Keeping A Game Count- Yes Or No.

[blackbeltbill]

     I say Yes.  Many people I have talked to over the years said they wished they had kept a written record going and can only guess at a  number. Others of course could care less.

  Depends on the person as well. I always brought a Log Book to the Gym. I was either looking to record more reps or more weight and this would set up a goal for the next Weight workout. So I am a numbers Man.  And WW1 Fighter Pilots to a Man on either side knew how many Kills they had. Same in WW2.

  Probably  less important  with Pheasant, Rabbits,Squirrels,etc.

  But more important with Deer and Wild Turkey. Many of the 50+ Turkey Hunting Books I have- the Author  of that Book would post up his Lifetime Tally to that point in the first few pages. 

  So who keeps a Game Count of Kills? 

 I am going to say that if there are 10 responses here- 1 to 2 will say yes and 8 would say No . 

  In my case,I have a good 8 Photo Albums to pass around to Family when the time comes. And the Written  Journals as well.

 

 

   

[escpen]

We keep records on every deer we take going back to the early nineties. This includes date, location / stand name, time, field-dresses weight, doe/buck/button, total points (for a buck), weapon used. It’s fun to go back, look at the records, and reminisce about the deer we’ve taken over the years. 
 

Not sure why, but we have not done the same thing with turkeys. 

[Skillet]

I don't have a count on deer or turkeys.

Would have been nice to keep a log over the years. 

[mowin]

I've got a general idea, but it really isn't relevant.  Same as others stats, irrelevant in my world.  Hell, I can't remember all the deer and turkeys I've taken.  Some stand out more than others.  

I get why some do, and that's fine. Like you said, depends on the person. 

[fletchny11]

I do keep a record. I find the information very useful in dates taken, weather, weight etc. as a tool to understand the deer better and herd health...

I also enjoy going back and recalling the seasons through my notes and remembering all the wonderful and sometimes not so wonderful days in the field. I average 70+ days in the woods a year for decades and my memory can't remember where I left my glasses 10 minutes ago lol! So for me I can pull out an album sitting by the fire in Feb. having a refreshment and stroll down memory lane.

They are more for me than anyone else. I have a picture of every deer I have taken over 40 years except one button that I somehow lost.

 

Interesting is my dad was a big bass fisherman and a weekend hunter. He kept logs of all his fishing trips. That was his thing, but not hunting.

Edited November 13, 2023 by fletchny11

[blackbeltbill]

15 minutes ago, fletchny11 said:

I do keep a record. I find the information very useful in dates taken, weather, weight etc. as a tool to understand the deer better and herd health...

I also enjoy going back and recalling the seasons through my notes and remembering all the wonderful and sometimes not so wonderful days in the field. I average 70+ days in the woods a year for decades and my memory can't remember where I left my glasses 10 minutes ago lol! So for me I can pull out an album sitting by the fire in Feb. having a refreshment and stroll down memory lane.

They are more for me than anyone else. I have a picture of every deer I have taken over 40 years except one button that I somehow lost.

 

Interesting is my dad was a big bass fisherman and a weekend hunter. He kept logs of all his fishing trips. That was his thing, but not hunting.

  Since,I don't Roost Spring Gobblers at Dusk,I go by my Notes, Hunting Maps + Hiking Maps - put those 2 types of Maps together and come up with a Plan. 

[Stubborn1vt]

I keep a log.  I'm not concerned with the total numbers, but I am interested in the where/when.  I'm lousy about pictures, but I've done a decent job of keeping track of hunts, temps, weather, dates etc to try to identify patterns.  

[broomeguy]

I had a log but can't find it. I think it's something like years deer hunted x 1.5.

[Fab]

I use to.  I’m losing interest fast

 

i got accurate numbers in deer till about 2006 or so.  After that off memory.   Turkey I no the fall number.   Est spring    
 

I remember my uncle telling my dad he had no more interest and me and my cousin were in total disbelief and then my dad lost interest and I was shocked and now I’m at the same place I go a couple days a year with family for deer.   The effort isn’t worth the reward 

 

spring turkey I Iove again.  

[blackbeltbill]

10 hours ago, Fab said:

I use to.  I’m losing interest fast

 

i got accurate numbers in deer till about 2006 or so.  After that off memory.   Turkey I no the fall number.   Est spring    
 

I remember my uncle telling my dad he had no more interest and me and my cousin were in total disbelief and then my dad lost interest and I was shocked and now I’m at the same place I go a couple days a year with family for deer.   The effort isn’t worth the reward 

 

spring turkey I Iove again.  

Both my Brothers in Law have Quit Hunting. My Niece has lost interest. Nephew's no longer hunt already. I am the last person on my street to appear outside with a Cased Shotgun to go Hunting. The Looks,I get!!

   Back on point- probably the Tougher it is to kill a Deer or Turkey- the more one will keep a written count. Took me 5 Springs + Fall Seasons to Kill Turkey #1.  I had No Mentor and Crowded Lands to Learn on. I have made up for that so since 1994 and #1.  I am 4 behind Pygmy now.

    For me taking out those Cheap 27 picture Throwaway Kodak Cameras afield early on helped me to  count also. And,I always after the hunt wrote down in my Journal where,I was, what,I took,etc. - Just a quick paragraph is all. 

  Today is the last day for Woodcock. Going out early today. I missed one on the 9th. Last 5 years,I have not seen many Woodcock. Back in the 1970s,80s, and perhaps to the mid 90s- plenty of Woodcock to miss- lol.  I have only killed 100+ Woodcock since 1974.  They are Tough ! And,I was consistently  shooting 25 Straight on the Skeet Field. They will Humble you- lol.

[Moog5050]

I only have an accurate count of the Turkey I have killed.  

[Bucksnbows]

I used to but only for bird hunting. I wrote down the day, weather, dog hunted over, birds pointed and killed, how the dog performed, etc.  But to date, I haven’t even bothered to open it. It’s somewhere in my office bookcase I imagine. Will be fun to read it later in life, I suppose. Lots of grouse, woodcock and pheasants. 

[Pygmy]

Many years  ago when I was in my early 20s and could still remember each deer and turkey I had shot, I started keeping track of them on my desk calendar at work, for no particular reason... Along about the year 2000, I killed my 100th turkey and was probably around 150 or so on the deer,  I quit keeping count, so I could only guess now...My numbers have declined recently since I only hunt in NY now, while for many years I hunted   2 -4 states plus one Canadian province for turkeys plus at least 2 states for deer... I have often said that if you consider the hours I have spent turkey hunting verses the number of birds killed, I am probably the world's most inept turkey hunter

[SilentStalker]

I do for deer. Also not the best with pictures, but I keep track of the date, moon phase, location of hunt, specs of the deer, weapon, who I was hunting with if anyone, and time of day.

 Not that i have killed a bunch of deer, but I like to look back and reminisce on past hunts.

 Last week was the first buck I have ever killed on a PM watch which I why I must be so good at getting up in the morning.

[blackbeltbill]

2 hours ago, Moog5050 said:

I only have an accurate count of the Turkey I have killed.  

I am the same with Deer-- (Zero)-LOL!

  Just not my Thing.