It also can wear on you as you get older, I seem to watch more than shoot and am happy doing that.
I know what you mean Guv.
For the last 5-6yrs, there has been many times I'll go out and sit in my stand all day long and watch deer all around me. Never lifting my choice of hunting tool. Just watching and enjoying natures beauty.
Too, I know when the trigger is pulled, the work begins. Guess I got lazier the older I got as well.
At the end of the day when I walk in the house, mama usually says, "you didn't see anything all day?"
My reply used to be " yea I saw plenty, just didn't feel like shooting anything."
Now I just reply "old Indian can't sneak up on em like he used to".
I always take a fat doe or two for the freezer, the rest of the time is spent hunting a buck I've previously scouted out. I hunt him hard and will let all lessor bucks walk.
I say all the above to say this... these deer I enjoy watching today playing around my stand and the bucks I let walk today would be targets 15-20 yrs ago and they would not walk.