You can take the hunter out of the woods, but you can't take the hunt out of the hunter. At 96-years-old, Dwayne "Shorty" Hahn may be the oldest deer hunter in Nebraska.
Nebraskaland certainly has labeled him as such, and the outdoor magazine knows their stuff. Even at the age of almost 100, you can find him at his family's hunting lodge where he naps, talks about hunting, and takes part in the outdoor sport. Shorty has been hunting since 1952. He picked up the passion for hunting when he was in his 30s. He's been a lifelong hunter ever since.
"I like to watch the sun come up and the sun go down," he said. Shorty's been at it so long that he doesn't have a bit of nerves when a deer crosses his path. Not even a 13-pointer makes his blood rise. He said, "Noooo. After 60 years ... I don't think so. Noooo." The hunter still uses the same knife that he picked up back in the 1950s. He's other ones but it's his faithful.
Nebraska's Oldest Deer Hunter
He said, "I use one from the '50s. We got a lot of knives, but I use that old one. Got good steel." As for his hunting, he walked the outlet through his process.
He said, "I got a little propane burner. I don't have any fancy clothes. Just work clothes. Old pair of pants. I'll hunt morning and night. I see most of my deer in the morning. Animals move about the same [as they always have]. You don't have to be there when it's dark. You can't see when it's dark anyhow. I park my pick-up about half a block from the stand. Deer here follow the same path every year ... most between 7:30 and 9 o'clock. I don't worry about the time."
Shorty always makes sure he has a clean shot. He said,"No. No. I got to have a clean shot, or I won't shoot." The 96-year-old is avid. He'll be out in the woods for every day of firearm season unless it gets too cold. He said, "I get a little bit fussy when it gets cold. I don't stay really long. If I haven't seen anything by 9, I'll go home."
