Anyone keep a hunting journal?

[Sam Menard]

I’ve been keeping a journal to document my moose and deer hunts since 1984. Back at camp at the end of each day, I would summarize what everyone did and saw including weather and noteworthy events.

About 10 years ago, I combined the info from the journals along with my collections of photos into a self-published book. It was a time-consuming but worthwhile project,

[dean.f]

I've been meaning to start, but as a procrastinator by nature...

I feel like it's a worthwhile venture considering weather conditions and especially wind direction when hunting the same properties year after year. I hope with age I can gain the patience to follow through.

By "self published book" do you mean it's available for sale? Or just as a personal book?

[fratri]

Not a journal for say but do enjoy doing my writeups of my hunts with pictures.... I hope one day when I retire to print them all off and place them all in a big scrap book. Then when I am too old to remember, have someone read them (with pictures) back to me.

[MikePal]

Good advice guys, I hope the younger hunters on here follow your lead.

I have a wall full of 'trophies' mounts and most of them I can no longer remember the hunt story that goes with them. Never thought I would forget get them, but with age the memories have faded.

[gbk]

interesting topic Sam:how about Your book?

I do a journal-for deer hunting only.
Started my daily journal in 2007.Very general at the time :day, place and any event, With occasional comment about the weather. More details if anything showed up or any action happened(how ,where ,what...etc)
Added panoramic picture set recorded at every sit in 2011 ,and complete weather report(temperature ,wind direction ,precipitation)time and duration of the sit, with other ,non animal related events if any )in 2011.

It is interesting to look at those panoramic pictures after 10 years, and see the change in the nature. Advice-if You would do this ,remember to take them pictures at the low time of the hunt(not at the very early time in the mornings -or at the very last moments on afternoons).It can be bad for your hunt if you do so-and the deer is seeing You taking pictures(ask me how i know)!
Also-it can be surprising to read some notes after 10 years -to figure out trends on spots.

[Sam Menard]

By "self published book" do you mean it's available for sale? Or just as a personal book?

My original purpose was to solidify my journals and photos into a single permanent record, not for commercial purposes as I wouldn’t think there would be any interest beyond my circle of hunting companions. I used an online service called Blurb.com and produced a 300-page hardcover book. All the guys at camp, plus a couple of friends, bought copies. Some other guys that rented the camp late last fall saw a copy and wanted one for themselves so bought a PDF version. Because it’s a low volume book, hard copies are expensive i.e. $200 which covers the cost of publishing.

[Species8472]

Great idea Sam. I kept one for about 15 years but have let it slide in recent years. Similar to Frank though i am halfway diligent about writing reports with pictures and posting on several different forums. Going to have to consolidate then some day into something usable.

[Cameracutter]

Definitely, both fishing, ice fishing and hunting. It doesn’t take long to compile a lot of information. I spend the winter making next years plans and having the logs helps as a reference. Probably a good idea to compile them at some point.

[dean.f]

My original purpose was to solidify my journals and photos into a single permanent record, not for commercial purposes as I wouldn’t think there would be any interest beyond my circle of hunting companions. I used an online service called Blurb.com and produced a 300-page hardcover book. All the guys at camp, plus a couple of friends, bought copies. Some other guys that rented the camp late last fall saw a copy and wanted one for themselves so bought a PDF version. Because it’s a low volume book, hard copies are expensive i.e. $200 which covers the cost of publishing.

That's a great thing to have in the family for the future, especially anyone who hunts the same camp that would be invaluable information. It's also a permanent record from your perspective which may hold far more value to younger generations than you may think now. Stories seem to get lost through generations.

[line052]

I keep a daily log when I am out and have been for 8 yrs now. Started a garden journal this year as well, this will help with farm life.