Journaling

[Patcon]

There was another thread where several members suggested keeping a journal for posterity. If you keep a journal what do you record in it?

[mmc]

I would need two.... the first to record all relevant data per shooting session or per hunt, the second with detailed directions on where I left the first....

[wsisk]

lol heard that

[janesy]

There was another thread where several members suggested keeping a journal for posterity. If you keep a journal what do you record in it?

I started recording stuff in a journal two years ago when my son was born. Figured some day he might be interested to read it. Maybe I might be interested to read it as well. See what will change in 20 years and also what stays the same.
Im not very good at writing in it often so I tend to do entries every handful of months or after a season ends. Which works out pretty good because I never used to sit a reflect on a season from start to finish , be it Deer, Turkey, Muskie or whatever

[Scarecrow]

I keep my hunting journal in a spreadsheet. I have columns for Date, Hunt Time, Stand Location, Weather Conditions, Wind Direction, Temperature, Number of Bucks, Number of Does, and Notes about the hunt. I have logged every hunt for the last 15 years. It allows me to go back and see activity based on different weather conditions. Have been surprised several times when looking back. My hunting buddies and I also started a document of all the different animals we have seen in the woods while hunting.....kind of fun comparing notes.

[Patcon]

I like the idea of a spread sheet. I am sure if you keep good notes that could be revealing. I have a small leather bound journal that I have been keeping since I got serious about hunting, before I go to the stand I check my laptop and weather station and right down temp, humidity, barometer up/dn, moon phase, sunrise or set, wind direction & wind speed. I make notes about what time I get in to the stand. What deer I see; what time I see them and direction of travel. I review during and after the season to try to figure out when I get the best results.

[maple]

As one day blends into another, I found it an interesting way to put a defining memory on paper.

I've kept game records since 1974, starting with 3-ring binders and pertinent notes. These have evolved into the current practice of narrative on one side and accompanying photos or drawings on the other.

It allows me to "recall" in great detail any outing, more like a story than spreadsheet entries.

If there ever were a fire, it'd be the first thing I'd grab.

It's never too late to start.

[Bullzeye]

My journal is a daily journal, like Maple, it's more of a diary/ story than a spreadsheet, it has the date, weather, and time we all got in the woods. If someone bags a deer, the location, time, weight get recorded and of course the person who shot it. Anything of interest, or anyone who may have visited our hunting camp also gets recorded.

It's fun to look back and remember our hunts and it also resolves arguments(fun arguments) on who has shot the biggest buck over the years, or which year was it we got tons of snow, or too much hot weather etc...

[acreek]

I also keep a hunting journal with weather conditions, stand locations and wildlife sightings. Trail cam pics also serve as a journal of sorts. At the end of the year I then summarize patterns I found, like hunting stand X in a NW wind between 11:00 am and 1:30 pm. But the biggest benefit comes from reliving the enjoyable moments, and especially the details within them, long forgotten.