Who Logs their Duck Hunts

[Tulelicious]

I know that Some of you guys out there log your duck/Goose hunts and Im just curious who does it and what type of information you write down.

What info helps year after year. For a little hobby Im going to make myself a log book for next year so I can keep track of info that may help me become more successful year after year. Heres the start of my info Im putting

Date:
Start and end time:
location:
Primary Target (ducks/Geese):
# of Decoys used:
Weather condition:
Temp:
Birds Taken:

I plan on making this book very quick and simple to fill out cause I know if it takes too much time I will never do it.

[sprigkiller09]

I have a log very similiar to yours. I have had it since the first day i can shoot, duck/goose hunting. That was 12-13 years ago. I put:

Hunt # for year
date
hours hunted
weather
how the birds acted
wind and direction
bird # for year
bird species and sex
who else hunted what they shot
other comments: How i shot, what i would have changed etc.

[BrotherWolf]

I just write down the days hunted and species

[Monkey]

I too have been thinking about keeping a log next season. Something that might be helpful and potentially humorous end of season reading is Lessons Learned. Anything that frustrated, worked, failed, or was incredibly stupid. bp997211’s post is a great example.

m

[Headhunter]

I log TONS of stuff.

Date
Location
Weather (wind, skies, precipitation, ice, ect.)
Tides or water levels
Who I am hunting with including any dogs
Blind description
Hunt description including a 1-10 rating on overall hunt
Hours hunted including a total hours
Birds harvested including species and gender
Total bag for blind and for self including species and gender
Misc. notes of some event like a band, someone cutting their hand on an ax (won’t say who…lol)
Shells I fired

I keep a running compiled total for hours hunted, birds per hunt, birds per hour, shots per bird, birds bagged for season to date.

At the end of the year I compile the above but also include a break down of bird species and sex. How many times I hunted a location i.e. SI or LC. And anything else I can track. I usually break things down to a percentage too.

Next year I will add a description of what the spread looks like i.e. how many decoys, jerk cord, spinner ect. used.

I might be missing some things....but that's all I can see for right now.

Jim

[jokester]

I've always thought this was a good idea. I'm going to put it into action next season!!

Originally Posted by Headhunter

Misc. notes of some event like a band, someone cutting their hand on an ax (won’t say who…lol)

Jim

OOOOO....OOOOO...pick me...i'll say who!!

-jokester

[fishinpoor]

we write down on the calendar total amount of birds killed.

I log all of my personal dog's retrieves,species,marks or blinds wind direction and location.

Since i train retrievers for a living i hunt over alot of dogs,especially early in the season before the dogs go home to their new owners,these i don't log specifics,just total count to pass on to the new owner.

out of the nearly 400 birds harvested from our group their were 11 dogs involved.
my personal dog retrieved 121 ducks/geese.

as long as we have a client's dog during any hunting season we try to hunt them as much as possible,so our own dogs sit it out alot.

[007SPRIG]

I have since 1973. Generally its date, location,weather and type of birds taken. If it was one of those unforgetable hunts I'll write a paragraph or so. At the beginning of each year I try and note the season length and bag limit. Sometimes I will describe the field or pond and the decoy spread used.

This is my only entry for the 1987/88 season.

"This year marks the beginning of Evan's duck hunting with his own gun. Any achievements I make in the sport will be overlooked by myself because of the great joy I feel in at last having Evan as my hunting partner."

[cityfisher]

Hmmm, some people log to much stuff...

[Hunt'nFish]

Originally Posted by Headhunter

I log TONS of stuff.
Misc. notes of some event like a band, someone cutting their hand on an ax (won’t say who…lol)
Jim

Ahh, Jim......what happens in the marsh, stays in the marsh.
I'm tell'n ya, when I say something's sharp, ......IT'S SHARP!
It's a bit scary when a partner comes up to ya clenching bloody stubs!

Back on Topic:
I'm not big on logs......I suck AND I KNOW IT. Don't need reminders.
I just try and have fun....even if it is laughing at Jim going for ANOTHER swim.

I guess we should be happy he doesn't log how many shells the rest of us shot!
Hunt'nFish

[thehunt]

Originally Posted by 007SPRIG

This is my only entry for the 1987/88 season.

"This year marks the beginning of Evan's duck hunting with his own gun. Any achievements I make in the sport will be overlooked by myself because of the great joy I feel in at last having Evan as my hunting partner."

that gave me chills, I never know that Pops You are the reason I have become the waterfowler I am today. I have an unwaivering addiction to the pursuit of all waterfowl and can never, ever get enough. From the sunrise, to the decoys, calls to the splash I just crave it. I look forward to our days, "Alcantara style", there is no other goose machine so well oiled. Thank you for allowing me to be involved in such an amazing and undescribable passion.

[Hunt'nFish]

Cool stuff guys! Wish my ol'man was closer to me.
Hunt'nFish

[Tulelicious]

Great stuff here. I mainly want to build a log book cause I suck at writing down details so If I set up some checkboxes to make the details easier to log I will do it. Keep em coming and Ill throw up an example hopefully soon. I plan on actually binding a small book together one for each season. If I get it done but the next DU meeting I try and remember to bring it.

[Tulelicious]

Ok So I sat down for an hour and came up with this what do you guys think. I would print 20 to 30 on 4x6 cards and bind them together in a book for the season. You can write additional notes on the back. Like "Axes can be very sharp" and stuff like that.

[thehunt]

Very cool. I like the background.

I usually keep very detailed logs, and have record of everything from honkers to snipe that I have ever taken. This year I got lazy and only wrote down who I hunted with, what kind of ducks or geese I killed. For all the goose hunts I have totals for the hunt as well. It's not much but I can read through that little bit of data and relive each hunt. I can remember hunt details better than anything. I go back and read journals from when I was a kid and remember them as vividly as if it were yesterday. Yes, I am sickly addicted

[sprigkiller09]

the hunt

I agree. I look back through my log book and it is fun to read in the off season. Makes things go faster and you are in a different mind set day dreaming about your buddys s*&%ty shooting or that green head that almost got away that didnt. Or that collared cackler that sat in your decoys for an hour and then you killed the bastage.... Log books are the way to go.

[Headhunter]

That form looks killer! You may also want to talk to CityFisher as he had one printed up with a custom logo and personalized. It was hard cover/bound and looked real nice. Perhaps you can use your form and have it bound into a book like his?

Jay where did you get that log you showed me with the DA logo on it?

[QH's Paw]

I only log what the feds ask for....Date,how many ducks/seaducks/geese, how many birds shot and not retrieved, location.
I also keep track of my dogs retrieves 217 for this season on ducks. Haven't chased geese much this year so his count for geese is only 6, so far.
Years ago, I was a fishing fool. I kept very specific logs. Over time, I found I spent more time writing and compiling than looking back. I found the time was better spent tying leaders etc. Saving photo copies of my annual catch record is what I did after that. Maybe it would have been different if there was an IFISH back then. Back then it would have taken a big fire for the smoke signals though.

[Riverteeth]

I keep a log, and have done so for years both waterfowling and fishing. But I have a suggestion on what has allowed me to keep it up, without being a chore:

Keep it in a metal clipboard, and take it with you in the field. Write 75-100% of the journal in the filed, or on the drive home (If you don't have to be behind the wheel). I have found trying to write it after I got home was way too much of a chore: Too tired, and there is usually ducks/geese/fish to clean.
But if you do it in the field during some slow times, you can write it all down while the memory is fresh. Metal clipboard (which folds over, so is enclosed) provides some protection from the elements and getting ripped up from being banged around.

I figure it will be a great thing to read when I'm 90 and can't get out as much. Plus with senility/Alzhiemers at that age, I can read it every day, and it will be new every day!

[Tvfowlhunter]

I do.

Trent

[waterfowlin101]

me too....I just log when where who what....keep it simple and you'll keep doing it. Haven't missed a day in five years.

Jon

[Northwest Pest]

Pretty cool. I keep a log but it isn't as formal as some of the others.

[Teton]

Its ALL about the numbers!!!.... Just kidding.

Its all about the memories.