I went digging through my hunt report today looking for a piece of info and ended up re-reading the whole thing start to finish. It's been almost 2 years since I was there and it is amazing how many little things I had forgotten. I really enjoyed re-reading my report and reminiscing on what a great time I had.

I know many of us post links to our hunt reports in our signature. So how many of you guys go back and re-read what you wrote and rediscover things you forgot?

I keep a journal while on hunts. Ran across one a few days ago. Amazing how many details you forget. The blown stalks, the sounds of the nights. Just wish I could write better. No one will ever confuse me with Hemmingway or Ruark

Will go back to the reports occassionally to get a name or contact I am trying to remember. Always read the whole thing all over again. Lots of little things forgotten, and brought back to the forefront of our memory.

Like mentioned, all of my written journals are an integral part of my trophy rooms and displays. Just starting a new one this week for my AR hunt with Charl and Infinito Safaris next week!

quote:

Originally posted by Blacktailer:
I keep a journal while on hunts. Ran across one a few days ago. Amazing how many details you forget. The blown stalks, the sounds of the nights. Just wish I could write better. No one will ever confuse me with Hemmingway or Ruark

I do the same; it is a pain in the ass, but well worth it. A the little details come back. I sometimes wonder if Ron Howard remembers the details of his young life when he watches reruns of Mayberry.

Yes, Mine and alot of others

Take LOTS of photos.

They will bring back things you cannot remember.

quote:

Originally posted by Saeed:
Take LOTS of photos.

They will bring back things you cannot remember.

A video or two doesn't hurt either eh?

Mine are printed out and bound (a la term paper). So, yes. AR gives friends access to reports that members may not really care about, beyond the pictures that is. What a resource! Saeed and Don, one more time, thanks!

Absolutely. The journal and pics from my FIRST trip are the Best. A young man in his late 20's landing in Rhodesia in 1977. High Adventure for sure.

Great idea. I wrote notes in the back of the Field Guide to Southern African Animals in '94. Re-read it every few years to re-live the adventure.

I don't usually take any notes, and I regret that. The fine details of the adventure fade months and years later.

Glad you posted this. I am about to leave for 31 days. I am going to do my best to write down the details, I am sure by the end of 31 days, I won't remember what happened at the beginning.

Yes. I think I write the report as much for myself as I do for sharing. Sometimes in an odd moment I'll pull one up and enjoy my trip again.
Interesting to see the progression from earlier reports with trophy photos and terse comments about facilities and operators, to travelogues about time spent with friends.

Of course........that's how I notice all my atrocious spelling errors.......after the fact!!!

Brett

quote:

Originally posted by Wendell Reich:
Great idea. I wrote notes in the back of the Field Guide to Southern African Animals in '94. Re-read it every few years to re-live the adventure.

I don't usually take any notes, and I regret that. The fine details of the adventure fade months and years later.

Glad you posted this. I am about to leave for 31 days. I am going to do my best to write down the details, I am sure by the end of 31 days, I won't remember what happened at the beginning.

Get a little journal you can keep in your pack. One thing I noticed when I tried to write in mine at night was that I was extremely tired and really wanted to just go to sleep. I kept trying to write as if I was writing a hunt report. After a few days of blown stalks on buffalo, I noticed my reports were more doom and gloom and rather brief. A small pocket journal would have been nice to write in during the day every time we stopped as I'd probably have a more chronological list of events of what happened.

You can compile your notes and thoughts in a bigger journal on your flight home.

quote:

Originally posted by Wendell Reich:
Great idea. I wrote notes in the back of the Field Guide to Southern African Animals in '94. Re-read it every few years to re-live the adventure.

I don't usually take any notes, and I regret that. The fine details of the adventure fade months and years later.

Glad you posted this. I am about to leave for 31 days. I am going to do my best to write down the details, I am sure by the end of 31 days, I won't remember what happened at the beginning.

Wendell,
Instead of the usual siesta after lunch I write for 15 min or so. It seems to be a good quiet time when nothing is going on. I keep a small spiral bound steno pad in my pack.
Have a great time on your hunt!

quote:

Originally posted by BNagel:
Mine are printed out and bound (a la term paper). So, yes. AR gives friends access to reports that members may not really care about, beyond the pictures that is. What a resource! Saeed and Don, one more time, thanks!

I've thought about doing this, especially with the hunt at Royal Kafue. A friends wife uses an online service (not sure which one) and has had some very nice looking books made up to give to family.

I find that writing notes during the hunt impedes my ability to embellish the hunt after the fact. Therefore I rely on my fading and sometimes frail memory to allow me to recreate the hunt the way it should have been.

quote:

Originally posted by MJines:
I find that writing notes during the hunt impedes my ability to embellish the hunt after the fact. Therefore I rely on my fading and sometimes frail memory to allow me to recreate the hunt the way it should have been.

You are lucky man to be able to write what your hunt should have been!

We have the opposite happen to us, we need to clean things up before writing them down, otherwise no one would believe us

quote:

Originally posted by Saeed:

quote:

Originally posted by MJines:
I find that writing notes during the hunt impedes my ability to embellish the hunt after the fact. Therefore I rely on my fading and sometimes frail memory to allow me to recreate the hunt the way it should have been.

You are lucky man to be able to write what your hunt should have been!

We have the opposite happen to us, we need to clean things up before writing them down, otherwise no one would believe us

A little bit of that happens too -- we all know what happens in the bush, stays in the bush.

quote:

Originally posted by MJines:
I find that writing notes during the hunt impedes my ability to embellish the hunt after the fact. Therefore I rely on my fading and sometimes frail memory to allow me to recreate the hunt the way it should have been.

it's your hunt-Remember it the way you want to-LOL !