Journaling

[Deleted member 52847]

Do you journal while your are hunting and/or scouting? If you don't, would you if you didn't have to carry a physical journal with you but have one on your phone?

 

[kansasdad]

Isn’t that what HuntTalk is for??



I don’t tell every hunting outing, but I do keep a running thread on turkey hunting/activities.

 

[Ben Long]

As a writer, I journal regularly, but have gaps that last several years. Honestly, I think it's the deadliest habit I have -- what dates were elk bugling, trout biting what flies, when were grayling or perch spawning, bears eating grass on what slopes in the spring? My memory sucks but it's great to settle arguments with myself. Honestly the most fun I had was a few years ago when I hunted with a childhood hunting buddy. I dug up journals dating back 40 years, including his first deer with a bow when we were teenagers. Those notes take you directly back. So many outings that were foggy or lost in my memory. So much I learned over the years. Besides a journal I also keep an Excel spreadsheet of every big game kill and many of the misses as well. (A more honest journalist would keep a spreadsheet of all shots taken.) My friend Gary Sloan was in on more than 100 elk kills and had detailed notes of every one of them What a treasure trove!

 

[perma]

I journal on my phone some bullet points and share it with you guys. I learned so much from this forum so it’s my weird way of giving back by sharing my success stories.

 

[Deleted member 52847]

As a writer, I journal regularly, but have gaps that last several years. Honestly, I think it's the deadliest habit I have -- what dates were elk bugling, trout biting what flies, when were grayling or perch spawning, bears eating grass on what slopes in the spring? My memory sucks but it's great to settle arguments with myself. Honestly the most fun I had was a few years ago when I hunted with a childhood hunting buddy. I dug up journals dating back 40 years, including his first deer with a bow when we were teenagers. Those notes take you directly back. So many outings that were foggy or lost in my memory. So much I learned over the years. Besides a journal I also keep an Excel spreadsheet of every big game kill and many of the misses as well. (A more honest journalist would keep a spreadsheet of all shots taken.) My friend Gary Sloan was in on more than 100 elk kills and had detailed notes of every one of them What a treasure trove!

That's awesome. Do you carry a journal while in the field with you? Or just jot it down on your phone?

 

[MtnElk]

I journal on my phone some bullet points and share it with you guys. I learned so much from this forum so it’s my weird way of giving back by sharing my success stories.

I did this during the season of Stupid… too many funny things not to share, so I’d document them before bed each night

 

[Wildabeest]

I write my name in the snow. Does that count?

 

[Harrier]

When I’m on a multiday hunt, I carry a journal and write in it to help pass the time, especially in the slow parts or the middle of the day. It’s a way to chronicle my adventures, and it helps me remember some of the special non-hunting experiences like hearing music from a sunset church service on the Mexico side of the river while I was hunting in the Big Bend region of Texas.

 

[Marshian]

As a teenager just getting into hunting I kept a journal. I only waterfowl hunted them and it’s pretty fun to read the stories now. Lots of drama with my younger brother as I was learning to reverse in a boat with a stick shift. We even had a few fights when my youthful incompetence lead to us missing the McDonalds breakfast cut-off time. The guy really took his pancakes and sausage seriously haha. Now Im content with photos and taxidermy to spark the memories.

 

[rmyoung1]

Before he passed, my paternal grandfather gave me a box containing 20 years worth of his hunting journals in spiral notebooks with pictures, detailed notes, humorous observations, etc. It’s one of my most cherished possessions. I vowed to do the same sort of thing leveraging the technology that’s now available to me. The whole ordeal has turned me into a hunting journal nerd.

 

[CB1]

I started this year, well tried this year. Jotted some notes down and then transferred to a larger notebook. Not super consistent yet but looking forward to reading again down the road.

 

[EYJONAS!]

A friend of mine has some 40 plus years recorded and I don't mean just some simple notes. The amount of information he has kept in unbelievable. Ever since he showed be some of his stuff I've always kicked myself for not doing it.

 

[Nick87]

A friend of mine has some 40 plus years recorded and I don't mean just some simple notes. The amount of information he has kept in unbelievable. Ever since he showed be some of his stuff I've always kicked myself for not doing it.

Every year I say I'm going to keep records and never do. I can't imagine how much I'd have at this point now. Especially with waterfowl in relation to weather fronts.

 

[Nick87]

Before he passed, my paternal grandfather gave me a box containing 20 years worth of his hunting journals in spiral notebooks with pictures, detailed notes, humorous observations, etc. It’s one of my most cherished possessions. I vowed to do the same sort of thing leveraging the technology that’s now available to me. The whole ordeal has turned me into a hunting journal nerd.

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That's awesome.

 

[JShane]

I'm not as detailed as I could be but I log all my waterfowl hunts and have for roughly 10 years.

 

[Gellar]

I write my name in the snow. Does that count?

My sons preschool teacher was impressed he could write his name when got to preschool. She was not impressed by how he could do it.

 

[Gellar]

I use the notebook on my phone in conjunction with Onx to journal my scouting and hunting. Like Ben long hinted to it’s helped me several times to look back at previous years to see when conditions were similar and what animals were doing.

 

[EYJONAS!]

Every year I say I'm going to keep records and never do. I can't imagine how much I'd have at this point now. Especially with waterfowl in relation to weather fronts.

Yeah he's got over 35 years worth of notes when he completed the entire Beartooth Mountain fishable lakes which is something like 360 lakes. I believe he is the only one or maybe only 2 that's ever done it.

Barometric pressures
Temps
Sun rise/set
Winds
Trail map descriptions
size of fish/quantity
Right down to the exact lure he used
And what he had for dinner

It's pretty freakin cool.

 

[JMG]

I use to journal my hunts when I was younger … it is fun reading those journal entries. Really brings back memories.

 

[FREAK]

Before he passed, my paternal grandfather gave me a box containing 20 years worth of his hunting journals in spiral notebooks with pictures, detailed notes, humorous observations, etc. It’s one of my most cherished possessions. I vowed to do the same sort of thing leveraging the technology that’s now available to me. The whole ordeal has turned me into a hunting journal nerd.

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That’s really cool. I might have to steal that idea.

My dad left behind a few photo books I often look through. I’ve reached out to some of his buddies for context but still wish I knew more about the hunts. It’s what motivated me to start keeping a hunting journal so I’d have something to pass on to my kids someday.