A Strong Suggestion from Barry Wensel

[Red Beastmaster]

I started a journal in '87 when I switched to trad, I named it "Hunting Notes & Lies".

Now, 21yrs later, I'm on my 7th notebook. I not only record field notes but have family news, current events, and my own personal thoughts. My daughters know to keep them so my grandchildren (hopefully) will know what made me tick.

I only wish I would take more pictures. I really hate messing with a camera when bowhunting or hanging with the buddies at a shoot.

[Barry Wensel]

I'm tickled you guys are taking my suggestion to heart. I wanted to clarify I too used to record all my daily findings in a journal. I listed where/when I hunted, time, temps, the weather, wind directions, etc. But the cassettes I was referring to in this post were made at the end of the season. I'd sit down and document every hunt I took that fall while they were still fresh in my memory. I not only talked about deer I got but also any misses and/or close calls. etc. Those were the happenings that were fading or gone from my memory that I appreciated so much now. I had some people say that'd like to hear them but frankly they are personal in that only I or maybe my hunting partners at the time and maybe my family could relate to. As an example on recalling a September elk hunt I said, "I packed into 'the Hole' on September 19th and camped in the same spot I did last year near the ameba pond just past the second rockslide." That info wouldn't mean a thing to anyone other than myself or partners. But it brought back a flood of memories about sleeping on rocks and how the ameba pond got it's name, etc. Anyway, if you can get over talking to yourself into a tape recorder or talking into the lens of a camera, I know you, your family and your hunting buddies will appreciate the end product 25 years down the trail. I'm leaving this afternoon for Florida to hunt hogs and make more memories. Thanks and cheers to all. BW

[hogdancer]

Great  sugestion, I am going to start doing that. See you tomorrow in Fla.

[Terry Green]

Red....its pretty easy not to have to 'mess' with a camera these days.  Just get yourself one of these now Dig Cams and keep it in a pocket for easy access. Don't take but 20 seconds to rip of a couple of pics.

Barry, I hear ya, me and a friend of mine have names for places in Cohutta, and we have our own 'The Hole' too, as well as, The Homeplace, Moonshine Falls, Saw Dust Pile, The Theater etc...and those names instantly put images and memories in our heads

[Charlie Lamb]

Barry... a personal thanks for this "pearl". That you and Gene are comfortable hanging around these parts is just pretty cool.

There are many who could, but don't.

We all benefit from you contributions!  

I sure hope that a lot of our brothers here, "get it".
I've done my share of journaling and regret those gaps in my life when I haven't.

To all... Never think that it couldn't happen to you, but after many years of this you're likely to find that there are just too many stories to remember them all.
Never thought that would happen to me, but it has.
   

[wislnwings]

Great tip.  I used to keep a journal documenting each hunt but then got lazy.  When I moved last year, I came across one of them from several years ago.  I sat down and read it for over an hour reliving those hunts.  Smiling when reading the successes and laughing about the misses and close calls.  The funny thing is, some of the best memories were not the successes but the friendships and places. I need to start keeping a journal again.  I might need to look into one of those pocket digital recorders.  I sure would like to have recordings of some of those past campfire conversations at the end of the day.

[WidowEater]

Maybe more of us will video our hunts now.

[Bill Turner]

Great idea from a man who knows. That is one man I would like to have a campfire experience with. How much fun would that be?  

[hill boy]

It's funny how somthing so simple can be such a great idea.recording would also allow someone to write about it with great memory on detail years later.Thanks for the idea Barry.

[John Nail]

I kept detailed logs and pictures when I guided years ago, but havn't done it in years. I still like to read 'em when the mood strikes.

[BowHuntingFool]

Great advice Barry, I just started taking field note this past week during my Spring Gobbler hunt! I wish I would of done this years ago!! Thanks!

[Gene Wensel]

I just got home from Indiana this evening. Barry probably flew over me somewhere along the way on his way to Florida. I thought I'd get on here while my emails are downloading. Maybe this is another one of those twin things but just last week I went through a bunch of old slides and had them transposed to CDs. While digging out the slides, I too came across several hours worth of audio cassettes I made in the late '70's about hunting whitetails. I commented in them that I might write a book someday. My first book transpired later in 1980. My wife and I even had a few laughs. My voice has deepened by a couple "octanes" since then and she chuckled when I commented several times when I said out loud "I was wrong there" after listening to some of my early theories. On a related note, I recently visited an old friend who worked on the Alakan pipeline in the mid-'70s. He mentioned how I had made him several audio cassettes with a tape recorder during my October bowhunts so he wouldn't feel so homesick and how he cherished those tapes to this day. I had forgotten all about them. Neat stuff. Its probably a good idea to have those old cassettes transposed to CDs while they are still useable. One of the Wensel family traditions is to annually listen to an old audio tape entitled "Christmas 1976" of our kids opening their Christmas presents.

[Barry Wensel]

I just returned home from my Florida pig hunt with Marty McMahon, Bill Urban, Hogdancer and the boys. We had another GREAT hunt that also needs to be recorded for posterity. Also a note to Bill Turner who posted above he'd love to share a campfire with us. Check out the thread posted this morning regarding Biggie Hoffman having to drop out of the Quebec Bear Quest hunt leaving June 6th. There you go. It'a a SUPER bear hunt at a reduced rate with a great bunch of Tradgangers. And last I heard there weren't many bears in Texas. Give Tom Phillips a call ASAP because that slot won't last long. BW

[sendero25]

Great idea Mr. Wensel, a couple of years ago, I went to a talk by Flip Pallot, a noted salt water angler and host of his own tv show, "Walker's Cay Chronicles". (Also an admitted bow hunting fanatic) His whole talk was on the value of taking a camera with you on every fishing trip to record and keep the memories of the trip alive. I have done so ever since, and it has only been 2-3 years, and I am amazed at the forgotten memories until I look at those photo's. The idea of vocally recording a hunt or get toghether with friends is great, I will do so from now on, especicially if I can match the vocal recording with photos, (ya gotta love technology,....sometimes!)
John

[Mike Tomano]

Ironically enough, I've got a few taped interviews with a couple of Wensel Brothers from the late 90s in my own collection!

TOMANO

[shade seeker]

Excellent idea, I so fresh to the stick and string I havn't had a chance (time/money) to get out of my 6 yrd range in the laundry room yet. Cept for the few arrows I shot from the living room, through the kitchen, through the (open) sliding glass doors and into two straw bales in the back yard. Too bad one of them strayed and made a nice hole in the kitchen wall!
So hopefully by this time next year I can add to this experience.

Can't wait till the last week of May --I'm going to be watching my first arrow fly to the heavens in the wilds!

shade seeker

[GameGetter]

Thanks Guys!

[Tdog]

I've Never put anything on audio or video..I do write down all that I do out in the woods. Been recording my events in the woods starting 1979 when I first starting trapping. Then in 1981 when I could bow hunt.. Like Barry and Gene say write it down years from now you will get a kick out of it... Write it down.. Remember have fun with it..Learn from it...Tdog..Love the Brothers....

[vermonster13]

Now you can take Barry's advice and help the kids.

Barry and Gene have agreed to autograph a couple of all weather logbooks for the auction for the winning bidders. These are military ones being used by our troops right now.

 

Thank you sirs.

[Montyc]

We have a hunting journal up at the cabin, and after every hunt those who wish write down their experience.  It includes time of year, weather, what you hunter for, what with, how with, sightings, and harvested animals, and then gives you plenty of space for the stories. It is great to read them years later.  We have had it about 6 years now.