With my bow in hand and the release on the string, I stared at the buck's rack in the waning light. There was no time to grab binoculars. The mass looked good enough, but what about the tine length? Were his brow tines decent? I blinked, squinted.

I could see he was "legal" with at least three points on one side, but truth be told, I just couldn't see the rack well enough to make a decision. I wanted a big buck, not a youngster. Back at my house, my 30-something hunting friend peppered me with questions - did one of the brow tines have a little crook in it? Was there a small crab claw on the left side?The word "whippersnapper" crossed my mind, and I felt old.We're Getting Up ThereWe hunters as a group are aging. According to statistics from the National Shooting Sports Foundation, 3.8 million archery hunters take to the woods each year, with 85 percent of them male. The average age of an archery hunter is 36; 40 percent of the 3.8 million are from 35 to 55 years old.We reluctantly admit to the signs of aging in our daily lives. As our bodies grow older, there are inevitably changes to our vision, strength, flexibility and circulation. Raise your hand if you have a pair of "cheater" glasses and raise your other hand if you have more than one pair - now clap your hands together if you can find any of them.But although we made concessions to those changes in our daily lives, we may be stubborn and stick to what we've always done when we're hunting. We have those favorite pieces of gear and the mindset to stick with what's tried and true, and what's worked for us over the years. I believe one of the surest ways to age prematurely is to refuse to try anything new.Changes in VisionDave Andrews, who owns Andrews Archery, Frackville, Pennsylvania, had been after me for years to stick to a single pin sight. When I finally did it, even at the indoor range, I could see a big difference immediately. With the multiple sight pins, shooting with both eyes open under the fluorescent lights, the multiple pins would blur together - the single pin shone clear and green.After 40, every one of us experiences a change in vision called presbyopia, due to the hardening of the lens inside the eyes. As the lens hardens, we find it increasingly difficult to focus on close objects - and by the time we're 50, our arms aren't long enough.Coincidentally, arms' length is the approximate distance of our sight pins from our eyes at full draw. Should you use glasses for shooting? The only way you'll find out is to visit an eye doctor for an exam.Changes in Strengthand FlexibilityAs we age, the numbers of nerve cells we have decreases, and muscle fibers are replaced by fibrous tissues. That popular saying "use it or lose it" is a good one. We can turn back the clock on aging, and stave off our eventual loss of muscle mass and flexibility, by sticking to a regular work-out plan. If you're not active, you'll lose five to seven pounds of muscle mass every decade.Is it time to shoot a bow with lower poundage? There's no reason not to do that. Today's modern bows can store more energy, used to propel the arrow. Tests of arrow speed prove that the majority of new bows, set at 50 pounds, are faster than any 15-year-old bow set at 70 pounds. As a rule of thumb, you should be able to draw your bow and maintain form while sitting in a chair.Changes in CirculationChanges in our circulatory system - diminished blood flow means a diminished exchange of oxygen to our tissues - as we age mean we should be careful about doing things we always used to do, such as drag deer. I've said I believe one of the surest ways to age prematurely is to refuse to try anything new, I also believe another fact of aging is that we're reluctant to ask for help. We cling to the days when we could do everything ourselves.We can still move deer alone, if we add equipment such as one of the various deer carts on the market today. We can also swallow our pride and call a friend to help. If moving a deer alone, take your time and rest frequently.Changes in circulation also mean that our skin becomes less effective as a thermo-regulator. We will have an increased sensitivity to cold in our hands and feet.Archery hunters can periodically, after a careful look and listen around, stand, stretch and draw their bows, especially on really cold days. Also, consider buying gear aimed at keeping your hands and feet warm.I don't like to shoot while wearing heavy gloves, so instead I switched to a fleece-lined pouch. I wear light gloves and use chemical hand warmers in the pouch. For my feet, I carry Thermal Feet, which are compact pull-over foot warmers designed to hold a chemical heat pack. The new model just stretches on over boots and has a rubber-like sole material for better wear and traction.Getting Up ThereIt's depressing sometimes. You hang a couple tree stands and the next day you roll out of bed sore. Your joints ache on cold days, and you might even have a "trick" knee or ankle that acts up in response to changing weather patterns. If you're lucky, you'll have hair on your head long enough to see it get gray; if not, the glare from your dome would make whitetails squint if you didn't cover it.But what's the alternative to getting old? It's not having the chance to get old, which is much worse. Beyond making changes to adapt to our declining agility, vision and strength, the surest way to feel young is to take a young person hunting. Experiencing a newcomer's excitement over every little thing - from just seeing a scrape to seeing a deer use a scrape - can rekindle our own youth.And the little whippersnappers are pretty good at dragging deer ……