Dec 6, 2014 4 min read

The answer is no. As I write this, I have not gotten my buck but there are still nine days left, and I will be out trying.

I realized a couple of years ago I cannot hunt the way I used to. After all, the years do take a toll and the smart hunter learns to adapt.

Not that I am that smart.

First and foremost, my eyes are not what they were. Back when there was a little less grey in my beard, I was the first to spot a buck, the first to have the rifle up to the shoulder and, in most instances, the first to get off the shot. Sadly, I probably place last today.

Younger hunters find deer in briar patches before I do.

Then, there is the point count. I don’t want to shoot an illegal buck, so I attempt to count the points carefully.

Since I can’t tramp through the thickets anymore, I sit and watch the far hillside. This style of hunting usually means a bit of distance is involved, making the points harder to see.

As most readers know, it rained a lot last week, making visibility an adventure.

I had to ask my younger partner if a deer is legal hoping he doesn’t make a mistake.

The second question I ask is how far? He takes a reading with the rangefinder that should be a dead on hold.

The model 70, .264 magnum should hit dead on at 300 yards, so no holdover is required.

I have become a sniper not a hunter. Age does take a toll!

Now there are medications taken for various ailments.

I take pills that slow my metabolism, turning a quick-reflex person into a slow mover. I know my younger partners get a bit frustrated and now consider me pokey.

But the biggest problem is with my legs, where arthritis has taken a toll. It’s all but impossible to navigate through berry bushes and other weeds.

Therefore, I, and others my age, can’t hunt alone. If a deer is downed, a good friend needs to go get it and bring it to the truck. As the friend grunts and pulls I keep telling myself that it is OK since I have helped drag many a deer for other hunters.

This year, we had in our group a 13-year-old on his first deer hunting experience. He sat with Joe Dino of Canonsburg. They were there but a half-hour when a nice 8-point came running, and Soren McNary downed it with his uncle’s .257 Roberts.

Problem is, now he thinks it’s easy. Good shot and a tough drag.

Meanwhile, the old man hasn’t seen a shootable buck. The season goes on and huntes will still be found sitting and watching and thinking of hunts of past years.

There was the year of the deep snow, when the power went off preventing the eggs in the skillet from cooking. We still went deer hunting.

Another year we hunted hard to no avail. No one in my group got a buck with one exception. That exception was my wife, Eileen, who bagged an 8-point.

Another opener greeted us with very high winds. I knew the deer would be in a protected spot and pushed a low-lying thicket with Eileen watching one side while my son, Pat, watched the other. I picked the right piece of cover, for one buck mistakenly broke out and ran in front of the wife while another crossed in front of Pat.

That makes two bucks taken in one drive, not too bad.

But it is not these physical problems that are the hardest thing to overcome. It is instead the fire that burns within.

Deer hunting is not just a hobby for some. It is a passion.

The old have to sacrifice some of the tried and true methods and set them aside. If one continues to hunt deer, different methods need employed.

Sadly, the day of sneaking up on a large buck is behind him and his substitute method is a long-range shot. But there is still the point count.

I have friends who hunt from a wheelchair and another avid hunter with one leg.

They still have that desire and the will to hunt. If they can be found on a stand, why should I stay at home?

Give the elderly and handicapped a break. We aren’t what we used to be but we still want to try. Here’s to those souls who don’t let a handicap of any kind derail their time hunting.

George H. Block writes a Sunday Outdoors column for the Observer-Reporter.