ILSNIPER1 Posted January 11, 2005 Report Share Posted January 11, 2005 Hi All, Do any of you keep a hunting log/map? I started keeping a hunting log a couple of years ago, I drew this map last year (the basic outline of things) & scanned it into the computer. After scanning it into the computer I use an aireal photo, my graphics program & many trips afield to make this accurate little hunting map, It's not quite complete yet but, it's close. It's 4 miles wide & 6 miles long, all of the fields are accurate. corn, beans, creeks/rivers ect, I made little Icons for my graphics program so all I have to do is click on the corresponding icon to add them. I log everything from weather, time, temp, wind direction & speed, deer movement, the direction of their travel, what their feeding on & where they cross the roads. I log about everything you can think of! It has really helped in patterning deer over the past couple of years. I keep a master map & log any trophy buck sightings & rutting activity I observe to try & help me understand mature buck behavior. I have learned a lot already, I know where there two very big bucks & I can just about guarantee you, I can tell you when & where they are at during any given time of the day.. except during the rut of course! lol It also gives me something to do on days that I can't hunt because of the wind or slow days when deer aren't moving in or around my hunting area. Good Luck, Phil B. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhunt Posted January 11, 2005 Report Share Posted January 11, 2005 Re: Hunting Map/Log. Nice mapo and some great land there. I keep a deer journal or log, but have not really kept up with it the past two seasons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILSNIPER1 Posted January 12, 2005 Author Report Share Posted January 12, 2005 Re: Hunting Map/Log. NYbowhuntr, I should have clarified, I only hunt a small percentage of that.. I hunt the hedge row that runs north & south in the second section over & the third section down from the left, I also hunt the bottom left corner of the top right section. I would KILL to have just half of what is on that map! lol I'm not complaining though.. I have had some truly awesome bucks come by me in the hedge & I shot my biggest buck there so, I'm happy with it. The reason I included all the surrounding land is, I keep tabs on all of the deer in the area, If there is a nice buck in the area I log it on the map. You never know when a nice buck might get pushed out of one area & into another or even mine.. plus, there are getting to be more & nicer bucks every year & they don't all stay in one spot. It's getting hard to find any good land/timber to hunt, most of the surrounding property is, either hunted by the land owner or, it's leased from them. Click on this link to see some of the bucks I shot & some others I've seen in the area. http://www.realtree.com/photopost/showgallery.php?cat=500&ppuser=16943 Later, Phil B. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shaun_300 Posted January 12, 2005 Report Share Posted January 12, 2005 Re: Hunting Map/Log. wow that is a really nice map Phil!!! that looks like some prime hunting area ya got there!! well there's the proof by the look at your pictures!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Posted January 14, 2005 Report Share Posted January 14, 2005 Re: Hunting Map/Log. I use a hunting log only. It goes back to 1986 and covers the same hunting area that I have hunted for years. It is in an excel spread sheet and was started before I had any ability to include maps or pictures. To make up for this, I have defined general areas (hill-side, valley, and several general areas on top of the hill). I also have every stand I ever built over all those years identified with a number (i'm over 120 stand-sites now) Each one has descriptions of location, preferred wind direction, condition, etc. So every entry in my log book refers to the general area number and the closest stand number. That pretty much locks down exactly where each record occurs. For each sighting or hunt, I also record such things as wind direction, temperatures, weather conditions (cloudy, raining, sunny, snowing etc.), qty of deer seen, sex of deer (buck, doe, unidentified), what type of hunting I was doing (still-hunting, standing, scouting, on my way to or from stand, etc.), deer entry direction, deer departure direction, result of the encounter, nearest stand site number, time of day, date, and a whole bunch of things that I'm not really remembering right now. The terms for all entries are kept in a consistant language so that I can accurately sort on the information. So, what's the value of all this data? Well, I can watch the weather forecast the night before and go in and sort on wind direction and up comes all the stands that I have that have that preferred wind direction. That makes it easier to not forget some locations that may be favorable to that direction. I can tell exactly what stands have the highest percentage of sightings and when. I can easily see trends for certain times of year and weather conditions. I can look at graphs of sightings to see what parts of the season are the most productive. I can see movement patterns as the seasons progress. And, best of all, I can instantly recall every hunt I have ever had with detail, to bring back some real great memories. Let's face it, some day when I get old enough, that may be all I can do anymore...lol Doc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.