All guides carry responsibility, for their guests, ethical and safety considerations as well as the overall experience. The role of a Trails Guide takes this responsibility to an even higher level. Walking in dangerous game areas requires practical experience, sound judgement and deeper knowledge of animal behaviour. A Trails Guide demonstrates not only knowledge and skill, but also discipline, professionalism, and accountability.
The logbook is a vital tool to record the hours you’ve walked, the encounters you’ve handled, and the steady progress you’ve made towards becoming a professional, safe and capable Trails Guide. Your logbooks function as a record of the experience and skills you have accumulated over the course of your guiding career.
Your logbook matters as it is a verified record of your experience. It is a key a part of your portfolio of evidence showcasing the experience you have gained under mentorship and while walking with guests. Every hour walked, and every encounter recorded, builds a picture of your progress and your ability to take on greater responsibility.
Many professional careers require the use of logbooks to record professional practice and experience. Pilots, for example, record and log every single flight hour, weather condition, take-off, and landing. This log is verified and signed off by an instructor. If the trainee pilot has not logged those hours correctly, they cannot move forward until the required standard and minimum number of hours and actions has been recorded and verified by their instructor/qualified professional.
The same applies to a FGASA Trails Guide. Your logbook is your professional record. Without it, there is no verifiable evidence of your field time or experience with dangerous game. It cannot be substituted by yours or other’s memories or even by lodge activity records. While guiding hours may be verified through lodge rosters or schedules, the animal encounters gained during these hours cannot. Unless another guide’s logbook specifically records your presence during those encounters, there is no evidence to prove otherwise.
Backup your logbook digitally! FGASA recommends creating a digital backup of your logbook. Once you have recorded a walk’s hours and encounters in your logbook, and have had that page signed off, take a photo of the completed page with your phone, save this photo somewhere safe. Do this for all the completed pages of your logbook. Should your logbook be damaged or lost, you can use this image backup! FGASA will accept scanned or photographed images of your completed, signed logbook as proof of your experience. A few extra seconds of effort could save you months, maybe even years of time and recorded experience. Your own logbook is the only accurate and recognised record of your individual experience and competence.
The logbook is not an obstacle; it is a safeguard. It ensures every Trails Guide who holds a FGASA Trails Guide certification has met FGASA standards of professionalism through mentorship and time in the field. These standards protect, not only the credibility of the profession, but the safety of you and your guests.
The responsibility lies with you as the guide to ensure that your logbook is kept current, legible, and signed off by a mentor (if you’re still in the mentorship phase) or by your head guide and/or lodge manager. Backup your logbook by scanning it or photographing it and saving these somewhere safe. Be sure to protect your logbook, especially if you are carrying it with you on trail. Keep it in a Ziplock bag to prevent water damage, ensure it is in a secure part of your backpack and can’t fall out, store it with other important documents or books in your home, record your walks as soon as you are able to ensure your memory of the walk is accurate and get it signed by your mentor, head guide or manager when you return to camp. These small measures require only a few extra seconds in your day but could wind up saving you in the long run.
Your logbook must be completed after every walk and signed off within a maximum of 7 days.
If records are lost or incomplete, they become increasingly difficult to verify later. Those who could confirm your participation may no longer be guiding, may have moved on, or may simply not recall specific encounters that took place years ago. Reconstructed logs carry much less credibility, as they cannot be properly verified against authentic records.
If you lose your logbook for whatever reason, you need to replace it right away and start logging again immediately, as opposed to waiting several years, at which stage it becomes a lot more onerous to try and sort out your guiding record of experience. FGASA recommends that all Trails Guides (mentored or qualified) be in possession of two logbooks. If one logbook needs to be submitted to FGASA for review and sign-off, having a second logbook at your disposal means you may continue to log your walks and get your logbook signed for those walks.
Maintaining your logbook reflects who you are as a professional. It demonstrates that you take your career seriously, that you respect the standards and requirements of the profession, and that you value the trust placed in you as someone responsible for lives in the field. You should keep logging experience for as long as you remain a guide. Don’t stop just because you feel you’ve reached a certain level. You never know what the future brings and when you might need proof of your experience. Your logbook is not just paperwork. It is the record of your career. Treat it with the same care and attention you give to your equipment, your rifle, and your guests.