Hunting journal: what to log and how it makes you a better hunter
A hunting journal records when and where you sat, the wind and weather, what you saw and what you harvested. Kept consistently, it shows after one season which stand works in which wind and at what time of day. It is your own record and does not replace any harvest report your state or country requires.
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What do you write in a hunting journal?
The most useful journals record every sit, not only the successful ones. Blank evenings are data too: they tell you where and when sitting is a waste of time.
Use the same fields for every entry, so that sits can be compared instead of remembered.
- Sit: date, start and end time, stand or blind, wind direction and speed, weather, moon.
- Sightings: each species with count, ideally with time and age or sex class.
- Harvest: species, class, field-dressed weight, tag number, hunter, location.
- Shot: rifle or bow, calibre, distance, hit location, flight distance, whether tracking was needed.
- Area: bait sites, trail cameras, game trails and damage, each with a date.
Hunting journal template: which columns do you need?
A paper log or spreadsheet works well if sits and harvests are kept apart: one row per sit, and harvests in a separate list that refers back to the sit. That keeps the table narrow and easy to analyse.
Always write the wind as the direction it comes from (for example “W” for a west wind) and in one unit. Mixed notes like “light westerly” and “7 mph SW” are hard to compare later.
| Date | Stand | Time | Wind | Seen | Harvest |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 2 | Oak tower | 3:45–5:30 PM | W 7 mph | 2 roe deer | – |
| Nov 4 | Oak tower | 4:00–5:20 PM | W 9 mph | 3 roe deer, 1 fox | 1 roe deer |
| Nov 6 | Oak tower | 3:50–5:25 PM | E 4 mph | 0 | – |
Hunting wind direction: how do you use it from your journal?
Game relies heavily on scent, so each stand has winds that carry your scent away from where animals approach and winds that blow it straight at them. Your journal turns this from a guess into evidence: note which wind directions produced sightings at each stand.
The simplest measure is the sighting rate: sits with sightings divided by all sits, split by stand and wind direction. Worked example: at the oak tower you saw game on 5 of 6 sits with a west wind (83%) but only on 1 of 4 with an east wind (25%). That points to skipping this stand in an east wind.
Small samples swing wildly, because one evening can move the rate a lot. Wait until you have at least five sits per stand-and-wind combination before you draw conclusions, and record morning and evening sits separately.
Do hunting seasons and harvest reporting rules differ by region?
Yes. Season dates and reporting duties are set by law and differ from region to region, so always check the rules that apply where you hunt. A journal can collect the details, but it does not replace an official report.
Germany shows how much the dates vary. The federal season regulation (JagdzeitV) sets base dates, and each federal state may set its own. For roe bucks, the official texts (retrieved 7 Nov 2026) give these dates:
| Legal basis | Roe bucks |
|---|---|
| Federal: JagdzeitV § 1 | 1 May to 15 October |
| Bavaria: AVBayJG § 19 | 16 April to 15 October |
| Brandenburg: BbgJagdDV | 16 April to 15 January |
| Saxony: SächsJagdVO § 4 | 16 April to 31 January |
How Waidra works as a hunting journal
Waidra is a hunting journal and hunt tracker for Android, made for hunters in Germany and Central Europe. It logs sits and harvests in a few taps, shows your stands on a topographic map and builds its analysis from your own sits. No account is needed.
- Log a harvest in under 30 seconds: species, class, weight, tag number, hunter and photo; shot log with rifle, calibre, distance, hit, flight distance and tracking.
- Start a sit with one tap, one tap per animal seen, red light mode for night vision, plus shooting light and night time for your area.
- Map based on TopPlusOpen by the German mapping agency BKG: boundary with area in hectares, high seats, bait sites, trail cameras and game trails by long-press, GPX/KML import and export.
- Wind check per stand with the German Weather Service forecast (Germany only); Pro adds 72 hours ahead and a scent cone.
- German season dates for all 16 federal states, each with the regulation title and check date, plus documents and deadlines; CSV export is always free.
What the app cannot do
Waidra is built around German hunting: the species list is Central European, season dates are German only and the wind forecast covers Germany only. It is a private journal, not affiliated with any authority, does not replace an official harvest report, and is available for Android only.
Price
Free with ads, with unlimited harvests and sits; Pro is ad-free, adds features such as “Where to sit today?”, 72-hour wind and several areas, and costs $7.99 a month or $59.99 a year in the US, cancel any time in Google Play. We build this app ourselves; on Google Play it is listed under the developer name InfinityAkhi.
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Frequently asked questions
Is a hunting journal the same as a harvest report?
No. A journal is your private record. Harvest reporting is set by the authority where you hunt and has to be done in the form it requires.
How many sits do I need before the data means something?
As a rule of thumb, at least five sits per stand and wind direction. Below that, a single good or bad evening distorts the sighting rate.
Does Waidra work for hunting in the US?
You can log sits, harvests and stands anywhere, but the species list is Central European, the season dates are German, and the wind check only covers Germany.
Does Waidra work without a connection?
Entries are stored on your phone, and the free version can save the map of one area for offline use. The wind forecast, ads and purchases need a connection.
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