Counting the animals you've killed?
Contributors to this thread:General Topic
From: IdyllwildArcher
01-Jan-22
The post by the fellow who noted he'd just killed his 40th deer got me thinking.
When I read his thread, I realized that I haven't killed 40 deer, but that I don't know exactly how many I have killed.
Does everyone count? Do you know because you keep a hunting journal? Or do you just keep a tally in your head?
I could tell you how many elk or other species I've killed (because it's a smaller number of animals) but I'm not sure how many mule deer or white tails I've killed as I've lost count and honestly, most guys on bowsite have killed far more deer than I have. I guess I just never thought to count? I suppose I could go back in photos by year and figure it out.
Now that I think about it, I'm curious and I think I'll make a journal and keep count.
I'm also curious what other people do.
Please post up if you know or don't know. If you don't know, post about how many and when you lost count. If you know, post how many and how you keep tally.
From: Rackmastr
01-Jan-22
I dont know. Could add up sheep, elk, moose, bears etc easily enough if I sat down and thought on some of them. For deer it would take me a while to remember them all, especially if does counted.
Always wished I'd kept more of a journal when I was younger regardless (only 40 now but wish I had one when I was 14)
From: SB
01-Jan-22
I figured it out awhile ago...and decided it was enough. Hardly any around here anymore anyway thanks to the DNRs "kill everything that moves" policys.
From: TEmbry
01-Jan-22
Off the top of my head I don’t know, but I do keep pretty good notes/picture documentation of my trips from year to year. I hunt too much to be a huge taxidermy guy cause where would you end up putting it all, but I love having a whiskey by the fire and looking back through old memories like I am doing currently. I did realize this fall that at some point this year I passed the 30 big game animals mark with my current bow setup. Not sure if that helped me mentally justify finally upgrading or sticking with it longer though lol.
From: Huntiam
01-Jan-22
No …I do wish now I wud of kept a little journal or something from the time I was about 16 til now .. for deer and bear at least
From: wildwilderness
01-Jan-22
As an adult onset hunter I did keep an annual journal. Lately I haven’t updated it for a couple years.
May be a good thing to do tomorrow…. I should have photos of the last animals in my phone. The females of species are harder to remember. Also since my kids started hunting I have personally tagged fewer but have hunted more and just as fulfilling
From: huntinelk
01-Jan-22
Nothing fancy, but starting with my new bow in 2011, I started a keeping a list of kills per bow. I just write them on a lined note pad. I list animal number with that bow, year, month, animal, distance and broadhead used.
From: BULELK1
01-Jan-22
+1 Rackmastr
Depends on the species for me.
Now way on elk could I remember maybe deer and antelope, Sheep and Mnt. Goat yes....add Mnt. Lion with them.
Good luck, Robb
From: Cornpone
01-Jan-22
Although I've never counted them I do know I've killed at least one every year since I started bowhunting in 1972. Several years I killed another. Not bragging or anything because a number of them were runts!
From: Treeline
01-Jan-22
I have no idea. Shot my first deer with a recurve in 1980 and have been lucky enough to get a few since then. Some of the big ones of specific species are mounted. Have scored a few when I can but not that into “putting them in the book” either, unless it’s really special. I love variety and have been blessed to hunt a lot of different species around the world. Hope to be able to hunt a lot more!
From: Jack Whitmrie jr
01-Jan-22
Here in WV we used to have a paper check tag ( until last 5-7 years ) and I wrote detail of each on the back. I kept them in a bank zipper bag in garage. Daughter counted them one day. So yes I know how many I have taken.
From: kevo
01-Jan-22
I kept a daily journal of my hunting activities for year's. For the last couple of yr's, I have just made note of when I brought game home. I do have a tally of the number of deer I've taken by month & day.
From: Stringwacker
01-Jan-22
I bought a small journal when I was in college in 1978 and have recorded every every animal I have ever taken as to the number, the date, location, species, weapon, and buck/doe with some degree of size (ie 8 point, 10 point, etc)
When my children lived at home I recorded the same harvest information on them as well. Its funny this come up as my son was hunting with me last week and I told him how many deer he had with the last harvest that day. He asked me how I knew and I told him I had always kept a journal and I knew he had killed 'X" number of deer since he left home....so I just added it to the journal total.
From: Franzen
01-Jan-22
I really don't know. I suspect I've shot about as many deer as years I've been bowhunting. The first several years I got nothing, but after that I've shot one or more almost every year. Shooting extra would have been more meat than I really needed. A few years I took 2, and I think it was only one year that I shot 3, but that was kind of by accident. Herd control has never been a problem where I hunt. It's doubtful I can remember each one honestly; it's not a high priority as far as what to remember. Unbelievable that someone could actually remember each one if the number is in the high two digits or even three.
Turkeys go about the same as deer, but for some reason I bet I could remember enough to pin the number to the nearest one. Other big game is really easy for me unfortunately.
From: Dale06
01-Jan-22
Been at it a long time. No idea on deer. Other less taken animals, yes I can recall the numbers. But really does not matter to me. I’ve never measured inches of antler and number of kills is not important to me.
From: Old School
01-Jan-22
I don’t know exactly. My sons asked me that question a few years back and I went through each farm I’d hunted and totaled them up - and added daily for the next few days as I remembered others that I hadn’t counted. Wish I would’ve written them all down somewhere. I haven’t killed near as many in the past 10 years as I did when I was younger. As I age I find that I enjoy the hunt far more than a kill.
From: JL
01-Jan-22
Like others, I have no idea on the total I've shot. Did quite a few on crop damage permits but I wouldn't count those as they were at night. When I was stationed in DC and living in southern Maryland....you had to check in your deer and it was earn a buck regs. There are three seasons.....bow, ML and firearms. At that time, for each of the three seasons before you could take your second buck, you had to kill two does. I knew at that time what the count was for each season because you had to track them as per the regs. I only tagged out on all three seasons (for that year) once. That would mean 12 deer for that year....6 bucks and 6 does. Other years would be somewhere around 5 to 10 a year maybe. That was for a 5 year span. Before hunting in Maryland....I have no clue. Back in Michigan since 2011, I might be able to figure it out if I wanted to. However I'm not looking back too much....just forward.
From: tobywon
01-Jan-22
I have an abbreviated journal. I keep a spreadsheet where I note date, time, location, type of deer (doe, 8 point, etc.), weight, type of weapon used, tree stand/ground, shot distance, location of shot, yards traveled after shot and any comments to remember the day. I don’t kill a lot of deer so it’s not a numbers thing for me, rather it’s something that I can go back and look over and even something my son can look at as he gets older. I keep a separate one for Turkey as well and I also have one I keep for my son.
From: Jeff Durnell
01-Jan-22
Like Dale, I don't know, don't care, don't count, don't measure, don't tell. Just hunt and eat. Couldn't count the number of fish I've caught, squirrels I've shot, or berries or mushrooms or whatever else I've picked and eaten either. Be something wrong with me if I could, right? :^) But for some reason killing some things is more of a 'sport' to some folks, and sports and stats are a thing so...
From: spike78
01-Jan-22
When you live in the Northeast here in the low population deer areas it’s quite easy to remember how many deer you have killed!
From: Huntaholic
01-Jan-22
Some years ago I just started counting back and landing on a number now I didn't count Gun kills but the fact that I killed the two Biggest ever at my Mom and Dad's land is the Best accomplishment to Me. My Dad's property will be Sold soon and it will be a Sad day !
From: MA-PAdeerslayer
01-Jan-22
No idea. Thought about starting to keep a journal tho. Few years late but I’m only 29 so plenty of years to add to it. This year I’m planning on keeping a journal starting today of all my time in the woods and tracking to see what I average for miles!
From: pav
01-Jan-22
I've been keeping a log on archery whitetails for years...primarily because I might not remember some of those experiences otherwise. I list the year, sex of deer, number of points for bucks and the location of kill. I don't bother to keep a log of any other big game species, as all are single digits and easy to remember. I do keep photo journals of every out of state hunt...successful or not.
When I started turkey hunting with a bow, I made a list of all my firearms turkey kills. Been adding my archery turkey kills to that list ever since with a personal goal of eventually surpassing the firearms total. Currently, still three archery birds shy of the firearms total....but getting close.
Strange thing...I just tallied both lists. Archery whitetails to date = 43. Total number of turkeys is also 43 (23 shotgun, 20 archery). What are the odds! To be clear, the deer list is not intended to be a numbers thing. I haven't shot a doe in over a decade and I've eaten more buck tags by choice than I've filled. The turkey thing is just a personal bowhunting goal.
From: txhunter58
01-Jan-22
Maybe when I was younger. But haven’t kept track for lots of years. As time goes by, I still hunt as much, but don’t kill as many animals. Not because I can’t but because I choose not to. Helping kids hunt and kill is my new hobby. Helped my grandsons kill his first deer this weekend!
I guess I love to have all those memories, but recently, when my brother asked me to name my favorite hunt of all time, after I thought about all the good ones I’ve had, the real answer for me was “My next one!”
From: midwest
01-Jan-22
No idea on deer and turkeys. Don't kill near as many I used to when I hunted a lot more and had private ground in both Iowa and Missouri.
From: DRR324
01-Jan-22
Count me in the old guy group that used to keep a journal…. I don’t know the exact number of whitetails over the last 40 years, but I can ballpark guess and be within 5 or 6.
From: Kevin Dill
01-Jan-22
No idea. Not a numbers guy in any respect.
From: KSflatlander
01-Jan-22
Never kept track as the number was never the goal. I do know that I took every single one of them from the field to the table.
Had deer tenderloins last night for New Years Eve. Perfect.
From: LINK
01-Jan-22
I have no idea how many whitetails ive killed. I keep a journal of out of state hunts for my kids and grandkids to read one day. I should journal my wt hunts too. I’m not sure why I don’t.
From: lamb
01-Jan-22
in1972 when i started bowhunting i was all into that. now not at all
From: dnovo
01-Jan-22
I lost track of deer many years ago. Since there were a lot less I could tell about bear, hogs, javelina etc. I can say that every one has been taken with a longbow and my average shot is less than 11 yards.
From: Missouribreaks
01-Jan-22
Not sure, guessing a few hundred deer, from several states. Too many really.
From: 2Wild Bill
01-Jan-22
I've lost count, but from time to time my memories are more satisfying than a number.
From: Ambush
01-Jan-22
I just bought a unused journal that a Bowsite guy from Connecticut used to record kills from his Live Hunts.
If I sat down with a Buddy and really thought about it, I could tally all the animals except black bears. Only ever shot two does and never a cow moose. Actually if I had to include rifle kills, I would have trouble with moose too.
From: Jaquomo
01-Jan-22
I kept journals for many years, but finally stopped when it became a job. Still enjoy going back and reading them from decades past. I've always been a bowhunter since I was a kid, and after a few animals I started valuing quality over quantity. I've eaten tag soup after passing animals most bowhunters would shoot in a heartbeat.
The only animal I know the number of is elk, and that's only because my lifelong hunting partner and I had a sort of competition. He is two ahead of me because I was greedy for a few years.
There are elk racks hanging in the garage rafters of which I can't remember when or where I killed this one or that. I guess that means I've killed enough.
From: Z Barebow
01-Jan-22
All non whitetail I can remember. Whities. Ball park guess. When I first started, it was about filling tags. So with 2 tags a year it was easy to remember. Once I started holding out for bigger bucks, eating a tag happens. Then I got into herd management, and I lost count.
From: Two Feathers
01-Jan-22
I can't remember. But I do know a year hasn't gone by since the early 80's that I haven't filled tags with the bow.
From: RD
01-Jan-22
In 1972 the archery club started a survey for big game taken with the bow, I started recording then and still do. It's kind of fun to sit down and look through and remember. Someday that's all I'll be able to do but hope it's a few years off as I'm only 73 now.
From: Paul@thefort
01-Jan-22
I ran out of fingers and toes to count on, but a few during the past 70 years I have been hunting.
From: fastflight
01-Jan-22
Illinois used to give pins which I put in a plaque to this day so I know exactly how many I have. I also keep a journal of all the deer I have killed. Both of them are only to bring back memories of each hunt as the actual number means nothing to me.
From: t-roy
01-Jan-22
No idea on whitetail or turkeys. Yes on everything else.
From: Tracker
01-Jan-22
I have a hard enough time remembering what day it is now that Im retired. That being said I have never been one to count things I kill or catch.
From: Oryx35
01-Jan-22
I keep a spreadsheet with location, shot distance, hunting partners etc. I'm not big on taxidermy, but I also keep a scrapbook that has at least one page for every kill. It also has most of my hunting partners' kills, as well as various other special and miscellaneous memories (e.g. my son's first outings). I love sitting and flipping through the scrapbook.
From: buckeye
01-Jan-22
Never hunted anything besides whitetail, and yes I've started to loose track of how many.
From: SIP
01-Jan-22
Only hunt deer and turkey as far as big game. I have kept track of deer in a little notebook. Just put what the deer was and one little note to help identify which deer it was so i can replay the hunt in my head and smile. I hunt to put meat in the freezer, meat has always been my priority, the little notebook i have has never affected my ability to keep that as my priority…lol.
From: HUNT MAN
01-Jan-22
When I was a kid I keep a journal. Love to read it sometimes and smile. Now days I have no idea on deer and turkeys. Other animals could come up with a number if I needed to.
Happy new year to All.
From: Jaquomo
01-Jan-22
Jaquomo's Link
There are some numbers-obsessed fly fishermen who wear a little digital counter on their vest. That seems a bit too anal to me. "Around 20" is a good enough answer.
This one has a slogan, "Spend more time fishing and less time counting." Anyone who needs that advice should take up golf.
From: APauls
01-Jan-22
No idea. Elk, moose i could tell you just because the hunts are so few in relation. Everything else no idea.
From: Matt
01-Jan-22
I have a picture album that I used to put a picture of every kill into. That largely stopped when I shifted away from film cameras.
From: skipmaster1
01-Jan-22
I can remember non whitetails for big game. Whitetails I stopped keeping track years ago. I have a ballpark on deer and turkeys.
From: ryanrc
01-Jan-22
Sometimes when I am hunting I try and remember different things. Sometimes I try and count up every kill etc. I usually remember later on one or two I completely forgot about. I think for deer I am north of 50 but I would have to sit down and write them all down. Sometimes I try and remember the name of every teacher I had and other things like that to pass the time too.
From: JL
01-Jan-22
I think the eastern guys kill more than the western guys by virtue of bigger bag limits...especially on does. In those "deer a day" places....the numbers can add up quick.
From: INDBowhunter2
01-Jan-22
I’ve kept a spreadsheet with animals/year/location/and shot distances and if it was guided, the guide and outfit. Not a lot of detail, just basic info. Not just deer but all animals. It’s nice to jog the memory when I go add another and look back at some of the earlier ones
From: Michael
01-Jan-22
For elk, antelope and mule deer it’s pretty easy to count. They are all in the single digits. For whitetails I would have to sit down snd do some homework since I have never kept track.
From: Rock
01-Jan-22
Only reason I know how many of each species I have killed is because the Archery Club I belong to gives out brass plates each year that we then place on a wood plaque. I have those going back over 40 years and I am at something over 200 animals last I added them up.
From: Bowhunter09
01-Jan-22
I’ve kept a log of animal,weapon,and location since I killed my first deer in 1978. My log also includes out of state hunts which were not successful.
From: cnelk
01-Jan-22
No way I’d remember WTs. Back in the day in Minnesota we would party hunt to fill tags. Probably way over 100. Probably add in 2-3 dozen elk. Bunch of MD. My 2 moose are easy to remember
From: Teeton
01-Jan-22
I can remember the very first thing and deer I killed with a bow like it was yesterday. Other stuff never kept track.
From: jmiller
01-Jan-22
I take photos of each and every deer and other big game I take. I even take photos of all the small game, upland and waterfowl and furbearers I trap. At the end of each year they get printed off and put into a leather photo album. I'm old fashioned and like real photos.
From: Mitch
01-Jan-22
When i first started hunting at age 12 i wrote down date, time, shot distance, where I hit the animal, how far it ran, what weapon I used, and where I was hunting. In my early 20’s I transferred those notes into a leather bound journal that I still fill out today, 40 years later. I haven’t actually tallied up the entries lately, but there is a pretty good number. I do enjoy reading over the notes and remembering the hunts. Without that journal I know there would be many hunts lost to time.
From: jmiller
01-Jan-22
I wrote a newspaper column about my 40th deer. I can remember each and every hunt.
From: ahunter76
01-Jan-22
I did keep a journal for nearly 30 years & when I moved from Ill. to Ia (my home now) it was lost. I kept tons of info in it Dates, time things happened, temps, wind, what stand I was in, numbers of Deer seen, missed, killed, shot distance, recovery. I've done the Iowa bowhunting survey for the DNR at least 10 years but never made a copy to keep.. I know I've taken easy close to 100 Whitetails over the years, maybe more (I started in 1956 & arrowed my 1st in 1958), 65 actual years of bowhunting.. I know I have 8 eight pointers that all score like 105-110 with seveal smaller & a few more larger & and easy 30+ Does (I actually was counting them going thry photos a year or so ago & stopped at 30) If I really thought I'm sure I could recall every animal I've taken but not the many misses I've stacked up over the years. Elk, bears, Hogs, Mule Deer, Turkey, Buffalo, Caribou, Antelope & others I could remember numbers easy enough & other animals in the mix. I know a ton of small game with a bow too. I know I arrowed 38 Animals with recurves & all Whitetail except 1 Bear, 1 Elk & 1 Hog = 35. I coined a phrase long ago & it is "Kills will be long forgotten but memories of campfire friends will last forever". THAT is a FACT.
From: Buffalo1
01-Jan-22
My wife asked the same question several years ago. My answer to her remains the same today, "I honestly don't know." I will say that the "urge to just kill" is just not as strong as it use to be. I hunt deer now for meat or trophy- not for "just killing" reasons. Have become much more conservation conscience.
I have no idea on number of hogs. I still have a "hate" relationship with them.
I have kept a pretty close count on African hunts. I have to say, I have passed on way more game than I have shot.
From: rattling_junkie
01-Jan-22
I do, decided a few years ago to sit down and record my kills. I am sure I got all of them. I was into stats as a kid, and figured it would be nice to keep a tally. Now if I ever has grandkids I can go back to relive the stories. Plus, I think most guys overexaggerate how many animals they have killed, I just wanted to be close as possible. Pretty easy to keep track of kills every year, not much effort at all even if you kill 'em like Muche!
From: buckhammer
01-Jan-22
I bought my first whitetail license in 1980. Since that time I have killed 64 bucks and probably a couple dozen does.
I have the rack from every buck I have killed. Some of the better ones hang in the house the rest in the barn. Not all have been archery kills but the majority are.
All of those deer have come off from just 4 different properties in that time.
From: Mitch
01-Jan-22
From: timex
01-Jan-22
Couldn't even guess on deer in the last 40 years the least I've killed in a season was 4 the most 19. This season was 12. An average of 8 would be 320. I can say I've only killed 1 bear. It was the first one I ever saw in the woods I put a great shot on it with a bow & when I got to the animal I got the greatest feeling of remorse I've ever had. Can't explain it but never had the desire to kill another & had dozens of opportunities & a few have been really big bears.
So one bear. 300 to 400 deer & probably 500 squirrels
From: Rut Nut
01-Jan-22
I often wondered about guys that knew exactly how many critters they had killed...................
I have always been more of a “it’s more about the journey than the destination” kinda guy..................... so I have no idea how many critters I have killed..............and don’t really even care to know! ;-)
From: Grunt-N-Gobble
01-Jan-22
Total deer I've got a good guess. Lost exact count when I stopped taking pics of does I've shot. Didn't start hunting turkeys until my 20's but ive got a good guess there too.
From: Willieboat
01-Jan-22
I don’t know why but have kept count of the elk I have killed 57 all archery. Have killed a fair amount of deer but don’t have a clue how many.
From: Bake
01-Jan-22
I started keeping a log when I was in college. I can give exact numbers on big game. I can give pretty close approximations on small game and waterfowl and upland and stuff like that.
I record species. Place. Hunting/fishing partners. Shots taken. Weapon used. Etc. I keep track of every outing where I am seeking to kill or catch something. And now keeping track of when I take my daughter or nephews.
Sometimes my notes are good with something cool. Lots of times it’s just a sentence or three. “Hunted the XYZ place after work for deer. Saw 12. NE stand.”
I used to use actual books and hand write in. But that got to be a chore. So now I keep notes in my phone. And when I get a second I put them in a word document.
I go back and look from time to time. But mostly I do it from a probably misplaced notion that my daughter or her kids might someday find it interesting. And I enjoy it actually. It’s just another part of the whole process for me.
And sometimes it’s useful. I go back and look at dates that I caught hell out of crappie in certain holes, or found a ton of morels in a certain place, etc
From: Bake
01-Jan-22
Also, I don’t have the best memory. I enjoy going back and reading some of the highlights. Before I went to Africa in 2021 I went back and read my notes from Africa in 2016. There was a lot I’d forgotten about. Not the kills. But just the hunting. The things seem and things we did. I really enjoyed that
From: Bandicooter
01-Jan-22
Yep, I have an excel file where I record animal, points, method, shot placement, still-hunt or stand, quadrangle, state, and remarks such as weight or special circumstances. I wish I had recorded more such as weather and time of day.
From: Charlie Rehor
01-Jan-22
Just finished my 40th year of whitetail, archery hunting and have kept a log book from the first year. I’m glad I did because I’ve written the specifics on each deer, each year and now that I’m older I can look back and remember EVERY deer. No way I would recall each and every one with out that log book.
I know some guys think it’s foolish but I’m glad I did it.
From: drycreek
01-Jan-22
I’ve been hunting deer for over fifty years and can’t remember what I had for lunch yesterday. No clue how many deer I’ve killed.
From: Thornton
01-Jan-22
Rough guess at least 60 or 70 deer, not counting the other big game I've shot which amount to 6 of each species. I used to fill 5 doe tags every year and always got a buck. One year I drew two buck tags in my home state. I've killed deer in Canada and a few other states. My neighbor used to have me shoot deer for him because he could never get out.
From: 12yards
02-Jan-22
I've averaged about 1 1/2 deer a year since 1987. I think I've killed around 60 deer with the bow, another 9 with a gun (last with gun was 1990). Also killed a bear. One mulie. Wish I would have journaled better.
From: Shug
02-Jan-22
I kept a journal for the first 10 or so years that I hunted until my brother found it and read it…
For weeks he would break my balls saying…”ohoops missed again…lol
It wasn’t till 1993 when I started shooting a compound that I really started laying deer down.
Where I hunt in NJ we have a liberal season and bag limit. Early September to mid February with unlimited does.
I’ve had lots of 15-20 deer season and stopped counting years ago but I know does alone I’m in a couple hundred plus.. Lots of summer sausage and deer sticks every year
From: Owl
02-Jan-22
Never really occurred to me. I grew up hunting squirrels. Conditions a hunter to care less about numbers and more about specific memories.
From: JusPassin
02-Jan-22
Counting kills, sounds a bit like an old western movie where they "notched" the grip on their six shooter.
From: TonyBear
02-Jan-22
I was keeping a log book til I shot my 50th. After that was kinda hit or miss if I wrote anything down. All I know is the vast majority of them were field dressed and maybe skinned out with my Dad's WWII Marine Kabar knife. He had 3-4 inches taken off of it after he returned from the war. Nice to think a tool that was once designed to kill people has been turned into a family hunting heirloom.
From: Ron Niziolek
02-Jan-22
Like Bake and Charlie, I do as well. It started with a journal, then went to a document. I keep the species, date, location and equipment used. I also think maybe one day my son or grandkids will find it interesting.
From: Bowfreak
02-Jan-22
I have an excel spreadsheet with my kills on them. That reminds me....I haven't updated it in a few years.
From: EmbryOklahoma
02-Jan-22
I just keep a tally on my fingers. Once I get there, I’ll use my toes.
From: Fuzzy
03-Jan-22
I used to....lost count years ago but have a ballpark figure
From: Shuteye
03-Jan-22
I killed my first deer in 1953 and have not missed killing a deer every year since. I had journals where I recorded my deer kills but some were lost when a tree destroyed part of my house. I was keeping track of deer killed with Jakhammer broadheads and was up to 72 with them Killed a lot more with other heads including bear razor heads in the old days. Have killed a bunch of deer with muzzle loading rifles and a bunch with a single shot muzzle loading .50 cal pistol. Killed some with a rifle and quite a few with a S&W .460 revolver and .44 mag single shot pistol and .357 revolver. Great memories and a bunch of good eats. Also killed ducks and geese with a recurve.
From: njbuck
03-Jan-22
I keep track of the animals ive taken, the date, location, shot distance, and any other various notes I think are interesting. Every time I look it over, it makes me remember each hunt in detail.
From: txhunter58
03-Jan-22
What should I include in the count. Just the animals I pulled the trigger on? Or the animals I found, could have shot, and chose not to shoot, then later took my nephew to shoot? Did that this year. I feel like I should count that.
From: txhunter58
03-Jan-22
From: Jethro
03-Jan-22
If you keep track, don't announce the numbers. You'll wind up being branded a trophy hunter that only hunts to increase kill numbers.
From: KY EyeBow
03-Jan-22
I keep a simple log that includes description of the animal, date of kill, location, shot distance, and with what weapon. I read an article a LONG time ago in Outdoor Life chronicling some of the best deer hunters in the South and guess I wanted to see how far i could get to what they did. I killed my first whitetail in 1983 and am still going(and hope to for a very long time). Am at 134 right now for whitetails. Throw in an elk, couple of blackies and a gator. Helps me to go back and remember the hunts/animals. Got a separate list for wild turkeys but most of those are shotgun kills.
From: Habitat for Wildlife
03-Jan-22
I do keep a log. The number is several hundred less than the posts on a thread I recently started;-)
From: Phaseolus
03-Jan-22
Do prairie dogs count? growing up in Eastern Colorado I spent thousands of rounds of .22 long rifle on them.
From: Bake
03-Jan-22
I forgot to mention, I also keep track of costs. For the same reasons I keep old BSC pamphlets. Maybe someone will find it interesting someday that my small game license in SD cost me $152 in 2021. Maybe I'll find it interesting in 40 years when the same license costs me $1,052
So I keep track of costs of some of the interesting things on hunts, flights, tags, licenses, and even keep track of costs of gear like guns, bows, knives, etc.
I know for a fact my first big game rifle was a Marlin 336 in 30-30. In 1993 it cost $330. Today it's more than double that for the same rifle that isn't as well made :)
From: Moosemania
03-Jan-22
I used to keep a log of every big game animal I was fortunate enough to kill when I was younger. Stopped doing it a while back for some reason. I think I was keeping track because I couldn't believe I was actually starting to be successful. I'm guessing I'm at close to 100 whitetail now but not really sure. Fortunate to live where there are plenty of deer and doe tags. Most were little bucks or doe, but sometimes a nice one slips up and gets to close.
From: Shuteye
03-Jan-22
When I started hunting a nonresident Maine license cost me $25 and you could get your money back if you killed a black bear since there was a $25 bounty on them. Also got a 50 cent bounty on porcupines.
From: KHNC
03-Jan-22
Kept track of bow kills til i broke the 125 deer with a bow mark. Used to track gun kills as well, but lost count. I know how many elk , bears, antelope and mule deer since its a smaller number. Total number of deer, elk , bears , turkeys and all big game killed is a number I cant remember now. Way up there i know. I also know I dont shoot nearly as many animals each season as i used. I have cut back on killin and do a lot of observing. Unless my freezer is needing to be restocked. Then does are in big trouble.
From: ahunter76
03-Jan-22
Bake-my first Elk/Mule Deer NR tags cost me a whopping $25. Yes, a very long time ago.. My son in the photo is nearing 50 now...
From: SteveB
03-Jan-22
I don't keep track and never felt a reason or need to although I'm certain it's over 40. I would think the more impressive number would be how many good animals I have passed on while holding out for trophy class animals. Like someone above said, I decided a long time ago that whatever the number is, it's more than enough. These days it's far more about the experience than the dead animal. Of course, going on 67 I wouldn't expect to feel any differently.
From: No Mercy
04-Jan-22
I know how many bears I have killed and how many moose, elk, caribou and antelope, but as far as mule deer and whitetails, I don't know that I could figure it out honestly. Turkeys the same. I just don't keep track.......
From: Paul@thefort
04-Jan-22
You got to love the North American Wildlife Conservation Model. Hard to count the TONS of wild game meat we all have shared with family and friends over the years. Not only do we enjoy the out of doors but we all contribute to the funding of game management and habitat improvement. Yep, we know where are food comes from and how it is handled. My best, Paul
From: 4406v
04-Jan-22
I do keep a record of my big game kills This year I shot deer number 98 which breaks down like this: 72 does , 26 bucks 16 taken with a recurve, 27 compound, 51 rifle, 4 shotgun All of my deer were taken in Pa except 1 in WV and 1 in NY I've also shot a bear in Pa , a bull elk in Colorado , and 2 bull moose 1 in NH and 1 in Newfoundland.
From: orionsbrother
04-Jan-22
Couldn’t tell you how many whitetail I’ve killed. I think the organization of those who keep journals is cool. It would be fun to refer to those later. I’ve just never been inclined to try to shoehorn that in my schedule.
From: Bigpizzaman
04-Jan-22
I’m assuming Big Game Mammals only? 35 years I’ve been fairly active, lots of hogs and deer. Used to cull for some properties, I’d guess 12 animals a year average? Somewhere between 400-500? A lot of skinning and I still leave to much meat on hides!
From: mountainman
05-Jan-22
I keep a log of of the year, animal, shot distance, recovery distance and where I hit the animal.
I keep track of unrecovered animals and gun kills as well. Most of the gun kills were in my teens.
From: Saphead
05-Jan-22
Archery Club gave me a plaque when I shot my first. (Great feeling and Nice gift) I kept the list going till I hit 200 then stopped counting.
From: Cornpone
05-Jan-22
As some of you have done, I thoroughly regret not keeping a good written account. Damn...anymore I have difficulty remembering what I killed, with details, just a few years ago. At my age I'd love to browse my journal...had I kept one. I can recall some game taken but, for the most part, only if there was something significant about it.
From: Johnny Koester
05-Jan-22
Killed my first bow deer Oct 2, 1955. Have kept records of all my bow kills since then. No details, just the numbers of deer and Javelinas. Haven't kept records of gun kills just bow kills.
From: Candor
09-Jan-22
I remember about 25 years ago a friend of mine killed his 100th with his bow. He said he could get a new bow now that he had it down to $1/deer for his bow. With the price of new bows I doubt he manages those same economics.
From: Rock
09-Jan-22
Another thing I do is keep all my licenses from every hunt in folders separated by year, might be missing a few but not many from the last 56 years.
From: Dale06
09-Jan-22
I do have all my licenses since the early 1970s.
From: Rickm
09-Jan-22
Elk, moose, bear,lope and hogs yes. Deer, no idea. We had years in Ohio we could take 5 deer, one antlered. I took many on nuisance permits 2 miles from my home and took most with the bow. The nuisance tags became a nuisance and I am glad to be done with that. Still hunt the property but enjoy it more now that the pressure is off! Never had a problem finding a home for the venison thankfully.
From: Mathewsphone
09-Jan-22
I sit at 18 on the 29 list but I keep track of the big time animals sheep goats moose bears lions Elk I have no idea how many deer or Turkeys - small game
From: FORESTBOWS
09-Jan-22
A whole bunch!
