Okay so I just bought my first camera to start filming with (canon hf G30). I'm a relatively new bowhunter and I do admittedly make a lot of mistakes. I decided to self film so I could relive the memories I make in The treestand. I know some guys that simply will not shoot a buck if they cant get it on video. Im not that guy. My attitude towards filming is if I can get it on video, great, if not, Im shooting it every day of the week. That said, how much harder is self filming if im not gonna pass a buck because of it. Is there a lot more noise, and movement involved? My thinking is if its going to cost me any deer, its not something I want to do for me. Please share any experiences where self filming hurt you if at all. I want filming to be a bonus not my focus. Is this do-able?
As a new bowhunter I wouldn't self film. There is a lot more movement involved. Even with the attitude of shooting if they aren't in frame, your still going to try your best to get it on video and that will cause a lot of extra stress for rookies and experts alike.
I guess you can look at it from either scenario. I enjoy the filming part of it and just look at it as part of the challenge. Not sure yet what will happen if I have a shot at a buck but can't get it on film. I always figure I will cross that bridge when it happens.
If you're going to shoot whether its on film or not, the biggest challenge is going to be packing, setting up and tearing down the extra gear. It'll challenge you in that way. Committing fully to getting the footage is a whole other ballgame.
Like others said it is going to be a challenge. You have to give yourself extra time to get in the woods to get everything setup. It takes practice. Like waiting to draw your bow when the buck looks away, you have to move when the deer's head is down or the deer looking the other way. Also, you may have to wait until well after dark to leave your stand so you can pack everything up. As far as letting deer pass if you can't get the shot on film, this is something pro staffers and potential pro staffers will do. Easy way to somewhat eliminate that is to use a tactacam or other cam mounted to your bow. The video quality won't be as good, but you will get it on video.
Self filming and team filming for three yrs. now. 0 self filmed kills. 1 self filmed miss. 40 yrs. bowhunting experience. Many bow kills just not on film. Self filmed bow kills are next to impossible where i live. Deer are highly pressured and you can hardly even get away with blinking in the stand. I keep trying though and it will happen.That will make the kill so much sweeter.
As an example. One afternoon i had a doe come in. I wanted a good kill on film and decided to take her. She came in nervously feeding on white oak acorns. I moved painstakingly slow with the cam mount to frame her in the shot. Once I was set I clipped on to draw the bow. I got to full draw without her seeing me. I thought this is finally going to happen. I checked the lcd screen 1 last time before shooting and guess what?. She was out of the frame. Now i Have to let down, unclip, reframe and redraw on an animal already on pins and needles. Got halfway back on the draw and she bolted. Back to the redrawing board. he he.
Also the thievery in my area is so bad you can put up a trail cam in the dark and go back the next day and it will be gone. So if you wanna keep your gear plan on packing in and out every setup. My total pkg including cam gear and climbing tree stand is 51lbs. That might not be too bad for a young buck but at 60yrs. old its kinda heavy. I only started filming 3yrs. ago cause when i won't be able to hunt in a few more yrs. i wan be able to remember the fun times up close and personal
i went into it with the same mind set as you did, i was going to shoot if it was on camera or not but after doing it for 4 years now my mind has changed. I have had opportunites at shooting decent bucks but the footage was bad or couldnt get it on camera. Before i started filming those deer would be dead right now. ive never had a monster in front of me though while having my camera with me. It would be no doubt that i would shoot then if i could get it on camera or not. It takes a lot of field experirence to get good at it and a lot of learning from mistakes. I think you can do it. Just dont get in a rush when deer come in and think about your movements before doing it. Thats a lot easier said than done when youre excited. I have spooked a lot of deer trying to get the camera on it and then drawing back but it makes for a good learning experience for next time. it becomes an addiction and i now take my camera in the woods every single time i go. its well worth it though in my eyes.
Its going to be tough not to just "forget the camera and get a shot on this buck", if you will shoot it anyway....has crossed my mind before. Also packing and carrying in the gear, setting up, etc. It is hard to get it all to come together, at least here in MI on a mature deer, but the reward is worth it. Sometimes running the camera can take your mind off of buck fever.... or make it twice as hard...
There are certainly challenges involved with self filming. It's not easy in any way, but when everything comes together and you get that shot on film, it's all worth it. Carrying your gear, getting setup, taking b-roll footage, doing interviews are all kinda counter-intuitive to sneaking in and staying quiet, but all a necessary part of producing quality videos. When you do have deer, getting them in frame and in focus is also a challenge at times. It introduces more movement than you are used to and more of a chance to get busted. It's important to set the camera up in a way the minimizes your movement when you are videoing, yet allows you to get drawn and shoot while the deer is in the frame. Then you have to try and zoom out quickly and get the deer running away from the shot. All of these things present challenges above and beyond what you have when you are just hunting. The rewards though, can be great. The number one reason I started filming was to help me be more sure about tracking the deer. Being able to go back and review the footage to make sure I got the hit that I thought I did has been great. It has kept me from pushing a deer that I hit further back than I thought. This will be my 5th season filming. I have successfully self filmed buck kills the last three seasons. Each one has gotten better and better. You have to learn to anticipate what the deer will do and be ready for it. Then quickly transfer from filmer to hunter in a split second. Make the shot, and again back to filmer. I do believe it helps me keep a razor focus in the heat of the moment, but it takes time and practice to get to that point.
You've got a lot of great feedback, only real world experience will show you how tough it is. The added noise of setting up and tearing down does get old, lugging all that crap in gets old, and stressing about the deer being in frame and not moving to much gets tiring as well. Its hard enough to kill mature deer while just bowhunting but you're adding a WHOLE new level of stress to the picture. There are enjoyable things about it but I filmed for 8 years and only have one kill on film that I would consider "good" footage. The rest are zoomed way out, or I never got the shot on film, but most NEVER got shot bc they weren't in frame. The other issue you face is that you may have a shot but the deer is not in clear eye of the camera. There's a tough balance between filming deer and killing deer without getting busted, now you are trying to do both!
There is another thing I forgot to mention. I have missed awesome footage on deer and turkeys by forgetting to press the record button. In the excitement of the moment strange gremlins come out and play dirty tricks on you. I ask my fellow self filmers to admit this has happened to them also as well as many other snafus. Like the "oops I forgot to turn on the shotgun mic"
Here's my preferences when I hear or see a deer coming. 1 turn on cam…2 turn on shotgun mic…3 pick up the bow…4 locate deer and try to get him in the LCD screen[this is one of the most difficult things to do}… Track him with the camera while panning and zooming to your liking… 5 Try to anticipate where he will go and where you can get a clean shot with the bow and with the cam 6 set the cam in the spot you wanna shoot and correct focus and zoom….7 come to full draw…8 Try to stop the deer in the frame of the cam… 9 check everything one last time to make sure its all good… 10 shoot… 11 zoom out instantly and try to follow the deer with the cam as he runs away ….{also extremely difficult} 12 turn the cam on yourself and jump up and down about your great deer or show how crushed you are cause you couldn't get past step 3
Self filming will cost you some deer if you are dedicated to getting the kill on film. I had several chances at this same buck. I couldn't close the deal.
Best advice I can give is try it. no sits perfectly still so if you limit your movements and are aware of your surroundings you will do fine. If you got a G30 you have a substantial investment already so go for it. It does take time and planning to setup and tear down but if you practice and develop a system it's not that bad. If you are not stressed about getting the shot it not a lot different. Now you could get busted setting up the shot but a varizoom controller would help limit movement some and people get busted just going for their bow so it happens. At the end of the day all that matters is you are having fun. If not then why do it?
I have been self filming for 8 or 9 years now. I am in the camp of "if i cannot get the shot framed up and a quality kill on video then I will not shoot, no matter how big the deer is". Same with turkeys. I have passed up a lot of animals that i could have easily killed had I not insisted in getting the shot on video. Personally it is just how I hunt. It is not for everyone.
I will admit that even with 8 grand in video and computers for editing I will occasionally shoot one off cam
