Time

[JMayo]

I quit fishing. Bass boat hasn't been out 20 times in 4 yrs. I wanted to be the next KVD ! I was lonely :/
..........
Bench rest is more fun and easier on this 60yr old with leg and back problems than any other class of shooting & the guys are great to bs with.
........
Each Range has it's own personality ...
So far I'm booked for the year with IBS long and short, UBR 1&200, Club 100
& some .22 ARA.

 

[FNSafari]

This is for the Senior Shooters.
I have been shooting all forms of NRA High Power for years 40 plus, I have hit my 75 Birthday .

Have you had the thought it's the time to retire ?

Sell the Shooting Stuff and Go Fishing ?

It's like the BB King Song "The Thrill is Gone ".

Thanks for Your Input .

Don

An EMPHATIC NO to all the questions. Thrill not gone for me. Don't let BB King plant ideas in your head!

About 6-7 years ago Henry Chapman won the Maine State IBS score championship with a 500 - can't remember the X count at 76 years. He had an absolutely indominable spirit and zest for life. My hero!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Intheshop]

Back a page,mentioned a project. I've been dinking around with cheap POS tupperware stocks since they hit the market. Here's a pic of the latest.... came out of the curing oven this a.m.

Will spare the gore.... huge investment in grey matter in anycase. Pain in the a$$ really. Although,could do the next one in a fraction of the "effort". Which is sorta why it's a follow up. There's no way I would've,either thought this up 20 years ago,or much less.... tried it. At my age,detractors or naysaying just don't mean much? If the project fails.... eeeeh,don't care. But when it works,and this one is a RESOUNDING YES!! Well,it's like getting a dbl shot of adrenaline.

 

[Shooter13]

At 68 I'm jumping out of my shirt wanting to go shoot, I've been competing for the last two years (UBR) and can't wait for the weekend. If you are "thinking" you are tired go fish for a couple of weekends and see if you start to miss the competition and only then will you know.

 

[Coyotefurharvester]

Couple years ago the state allowed suppressor ownership and use, I want to shoot more and more often since getting 2. Haven't decided if it is the novelty or I shoot better/more comfortable. Definitely helps coyote hunting, more 2nd chance/closer 2nd shots= more doubles.

 

[Kittitas George]

Time is something you can never get back enjoy life it's short all the money in the world cant buy you time

Time is the only thing you can't replace. You can get more fly rods, rifles, but the time is gone. You can't really 'replace' dogs and people, but maybe a 'reasonable facsimile'. There is no 'reasonable facsimile' for time.

 

[rogn]

Hey , I'm 77 going on more, fighting 2 kinds of cancer, trying to survive 2 grand boys and a son. My biggest hassle sometimes is just finding time away from the chores on the farm and deciding to shoot or go fishing.
This afternoon weather is good so Ill take the grand boys down to the creek and see what we can catch.
schedule for tomorrow is messed up so Ill probably shoot.

Lets face it you've got to keep doing because if you don't you WON'T.

Go do something!

 

[Kittitas George]

I gave up fly fishing, the frustration tying tiny tippets to #18 flies, missing fish and wading was more than the pleasure from the few 'sets' made on a nice West Slope Cut. I just started shooting more. I can still see the powder scale, and load 17 Hornet. A Vickerman die is the secret to seating alignment. I figure when the eyes don't perform to see the 17s I'll just move up progressively to 375. Never just quit one thing with out adding something new. Accent the positive, eliminate the negative.

 

[dave@aDave]

Sit down and have an honest talk with yourself. Decide where you want to go. Then do it until you drop.

 

[snert]

I've just been shooting for about 2.5 years and reloading for about 1.5 years. I'm the opposite where it's still new and a lot of fun. I've been playing with old Fords/drag racing since the late '60s and got tired of it. I found a buyer for my street/strip '69 Mach1so it will be gone soon and will be giving my '69 GT500 Shelby clone stock eliminator to my friend.

Can we be friends???

 

[msilbernagel]

If it hasn't been said already then I'll add this: if any are ready to hang it up and move on, consider finding someone interested.. training them to reload, and then give them the equipment (sell if you must). If you can at least pass it on, the experience might be just the thing to get you going again.

 

[Devin Wiggett]

Don
We would miss your company at the events, your still a tough man to beat.
Who else are we going to drink Whisky with.lol

 

[Richard308]

When a hobby no longer provides joy or satisfaction it's time to move on.

I'm 74 and haven't reached that point yet but I quit competing in NRA bulls eye in the late 90's due to an elbow injury that prevents me from shooting sustained fire one handed. However I still shoot pistol, albeit two handed for the shear joy of shooting and competing against myself.

My real passion for the past several years is ground hog hunting. I can't envision giving that up unless I'm physically unable to continue or I lose access to the farms where I hunt which is possible due to over development. Even if that happens, I will probably continue to shoot rifle at the range just for enjoyment since I enjoy practical shooting - I'm not a bench guy.

Not sure what the future hold for the shooting sports in this country. The component shortage is totally frustrating and that may be the issue that drives me out of the sport. I've already cut back on range time to conserve components for varmint hunting. Also if it becomes too onerous to own a firearm in the future that may drive me out too.

No matter what happens I have some very fond and wonderful memories of 50 years of shooting and hunting. I grew up in an area and time when hunting and shooting was not considered something evil. Even though I didn't have a lot of disposable income in those days, it was the best time ever for me. I recall fondly roaming the hills of western PA hunting groundhogs with my S&W Model 27, 357 magnum strapped on my hip and / or my Winchester Model 70, 243 slung over my shoulder. Or small game hunting with my grandpa 12 gauge double or squirrels with my Model 17, S&W rim fire pistol or an old Mossburg 22 rifle hand me down.

I may be wrong but I think a lot of younger guys entering the sport are so technology driven that they are missing the some of the joy that the shooting sports has to offer. It's suppose to be fun. At least for me, the more complicated it becomes the less enjoyable it is. The insanity I see with rifle scope complexity and prices is just one example. Another is the extreme number of powders on the market - no wonder there is a shortage. I'm probably just obsolete and a dinosaur

Cheer up guys, as soon a the weather improves here hopefully I will be roaming the fields hunting ghogs and won't have so much time to pontificate.

K22,
How come the coyotes aren't eating up all your groundhogs ? We have very few here in Southeastern Ohio.

 

[K22]

K22,
How come the coyotes aren't eating up all your groundhogs ? We have very few here in Southeastern Ohio.

We have coyotes here for sure. I've shot a few but have not mastered the predator hunting sport, specifically coyotes.

The main challenge here these days when it comes to ground hog hunting is the change in farming practices. This area has traditionally been a diary farming area. In the past there were large rolling hay fields and some plots of corn. The hogs would establish themselves in the fields thus there were an abundance of active holes that were easy to identify and see. You also had clear view of tree and brush lines where hogs like to establish holes.

About 5 or so more years ago several farmers got out of the diary business and became grain farmers. They began planting a variety of crops such as soybeans, wheat, corn, some hay in strips limiting the view at different stages of growth. With crop rotation each year the number of holes in the field declined rapidly. Most of the hogs have relocated their holes in tree / brush lines. Depending on the planting sequence, sometimes, some of these tree / brush lines have a limited access. This has been the chief difficulty I've encountered.

I'm sure coyotes are also having an affect but I still see a fair share of ground hogs on recon walks. The difficultly is obtaining a position where I can get a shot.

PS: They also began planting a winter ground cover crop on harvested field. This ground cover consists of some type of grass like plant that grows rapidly. By mid April, it is so high you can see the hogs or the tree / brush lines. Also, they don't much like eating this stuff.

 

[Richard308]

Ok, Thanks for the info. I guess I need to do more scouting beforehand.