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Journal???????

CooterBrown

Well-Known Member
SH Member
Joined
Sep 1, 2020
Messages
1,977
Keep hearing guys talking about keeping a journal of their hunts. Trying to get ideas of what that would look like?
 
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I was just thinking about how I should be doing this. Mine will be…
Date
Times
Weather: temp, wind, moon
Location
Deer Sightings
Whatever else I can think of…
 
I don’t keep one on purpose. That combined with my crappy memory makes me prioritize killing as many deer in the future as I can. That way I have some goo things to think about.
 
I was just thinking about how I should be doing this. Mine will be…
Date
Times
Weather: temp, wind, moon
Location
Deer Sightings
Whatever else I can think of…
So like writing it in a notebook or excel spreadsheet or on an app????
 
So like writing it in a notebook or excel spreadsheet or on an app????
I've slowly started going back and writing "journal entries" for all the 44 deer I remember killing. From here on out im gonna just keep a word document and add to it. Back it up on a cloud drive and usb stick and mainly have it for memories.
 
I keep it on my phone. Mine is super short. Date, temp and wind. Where I’m at. How long, what did I see, and any other notes worth remembering.

An example, but note I cut off the where since it is a public spot.

11/6: PM. Middle oak ridge. 66deg. SW wind that changed to calm. 3:30-6:30. 3 hrs. 1 doe running on the ridge behind me at 5. Looked like someone bumped her. Had one coming from swamp at last light but couldn’t make it out. Busted one left and one right climbing down. Bedding in the swamp. 1 deer total.
 
I’ve kept a duck hunting journal for the last 10 years or so. It’s paid off numerous times. I always thought I should keep a deer journal too.
 
I started doing this year a hunt log just to keep up with how many hunts am or pm I do this year and add if I kill or miss. I also started a kill journal with pics. All in my notes app....
Screenshot_20211108-162259_Gallery.jpg
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I would pay any amount of money on earth to have a journal of the stories about every buck my grandpa has killed.

Maybe one day my grandson will think the same thing.
 
I would pay any amount of money on earth to have a journal of the stories about every buck my grandpa has killed.

Maybe one day my grandson will think the same thing.
I've thought about that. My dad wants to do that kind of thing for his grandkids, but I haven't been able to convince him to change the medium he uses.

He keeps filling up his phone with notes and there isn't a way to get them all off the phone nicely the way he does it. Also, as soon as his phone goes, they're all going to be gone.

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So like writing it in a notebook or excel spreadsheet or on an app????
I’m going to use the pocket size note pads. Keep in my truck and fill out when I’m done hunting. I’m trying to carry less stuff into the woods these days. I’m like a darn pack rat!
 
If you use OnX Hunt you can just add it to the "note" section of a waypoint you add for either a stand location, where you found the deer, where you found bedding etc. Also, date, time, temp, wind, access, another thing I track is my tracks in OnX hunt. Start the tracking function whenever you find a trail you're walking on or whatever, add notes to it and it helps you get a good sense of travel and bedding for new areas especially. Once this is all added I like to look at it on an actual PC and start to study the patterns etc. Just kind of a more modern way to keep a hunting journal you can also add pics too to you waypoints too.
 
Spartan forge has a journal option and it marks the location with a journal. These are the screen shots from it. Sorry for the red marks. This place is special. Especially for where I hunt
 

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So I have an actual Journal and get a new one every year. Entries start with pre season scouting and goals for that year. As the season rolls around I do;
Date, location, what number hunt it is, temperature, wind , pressure, time in, time out, how many deer I saw and what they were. That all goes in the top section. Then on the lines, I write a story about the hunt. May be a few sentences but it may be a few pages.

This is my second year doing it and I am so glad that I did. Winds are predictable and it helped me there. As well as being able to read about what exactly I did this day last year.


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