The Field Journal is the in-game knowledge base and progress tracker. It has an entry per species with the animal logo, the animal's details and its daily activity chart, a set of objectives to complete for that species, and a record of what you have harvested.
Hunting Simulator 3 Field Journal: what is in each species entry
Every species entry carries the same five things:
- The animal logo — the same artwork used on the official species posters, which makes it the quickest way to match a journal entry to an animal you have seen.
- The animal's details — the species information you need before you go looking for it.
- A daily activity chart — the feeding, drinking and rest windows for that species.
- Objectives — a set of things to do for that species, each of which points at a different part of the map.
- A harvest record — what you have taken so far, with the age and potential readouts that came with it.
The Journal and the in-game hunter wiki
The Journal tells you which species to work next and what it pays. The built-in hunter wiki tells you when that animal shows up.
That split matters because the journal's activity chart is not precise enough to give exact clock times. The detailed routine for a species fills in only once you have harvested animals of that species, and that wiki page is where the feeding, drinking and resting windows are actually listed. Filling in the Field Journal objectives is the fastest way to unlock it.
One quirk to expect: for several species — white-tailed deer, grey wolf and black bear among them — the activity circle can render as a static-looking illustration instead of a readable chart. The zone itself is always the confirmation. The find animals guide covers the need zone system and how to work it.
What the objectives do for you
Objectives are what move you around a reserve. Each one points you at a different part of the map and a different need zone, and finding every need zone for a species is a goal in its own right.
So the Journal is not only a reference. It is also the thing that tells you where to go next, which is what makes filling it in the most efficient way to learn a reserve.
What the Journal pays
Completing the objectives for a species earns Field Points, the per-region currency spent on customising that region's hunting lodge. Since Field Points are region-locked, the points land on the lodge of the reserve you were hunting in.
The currencies guide covers the difference between Field Points and Credits, and the hunting lodge guide covers what those points actually buy.