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You can vastly improve every turkey hunt you have ever been on or will ever have…

Once you get out on your first turkey hunt and unless you absolutely cannot deal with getting up very early, you’ll be hooked and addicted. A life sentence for most of us. It is a given that it is just a short period of time before those that pursue wild turkeys become lifelong members of the Tenth Legion. If your fate has brought you to this place then my musings may ring true for you.

As a self-professed grumpy old turkey hunter, it has become evident in the seasons that have marched on and the many pairs of boots worn out, that unless you possess the rare skill of an ironclad memory you will at some point fail to remember the lesser details of times afield in the turkey woods. Remembering the highlights of many great hunts is something even us old turkey hunters do well enough. The exact places and times, weather, important events of the times, thoughts, things you notice while afield become harder to recollect as time marches on.

Turkey hunters, in general, can tell great stories as there is so much to recall and so many interactions to add to the depth of each story. Fishermen are well known for storytelling abilities, especially some whoppers of questionable origin. They have nothing on turkey hunters as we can spin tales for days on end. Never underestimate the value of time spent at the tailgate of a pickup truck, or at the local diner. The conversations, the stories are priceless in my opinion.

As an author and what I wish to share with each of you: I cannot recommend it strongly enough the value of capturing your days afield in any of the mediums available within a short period of time after the hunt or during your time at camp. Whether you have inklings of publishing your stories someday, posting to your friends on social media, or as a keepsake for yourself and your family, you can take it on good advice you will not regret capturing your experiences. If you are a poacher, maybe not so much.  That aside, as the decades roll by, the value of this effort grows with each passing season. If you are at all like me, each season adds many days of grand experiences worthy of remembering, worthy of being captured as a keepsake.

You can improve every hunt you have had or ever will embark on with the use of a daily journal, a blog, a camera, even your smartphone. It has never been easier in my lifetime to capture the essentials of a great experience in the turkey woods. It is not a requirement to be a schooled writer, a professional photographer, recording engineer, or a movie director. A handwritten journal is something your family will cherish for generations. Although a handwritten journal is something more common from my generation, modern day office programs do the job well. The apps on your smartphone can also do much of that for you.

Along with capturing the moment, anyone who uses a daily journal will be quick to tell you how useful the daily capture of data, tidbits, observations that can be gone over later that reveal trends, little secrets which you can use to your full advantage in future seasons.

By utilizing easily accessible tools you can capture the little details that jog your memory, paint a picture as you saw it, as you experienced it. A smartphone is a tool that tends to be with you most of the time, and the one you can use at a given moment is a most useful tool.  Some models take decent pictures, record video, and audio, and allows for note taking, even word processing. I do carry a professional camera for essential shots, even then the smartphone is a go to as it is easily accessed. I have in the past written entire stories, blog posts, even a movie trailer on my smartphone while on a plane or passenger in a truck on a road trip. I find it handy when my thoughts come together and capture them in the moment. Unlike my daughter, I do not possess the skill or have small enough fingers to be masterful of the smartphone interface for typing. If I could only master that tiny screen keyboard…

Take the time to take lots of pictures. Learn the basics of how to frame a good photo, set up proper exposure and focus points. Take notes as you go. Save them off on your home desktop or laptop, and back up the files. These captures are your digital keepsakes. Just as in shorthand, worry about making it perfect or the way you want later, Get it captured first and foremost.

Just as you direct your attention to display tail fans, beards, and spurs, you can go back and edit, and print your pictures, clean up your notes or fully write out your stories. If inclined as some might be, organize and edit your audio and video files. The ever growing use of social media promotes this to a large degree and the skills used in posting events are directly applicable in capturing your days afield.

The best hunts are those that you can remember well and as you add to those each and every season I am confident you’ll be glad that you took the time to write it down, type it out, photograph it, and or record it. Today is the day if you haven’t done so to write down any and all details from hunts of the past, gather photographs, and organize each of them. Your memory tomorrow may not be as sharp as it is today.

To the many memories made in the great turkey woods and to the many more great memories to be made in the seasons to come.

-MJ

© 2018 Mike Joyner- Joyner Outdoor Media

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