on public land. One of the curses of living and growing up in Montana, and having 40 years of hunting in the rear-view, is knowing what it was like then, and now. Lots of people hunting now, they think they're in high cotton, they don't know any better, that's probably a good thing.

I think the best thing my wife and I ever did was to move to Wyoming. Whole new state full of adventure with no sense of loyalty to any area.

I don't dwell much on the past, I tend to look more forward. We have a bunch of hunting yet to do, lots of points in a lot of states that need to be cashed.

I have very few regrets when it comes to hunting and fishing...I've done more than most.

 

[EYJONAS!]

It's far from over my friend. Every day is a good ole day when your out there regardless of 30 inchers or not.

I hear ya I wish I could've seen the 50 buck says of solid deer

 

[lastlight]

Got to live in the present, we have a lot of opportunities out there but also need to stay vigilant in maintaining it that way for the future. But some of my favorite ol timer stories are about Colorado in the 70s and 80s.When I first met this friend I would call an ol timer he told me about how every year he would head to Colorado and turn down 30” wide muley bucks until he found a big one. I didn’t believe him, then he showed me the racks in his garage. Full of 200” deer over 30 wide. All OTC at the time. I just laugh.

 

[Deleted member 18333]

For me the good old days are now. I’m 45. Have my finances in order so I can hunt dreamed of places. I have enough years under my belt hunting gen areas that deer and elk are almost a sure thing. My boys are old enough that they can hunt as well. I have a back country hunt planned this year in the selway, a place I have dreamed of hunting since reading Zumbo stories as a kid. Can still get just about anywhere I want. Best of all I have a few great friends, my wife included, that enjoys hunting with our kids , as much as I do.

 

[sbhooper]

Due to urbanization, expense and politics, the good old days are a fleeting thing. Too many people in the wilds now. I have lost my desire to compete.

 

[Southern Elk]

I wish I could have seen the good old days of bighorn sheep hunting.

 

[Arctic_Snow_Seeker]

I was very young at the time but I remember mule deer hunting in western Wyoming before the big die off. The hunting seasons of 89 and 90 are some of my earliest memories. It was nothing to see a couple hundred mule deer in one day. One day we saw over 50 4 pt bucks.
I often wonder how normal that way back then. Did we just catch it right on the hunt? Was there really that many deer? I know the seasons ran later back then. Was that it? I don’t know. But I do know it will never be like that again.
Another time time we were in the upper green imaround oct 1st. We were hearing what we thought were cranes through the trees. As we came into the meadow there were at least 50 moose. Bulls all over in full rut. You couldn’t see 50 moose in that country in oct with a helicopter these days.

I have a trip planned this fall on a river that if you type the name in a google search bar very little comes up. It’s about as remote and one could get in the US these days. I like to think the good old days can still be found. At least in one owns perspectives...

 

[Slm864]

I’m 32 right now and have had some awesome adventures already in my life and hopefully have more to come but I occasionally look back to even when I was in school and think the hunting was better 15 years ago due to being out on my own and experiencing new things. Right now I have 2 young kids that are top priority in my life and I look forward to spending time outdoors with them. Ultimately I feel the good ole days are still ahead of me though.

 

[Slm864]

I really only got to start hunting the Rockies for elk and mule deer in the past decade. The talk of minimal crowds and few hunters are something I didn’t get the opportunity to see so they way things are currently just feel normal I guess.

 

[mdhunter]

The good ol days are what you make them. At 52 I am fortunate enough to be in good health and yet also fortunate to have some great western hunts/memories under my belt.

I have lived long enough to see east coast fisheries such as stripped bass collapse, recover, and then struggle again. As an avid fisherman am I upset to see them struggle again, of course. At least the book has already been written on how to make that species thrive. In the meantime you adapt, fish for other species that are thriving such as cobia, red drum, and trout.

If you like to deer hunt the good ol days are now where we live. The size, bounty, and harvest limits are off the charts.

My kids are finally finishing college so those payments are disappearing. Hey! These are the good ol days!

Wherever you are, get outside and enjoy the time with others. Who knows how many trips around the sun we are all blessed with.

 

[Big Fin]

For those of you in your 50's...Did you have a time period where other aspects of your life took your focus away from hunting for a time period? Did you find you WANTED to be as focused and relentless in your next big adventure but feel like you had your best days already?

How do you reconcile being in No Man's land on points for hunts you might finally draw when you could be considered elderly?
.....

I'm 55. I've never had a bad season/day/year yet, and I'm not about to start such a bad habit this late in life.

I feel more focused and relentless now than I ever did in my 20s or 30s. It is physically harder now, but in many ways far more fun. The end result is not all that important to me at this age. Who I am with, seeing new landscapes, learning new conservation stories, and trying to make sure I take not a single day of good health for granted all serve to make these days my version of "The Good Old Days."

There are always the memories of "good old days." I have them at times. Then I realize that these are the good old days compared to what it will be ten years from now, and ten years after that, and ten years .......

The comment about being in "No Man's Land" with points is something I hear often and strikes me a bit peculiar. I look at most of the hunts I do and even with us doing content that tries to explain the western point systems, I think there is more opportunity than most people have time to hunt, even if they didn't participate in point systems. No doubt, the way the western states do things (ID, NM, and AK excluded), points help. But, that is not the "be all, end all" to having good days afield.

I suspect I have one hunt per year, sometimes not even that, where a pile of points made a big difference. Most my antelope hunts are 1-3 points. My MT elk and deer hunts take maybe 1-2 points for a non-resident. Alaska black bear, one of my favorite hunts, is not on a point system and I've drawn 100% of the time I've applied. I do Arizona archery Coues, something growing to be my most pleasurable hunt of the year, and it is OTC. If I wanted, I could do CO archery deer every couple years. I end up with NV archery deer every other year. It has been a few years since I did CO OTC elk, but given the calendar this year, I think I will end up there this year. I could do ID OTC for deer and elk, every year.

I understand my situation is different than most, but from the perspective of someone in their 50's who has been in the multi-state hunting gig for 25 years, I still see way more opportunity available to me than I have time to take advantage of in a year. No points, lots of points, or in between, I could hunt for months on end and still have more hunts than I have time.

I've not went through the moments where I felt what you have expressed in the OP. For what little my perspective might add, I would suggest you write down what does interest you in your hunting endeavors and make that a priority. It gives you something to focus on, gives you something to save time and money toward, and when you go do it, you will wonder why you waited so long.

Every time I cross something off my "Someday" list, it ends up on my "Glad I did" list. Never once have I had the thought, "Why did I do that?"

 

[mtmuley]

My good old days are ahead. mtmuley

 

[Europe]

2rocky the good 'ol days start tomorrow...

I agree

I certainly can not do what I once did. But today I played three games of chess, while having a good conversation and a glass of wine with a gentleman.

All my "yesterdays" are pressed lovingly between the pages of my mind and in my heart.

Live your life to the fullest today, as

Tomorrow is promised to no one.

HA HA laughing at myself--I sound like a Hallmark greeting card----but I am serious. Live your life to the best of your ability, everyday, it goes by so quickly )-: when people ask what do you wish you could do over, I always say--all of it !

and as Big Fin said, I can not think of one thing I was sad that I had done after it was crossed off my bucket list. Even if something my grandfather had done, was not available to me, I was determined to do everything I wanted to do that was available to me

 

[rjthehunter]

I'm 22, my best days are ahead of me. That being said, I'd rather work till my mid 60s and have gone on all the hunting trips I'm dreaming of than work till I'm 55 and retire with little time left where I can physically take the abuse of the difficult hunts I hope to accomplish. Like Randy said, he's never looked back and said "Why did I do that?" It's always a glad to have done it. Screw the norm. I'll work till I'm 70 if that's what it takes. I find plenty of time to do my hobbies while I'm working full time AND being a full time student. Once May comes, I'll be on to just working full time which will come as a relief to me making more $$$ than I am now and having more free time than I do now.

My grandpa was able to retire at a younger age and hunt the world all simultaneously. He worked hard but played harder. His success gave him the ability to travel and hunt all over the place while still making money while on these adventures back home. I strive to be half as successful as him in both my work career and hunting career. Every mount he has contains a story, and I still haven't heard all of them. He isn't able to hunt like he used to, but now when he sits in his recliner and looks around, he sees his success and and has all these memories that he's shared with countless friends and family.

Sure, I could retire at 50 if I saved money, but whats the point if I haven't done what I enjoy?

Like a wise man once said, "Hunt when you can, you're gonna run out of health before you run out of money".

 

[Bigjay73]

The good old days weren't always good, and tomorrow ain't as bad as it seems, or something like that