I've been contemplating starting one when I begin scouting this summer.

How many of you keep journals when scouting/hunting?

For those of you who do: what exactely do you write down in them?

When do you write in them? In field, when you get home, etc?

Any help would be appreciated, "Oh that's a good idea, I think I'll try that" posts aren't!

Thanks in advance!

Thats a good idea, I think I'll try it, thanks!!

p.s. I'm serious, it really does sound like a good idea[8D]


Actually, I haven't made any journals yet, but I have made my own maps on some public land I hunt. I wrote mine at home. I kept info such as winds, trails, any features that might hold deer, possible stand locations, and I have marked places where deer have been spotted, and where the deer move to. Hope this helps.

Gosh. I plotted the points on map but didn't think of journals. I will give those a shot. I would write the info in the field.You wouldn't forget then. I would write down where tracks go, paths, beds, rubs, ect, ect. Thanks for the idea.

I keep a journal in my pack, I write what I see, and the date, if I find any good sign, and I usually draw a map, for future reference to where to check for sign again! It is very handy for the upcoming season!

So far I have been keeping everything in my head, and sometimes its hard to recall some of the valuable info., so I think it would be a great hunting asset.

I think someone here pointed this site out a while back...it might help.


HuntingLog

i use hunting log .com or whatever that link was write the info on a topo we have such as trails scrapes rubs i also write it all ain a journal when it happens in the field i have started to really accumulated some info lately and i am begining to see patterns that i never would have noticed before they are a great tool

Hey Washington Hunter, I do something similar to that in that I have started a photo album and below the picture I write a brief story on what happened during the hunt. I am 24 years old so hopefully by the time I am retired, still hunting of course, I will have album after album of hunting stories. As I sit in the stand I make a mental note of everything going on around me. Wind, animals, sounds, smells etc.. It really helps when you write. Good Luck on it. I know I really enjoy mine.

I actually carry a small hand held tape recorder in my pocket. I have done alot of writing for a regional hunting magazine the past couple of years. Don't want to fumble with the paper and pencil in the woods, while not forgetting anything either. It sure is nice to hear the success on tape later on while sitting at home. With the information refreshed in my mind I then put it to paper later on. I will also make maps of the areas in which I hunt to calculate my best averages at seeing game and hopefully getting close enough for a shot. I have just recently started filming, to put together a video with my magazine counterparts. The tapes, if not used for production will be saved for future use in writing articles, or for information leading to the next success story. I have several tapes that are about one half full of turks gobbling and elk bugling. This year I plan on mounting a voice activated tape recorder to my turkey decoy. That should sound interesting.

I keep a journal of every hunt including:

Stand location
Wind direction and speed
am/pm hunt
Barometer
Moon phase
Temp
Cloud cover
Techniques used for the hunt (rattle, grunt, etc.)
Bait or no bait down
Sightings

There are some good programs available out there for around 30 bones that log each hunt with very similar info. After a few years, you would have enough info to be able to input the upcoming hunt's conditions and the program would recommend which stand to hunt from. Can't remember the name of it, I'll look it up. I plan on getting it this year.