Keeping a hunting journal serves several purposes. It allows us to relive special memories and to record pertinent information that will help to enhance future hunts.
Dennis Hardwick, a handgun hunter and former president of the Greenville Gun Club, is a firm believer in maintaining an outdoor journal and has done so for many years. He records the date, location, weather conditions, game bagged and any special information that is relevant.
Hardwick has doubled up on deer nine times, once with a muzzleloader and the other eight times with rifles. In addition, he has taken numerous deer and hogs with handguns, including a double on hogs on one hunt.
“It’s fun to review the details of these hunts, but as I get older, it is more about just being in the woods watching the sunrise and less about the kill,” said Hardwick, whose journal revealed information about an Oct. 1, 1994 hunt.
“It was opening day of muzzle loader season. I was hunting in Laurens with a TC Hawken that I built from a kit. I had replaced the barrel with a .54-caliber round ball barrel. As it was just getting light enough to shoot, a nice ‘eating-size’ buck came by, and I dropped it with the .54 caliber. Since the limit was two bucks and it was a cool morning, I reloaded and decided to sit for 45 minutes more before climbing down to dress the buck. After 30 minutes later, a very nice 8-point buck came by at about 40 yards and I dropped it with the big round ball.
“The morning was just too good to be true. I climbed down and the work began. My best friend was hunting with me and helped drag the bucks out and get them to the processor.”
“My friend wanted to hunt that afternoon, so I accompanied him with my bow and had an opportunity to see a doe and small buck that were chased away by a nice 8 pointer. He stopped at 50 yards, a good rifle shot away, but I could only sit and watch. Needless to say, this was an exciting day in the deer woods.”
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