It isn't always easy to keep a hunting journal, especially when the season is short and each hunt has the potential of being incredible. Remember that each hunting trip, whether successful or not, holds information about your hunting. Whether you decide to go on a hunt or not, stayed home while your hunting partners went, or did go but quit early, all of this information is very useful. Write down every instance in which you stayed home instead of going hunting.
Start with the decision, not the result
Record enough information to recall the situation that occasioned the entry, including the location where you had planned to go, the species that you were after, the time when you had intended to go, the weather, and the access to the location. This could be as simple as, "Stayed home because the access road was too flooded from last night's heavy rain".
This type of data in your hunting journal must be separated from your interpretation. For example the fact that the wind shifted dramatically to travel down the logging road and into the area where the animals' bedding was located could be interpreted by you to mean that the animals would likely be able to detect your approach long before you got into shooting position. These facts and your interpretation must both be recorded.
Note your expectations as to how things would unfold before you depart or prior to calling off a hunt. This can include such things as your expectation for a quiet, cool morning and how you perceived the area would be for such conditions. When reality fails to measure up to your expectations, the differences can be quite obvious and provide good insight to the hunt.
Sort the reasons you stayed out
– Conditions: wind, heat, rain, visibility, mud, snow, or water levels made the plan unsuitable. This could be as simple as writing "too wet" next to a date.
– Conditions: wind, heat, rain, visibility, mud, snow, or water levels made the plan unsuitable.
– Access: locked gate, road condition, closed to hunting due to other land user(s), time constraint(s) etc.
– Preparation: The equipment, clothing, food, etc. wasn't up to par for the hunt.
– Information: the sign was old, the area was being disturbed in some way or the bird's movement pattern wasn't playing out as had been forecasted.
– Ethics: the shot, recovery, identification, or backdrop did not meet your standard.
– Stewardship: risking sensitive ground, harassment of animals, or other land use being compromised.
Calling a particular label is not a form of excuse making. Each label reveals potential areas of problem that, when repeatedly encountered, require solution. A problem with preparation might be addressed with a simple checklist for future reference. Access problems may require a simple phone call or negotiation to find an alternative route through the same property.
Give restraint a clear record
Ethical hunting is easiest to defend when you can outline specific reasons for your actions. Give due respect to the strategy that you employ and detail why a specific action wasn't suitable in a particular set of circumstances. Avoid coming across as 'tough' for having restrained yourself from taking a shot.
Start a new entry for each time you decide not to shoot and clearly state the reasons for your decision. Write down everything that was missing, i.e. uncertain identification, insufficient shooting distance, bad shot, unsafe angle, insufficient time for a responsible recovery and changing circumstances which you are unable to read. Avoid general terms such as 'bad day' and do not attempt to justify your decision after the event.
Similar rules may govern the time of day that you are allowed to go hunting, what methods you can use to take an animal, where you can hunt, and what license you need to do so. Be sure to check with your local wildlife agency for any changes to hunting regulations before the season. Your journal can be a good place to note changes to laws and regulations but make sure to verify the information with the proper authority.
Track the cost of a missed outing
In addition to documenting actual hunts, each missed opportunity should be noted in the log to detail the costs (time, travel, equipment, opportunities lost) of giving in to other priorities. What seemed to be a good idea to stay home and save energy for a better shot at another time, actually could have been used to scout out some sign of recent animal activity left behind by a weather change. Leaving early in order to give yourself adequate time to recover an animal from a hunt, could have been used to further explore and learn the ins and outs of that new area.
It also distinguishes between missing gear that would have facilitated your hunting and using similar items in ways to make the items you have work. So, the fact that your backpack was too uncomfortable to wear might need to be addressed but does not necessarily mean you need to buy a new one. How do you currently use the pockets of your jacket? Can you fix that for the upcoming season with minimal expenditure?
As you sort through the various products on the market, remember that only a few will truly add value to your hunting experience. The best gear will be that which removes the greatest obstacle to hunting in the least amount of weight, with minimal noise, and without increasing the risk of fragility. Note also that much of the added value of any piece of gear will come from its ability to simplify your life, thereby decreasing your overall maintenance.
Turn entries into better plans
Later go back over them and see if there are not areas of the same type of mistake. This could be as simple as leaving for access too late or entering too deeply into cover when the wind would to blow through to spoil your approach. Could it be that you had thought that your intended seat had lots of water, insulating properties, extra daylight etc, but in reality it had less of all these than you had anticipated?
Turn your hunts into plans for future seasons by translating repeat observations into point changes to improve your success. You can pack that repair part in the same pocket every time or check the weather and access to the site before you load up and head out for your hunting trip. You might even plot an alternate route that will go around sensitive habitats and then when you are out on your hunting trip, establish a specific time to leave in order to head back in time for a responsible recovery.
These notes don't need to be removed from your hunting log after you have improved your field behavior. They can also be good references in future seasons to see if your hunting plan has improved.
A good hunting journal records good judgment as well as good action. What did you find out about the day when things were quiet? Did you find out where you didn't have equipment for a job to be done? Were there places where you simply showed respect for the land and the wildlife? Did you find out places where patience paid off in high order? Those are the things to write down in your journal and they will give you good reason to go on the next hunting trip.