I've taken to keeping notes for the past few years. I keep a note pad in the camper and I record reminders for the next season. Later I transfer them to a Word document.

I note things like which stands need moved, what gear needs repaired or replaced, and most importantly all the little things I've learned during the present season.

This year I discovered that one of the trees near where we'd always seen a lot of movement was actually a pair tree and a great food source. (We always thought it was a cherry tree since that is what it looked like from a distance.)

I quickly put a stand in that tree and killed my 08 buck from it. Turns out its a deer magnet and I mean a big time deer magnet.

In my notes I recorded when the pairs fall and the leaves disappear from that tree. That's the kind of stuff that's easy to forget in a year's time, when you hunt many stands and location.

Since deer movement within a given area can change, I note where I'd like to move or place a stand the following season.

Also the gear associated with bow hunting is crucial to success and comfort. I note what gear works best and what clothing is best for me in different temps. I note which scents got results, reminders about batteries for the flashlight and the rangefinder, things about the camper, the groceries, which stands need new bow ropes, and on and on.

Between family, work, and the all the serious fishing I do, its hard to remember so many details from one year to the next. The less left to memory the smoother things seem to go.

Yep, I always look forward.