sitsinhedges Posted November 15, 2014 Report Share Posted November 15, 2014 Wondering how folk manage to continue shooting and particularly decoying as they get older. I'm knocking 50 now and after 30 yrs in the building trade it's becoming apparent that I maybe can't do what I used to so easily, joints worn etc and less able to take a beating I once would have shrugged off easily. A couple of years ago I would carry a huge Bergen on my back with all my kit and a days bag but I can't do that now without hurting myself and have come to rely more on a wheel barrow. How do you all manage to carry on in your advancing years? I would hate to stop doing this but realise that at some point allowances will have to be made. I'm probably on a downward spiral now so would like to know how you all manage to go on? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ditchman Posted November 15, 2014 Report Share Posted November 15, 2014 Im very very lucky..........the whole farm i shoot over has management strips around all the fields...so i can drive and set up whever...and there are so many spineys i can just park in them...the farmers slashes them out with the tractor for me......i couldnt really trapse over the field now........ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sitsinhedges Posted November 15, 2014 Author Report Share Posted November 15, 2014 Im very very lucky..........the whole farm i shoot over has management strips around all the fields...so i can drive and set up whever...and there are so many spineys i can just park in them...the farmers slashes them out with the tractor for me......i couldnt really trapse over the field now........ How old are you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fenboy Posted November 15, 2014 Report Share Posted November 15, 2014 I am also heading toward 50 and I do find it more difficult , I will just carry what I can now and if it means making more than one trip then thats what I do . Luckly most big bags are usually shot on a stubble of some type in which case I can get the car over to drop the gear off and collect it and the pigeon at the end of the day. Where it effects me most is my knees and back if I have had a good day , I like to sit and stand for a shot or if there are lots about I will often be bent in a standing crouch and I suffer for it the next day . Plans are for a 4x4 in the near future which will help and I guess sooner or later I may have to do most of my shooting sitting down , when I a getting on a bit more I may have to take on a young apprentice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
la bala Posted November 15, 2014 Report Share Posted November 15, 2014 A lot of my shooting i can get too in my land rover, as i am 71, if there is any carrying to be done i invite my son for the day Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest iFerret2 Posted November 15, 2014 Report Share Posted November 15, 2014 Exercises for your core muscles might help a bit....... Weight is also an issue that needs to be kept off. I guess I will have these battles in 30 years Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cranfield Posted November 15, 2014 Report Share Posted November 15, 2014 I am officially "elderly" (68) and feel most of those years in my joints. I drive as near to where I want to shoot as possible, to reduce the distance I have to carry my gear and I also reduce the load to just what I need. The days of carrying every decoy, every net and all the electronic gadgetry I own are long gone. It takes a bit more planning , but if you know your ground its surprisingly easy and effective. Be prepared to make more than one journey, not everything all in one trip. I shoot most every week day and so have uptodate intel on where the birds are and whats happening, this also saves too many unproductive yomps across the fields. The Begara shooting seat is probably the most comfortable seat I have ever used, its fully height adjustable, with a decent seat area and a back support, it definitely eases my joints. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDog Posted November 15, 2014 Report Share Posted November 15, 2014 My body has not let me down yet and I hope to continue to decoy pigeons for many years to come. However I do rejoice when the ground is hard enough to drive to my chosen position. I am well into my seventh decade. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hawkfanz Posted November 15, 2014 Report Share Posted November 15, 2014 come sits toughen up.i was 65 wed gone had my left leg amputated back in 1972,been a commercial tyre fitter hgv driver an I still manage to carry decoys nets n poles an yes my joints are givin up too but I,m not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ditchman Posted November 15, 2014 Report Share Posted November 15, 2014 How old are you? 60....one lung....stuffed knees (thank you british army).....the list goes on BETTER TO BURN OUT THAN FADE AWAY Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mossy835 Posted November 15, 2014 Report Share Posted November 15, 2014 i drive near to where i want to go, then put it all in a wheel barrow,works for me, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Essex Hunter Posted November 15, 2014 Report Share Posted November 15, 2014 At 53 I carry a lot of kit 300 yards plus as the only driving is after the harvest! I do 2 trips as for me walking is not an issue with a lot of lamping and a cocker spaniel keeps me in a half decant field fit... On a recant wildfowling trip I joined a club shoot and a chap around 30 got stuck 3 times as he never had the strength to deal with the mud....first time on the mud and I guess his last as he looked shattered.... TEH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aga man Posted November 15, 2014 Report Share Posted November 15, 2014 Mind over matter i would say. At 38 i like to think i am by no means old or incapable, however i have seen disabled people shoot driven game one handed from a wheelchair quite successfully and don't forget even the late Archie Coates made good bags when using cruchtes to get around. For sure health and fitness is important but it is the mindset which drives you to get out there. Sometimes you just have to adapt your style. Respect to you hawkfanz a prime example of positive mental atitude Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marsh man Posted November 15, 2014 Report Share Posted November 15, 2014 I find now with the old allocated time just around the corner my head says I can still do it but my body don't always agree . Yesterday I was on a shoot all day driving the guns about in a big old army lorry with no power steering , walking the guns to there pegs , lugging the game back and generally looking after them begins to take its toll on my arms and a worn out back and mentally quite stressful at times, but I don't drink and smoke and I know the time will come when I will have to ease up but I will still do what I am capable of doing. Walking is no problem so if I shoot more pigeons than it is sensible to carry I will make two or even three trips back to my car . I no longer stay till the end of the day just for the sake of getting a few more , once I have had enough that is it I pack up and call it a day, Like the above member said there are a lot of people worst off than us who still enjoy a day out with there gun so just do the amount you can cope with and be sensible about it . Yesterday we had four picking up and the youngest was 70 and the oldest nearly 80 and they rarely ever miss a day ,.. and long may they continue bless em. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pigeon controller Posted November 15, 2014 Report Share Posted November 15, 2014 I still manage to carry all my required gear around the fields, I stop for a rest more often . When the day is over I make several trips back to the Disco. Not bad for a body that is sixty six with a brain stuck at eighteen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grandalf Posted November 15, 2014 Report Share Posted November 15, 2014 (edited) I'm the wrong side of 75 and still running two syndicates - one fowling one pheasant, fowling, lamping, vermin, pigeons etc. Doesn't get any easier but if you really love doing it you will find a way. Just got to keep pushing the old body on. If you stop you will never get started again. Pace yourself, get a trolley instead of a rucksack. I sold my fowling boat a couple of years ago because I scared myself a couple of times at 4am on a big flood tide on the Alde river. Regretted it ever since. Got to pace yourself - No doubt about that. Carry the minimum gear that you possibly can and go for light equipment as far as you possibly can. I don't do the sea marshes anymore unless I have a younger bloke with me - Just in case... Carry two mobiles and a satnav. Then just get out there and enjoy. You're going to be a long time in the cemetery! Oh - And keep the weight down - that's a must. Edited November 15, 2014 by Grandalf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blunderbuss Posted November 16, 2014 Report Share Posted November 16, 2014 I'm 50 but luckily still quite fit. I've not yet (touch wood) found I need to slow down or carry less due to age. But, I sometimes choose to carry less through experience. I do think wisdom and experience replaces youth and fitness quite well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDog Posted November 16, 2014 Report Share Posted November 16, 2014 I still manage to carry all my required gear around the fields, I stop for a rest more often . When the day is over I make several trips back to the Disco. Not bad for a body that is sixty six with a brain stuck at eighteen. Yes but you are the bionic man. How else could you cope with two days decoying per week and picking up and loading up so many pigeons? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ayano3 Posted November 16, 2014 Report Share Posted November 16, 2014 I am also heading toward 50 and I do find it more difficult , I will just carry what I can now and if it means making more than one trip then thats what I do . Luckly most big bags are usually shot on a stubble of some type in which case I can get the car over to drop the gear off and collect it and the pigeon at the end of the day. Where it effects me most is my knees and back if I have had a good day , I like to sit and stand for a shot or if there are lots about I will often be bent in a standing crouch and I suffer for it the next day . Plans are for a 4x4 in the near future which will help and I guess sooner or later I may have to do most of my shooting sitting down , when I a getting on a bit more I may have to take on a young apprentice Big matt would be more than willing. He has a 4 wheel drive, can give you something back in return with a few tips on wildfowling. Lives close by and is only 32. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grandalf Posted November 16, 2014 Report Share Posted November 16, 2014 Reading through this topic at a more leisurely rate - I get the feeling that obesity is being ignored. I'm not a stick insect by any means but if you are seriously overweight you are carrying a sack of spuds (25kgs) before you even pick up your kit. Knees and muscles are going to start complaining immediately. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marsh man Posted November 16, 2014 Report Share Posted November 16, 2014 Yes but you are the bionic man. How else could you cope with two days decoying per week and picking up and loading up so many pigeons? And when the hard day is over manage to find enough energy to lay the bag out in immaculate order so the P W members can see how fresh this super human being look and to see the spoils of his labour.............My one a day cod liver oil capsule cant be the same ones Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TIGHTCHOKE Posted November 16, 2014 Report Share Posted November 16, 2014 Well I have just turned 50, still carry a Bergan on my back and am very happy to get out and cover some ground! Andy, you poor old knackered ***, do you fancy a day out around Cottesmore some time soon? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shropshirelad Posted November 16, 2014 Report Share Posted November 16, 2014 Ever seen that woodcut by Thomas Bewick of the blind man carrying a crippled man about. The answer is to team up with a youngster and get them to do the carrying in return for some sport. When I was a lad an elderly gent used to take me fishing at a reservoir (I couldn't drive, he couldn't row the boat).I learned a lot (including some interesting language when he lost a fish). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pigeon controller Posted November 16, 2014 Report Share Posted November 16, 2014 And when the hard day is over manage to find enough energy to lay the bag out in immaculate order so the P W members can see how fresh this super human being look and to see the spoils of his labour.............My one a day cod liver oil capsule cant be the same ones It might be the two litres of coffee that I take with me each day???? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
birdsallpl Posted November 16, 2014 Report Share Posted November 16, 2014 I'm 64, got knackered hips and putting off the replacements. My pleasure is organising crop protection and being out there nearly everyday and involved. I no longer shoot every time myself. Typically yesterday (sat) I had 7 guns that wanted to shoot, I do the reconacence beforehand to see where best to place them. Decided that the birds just weren't there to give 7 guys sport so convinced 3 they could go but would probably be looking at empty sky, so they withdrew. Left 4 guns that I could place, I placed them but never shot myself. I still really enjoyed the day and so did the four. I had shot on the Thursday with a gun and am just going out today to shoot with another gun. (To where a farmer rang me about yesterday) I only set up where I can get my 4x4 to or less than about 200 metres to walk to. I leave all the long hauls to the younger guys. We have a mixed age group of guns so it works out well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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