Recording hunt details?

[Nick87]

So I've been thinking lately since I've started a family do any of you guys write down the details of your hunts in a log with pics? On the back of the pics? Curious because anytime I go through any of my grandpa/uncless/dads pics there is kp time frame or story to go along with it. My dad is the only one left of the three he usually has a vague description of where he thinks that one came from. Anyway since I have three boys I was thinking someday they would like to look back on the pictures and have a little story to go with each picture. Wondering how some of you record any of the details?

 

[diamond hitch]

Soon after I starte d hunting, I got some note cards in a spiral bound packet. I noted what I shot and where. With that I plotted on a topo quad, the location, year and the initials of who did it. over time I found it quite valuable as it showed patterns and contributed to my higher success rate. A decade or so ago my daughter found a 'memory book' for sale and sent me a copy. It was designed to log each hunt and I modified it to document each year. It was long on what you used and who was there and short on what happened. I went back through my cards and filled it in for each year and have kept it current since then. Given the choice I would rewrite it to 1/2 a page on what and who and four pages for the story as opposed to just one but it is good for jogging the memory of where I need to go, when and why. I have a wall in my gun room where the maps hang that gets pondered heavily during each season.

As I work in new areas I plot where I have seen elk or sign, what sex, prevailing wind and time of year. Hence as the weather changes I can look at the maps and figure out when a repeat event need be scheduled. It has worked well for me over the years.

Pictures? I took many when I got started but after my 30s and when the kids grew up - not so much. I doubt if I have taken 2 pictures of a dead elk in the last 10 years. If I did I sure wouldn't post them anywhere. I think it just invites problems. A sad state of affairs we have grown into.

 

[LopeHunter]

I began my post-undergrad career as an auditor for a big CPA firm. Journaling became part of an audit. I escaped to the dark side to become a salesman after auditing payroll and seeing how much those guys made vs. the skilled technical types.

I keep a recap for each hunt of a big game tag. Pre-hunt I start the recap with a page on how got the tag, odds of drawing, recent harvest success, typical animal size harvested, etc.

Then if is a new region of the West for me to hunt I add a page or three on history of the region’s geology, key fauna and flora, when people arrived then when Western migration arrived, major industries then now, etc.

I note how will travel to the hunt. Usually that is 2-3 days of driving up to 12 hours a day.

I am doing research for two or more months leading up to the hunt as find prior hunters online, through Huntin’ Fool lists and online maps. I jot down my planned target for when sun rises on my first day hunting the unit then add Plan B, C and D.

I note time of sunrise and sunset for my Day 1 of hunting plus typical high and low temps.

I then recap each travel day.

I then recap each day during hunt with a page or two. If harvest then time of shot, geo location, elevation, weather conditions, distance of shot, weapon used plus how the animal was located and the encounter went. Boom-Flop is easy to write but I write it as happened.

Then, I write lessons learned which are bullet points (of course) such as need a better walking stick or get buckles to lash tripod to left side of backpack.

My pronghorn hunt last week was 9 pages as I hunted that region previously and the goat hunt that starts tomorrow may be 20 pages.

I also create 3 postcards for each hunt and send, before leave the hunt region, to a few dozen longtime friends, family and fellow hunters I stay in touch with after meeting. I hand write these.



Then, I do a write up on here with pictures if is an interesting hunt since some people might enjoy reading including my friends.

Just my thing.

 

[psycho]

Since every hunt is an adventure i dump all photos in a new folder (in the cloud) properly labeled with the date and title. I often write a short story of the adventure as most of the time something other than the stalk or the kill is the main point of the adventure. Got stuck, met some new people, found an interesting item, burned the jeep down, etc. Every animal has a story around it.

 

[Happy Myles]

I really encourage every hunter to keep diaries plus photos. If I had realized as a young hunter how much hunting I would do in my lifetime I am sure i would have done so. My first African safari, fifty years ago I did not even have a camera. My children, grandchildren and friends want me to write a book of my adventures around the world and my notes are embarrassingly few.

 

[AvidIndoorsman]

I’ve been doing write ups here, easy to send friends and family the links.

Definitely considering using Shutterfly to make books of adventures for each year.

 

[Happy Myles]

Several trips i started with the best of intentions but after the first couple days stopped writing. Many evenings too tired to write. All of my sparse notes reminded me of neat happenings I had totally forgotten. Sad.

 

[fallfreak]

I keep a note book of what states applied for, how many points, contact information for different hunts, a little bit about the hunt, where and what was harvest, as well as my goal list as I believe its important to set goals big and small.. I really need to put pics with each hunt but haven't done that yet.

 

[Fj605]

I keep a stack of 5x7 note cards in my hunting stuff so I can write "letters" every evening that I'm in hunting camp to each of my kids. I just write what I did, where I went, and what I saw. When I get home, the "letters" substitute books at bedtime and eventually make it into their keepsake boxes.

 

[thomas89]

Started keeping a spiral notebook “journal” of sorts about 5 years ago. I am pretty good about writing in it and make sure to have my dad write in it any time we are able to hunt together. No photos in it but perhaps the next one I ought to consider doing that. Few special feathers from the dogs hunts taped in there, first mallard limit, first pintail, etc.

 

[JShane]

Been keeping a journal for hunting for approximately 9 years now. I need to print out some of the pictures form those hunts to store them in this journal but the are all on the phone and I just haven't gotten to that part.

 

[Dwreckers]

I need to start. The only thing I’ve started to do is every successful hunt I tape my tag notches to the bullet. I should stick a piece of paper in each one describing where I was what I harvested and who I was with

 

[JTHOMP]

Ive tried a couple times to keep a journal. One I did a good job of was while working capture season for a deer study, but the notebook was later stolen among other things. I had a lot of down time then and it make it easier to keep up with entries. I wish I knew the hunting stories of family members before me especially those who hunted not solely for pleasure but to survive. Always thought the generation after me might want to read some accounts of mine.
But I always find myself the not following through. It takes time to write detail that’s worth while. I somewhat use this platform to record hunts....which reminds me I started a thread to be a journal of my experiences with my squirrel dog. Been a couple months since I’ve updated it.

 

[Khunter]

So I've been thinking lately since I've started a family do any of you guys write down the details of your hunts in a log with pics? On the back of the pics? Curious because anytime I go through any of my grandpa/uncless/dads pics there is kp time frame or story to go along with it. My dad is the only one left of the three he usually has a vague description of where he thinks that one came from. Anyway since I have three boys I was thinking someday they would like to look back on the pictures and have a little story to go with each picture. Wondering how some of you record any of the details?

I post my pics and hunting stories right here on hunttalk where I am sure the will survive for generations.