Journaling

[Frisky Fallow]

Good Evening all,
I wanted to get your thoughts on Journaling. Not so much should you do it or not although feel free to make points for or against. More so the methods that those who are doing it employ to make it easier. We are mostly all time crunched people so when we get that time to hunt we want to maximise it in the field. I have been thinking these last few months whilst waiting for the Fallow to come back into season, it would have been nice to look back at accounts of last seasons stalking and reflect before starting a new season.

Plenty of waffle there, in short do you journal and if so how do you do it.

 

[T.eddie]

I don't journal but make a note in my shooting book, species, sex, date, anything of note. I also add things to my maps which is on an app I.e. spotted x at y or something similar

 

[VSS]

I just keep a cull record (date, time, species, sex, weight, any abnormalities, location).

Occasionally I write up a particularly memorable outing (for example, my first deer and my first solo stalk) for the purpose of sharing it on this site. Haven't done that for a while though.

Here they are, if you're interested:

Travels with my rifle.

Dawn came late, with a grey sky suggestive of rain later. Beneath the trees visibility remained poor until well after daybreak, and even the birds seemed subdued. A hare hopped, skipped and jumped his way down the ride, totally oblivious to our presence, and, as the light strengthened, a couple...

www.thestalkingdirectory.co.uk

Travels with my rifle, part 2: Going Solo

(For part 1, see Travels with my rifle.) Same Suffolk woodland, same tree, but six months have elapsed since my first visit, and there’s no-one in the highseat beside me this time. I’m in position early – there’s almost half-an-hour to go before first light – but find myself able to view the...

www.thestalkingdirectory.co.uk

Travels with my rifle, part 3: A Journeyman no longer

For parts 1 & 2 see here: Travels with my rifle. and here: Travels with my rifle, part 2: Going Solo I’m up a tree again, but there’s a significant difference: This time it’s my tree. Well, not strictly my own, but it’s my name on the lease, my first proper stalking ground, so I do have...

www.thestalkingdirectory.co.uk

A Proper Stalk

This is the story of my third outing with a new (to me) rifle. It’s a Parker-Hale Safari Deluxe, in .270 calibre – a logical step-up from the .243 (also a P-H SD) with which I’ve enjoyed variable degrees of success over the past few years. It’s unencumbered by either moderator or bipod, which I...

www.thestalkingdirectory.co.uk

 

[Frisky Fallow]

I just keep a cull record (date, time, species, sex, weight, any abnormalities, location).

Occasionally I write up a particularly memorable outing (for example, my first deer and my first solo stalk) for the purpose of sharing it on this site. Haven't done that for a while though.

Here they are, if you're interested:

Travels with my rifle.

Dawn came late, with a grey sky suggestive of rain later. Beneath the trees visibility remained poor until well after daybreak, and even the birds seemed subdued. A hare hopped, skipped and jumped his way down the ride, totally oblivious to our presence, and, as the light strengthened, a couple...

www.thestalkingdirectory.co.uk

Travels with my rifle, part 2: Going Solo

(For part 1, see Travels with my rifle.) Same Suffolk woodland, same tree, but six months have elapsed since my first visit, and there’s no-one in the highseat beside me this time. I’m in position early – there’s almost half-an-hour to go before first light – but find myself able to view the...

www.thestalkingdirectory.co.uk

Travels with my rifle, part 3: A Journeyman no longer

For parts 1 & 2 see here: Travels with my rifle. and here: Travels with my rifle, part 2: Going Solo I’m up a tree again, but there’s a significant difference: This time it’s my tree. Well, not strictly my own, but it’s my name on the lease, my first proper stalking ground, so I do have...

www.thestalkingdirectory.co.uk

A Proper Stalk

This is the story of my third outing with a new (to me) rifle. It’s a Parker-Hale Safari Deluxe, in .270 calibre – a logical step-up from the .243 (also a P-H SD) with which I’ve enjoyed variable degrees of success over the past few years. It’s unencumbered by either moderator or bipod, which I...

www.thestalkingdirectory.co.uk

I guess sharing interesting experiences is a good motivator to put pen to paper. I'll have a read of these this evening. Thank you.

 

[Frisky Fallow]

I don't journal but make a note in my shooting book, species, sex, date, anything of note. I also add things to my maps which is on an app I.e. spotted x at y or something similar

Do you use a specific book or a note pad with your own sub titles? i have seen books advertised but tend to be in the 40-50 pounds bracket. im pretty happy with my tesco notebook LOL.

 

[Rory]

My wife bought me a game book as a present. I use a page per outing, record the date, kit used, location, deer shot (including grid, distance, position (sitting, prone etc)) and then usually do a narrative type write up to accompany the 'stats' as a way of recording the outing. The narrative will include all unusual bits as well, eg. 'saw a barn owl/fox/snake'

 

[T.eddie]

Do you use a specific book or a note pad with your own sub titles? i have seen books advertised but tend to be in the 40-50 pounds bracket. im pretty happy with my tesco notebook LOL.

I got a shooting specific one from furfeatherandfin I think a while ago, not sure how much I paid though to be honest

 

[Tim.243]

Good Evening all,
I wanted to get your thoughts on Journaling. Not so much should you do it or not although feel free to make points for or against. More so the methods that those who are doing it employ to make it easier. We are mostly all time crunched people so when we get that time to hunt we want to maximise it in the field. I have been thinking these last few months whilst waiting for the Fallow to come back into season, it would have been nice to look back at accounts of last seasons stalking and reflect before starting a new season.

Plenty of waffle there, in short do you journal and if so how do you do it.

Just the tally..
.

 

[Tim.243]

I got a shooting specific one from furfeatherandfin I think a while ago, not sure how much I paid though to be honest

No entry's of foxes then Tom

 

[T.eddie]

No entry's of foxes then Tom

No need to shoot them for me

 

[Hazlett]

I keep an xls sheet of every outing.

Date, location, rifle/ammo, am/pm/night, hours on site, species, male, female, age, reproductive status, condition, disposal, notes (relating to time of shot, position, backstop, distance, shot placement, reaction, gralloching etc).

Each season I tot up % does, hours on site, hours per deer or fox, % successful outings etc.

 

[Shroughaun]

Maybe something like this would be handy.

The Shooting Record Book: an ideal gift for any s... by Swan Hill Press Hardback | eBay

 

[HappyHunter]

I've always enjoyed capturing the salient points in the small notepad I keep in my kit bag.

Date, time, location, wind direction, species, sex, distance, shot reaction, ammunition (tried a few before having to use copper), and any abnormalities etc.

I don't reference it much, but it has been useful and perhaps something to reflect on in later years.

 

[sy247]

I used to have a sailing boat and a friend who was an experienced sailor told to keep a book onboard and make a few notes about each trip out, who was onboard, where we went, any interesting point of note. I didn't do it, sold the boat a number of years ago and really wish I had.

 

[Cyres]

Most of my life I have kept a record in hard backed A5 note book. Recorded most things and in particular lots of details of pigeon shooting recording on drawings flight lines hide position decoys and records of nos shot picked and cartridges shot. Many v detailed. Think I was in vol 6. Alsi recorded all shooting related purchases. For some unknown reason stopped my journals about 5 years ago but do record in a diary everything I shoot. Record sexs of foxs etc. Worrying thing is how much my hand writing has deteriorated.
D

 

[Bavarianbrit]

I keep an xls sheet of every outing.

Date, location, rifle/ammo, am/pm/night, hours on site, species, male, female, age, reproductive status, condition, disposal, notes (relating to time of shot, position, backstop, distance, shot placement, reaction, gralloching etc).

Each season I tot up % does, hours on site, hours per deer or fox, % successful outings etc.

Me too.

 

[Dickie]

The Country Sportsman's Record Book and Journal By John Humphreys | Used | 9781873590065 | World of Books

Buy The Country Sportsman's Record Book and Journal By John Humphreys. Available in used condition with free delivery in the UK. ISBN: 9781873590065. ISBN-10: 1873590067

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Used to fill one in donkeys years ago but stopped many moons ago.

 

[Jon P]

Use a more detailed book for flying hawk with daily weights, flights days and bad weather that stopped the flying. At back of book is the memorable catches etc . Cross referenced to date at front of book.

Deer - who was out that day - number shot, species - sex. Now also keeping age and location as need to supply info back to land owners.

 

[wytonpjs]

My wife bought me a game book as a present. I use a page per outing, record the date, kit used, location, deer shot (including grid, distance, position (sitting, prone etc)) and then usually do a narrative type write up to accompany the 'stats' as a way of recording the outing. The narrative will include all unusual bits as well, eg. 'saw a barn owl/fox/snake'

I wish I had started this decades ago when I first started game shooting but sadly I didn’t and memories are spread across boxes of old photos, lots of 35mm slides and now in Apple’s great cloud What I did do, forced primarily by our shared deer training system, was to keep comprehensive deer stalking records from the time I properly started stalking and, after DSC2 and the stalk training write-ups stopped, I maintained a Word log of all outings, sightings, range shoots etc, and a separate Excel log of animal cull details.

With the setting up of my small venison business my wife morphed this into a fully related Access database where all outings, shot details, animal age, location, time, etc are recorded, together with expenses. This also holds the processed items, calculates prices from in-built tables, adds stock control details and provides a search, invoice and stock listing facility. It also generates the labels to put on the processed cuts! Sadly, it’s morphed from being a history into a practical tool to maintain EHO, VAT and business details, but for every outing, I can add as much or as little detail as needed.

Much of the evolution of this database has come about from me getting my wife to answer a fellow SD stalker’s Access questions and some of the functionality in the current database was driven by his need to record and bill for services such as pest control. Whilst I don’t use this side at present, when I do retire it’s nice to know that it’s there. I have tried to get her to market this tool but she doesn’t want to as in her opinion it doesn’t have all of the documentation and error checking routines in it that she’d like and she’s moved on to other challenges such as our Beat Log, where the ability to see all culls superimposed upon the OS map is, with being able to see individual stalker activity and to have that summarised on a page across the year, some of the best features.

Sadly therefore, I’m too late and now overtaken by corporate pressures but being able to do the stock control, cut labelling and VAT and Corporation tax work at the press of a button does make me smile

Edit: forgot to say, if she ever divorces me I f*@ked

 

[25 Sharps]

I used to keep a log of every trip out but that didn’t last long. I now just take a photo of each deer shot, that photo gives me all the details of the deer plus date, time and location. I then pair it with a photo of the larder weight, all kept in an album on the phone cleverly named ‘deer’.

I tend to photograph foxes, hares when culled and sometimes even the rats of a good bag but they don’t go in an album