Any of you guys use journals after your hunt or during? If so what kind of info do you put in it?
I use a journal and have for a couple of years. I put in the date, location of hunt and what I saw. My son comes home to visit the first thing he does is read my journal.
Been keeping notes for about 35 years. I just use a small 3-ring binder, about 4x6 inches, removing and adding paper as needed. I I generally write in the journal two-three times a day on an all day hunt. Always include weather conditions, what I saw when, wind direction and direction of the animal(s), and other interesting things I see and sometimes do along the way.
I've been writing a journal for decades. Date, wind direction,temperature,location hunted and am or pm. Then a quick summary of what happened on that hunt. Every five years everything gets typed up and added to a spiral bound book of previous seasons, which also includes color photos. It's kind of like looking at a magazine of your own hunts down through the years.Brings back a lot of fond memories.
I keep one of every hunt. I use a small survey book. It fits in the pack real nice. I record everydays hunt and anything else that was fun in camp. You will be surprised what you will forget even a year after a hunt. I really like to reread the hunts of years past. I made 2 trips to BC for moose, caribou and grizzly. There is so much in there that I had forgotten. Like watching an old movie. Just got back from a javelina hunt and wrote a few notes everyday.
I keep one, it's hard to rememeber all the details, even one or two days after.
They are a record that can't be duplicated.
I have a journal since long time of my hunts and of my bow tunings.
It helps sometime to understand game trails and movements.
Last season was my year to do so.I started writing on whatever paper was handy and attempted to put it into a book that my boys got me but it didnt work out.I have a water resistant book now so Im gonna try keeping it in my truck so Ill always have it nearby.
i try to put all kinds of little details id forget otherwise. what we ate. prices of things in towns far from where i live. incidental animals i saw that i wasnt hunting. some of the funny things that happen. i touch on the hunt itself, but its usually just sentence fragments to make sure i have all the details, i usually remember the shooting!!! easy to forget the small things that make em memorable though.
I write notes during every hunt for approximately 10 yrs. Date, time, location, temperature, wind direction and velocity, weather conditions (sunny, rainy etc)diagrams (sometimes), how many deer and wildlife seen, etc. It is very interesting to look back on these past notes.
I use the waterproof surveying manual also and started it when I began trad going through all the trials and tribulations of beginning process, how I've changed my shooting technique, arrow making, hunting etc. Enjoy it a lot.
I started using a journal in October, 1968. I record the date, state, temperature, wind direction, anyone I may be hunting with, what I saw (and where I saw it), what stand I'm using, etc. Sometimes if I'm having trouble deciding which area to hunt, I'll review my previous notes for prevailing winds, etc. It's also a good way to get you fired up for hunting season by reading from previous years.
I have not started one but my son gets his license in February and he and I will be starting one for the memory of our hunts together for sure.
QuoteOriginally posted by lpcjon2:
I have not started one but my son gets his license in February and he and I will be starting one for the memory of our hunts together for sure.
That sounds like a good idea, I'll have to try that! Jason
Man you guys are awesome! Here I was feeling all alone and now I realize its normal! I write down everything that could affect the hunt... time in/out, temp, weather from last two days and also have a tracking journal just for what has happened after the kill. Thanks for all your input guys!
I don't keep a hunting journal but I have kept a daily journal for the last three years. It's kinda neat to look back, wish I started doing it earlier in life.
I have always kept a record of my hunts and have them organized in 3 ring binders. I also like to add photos as well.