Contributors to this thread:
I was wondering if there was anyone else out there who's crazy enough to record their season as I do. For years I have been recording info from each hunt and as I look back it is interesting to see "what was" or "what happened". I keep a record of date, time of day hunted, number of hours on stand, stand name, sky condition, wind direction, number of fawns seen, number of does seen, and number of antlered bucks seen.
Then I also record the number of "shot opportunities" I get. I define a "shot opportunity" as: the deer does not know I am there, the deer is within my effective shooting distance, the deer "presents" for a shot, I have a clear opening to shoot, I get in position for a shot, draw my bow, settle the pin on the vitals, and go through all the motions needed to execute a shot. The one thing I do not do is to pull the trigger on my release. When I just watch a deer walk by, I do not consider that a shot opportunity as I did not go through all the motions to shoot. I don't count those close encounters, it has to be a legitimate shot opportunity where I feel very certain I could have killed that deer.
Anyrate, my hunting this year was somewhat limited by a shoulder injury in June and a hand operation in August. I didn't really start hunting until about October 20 or so.
This year I went on stand 40 times (low number for me). 18 in the morning. 21 in the afternoon. 1 mid-day sit. I spent 123 hours on stand, average time per stand event was just over three hours. I saw a total of 83 fawns, 71 does, and 39 bucks. I had 9 buck shot opportunities and probably 50 doe & fawn shot opportunities. I did not kill a deer this year, the first year I have not since the late 1970s.
I probably will not be hunting in December as the cold is now too hard to take. So, those are the numbers from my season. Probably way more that what some fellows get and probably way less than what others get. Those are the numbers, I wish some of those good bucks I saw at a distance would have been closer. That's not the way it worked out however and I was not going to shoot a deer just for the sake of getting/killing a deer. I don't need to do that, there have been so many over the years. Already I am thinking about next year and hope mid-October rolls around soon, only about 330 days to go!
I have kept a log book for many years and I often go back and read what happened over the years. I am not as detailed as you, but it helps me a lot.
Late season is my favorite. yes a number of deer are off the landscape, but I don't have as much competition, no bugs and not as many small game hunters around either.
Over the years, I have become happier just sitting out in the stand, and if I get a deer that's a bonus. I don't get hung up on trying to kill a buck. I haven't filled a buck tag since 2002. Sure I Will take a shot at a big one, but it's not a game breaker. I just enjoy the time in the stand and being able to get out there. Hunting season never seems to end. There is always something going on to get ready for next year!!
I keep a journal and up until a couple of years back I had some software that kept detailed information on the hunting. Topo maps and aerial photos as well as details on sighting, sign, and much more.
Unfortunately the company went out of business and the program started having issues. I wish someone would write another program like that one again.
It is nice to have something to look back on since memories often are inaccurate.
I do not keep a log. That's why my hunt thread works well for me. I can read back thru it at the end of my season and ingrain my memories and lessons learned in my thick skull.
I also do not keep a log but I'd say this season was much like the last few. Saw lots of younger bucks and a few approaching or exceeding the 140" mark. No archery kill and none killed during the firearm season, although my partners son killed an OK 8 pt during the youth season. Having had my daughter kill an elk and a deer, there was no need for meat so we were content to sit and watch. Good thing is, as of Sunday noon, trail cams confirm some of the nicer bucks made it through the gun season. I'll look forward to seeing them again in the future. Pulled the fences down from a couple plots designed to feed the deer later in the season, at this time many other things going on so may or may not do any more WI hunting. Note: on Saturday we still saw bucks chasing. Not many does still in heat but the one I saw looked like a train engine with a four buck line of cars following.
I rely on memories like Smokey points out. Damn, I shoot some dandies each and every year! lol
I have kept various types of logs over the years. I actually use a spreadsheet tool that I just keep updating. I log the names of all my hunting partners that I was hunting with that year and who got what. I write a few comments about each the season. I really enjoy looking back. Now more than every as I lost my dad in 2011. My records date back to 1984 for me when I started at 14. I recently bought land from a 78 yr old that logged every hour of every hunt since 1971 through 1915! Each hour he noted the bucks and does he saw. Noted the opening day weather conditions, wind direction, snow depth. Now that is detailed!
I take very detailed notes. It's rather funny looking back when I first started doing it to what I do now. I have roll out maps marked to protection. I think some of you would be impressed with how much thought I have put into it. I'll have to take a picture of one. You may try it yourself. Each year is marked in a different color. Labeling travel pattern, camera locations, beds being used For different reasons. Days I've sat and what sits produced my best. I use to take detailed notes on the moon. But I haven't been as detailed with that anymore for several reasons.
I keep an Excel spreadsheet detailing date, morning/evening, and weather conditions. I also keep tabs on the number of deer I've seen and how they were behaving (i.e. browsing along the trail or on high alert). Whether I use it as a learning tool or not, I find that when I read through the entries I can vividly remember each hunt (pending I saw deer...) and that's always something I enjoy doing during the offseason.
I don't keep a log . My brain is like a sealed vault . Problem is I lost the key .
No log here. I hunt for peace and solitude and don't really care if I shoot anything. As long as my son has sightings and opportunities, that is all that matters to me. Each season comes and goes and has no bearing on the next one for me.
Im with happy on this one......I am happy if my son or grandson have a decent chance, I really don't care if I get a deer or not. Most of my early season is spent scouting and looking for new spots to set up some stands. I love that part of the " hunt". I love just being out in the woods in the fall. There has been many, many days where I went out early morning to cut firewood in the county and came back home 8 hrs later with a handful of wood. Somehow I got sidetracked on a nice buck track and horsed around with it for hours without even having my bow with me. Im on of the few that carry a compass when cutting firewood. I would say I seriously bow hunt maybe 12 times a season but I spend an astronomical amount of time for other family members to have a good experience. I don't keep a log but I do have a collection of trail cam photos that I refer to every year with temp ,time, date, and moon phase on them. I enjoy all the aspects of hunting and the kill really doesn't matter to me. Don't get me wrong it still gets the adrenilin flowing to knock one down, but the older I get, the more I enjoy seeing others enjoy it and I work hard for that to happen. So to sum up my season, It was great, no buck yet but IT WAS GREAT.
Years ago I found a website and smartphone app called ProHuntersjournal.com. I have roughly 6 years of data, maps, pictures, and experiences recorded but when I switched from apple to android phone I lost access because they don't have an app for Android based phones. I can still access my data on their website, but I would update everything while in the tree. I believe they may have either gone out of business or its just a small outfit because I have sent a couple of emails over the years questioning the development of an android app to no response. I like this website and format though. Sadly I am now a couple of years behind now.
prohuntersjournal.com