Deer Diary: How to Keep a Hunting Journal

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Twentieth Century philosopher George Santayana once said, "Those who cannot remember the past are doomed to repeat it." Chances are he wasn't thinking about deer hunting when he spoke those words, but the principal still applies, none-the-less. If you are like me, just remembering what happened on your last hunt is challenging enough. Being able to recall specific details of the hunts from years past would be dang near impossible without having some type of written account. That is why a hunting journal can be such a great resource for the serious deer hunter.

More than just a means of reminiscing about past hunts, the deer hunting journal can be a powerful tool for choosing when and where to maximize your hunting efforts. When faced with common deer hunting variables on the properties that you hunt - changing weather conditions, the presence or absence of specific crops or food plots, the local mast crop, or even the seasonal timing - a quick glance back through a few years' worth of entries can provide a wealth of information on how the deer have reacted to those same circumstances in the past.

Consequently, knowing how the deer will react will go a long in developing a plan to take advantage of those factors.

Deer journals can come in all shapes and sizes - from a simple
notebook, to computer generated data sheets in a three-ring binder.

Since a hunting journal is simply a personal account of your hunting experiences, there is no right or wrong way to set one up. It can be as basic or as detailed as you want to make it. However, the more details included in the journal, the more accurately you will be able to draw conclusions on the deer's behavior and patterns on the properties that you are hunting.

It is important to update deer journals as soon after the hunt as possible,
while all of the important details are still fresh on your mind.

So, just what types of information should you include in your hunting journal? Below are some of the basic fields that I recommend, along with a brief description of each. The goal is to try and cover the most common variables that influence a deer's behavior, without making the journal so detailed that it becomes tedious to keep up with.

I like to start each season of my hunting journal with what I call a 'pre-season summary'. This consists of a brief description of the properties that I have permission to hunt, including acreage, landowner contacts, and any plantings or major changes that have taken place since last season that may affect deer movement on that particular piece of land. This serves as a reminder of what was going on with each property during any given year. As a result, you are not left trying to remember what year the Smith farm was logged, or what was planted on the Jones' farm the year you shot that 140" ten-pointer.

With that section complete, I go straight into my daily hunt logs.

This probably goes without saying, but the very first detail that I include on every entry is the date that the hunt takes place. The time of year a hunt takes place influences almost every aspect of a deer's behavior - its feeding and travel patterns, as well as the effects of the rut. The only way you will be able to accurately compare these behaviors from year to year is to know exactly what dates your hunts took place.

As important as the date is the location of the hunt. Knowing when you've seen the most deer, or the biggest bucks over the course of several years won't do you much good if you cannot remember where you saw those deer. This may seem trivial if you only have one or two places that you hunt, but keep in mind that maintaining a deer hunting journal should be seen as a long-term project. Over the period of several years, old hunting spots can be lost and new ones can be gained, so take the time to keep track of your general location and the information you gather will be much more valuable to you.

Beyond just what farm you were hunting, you will also want to include your specific stand location for each hunt. If you are hunting standard stand locations that you have given names to over the years, then simply identifying the stand by name should suffice. If, however, you are hunting a new area, or are not the type to give your stands a name, then a detailed description of your location will serve as a substitute. If you go this route, you may also want to include a hand-drawn map to compliment your description for future reference. For the high-tech hunter, all of these issues can be resolved by identifying each stand with its GPS coordinates. This leaves no room for misinterpretation, regardless of who uses the data, or how the property has changed since the information was recorded.

Another basic detail that you will want to include is the time of day that you were hunting. This can be as simple as including a starting time and a stopping time for each hunt. If I hunt from daylight until dark, with a lunch break midday, then I will log it as two separate hunts. That way it is easier to keep track of what happened in the morning versus what went on that evening.

Some hunting journals I have seen ask for the number of hours hunted, followed by an AM or PM. While that will work fine, I prefer to have the specific times of my hunt recorded. If I look back at an entry that lists three hours hunted AM, then I have no way to know if I climbed into my stand before daylight, if I was late getting in the woods, or if it was more of a mid-morning hunt. That will not be an issue when you have your specific starting and stopping times recorded.

Though there is still some debate about exactly how the moon influences deer behavior, there is little doubt that it does have an effect. Research has shown that daytime deer activity increases with a new moon and decreases when the moon turns full. The same research also suggests that rutting activity may also be triggered by the moon phase.

You don't have to take the experts word on the moon's influence on deer, however. By including the moon phases in your hunting log, over time you will be able to draw your own conclusions on how the moon phase affects deer in your area.

This is where the hunting journal can get as complex as you want it to be. There are numerous weather factors that can influence deer movement, and you have to decide how many of those you want to try to keep up with. At a bare minimum, I would include the temperature at the time of your hunt, wind speed and direction, and a general description of the weather conditions - overcast with light rain, sunny and hot, or partly cloudy with an approaching cold front, for example.

For those of you who are armchair meteorologists, you may also want to include weather parameters such as barometric pressure, relative humidity, dew point, etc. The options are almost endless. Keep in mind that the more of these variables that you have to keep up with, the more your hunting journal will seem like work.

This field is pretty self-explanatory. Simply jot down the number of deer you saw while hunting, breaking them down into one of four groups: bucks, does, fawns, and unknown. I throw in the "unknown" option as a means of quantifying deer that you just get a glimpse of, or deer that are too far away to determine sex.

This is the meat and potatoes of a hunting journal. The catch-all portion where you can give a brief narrative of your hunt, explaining what you saw, when you saw it, what direction it came from, etc. This portion of the journal is critical in order to fill in the gaps of the basic details that you have included. Knowing not only that you saw six deer on a particular hunt, but that the deer came down the trail from the east at 6:35 p.m., crossed a saddle and passed by just out of bow range is much more useful for making future decisions regarding stand placement, hunt times, etc.

9. MAP
While certainly not necessary, a map can be a valuable visual aid when included in your hunting journal. It doesn't have to be a work of art or a precise, scale drawing. The main goal is to show what deer movement and behavior you witnessed in relation to where you were hunting. It should also include any pertinent sign in the area, such as rubs, scrapes, large tracks, etc. When combined with your detailed hunting notes, the map should provide an accurate picture of what took place during your time on the stand.

With topographic maps and aerial photos readily available on
the internet, it is now easier than ever to include detailed maps
in your hunting journal for future reference.

Once you have decided what you want to include in your hunting journal, you then have to figure out how you are going to keep it organized. A journal can be as simple as a spiral notebook, or as complicated as a computer database. Whatever you choose, just make sure that it is something that you can easily keep up with.

I choose to keep my journal in a large three-ring binder. I created the blank log sheets on the computer, and then print them out as needed to place in my binder. I like the neatness and convenience of the computer-printed entries, but prefer to have a hard copy to study. Having the actual printed sheets makes it much easier to quickly compare past hunts from month-to-month or year-to-year.

Remember that a deer hunting journal is only beneficial if you are going to use it. This means both maintaining the journal by keeping accurate records of each and every hunt, as well as using the information that you have to establish a game plan for your deer hunting properties. While it requires a little work to get one started and to keep it maintained, the rewards can be great. Not only will you be able to look back years from now and reminisce about hunts that would otherwise be long forgotten, but you will also have a powerful tool for planning future hunts on your favorite hunting properties.



DKeenan08's picture

#1 Online Hunting Journal!!

I love all of the data you guys are recording because I record the same things.  I ran across a website that will do all of it for me automatically and FREE, FREE, FREE

I can pick my stand on a map. The solar and lunar information get calulated for me everytime I add an entry.  Not to mention that the weather is also pulled from the internet amd gets recorded as part of the infomration for each hunt and observation.

I promise you will throw away your paper books once you try this!


numbnutz's picture

This is a great idea. I have

This is a great idea. I have never thought of doing this untill I read Cameron Hanes book "Backcoutry Bow hunting" Now I take a small pad of paper and a pencil with me on all of my hunts and scouting trips. While I'm sitting and glassing I will jot down what I see and deer or elk movements. Also I will add scetches of landmarks. I will just sometime just sit and write about my trip whenit's mid day and there isn't very much action. I really makes it easy to flip back through my notes and you can really put together patterns and just about anything else realted to your hunt. I will also write stuff down when I'm looking at maps or even google earth. I will jot down cordnates or where I think good benches are or good drainages. This is a really good idea for people to start to do. You will learn alot about the animals your hunting as well as the area your hunting. Also use it just for a daily jurnal while out on a multi day hunt. It's nice to read and relive the hunt when your all done and back at home.

jaybe's picture

Brian - Thanks for this

Brian - Thanks for this excellent article on keeping a hunting journal. I have made stop and start attempts at this several times. but just don't seem to be consistent at it. I do have some information from previous years, however, and I guess some is better than none.

The one factor I didn't see mentioned was the outcome of the hunt. You suggest that the number of deer seen be noted, but nothing about kills. Perhaps you intended that to go without saying that a hunter would make a notation of any deer shot - or shot at.

I have two friends who have kept this kind of journal for over 40 years. They both do it for fishing as well as hunting. Some pretty interesting patterns can emerge from keeping these kinds of records. For those who can do it consistently, it is well worth the effort.


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