Shooting Journal/Diary

[alexm]

Over the past 6 months I have started to keep a record of the shooting I have been doing, including stalking, rough shooting, target shooting etc however it's a bit of a mess with no consistent format so I've decided to try and devise a template for MS Word or similar to tidy it up a bit. The plan is to come up with a standard format that allows all the important information to be captured no matter what the activity.

 

Does anyone else keep such a record? I should have started doing this 17 years ago to be honest but better late than never!

 

Off the top of my head the sort of information would be:

 

• Date
  
• Location
  
• Activity (Target, pigeon, foxing, clays etc)
  
• Accompanied by
  
• Firearms/Shotguns used
  
• Ammunition used
  
• Quarry species taken
  
• Quarry numbers taken
  
• Score(s) (for target/clays)
  
• Notes (details/written account of the stalk, shoot, etc)
  
• Photos
  

 

any I've missed?

[Dunkield]

I keep a log, well it is more to help with my memory of events than anything else.

It only has, date and what happened for the more interesting stuff.

For bunnies I just keep one page per permission, per year, just to keep a tally for landwoners if they are interested and to see how each year compares.

I think if it has too much detail, or takes to long I wouldn't bother.

They are usefull though, my mate asked how many deer he had shot in Scotland and I was able to tell him.

You sort of imagine your grandchildren reading through it, but I can just as easily see my son binning it when we croak it

[rabbithunter2008]

I use Google earth.

You just add a place mark and you can add extra information in the description.

Also you can use different icons for rabbits etc.

[alexm]

You sort of imagine your grandchildren reading through it, but I can just as easily see my son binning it when we croak it

 

 

Yes, the main reason I am doing it is for memory purposes too (or lack of) but we have also been asked to keep a more accurate record of what we shoot on the estate where we lease our game shoot... they have recently discovered game books going back to the year dot detailing all game and vermin taken down to the last rat and, fearful of his predecessors revolving in their graves, the keeper has decided he better get his records in order before His Lordship has a leaf through them and notices the beautifully crafted copperplate script of the late 1800's "Vixen, fine fettle" has degraded to an occasional scrawl of "Fox, gurt dead'un" in recent years.

[GBS]

Yes, I started one about 2 years ago, like you I regret not having started it earlier.

 

I bought a leather bound, plain papered book (cost a fortune but will hopefully outlive me) and have ruled the pages myself. I was going to have one made specially but a one off would have cost £100s (rather than £100!)

 

I only have columns for Date, Location, Companions, Bag and then Comments. I use the book "landscape" and use the lower page for the columns and then the page above for photos, feathers, invites, cuttings etc...

 

What inspired me is that I have my great grandfather's uncle's game book that was started in the 1890s. He was an amateur photographer and the book is full of small photographs that he must have processed himself. There are photos of the bag, dogs, seaside and my favourite ones of the Victorian women in massive dresses and bonnets posing with the guns at Lunch!

 

I also have a tankard from his time in india inscribed with the dates and locations that he shot bears, tigers etc.......

 

Wonderful quirky pieces of history that i can actually put a face to!

 

Keep going with yours, its all too easy to let it slip...

 

gb

[Dunkield]

Mine was a Christmas present from my mate in 2004, it is a simple leather bound lined book, but he had 'Game record' and my initials added to the cover in gold - nice touch.

 

Which reminds me, I need to update it with 11 rabbits from Friday night, and 1 Stella can from Saturday evening

[kip270]

I use a large Diary bought it from Smiths, starts July 08 until aug 09 page for day so plenty of room for info, when i first started shooting air-rifle's i kept a journal, and still have them 20 years on, it's amazing to read them now.

 

I log weather, quarry,land i'm shooting on, rifle,ammo,range etc.

[bob300w]

Mine was a Christams present from my mate in 2004, it is a simple leather bound lined book, but he had 'Game record' and my initials added to the cover in gold - nice touch.

 

Which reminds me, I need to update it with 11 rabbits from Friday night, and 1 Stella can from Saturday evening

You are going to claim that Stella can? S'truth it was a winger that somebody else had hit first!

[Baldrick]

I keep a game book for driven shooting and a diary for stalking, but for day-to-day pest vermin control I just maintain an Excel spreadsheet for each farm that I shoot over. That way I can quickly log the quantities of vermin shot. It's easily emailed to the landowners/farm managers that keep tabs on what I've shot.