After four international flights, four train journeys, many taxi and ride-share trips, and hundreds of kilometers driven on unfamiliar roads mostly outside the United States, a veteran hunter found that travel now leaves him far more worn out than it once did. Two European trips this year convinced him he had been making the process harder than needed and prompted him to change his approach.

He advises others near his age who await hunting season to judge their actual fitness honestly before they set out. State fish and wildlife agencies each year report rescues or recoveries of older hunters, anglers, and hikers who ignored signs they had lost stamina. Anyone planning to walk a mile or more from a parked ATV should drop extra snacks and drinks from a heavy pack and instead carry a trauma kit that includes a tourniquet and a satellite signaling device, because they are no longer young.