Lewis and Clark, Jim Bridger, Daniel Boone, and all the other once famous hunters had one thing in common. They were all once “Young and Fit”! Eventually, they all faded into history when they returned to the Big Cities and no longer were able to hunt.
Hunting hard meant that hunting was hard on their bodies. Harsh weather, strenuous work, long miles over tough terrain, and stress ultimately take their toll. Their stories lived on but their days of hunting ended.
All hunters have one less day of hunting left in their lives. As we age, our ability to hunt becomes tougher. Ethical and true hunters are fewer and far between. Many hunters just want the antlers, horns, or bragging rights. They pay what they need to have others help fill their tags. Guides do all the work, and they get the bragging rights.
Losing Friends is the death of many hunters. Great hunting companions are cherished, few, and far between. Over time, life takes its toll and soon you are hunting alone. The best part of hunting was the camps, friendships, teamwork, and fun from being with your Hunting Buddies.
Losing strength ruins hunters. Older bodies ache, break, and decline. You can no longer hunt like you did when you were young. Filling a tag becomes less common. Landowners that once opened their gates to you have passed down the trail. New developments, closed access, and fewer hunting spots become the norm. You can’t get to the high country. Comfort becomes more important.
Montana is in the Rocky Mountains. Vast open areas require access. If you can’t use a truck or wheeler, you are limited to where and how you can hunt. Getting to a remote area may be possible but getting a critter out is another story.
Montana offers public access for veterans, handicapped, and some special needs. The average old hunter is left to hunt on their own and compete with more crowded and restricted hunting areas. Maybe we need some more areas for the aged, limited, veteran hunters.
When you retire, the dream of hunting and fishing every day can be fulfilled. You would think that after a lifetime of hunting, we would have the best gear, skills, and places to hunt. This reality is a pipedream. It seldom comes true.
Young Hunters are bold. They have young, strong legs and bodies. No distance is too far to trek and tag out. The meat that they harvest is shared and enjoyed. It Is not wasted and discarded in favor of a mount or trophy. Their skills were learned from mentors and veteran hunters. Soon, they will be sharing and teaching the ways of hunting.
Please carry on an honest and ethical hunting legacy. No poaching, trespassing, cheating, or shortcuts. Respect the critters and the sport. Your brotherhood of hunters is declining. It will take Ethical Hunters to preserve the hunting heritage for the future.
On the top of a local Montana mountain is an old wooden folding chair. It is miles from the nearest access at an altitude of nearly 10,000 feet. Some young hunter found the perfect hunting spot. It was good enough to carry and leave a chair there. I wonder how many years that hunter sat in that old chair. How many tags were filled, what stories could that chair tell? I sat in that spot a few times, when I was a Young Hunter. It was common to see deer and elk. Today, I can only dream about that hotspot. My legs, back, and body won’t let me get there again.
Oh, to be a Young Hunter once more!
Montana Grant
