It is reviewable and from that information learn how to avoid the obstacles that occurred.

Story and photography by Bob Zaiglin

Whether it’s a journal that allows us to revisit the highlights of a hunting season, or a sophisticated recordkeeping system, knowing what happened in the past can improve our future.

Unquestionably, 2021 was truly unique, from winter storm Uri to Covid-19, to our erratic political system.  It may be something we want to forget, yet once recorded, we can review it and learn how to avoid the obstacles that occurred.  The same is true with collecting harvest data. 

Rain is vital, especially to those in the agriculture profession, but it’s equally important to deer hunters aware of the impact it has on antler size.  Records on how much and when precipitation occurs on one’s particular piece of deer turf is not only used to decide when food plots should be prepared, or a supplemental feed source should be distributed, it also has a psychological impact on sportsmen, elevating spirts with every drop that hits the ground.

Once the deer season is over, we can review just what happened throughout the past year and see how it impacted the management scheme employed.  A journal is where it all begins.

Throughout the hunting season, sportsmen often collect information on number of deer they see as well as some harvest data such as weight, antler measurements and age of deer taken, but unless the data is analyzed, it is essentially useless.  I refer to harvest data as the management-oriented deer hunter’s report card and the information required is often placed in a journal, at least initially.

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