Hunt Initiation Log (Season 3)

The purpose of the Hunt Initiation Log is to track the source of the hunts Sam and Dean Winchester undertake. Sometimes they find hunts themselves, sometimes other characters give them information. Some episodes are more personal, with no clear hunt. This provides one more means of analyzing the characters. For example, it reveals that while Dean is the quintessential hunter of the family, Sam actually more often instigates the hunts, and that Sam gradually takes a more active role in that regard.

Hunt notes, by episode

3x01 The Mangificent Seven

Comments: After the deal he made to save Sam's life at the end of season two, with one year left to live, Dean seems more intent on cheeseburgers and sex than on hunting. Sam, meanwhile, has his nose buried in book, looking for a way to get Dean out of the deal. Which means the boys are pretty distracted from hunting, although Dean does mention that in the five days since the demons escaped from hell, there hasn't been much going on. Bobby is keeping sharper eye out, and calls the boys with information about crop failures and a cicada swarm. There are two new hunters in the episode, a husband-wife team, Isaac and Tamara, who are already on the hunt when the Winchesters arrive.

Given all that, it makes sense that all the hunters in the episode get a point except for Sam and Dean, who do have other problems on their minds.

Initiator/Method: Bobby/observation-deduction; Isaac &Tamara (as a team)/presumably the same

Tally for 3x01: Bobby=1, Isaac & Tamara=1

Tally, season to date: Bobby=1, Isaac & Tamera=1

3x02 The Kids Are Alright

Comments: Dean finds a news item about a man who died by power saw. It turns out what Dean really wants to hunt down is an old flame. However, once Sam and Dean get to Cicero, Illinois, they discover there is something supernatural afoot. Once he realizes there's an actual hunt, Dean's focus snaps to the job, temporarily putting aside his pursuit of hedonism. There's just a touch of hunt-turned-personal here, as one of the endangered children is Ben, who Dean thinks might be his. Mostly, this follows some classic season one patterns -- Dean finds a newspaper article, Sam plays devil's advocate. It's also a throwback to Dean in 2x03, Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things, where Dean sees a hunt because he needs to see one, and turns out to be right. In this case, Dean didn't actually believe there was a hunt, and then there was. But as in early season 2, Dean's emotional state is in turmoil and he's in denial, and hunting is a means to hide.

Initiator/Method: Dean/newspaper article

Tally for 3x02: Dean=1

Tally, season to date: Dean=1, Bobby=1, Isaac &Tamera=1

3x03 Bad Day At Black Rock

Comments: Sam and Dean find out about this hunt -- a cursed rabbit's foot -- because Dean left John's cell phone charged in cased one of his contacts called. While this shouts back to John sending them on hunts via cell phone in season 1 -- leaving them text messages with coordinates, or calling them with a list of names -- John kept his storage locker from his boys. Also, yes, he's dead, but it would be feasible for Sam and Dean to get a hunt because John deliberately left a message to be found after his death. But that's not what happened here and he probably never intended for them to go to the storage locker or ever deal with the rabbit's foot. While Dean's something of a passive receiver of a hunt in this case, he gets the point for luck and having the foresight to leave the cell phone on. This is probably most parallel to how they got the hunt in season 1's Phantom Traveler, when a call for help alerted them to a job. Dean was assigned the initiation for that episode, so he's getting it here.

Initiator/Method: Dean/luck and foresight

Tally for 3x03: Dean=1

Tally, season to date: Dean=2, Bobby=1, Isaac &Tamera=1

See also Hunt Initiation Log Season one

See also Hunt Initiation Log Season two