Adjust Your Equipment to Bowhunt Into Your Golden Years

It was perhaps the largest bullfrog I had ever seen. If not, this particular specimen was certainly in the Top 5. I consider myself somewhat of an expert on trophy frogs, since I have been hunting them and eating frog legs for more than four decades.

My father spotted the frog, and I watched him make a great shot, pinning it to the riverbank with an arrow, preventing its strong legs from taking it to deep water and safety. Thanks to my dad, we ate frog legs for dinner that night.

My dad, who is 78, operates under the mantra that he would rather wear out than rust out. Fred Bear had his greatest and most physically challenging hunts later in his life. Custom bowyer Mike Palmer is still making and shooting his custom recurves at 78 years old. The reason I share this is because the older I get, the more I realize that age really is just a number. It’s more about what you have the mental strength to push your body to do. It is also about learning your limitations and working within your wheelhouse.

While hunting Nebraska whitetails in 1964, Fred Bear took his largest buck with a recurve. Papa Bear was 62. Based on the research I did, he killed his last deer with a recurve at 77 years old. My point in sharing this information is that I have heard quite a few healthy, older — my dad prefers the word “seasoned” — men and women say the word “can’t” a lot. I often hear them say they wish they could still hunt or shoot their bow recreationally, but they can’t now. I have even been at outdoor sports shows and heard people say things like, “I would like to, but I can’t draw my old bow anymore.”

I want to say, “Of course you can’t.”

My father certainly isn’t as strong as he was when he was a Green Beret many years ago. He has lost strength, which is a natural part of aging. He just doesn’t let that stop him from doing what he enjoys. He still grabs a recurve and goes out and gets it done. It’s just a lot lighter bow than he used when he was younger. His setup on our frog hunt was a Fred Bear Take Down with 35-pound limbs. I have actually killed deer with those same limbs!

My buddy Mike, who I mentioned earlier, dropped a little bow weight to keep enjoying the sport he loves. Mike makes Palmer custom recurves. He shot a beautiful bear with his recurve at age 77, and just this past summer he won the Texas Field Archery Association state championship at 78 years young. He was shooting the master senior division and has set several records over the last few years. Mike is also currently the National Field Archery Association (NFAA) National Field and Target Champion in his division.

My father and Mike also have another thing in common, besides both serving as my mentors. In the past year, both have outshot me. My father bested me shooting frogs and Mike on an indoor target. I foolishly challenged Mike when I was feeling cocky to a one-arrow competition at 20 yards with no practice shots. I thought since he was older than me by 20 years, I would have the advantage if I didn’t let him warm up. I was shooting my Bear signature riser and we were taking aim at an NFAA indoor, single-spot target.

I shot first and hit the 5-ring, which is the bull’s-eye and equivalent to hitting a roughly three-inch diameter circle at 20 yards. Mike shot his one arrow and hit the X-ring in the center of the bull’s-eye, which is a 1.5-inch diameter circle, proving once again that age and experience can still trump youth and cockiness. In my defense, both men are known for being good shots with a variety of weapons.

What do my father, Mike and Fred Bear all have in common? They all dropped poundage so they could continue doing what they enjoy doing. By dropping bow weight, my father and Mike stay more active, which in turn helps keep them outside more and contributes to keeping them both healthier.

While I will admit to being a tad biased and prefer a traditional bow over a compound, I also believe a recurve or longbow is easier to shoot for seniors, since they are lighter overall compared to a compound. I feel the smooth, slow, steady weight gain on a recurve or longbow is better than the sudden break-over on a compound. Even more important, traditional bows are easier to manage than the sudden poundage gain that comes from the cams when you have to let down a compound if you don’t shoot after drawing.

In my opinion, it can also be more difficult to keep a compound in the short valley on many compounds after drawing, not to mention the need to use a release due to shorter axle-to-axle lengths, etc.

My closing point is that it pains me to not only meet but hear men and women who used to be passionate archers and bowhunters say they can’t enjoy archery anymore. I say, let’s push our friends, grandparents or other seasoned adults to grab a recurve or a longbow and let that arrow fly. Christmas will be here before you know it, so consider grabbing a 20-40-pound bow and letting someone see that they can still shoot. Just try not to get angry when they outshoot you. I’m still working on that!

For more information, visit fredeichler.com, and don’t miss Fred’s new show, “Everything Eichler,” every Sunday at 12:30 p.m. on Sportsman Channel.

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