Anyone else keep a field journal?

[Andrew Sacco]

Didn't know where to post it so put it under the Hunting with Parkers title. I have been keeping a journal (both hunting and fishing) for 30 years. Sometimes just a few words, like, "Porcupine covert, 3 grouse flushed, one shot, none dead. Lucy worked well today.." Other times a page full. I don't do weather, humidity, wind...etc. I'm usually too pressed for time. But now, looking back, the past 4-5 years I can't read any of my writing. Damn it degrades with time (or is it the single malts after the hunt?) Thinking of going to a Word document journal but I like written pages (that I can read). Guess I need an executive secretary. Anyone care to share what they do, or am I an outlier? I figure someday someone will give a large enough turd to read them, maybe not. I find if I look over them I get sad over the loss of the dogs that came before. I also find that I had a hell of a lot more energy back then, starting at 6am and hunting until dark well over 100 miles away in the North country then up and at work the next day.

[Harold Lee Pickens]

I used to Andy, but like you, it became too time consuming, and my writing just got to sloppy as I became rushed. I do keep a simple log of my grouse hunts in the UP with the following info:
Date/ Hours hunted/ Cover name/ grouse flushes/ kills(hopefully) + woodcock info.

[Andrew Sacco]

Thank you Harold. I like reading my detailed notes from years ago.

[Zacharysmith]

I keep one as well. Ever since I've had bird dogs. Someday, when I cant make the trips out with my best friends I hope I can relive some of these great memories. Normally just a paragraph but if there was a memorable moment it make the journal.

[Bob Hayes]

I do for my business since it helps with everything.But I have a friend/client who keeps one religiously as did his parents and Grandparents.All the writing is difficult to read but in surprisingly good shape.In fact he recently wrote a book of his life outdoors along with many other stories along the way.He also is working on another about his safaris in Africa back in the 60's some of the last true safaris.His parents and grand parents kept detailed journals.

[Dean Romig]

We used to keep a journal of sorts, you know the kind that has spaces for dates, weather, time of day, etc. and then columns for pheasant, ducks, geese, rabbits, squirrels, grouse, woodcock, deer, bear…

It was nothing more than a tally of kills and there was scant space for details and memories so we pretty much stopped using it.

As a result I began writing about our hunts and which cover we hunted and our experiences and the good times and memories, a lot of which included misses and mishaps.
This quickly became a lot more fulfilling and enjoyable to go back and read. Many of them are included in the book I hope to publish, “Tampico, My Tinkhamtown.”





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[Garry L Gordon]

Andy, I've kept an upland shooting journal since 1988 (and I kept one for my bow hunts prior to that). My journals are some of my most treasured possessions, and I like to go back and compare notes from a given day over the years. It's like bringing one of my old dogs back, not to mention letting me see "who I was" at given points in my shooting life. It also helps when I try to gauge a particular dog's progress, because I can look at others at the same point in their development.

Continue keeping one. In a few years, you'll be glad you did.

[Stan Hillis]

Great topic, and dear to my heart. I started keeping a journal about 15 years ago, and when I began it I digressed to my childhood days when I began hunting with my Grandad, and recorded all the significant hunts I could remember. Like you I sometimes make short notes, other times lengthy ones. I note the dogs, guns, shells, locations, successes and failures, and even glue in a lot of my expired hunting licenses and duck stamps on the facing pages.

I must admit, I don't do this for myself. I realized, when my two grandsons began to show an interest in hunting with me, how important a journal of my "exploits" could be to them someday after I "cross the river". I have thought so many times what I would give if my Grandad had done so, and left it for me to be able to read and relive his hunts vicariously. I have his guns, an old duck call, and some pictures of him in field and stream, but no handwritten notes. I hope it will be as special to my grandsons as that imaginary one would have been to me. From what I am seeing of them as they mature into men, I think it just may.

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[Russell E. Cleary]

Andy:

I just enter some thumbnail data on every hunting or fishing trip into my daily appointments planner. The merest sketch will stimulate pleasant recollections and settle questions that inevitably arise from retrospection.

This way, without the discipline called for with a dedicated journal, one can still get a lot more mileage about something we think about much more than we actually do.

[Keith Doty]

Funny, as I drove home yesterday from my 50th opening morning of duck season I was thinking on this subject. Kinda wishing I had kept a journal with a bit of info from each hunt, who I hunted with, which dogs, faces and places, etc. My still slightly wet, stinky rice field water soaked companion had just made her tenth opener. Two old dogs took big time "duck" naps when we got home!

[Mike Koneski]

I keep an abbreviated journal of all my hunts in my files on my phone. Hunting any game, guiding, etc. It's all there as well as SxS tournaments, events and results.

[Gary Laudermilch]

For many years I kept detailed records. Then some years ago I realized I did not get much pleasure from reading them. To the contrary it often saddened me to read of good dogs that are now gone. Since then my journal is in my mind and that I routinely visit.

[Andrew Sacco]

Thanks for all the replies folks. I find it hard to take detailed notes due to my adult ADD (so I'm told I'm a horrid case by my wife and friends...) and poor writing. I really don't tally kills and flushes so much as I do general impressions of the day. From last nights journal entry,

"The evening before daylight savings saw the trees burnt umber in the failing light, a few birds flushed, Raisin getting her nerve up and ranging too far. The sound of the creek at The Golden Corner where we took a break was probably the highlight of the afternoon." That's the type of stuff I try to record. I may go to typed pages since I type very fast, write very slow. God help me if I can read the above in ten more years : )

[John Dallas]

I keep a diary of my dogs' performances - how many birds, conditions, etc

[Chris Pope]

Sorry but a tad late to this discussion. I have been away on a hunting trip.
I've kept a hunting (and other exploits) journal since my 20's. While mostly about hunting it includes other notable events such as the last day of duck season in 1990 when I never met my friends at the blind because my wife went into labor and our son was born.
When I retired my wife gave me a mini I-Pad and, after some research, I downloaded an app called "Day One" which is an electronic journal. I was very reluctant to switch to electronic means for many reasons including security of the information, possibility of losing the info and there's nothing like someone's real handwriting. I cherish my grandmothers journal from 1906 even though it is miserable to read due to her penmanship.
But...I gave it a try and happy with it so far. Positives include the automatic recording of the date/time of the entry, geo-locator (where you were located when you made the entry), and especially the ability to include photos from your smartphone into the entry. It is very easy to use. There may be better apps than Day One and if so would love to hear about them. My handwriting is getting worse too but not because of single malt. If been drinking that since my 20's too.

[Phil Yearout]

I've kept an irregular journal for years - usually 2 or 3 entries per week - about whatever was going on, not just outdoor activities. When I was working it was easy to take a few minutes when I got to the office to jot things down, but since I've been retired I haven't seemed to find the right moment to get back into the routine. I may get back into it, maybe not...guess we'll see.

[CraigThompson]

I've kept a ledger/journal for all the deer over the last 48 years . Time of day , yardage at the time of shot , yardage from the shot spot to where found , gun scope and cartridge if the cartridge was a handload the load as well . And if it was killed somewhere other than family property .

Now the kicker my NAME is NOWHERE to be found in the book :rotf:

When I trout fished regularly I had the same type deal . It would have rod , fly line , length of trout and the dry fly used .

[Richard Flanders]

I've kept a detailed journal of my hunting and fishing successes over the years..... I've almost filled my left thumbnail with notes and will switch to the right here soon.....:p I'll keep you all posted....

[Garry L Gordon]

I've kept a ledger/journal for all the deer over the last 48 years . Time of day , yardage at the time of shot , yardage from the shot spot to where found , gun scope and cartridge if the cartridge was a handload the load as well . And if it was killed somewhere other than family property .

Now the kicker my NAME is NOWHERE to be found in the book :rotf:

When I trout fished regularly I had the same type deal . It would have rod , fly line , length of trout and the dry fly used .

Craig, put your name in your journal. Someday, someone will want to know...unless, of course, there's incriminating information there.:whistle::rotf:

[Garry L Gordon]

I've kept a detailed journal of my hunting and fishing successes over the years..... I've almost filled my left thumbnail with notes and will switch to the right here soon.....:p I'll keep you all posted....

Now that's funny.

[CraigThompson]

Craig, put your name in your journal. Someday, someone will want to know...unless, of course, there's incriminating information there.:whistle::rotf:

There should be a statute of limitations :rotf::rotf::rotf::rotf: And it’ll go around the world with me when I finally leave for the South Pacific :whistle:

[Garry L Gordon]

There should be a statute of limitations :rotf::rotf::rotf::rotf: And it’ll go around the world with me when I finally leave for the South Pacific :whistle:

Uh-oh! Here comes the next international incident. :rotf: