Keep records of your hunt !

[Nomad]

I wish I had more complete ones , it was great fun looking back and remembering these all over as well as the methods and so forth . This covers the years 1998-2001  ( including the legendary 3 buck year ), just one entry for 2001 the last line . Interesting,12 kills only 1 required tracking and that was 30 yards , 7 out of 12 were taken  while driving , pushing ( same thing ) or walking hedgerows , 1 buck I stalked him over the crest of a crop field hill, when a combine turned him back towards me , I had totally forgot that hunt . I had three bow kills in those four years and neither required any tracking !  I remember two clearly as once the two blade Mangus passed through them they just looked around ,and one went back to feeding ,til her back legs started to tremble and she took one final lunge .

I encourage all to keep good records ,wish I kept up with them .

Oh this reflects three hunters, Mr 870, and Mr 16 ga Ithaca , which in one spot is incorrectly listed as a12 ga, the BPS, bow and Dan Wesson are mine . I think I’ll add more based upon memories and the skull caps which I record ,dates ,distance weapon .

Edited December 7, 2020 by Nomad

[Steve D]

6 minutes ago, Nomad said:

I encourage all to keep good records ,wish I kept up with them .

 

I record each and every one regardless of what I hunt or trap and provide as much detail as possible. It is always fun to look back. I figure if nothing else I will have some good reading and memories to recall when I am sitting in my rocking chair and can't do it any more.

[GreeneHunter]

I wish I had started a journal like this when I was 16 and just starting to hunt , plenty of experiences to share with son and grandson would have been nice !   Oh well .... next life !

[Jeremy K]

Biz will be along shortly to show you what notes really look like ...

[mlammerhirt]

I have been keeping one for a while and they are definitely fun to look back at. They are starting to get Mish moshed in different places so I decided with covid still running out lives for at least the next few months I am going to take some time at night to get them all in one place in digital form. Then one completed or updated I will print and put a binder together.

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[Nomad]

6 minutes ago, Jeremy K said:

Biz will be along shortly to show you what notes really look like ...

Blank pages ? 

[Unit8R]

I have kept a journal of every time in the woods, hunting or scouting for many years, if nothing else these notes help an aging man remember some great times. Here's one (unedited) from opening day of Colorado elk season 1993... when I had strong legs and a take down recurve

 8/28 Opening Day

What a day! up at 3:45, parked at marker 183,  I made it to the flat knoll top at 6:00AM so my timing was perfect if not a bit late. There were elk in the bowl feeding. I set up on top of  little knoll to ambush but decided they would cross lower so I made my way down. Saw 3 bulls in the bunch and probably 8 cows. The one small young bull was jumping up and down like a bronco bull and twirling in circles all by himself in the timber. I herd two bulls clash but did not see them actually fighting. Herd them trashing trees, snapping off branches. While I was trying to stalk the noise makers I saw a rag horn nearby but he caught some of my movement and I tried to wait for him to come around a tree but he vanished without a trace. Then I watched the bronco billy bull and tried to stalk him but he moved off. It is amazing how one minute they are totally crazy with lust and then they can spot the smallest movement and stop instantly!. I continued to try to stalk him and another 6 pt as they were moving off but I needed to move quickly and they got nervous. I circled around to head them off as they tried for the bedding area but the cows were too aware and I couldn't pull it off.  What an experience.

I heard a bull splashing in a wallow and later found it. The tree next to it was soaked and there was muddy water all over and trashed trees! I will go back there for the next 3 days and stake out that wallow. Wow!

From a technique standpoint I once again see how incredibly aware these animals are and that I really need a close shot. I need a bit of luck to have them move right by me for a shot as stalking is really tough.

I'm beginning to see the sense in tree stands at wallows. With my equipment and their senses, This is probably one of the best methods for me to hunt and get a close shot. I wish I had that wallow treestanded already but I don't so I'll just take a ground stand there and hope. What a day!

I'm off for the next 3 days after I work tonight, back up tomorrow at 3:30 and up to the same spot and wait at the wallow.

[Nomad]

1 hour ago, Jeremy K said:

 

Edited December 7, 2020 by Nomad
Double post

[Moho81]

I started recording every sit last year on the note pad in my phone. Usually the date, weather to start the sit, where i sat, time sat and what was seen. If something interesting happens I put that down as well. If I harvest something the details of it get recorded as well. A little bit of a who, what, when, where, why and how of every sit. Sometimes when it's slow I will read back at a particular hunt to remind myself how good it can be! 

[Fletch]

27 minutes ago, Unit8R said:

I have kept a journal of every time in the woods, hunting or scouting for many years, if nothing else these notes help an aging man remember some great times. Here's one (unedited) from opening day of Colorado elk season 1993... when I had strong legs and a take down recurve

 8/28 Opening Day

What a day! up at 3:45, parked at marker 183,  I made it to the flat knoll top at 6:00AM so my timing was perfect if not a bit late. There were elk in the bowl feeding. I set up on top of  little knoll to ambush but decided they would cross lower so I made my way down. Saw 3 bulls in the bunch and probably 8 cows. The one small young bull was jumping up and down like a bronco bull and twirling in circles all by himself in the timber. I herd two bulls clash but did not see them actually fighting. Herd them trashing trees, snapping off branches. While I was trying to stalk the noise makers I saw a rag horn nearby but he caught some of my movement and I tried to wait for him to come around a tree but he vanished without a trace. Then I watched the bronco billy bull and tried to stalk him but he moved off. It is amazing how one minute they are totally crazy with lust and then they can spot the smallest movement and stop instantly!. I continued to try to stalk him and another 6 pt as they were moving off but I needed to move quickly and they got nervous. I circled around to head them off as they tried for the bedding area but the cows were too aware and I couldn't pull it off.  What an experience.

I heard a bull splashing in a wallow and later found it. The tree next to it was soaked and there was muddy water all over and trashed trees! I will go back there for the next 3 days and stake out that wallow. Wow!

From a technique standpoint I once again see how incredibly aware these animals are and that I really need a close shot. I need a bit of luck to have them move right by me for a shot as stalking is really tough.

I'm beginning to see the sense in tree stands at wallows. With my equipment and their senses, This is probably one of the best methods for me to hunt and get a close shot. I wish I had that wallow treestanded already but I don't so I'll just take a ground stand there and hope. What a day!

I'm off for the next 3 days after I work tonight, back up tomorrow at 3:30 and up to the same spot and wait at the wallow.

Ok so now I need to know did the wallow pan out??? Cliff hanger.......

[Fletch]

I keep a photo album that has every deer I have ever shot. I also keep a journal on here. After the season I cut and past that journal in Word, edit it up and print a copy. I have many years saved up and its fun reminiscing.

[Nomad]

Fletch, that’s a good idea ! 
I do, like a nuts and bolts approach like the form I used though  , just fill in the blanks and a few details . I could never write paragraphs on each hunt ,it’s hard enough to jot down a few numbers in my DEC bowhunters log . So I was just logging kills .

I have next to no pictures of any doe I’ve killed and way less then half the bucks , many of the racks I’ve given away as well . Kinda like those monks that do the sand mandalas.

[Unit8R]

25 minutes ago, Fletch said:

Ok so now I need to know did the wallow pan out??? Cliff hanger.......

negative... herd moved on. If there was a prize for most miles walked and vertical feet climbed (between 9 and 11K altitude) with very few elk tags filled I'd had been the winner

[Jeremy K]

1 hour ago, Nomad said:

Blank pages ? 

He can tell you exactly how many shots his bow has through it from the time it was new and what yardage each shot was.

[Nomad]

22 minutes ago, Jeremy K said:

He can tell you exactly how many shots his bow has through it from the time it was new and what yardage each shot was.

Well he shoots like three arrows a week before ......

[NYBowhunter]

I keep a record of every deer ever shot on my property since I bought it 13 years ago. Its a basic ledger that includes who shot the deer, date and time deer was shot, deer sex, if buck how many points and in some instances weight. I think last checked we took 32 deer and 1 bear on 40 acres in the last 13 seasons.

Edited December 7, 2020 by NYBowhunter

[Northcountryman]

3 hours ago, Nomad said:

I wish I had more complete ones , it was great fun looking back and remembering these all over as well as the methods and so forth . This covers the years 1998-2001  ( including the legendary 3 buck year ), just one entry for 2001 the last line . Interesting,12 kills only 1 required tracking and that was 30 yards , 7 out of 12 were taken  while driving , pushing ( same thing ) or walking hedgerows , 1 buck I stalked him over the crest of a crop field hill, when a combine turned him back towards me , I had totally forgot that hunt . I had three bow kills in those four years and neither required any tracking !  I remember two clearly as once the two blade Mangus passed through them they just looked around ,and one went back to feeding ,til her back legs started to tremble and she took one final lunge .

I encourage all to keep good records ,wish I kept up with them .

Oh this reflects three hunters, Mr 870, and Mr 16 ga Ithaca , which in one spot is incorrectly listed as a12 ga, the BPS, bow and Dan Wesson are mine . I think I’ll add more based upon memories and the skull caps which I record ,dates ,distance weapon .

Thats something that Ive been meaning to start myself; may I ask where you got that ledger sheet? 

[BizCT]

2 hours ago, Nomad said:

Blank pages ? 

I keep every kill in a binder with a 1-page summary on weather, date, times, etc. 

But each season since I started bow hunting (2017), i keep every "sit"- simply the date, morning or afternoon, and what i saw.

Edited December 7, 2020 by Biz-R-OWorld

[BizCT]

23 minutes ago, Nomad said:

Well he shoots like three arrows a week before ......

I start shooting august each year. 

• 175 shots in 2017
• 39 in 2018
• 87 in 2019
• 168 in 2020, 469 total practice shots. But I missed a yote in 2017 and wounded a red fox in 2020, so thats 471 shots all time on my bow.

[mlammerhirt]

I was looking for an update .... unfortunate no recovery on that fox.

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[BizCT]

Just now, mlammerhirt said:

I was looking for an update .... unfortunate no recovery on that fox.

Sent from my moto z3 using Tapatalk
 

in my journal i gave an update. tracked it into water unfortunately.

[Fletch]

1 hour ago, Nomad said:

Fletch, that’s a good idea ! 
I do, like a nuts and bolts approach like the form I used though  , just fill in the blanks and a few details . I could never write paragraphs on each hunt ,it’s hard enough to jot down a few numbers in my DEC bowhunters log . So I was just logging kills .

I have next to no pictures of any doe I’ve killed and way less then half the bucks , many of the racks I’ve given away as well . Kinda like those monks that do the sand mandalas.

I have killed a bunch and have pics of all but 1 Button Buck. I went back years ago and entered a small summary on each kill at the advice of my wife who said with my families history and my memory already lol I would start forgetting. I still have that one button I can not recall but otherwise I have each story and pic. I also have every rack in my office here in one place or another.

[Fletch]

One of my prized possessions, I need to start keeping it in the safe!


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[Moho81]

12 minutes ago, Fletch said:

One of my prized possessions, I need to start keeping it in the safe!


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That needs to be in a fire safe next to the deed for the house! 

[Moho81]

I just totaled up my hours from bow season. 76 hours in a stand! that's 26 more hours than last year. I took a few Friday's off to hunt and with COVID we had way less plans on the weekend's as well.