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My son, who just started bow hunting this year at the ripe old age of 10, and I have begun doing hunting journals. I’m hoping he really sticks with it over the years. How cool will it be for him (and others) to be able to pour over those pages when he’s my age…and older! How many of you do journals or are considering it? If you have how long, etc, etc?
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It is an exce;;eent idea! Fred Asbell wrote an article in TBM about keeping a journal recently. It’s not only good for writing down fond memories, but also a history of your hunts, I like to keep note of things like date, weather, wind direction, animals seen. Helpful things to know for future hunts.
All the best to you & your son!
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I keep a journal and a note book. You are probably wondering what the difference is? Well in the journal I talk more about the experience, the sights sounds, ups and downs. The notebook is full of info, similar to what Steve has, except I add additional things like penetration, equipment, location, misses, and shots taken. I like to keep myself modest! I dont do it as much anymore though, mainly because I film everything, although I do still write, just now my writing has the introduction of another challenge into it, the challenge of hunting and filming at the same time!:D
P.s I have been writing for like two years now and I have almost a whole book! the reason I started was because I was able to read my Great Uncles journals, they were frontiersmen up in Canada way back in the day, they were not traditional bowhunters but my great uncle favored a old colt and he had some great stories. Such as 4 caribou with that colt, 7 deer with one shot from a 7mm, and mountain goats sniffing the barrel, great stories! It made me want to pass along my great stories!
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I used to carry a small notebook, but far too often I’d look up from writing something only to see a deer or some other animal had sneaked by. For the past several years I’ve been using a small digital voice recorder for my field notes. It’s small and sensitive enough to pick up a very quiet whisper. I can actually record notes with a deer under my stand and not have them hear me.
When I get home, I download the audio files to my computer and transcribe them when I get time.
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J.Wesbrock wrote: I used to carry a small notebook, but far too often I’d look up from writing something only to see a deer or some other animal had sneaked by.
Not a bad Idea but wouldnt you just be able to remember when you got home, that is what I do, I find that as long as I write them down within the next coming days I can remember them vividly, but it I stretch it I have issues!?
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Oddly enough, even though I write for a living I never write down anything when I’m in the field. It’s all in my head though. On trips I carry a small notebook to keep track of things like names and addresses and that’s about it. The subsequent writing I do fulfills the archival role of a journal. Nonetheless, I think a journal is a great idea. Among other things, if you have any thoughts about writing for publication at some point, it’s a great way to sharpen your technique. Don
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I have been keeping a journal of all my out-of-doors experiences since about 1981. I have piles of notebooks — spiral bound, Smythe sewn hardbound (Moleskine and the likes), government notebooks, cheapie flip pads … you name it.
My journals cover the day and time, and I include sayings, thoughts on life and future articles, photo set ups and camera settings, scratchings and drawings, hunting list additions and subtractions … anything that pops into my head while hunting, fishing, wingshooting, et cetera. I spend many hours just sitting, whether in a duck blind I fashioned, on a trail, taking a break on a river, so making notes is easy and allows me to get these thoughts down on paper where I can go back and say, “Oh yeah! I forgot about that!”
Not sure what I will ever do with them all, but their are several dozen of them wrapped up in boxes and stacked on my bookshelf.
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TJ,
You’ve been keeping your journals as long as I’ve been alive. It’s something that I also need to work on, myself. I just never think to grab a notepad or anything to take with me. I should look for one in town today while we’re out and about. Rifle season is almost here. Would be a good time to get started.
Michael.
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I’ve kept a journal–not just hunting, but my life–since 1971.
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I’ve done it off & on for years…only thing is, the entries are usually the same–the weather is noted, and then “saw nothing!!”:wink:
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I just dug through the boxes in my basement and recovered a journal that I had started and then abandoned several seasons ago. It also contained some photos and a topo map with some notes on it. It’s amazing how much you can forget about certain hunts or even familiar hunting grounds. After reading Mr. Asbell’s article the journal went back into the possibles bag.
On a side note, I recently attended a function at a “friend of a friends” house. This gentleman is in his early 70’s. When talk turned to hunting, he gleefully pulled several photo albums filled with pictures. They ranged from deer camp with his father in the 1960’s to fishing crappies with his grand-daughter this spring. In this age of digital and youtube it seems we take it for granted some memories will be preserved. I know make sure to print at least some of my pictures. That way I know people will be able to see how we hunted way back in 2009:D
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