Seems that in these times of low fur prices I became and old man and will probably never be able to trap again . Life is really short and hard when you get into your seventies . Reading obituaries is now the first thing I read. Someone I know dies daily . Just a little sad !

My Dad is 76, walks 3 miles every morning, trout season he fishes for 2 months straight, groundhog hunts in the summer, goes to range , duck hunts with uncle in fall and winter and goes to deer camp.

So I hope I am as able and willing as he is when I am his age!

Do not despair, great things await you the day you return to glory.

72 yrs old and regret some earlier occupations.
Very hampered mobility issues now.
To absorb the aging depression.
I believe life is an adventure.
I don't live it any other way.
Enjoy everything I'm are capable of .
Helps me stay on the positive .

Constantly saying goodbye to friends and family can lay heavy on my mind also

84 yo recently had to quit trapping due to health issues but had over 48 wonderful years on the Trapline. Now it’s focusing on remodeling our home for 2 semi handicap individuals and enjoying life!

Growing old beats the alternative.

Snowpa....dont stop or you will rust. Make yourself

Do the things you enjoy.

My mom amd dad both beat cancer in their 80's, they then live until 96 and 97 respectivly. The last few years of each of their lives were pretty, no, very miserable; both physically and cognitively.

I don't want to go that route, my plan is to stop fighting any major ailment in my seventies, and try to die in a timely manner.

Genetics is everything! My Dad lived to 93 but had lost all his strength
Im built just like him and at 69 Im losing strength but keeping active. Ive been cutting hedge posts the past couple weeks.

There was some news today that they are getting close to getting people to live to be 150 yrs old. I wish they would hurry up. I am not ready to go yet. I could still trap yet but NAFA went bust years ago and they bounced my last check. They did reward me with top lot awards. Now it don't make much difference with only one major buyer left.

Be like a shark just keep moving that’s all you can do but keep doing it. I’m 71 busy every day just installed a new tankless water heater myself but I’ll be hurting later tonight and tomorrow.

That last elk hunt about killed me last year my batteries were low for a couple weeks after that.

Oh my, I could go on and on

Losing strength is a tuff pill to swallow

I have several more ailments that makes it harder

Do your best to be active in some way or form

I find my mind is more content if I do something everyday

Might not be alot, and lots of breaks in between

but it makes a difference

I'm 77 and at times I feel it but keep on keeping on. Both knees are bad and I put a brace on one of them every morning. I do use a walking stick but not all the time. Still cut split and stack my own firewood. About 3 and a half cords a year. Plant flowers and pull weeds, lots of weeds. I can't just sit in the house. I'm always out in my shop doing something. Right now I'm messing around building a potato gun. Still trap but I really have to watch myself do that. I have to preplan every move. Ended up with 14 rats and 5 mink with about 16 traps out. No coon cause I wack a bunch during the summer. My hands hurt something fierce and there's not much feeling in my fingers anymore. One has to stay busy, stay active and above all work your brain. I do read a lot at night and that helps. Never ever give up. I should include in here that my wife of 55 years is my anchor..

When I go, I hope its peacefully in my sleep like my grandpa. Unlike the screaming passengers in his car!

Social Security aint gonna like that. They like you to check out at about 62.

That's a good one!

At 67 I have just started to develop a couple of issues, but I can still out-hike almost anyone 1/3 my age. In the past year I have had carpal tunnel surgery, found out that my right hip is going (but it doesn't bother me any), had an MRI, EKG, bone marrow biopsy, right bicep tendon detached, and found out I have amyloidosis (but Mayo can't figure out what type).

But I still feel fine. What's strange about the bicep is I didn't even know that it had detached until one of my bear hunters this last fall asked me how I did it. I hadn't even noticed until I looked at it right then; that was kind of weird.
The doctors are making out like bandits.

When people ask "how are you doing", I now answer, "deteriorating right on schedule".

My body is telling me I shouldnt have....
Shingled houses
Poured concrete building box culverts
Tire truck at Co-op fixing tractor and combine tires
Knees are the biggest thing now.
Thought I was gonna outrun a 6 yr old boy in a footrace and discovered I cant run anymore.
Should have been a lawyer but I didnt have a rich Daddy and Grandpa to send me to law school. Plus I have a conscience.
Fortunately Im still honeymoonin with my new bride of two years. Thatll be next!

Some of you Ohio guys know Frank Illey, an 84 year old, Ohio Trapper. He goes down to Mississippi every Winter and traps bobcats and more for a quail plantation. He gets decent numbers of bobcats, many of which he texts me pictures of. I don't think Frank will stop trapping until he's nearly dead or dead. Trapping is what keeps him going. I think he enjoys trapping as much in his old age as he ever did. He caught the bobcat we ate at on New Year's Day.

I need to call him, I haven't talked to him recently.

Keith

Just something to consider, I took my adopted "grandfather" with me a few days a year. He was a heck of a trapper (and MTA Hall of Famer). He was in his 80's but I would take him along a few times a year and even though he couldn't get around very well, he still managed to teach me a few things. Even from the road or the truck, he could look at the area and say "I bet there is a mink trail right at the end of that Beaver dam" of things like that. He really enjoyed it and I did too. Even if you aren't a strapping 25 year old buck that can pack 150 pounds of Beaver anymore, you can still shorten the learning curve for a beginner by years.

I'm in great shape for the shape I'm in! I can go about 4 hours them I start feeling all 77 years, got a knee brace 20 plus years ago --keeps the surgeon away. Killed and butchered our Elk still trap about everything I can catch just not too many at once! I keep looking ahead!

I am 79+. Almost deaf. Candidate for cochlear implant. Had an MRI of my ear canals today. Got a bum knee replacement so I cannot walk very far. Almost severed an index finger with a radial saw. Now it "kills" me during cold weather. Had kidney and colon cancer surgeries. Had five rotator shoulder surgeries. Had a heart ablation. Deer hunt every year. Taken at least one deer each year for 53 seasons. About guit drinking - it bothers my gout. Getting old is tough.

I am going to keep chugging. Got my name on a list at a retirement community being built soon.

Depends on what group I’m with I can be the youngest or the oldest one depending on the groups. Either way I can keep up with all of them the younger ones make it easy for me working ain’t their thing.

I am the opposite of that. Just told AV today that if I knew I would live this long I wouldn’t have taken as good of care of myself. Not even kidding. I honestly don’t want to be around past 76….. lol…

I'm 86 and I'm still hunting and trapping. Shot 2 deer had to have help getting them into the truck but I got it done. Still ran a coon lime this last fall caught some rats and I still feel pretty good. Got a new knee and had my Pacemaker replaced but I'm still above ground.
But I have been a little stressed out lately. The wife changed our TV provider, and It's been a real chore re learning the new system. I hate CHANGE. LOL

Semper Fi Gary

I'm 68 and still get around pretty well. Mary and I have a goal of walking 5 miles per day. We probably reach that 95% of the time. Trapped some marten, got a deer, picked some blue berries made some maple syrup. Stiff, sore hands my biggest hurdle. I bought an old cable skidder to clean up some budworm balsam and spruce alot harder to climb in and out of than 40 years ago, go figure. I believe you have to keep trying, keep moving and keep learning. Take Care.

Not me!!! Only 83 1/2.......jk

52 here--I respect you old guys doing what you do.

One of my favorite movies lines is when an old James Caan told some young punks that were flexing on him: "the only thing you can assume about this broken down old man is that he's a survivor."

That’s the attitude. I’m 66 and over the last year I’ve lost around twenty-five friends, family and or close acquaintances. So older age really hit me. Stay real active more the most and got plenty aches and pains but just push through. Problem is most of my friends are younger so I’ve got no one to complain to. LOL Can’t wait until trapping starts every year but wish time didn’t go so darn fast.

The key is to stay busy. I told my wife I wasn't going to work past 80. She said, why do you want to quit when you're so healthy? I told her, that's why I want to quit. I don't want to quit when I'm not healthy. I want to be able to still do things.
I have been running a food shelf for 28 years. I go to the health club Monday - Friday and workout. When the weather gets warmer, I'll be cutting wood in my woods. I don't burn wood anymore since my outside wood boiler died. So, I give the wood to my neighbor free of charge. I just want the exercise. He has a nice shooting range he lets me use whenever I want to. I've been fighting buckthorn in my woods too. I make walking sticks out of them and give them to all my friends. I like to eat fish, so I go fishing when the weather cooperates.

Maybe you and I will go on a bear hunt... For a big brown...

And we'll incite a charge... And have forgotten the bullets...

That would take us out quick

That's exactly the way I wanna be

ya i hear what you all are sayin and its true we done wore our bodies out,but we keep going because thats what we know how to do,and ya i haver lost a lot of friends in the last few yrs have lots of memories good and bad, just do what we can do i hope to trap a few beaver come breakup....you guys all take care.

Well I'm not quite as old as some of you but 60 years old and feeling it. I want to retire and able to but its a bit scary as I still open the shop every day at 5:00 and know
I'll miss it. However, business has been the best its ever been, I'd like to say due to Trump but reality is its because of the way I am.I Have plenty of hobbies. The thing
that keeps me going and want to do better (health and fitness) is my 30 year old son and 2 grandsons. I want to be there for them as long as I can for hunting and fishing.