If there are no predators within ear shot then nothing you do will matter. Beyond that, the current weather condition is the most important element in my opinion.
For several years I used of notebook of sorts to record information about hunting trips.
I created a small form with blanks for the following information and it looked something like this.
| Date | Comments | Powder | Killed |
| Charge | |||
| Bullet | Called | ||
| Temp WD WS Cond | Weight | Missed |
WD=Wind Direction
WS=Wind Speed
Cond=Current sky condition (rain, sun, snow, overcast etc)
I recorded every outing and the "Comments" section included:
| Where I went (what property) |
| Stand Location and direction I was facing |
| Weather Conditions such as snow cover, ice etc. |
| Call Used |
| Amount of time for predator response |
So an outing might look something like this:
| Date 11/28/89 |
Comments: Bob's place, west end overlooking north 40 called one in less than 75 feet. Killed a sapling. 6 minutes |
Powder 296 | Killed 0 |
| Charge 12 | |||
| Bullet Rem | Called 1 | ||
| Temp 33 WD sw WS 0-5 Cond cloudy | Weight 50 | Missed 1 |
Never planning to publish this information, several things were left to memory. I only had 1 rifle that I used and that was 22 Hornet. The fun part is to this day, I can go back through these records and reading them brings most all of it back to a clear memory of what transpired.
More importantly it begins to show patterns like most of the coyotes were killed on overcast days, the temps were 20 to 30 degrees. I missed a lot of coyotes (sorry, was that out loud?)
The bottom line on records is that it does jog your memory and it will show you what worked and what didn't. Today, I attempt to keep records but do a lousy job of it. I rely on memory and at my age my memory is ... dang, forgot what I was gonna say. Don't laugh, I'm not even 50 yet, if you can't relate it's only a matter of time.
But seriously, I have found that temperatures 15 to 30 work best. Cloudy or overcast is a good thing. You can call them in light rain. Hazy weather is good. Bright sunny days work but not as well as overcast. If the forecast is calling for a change for the worse in the weather sometimes this can help.