I have the camera, and have occasionally talked a friend into heading out to tape for me. I have a miss on video and also an awesome 2.5 year old 10 pointer walking right under us. Other than that no kills. I have kicked around the idea of doing it myself, but have always talked myself out of it. It seems though that if you have it on tape, then knowing where your arrow actually hit would aid in tracking, as well as the pure enjoyment of having a kill on tape. For those of you that do it, what is the number one problem. Is the camera arm in the way of you drawing, or trying to swing around for a shot? To me it seems like if that thing is sitting right over my shoulder I will probably knock it somehow, or it would prevent me from making a shot that direction. I have looked over some of the arms here at BH.com and the one from Pine Ridge seems like a good one to start out with.
Ive been playing around with it lately. I have the pine ridge arm and it does ok for what I need it to do. I place it kinda low on the tree so I draw above it and can see the view finder. Haven't had the opportunity to draw on a deer yet while filming, but got some spikes playing around. But this videoing thing will not cause me a shot at a good buck. If I get it on film fine, if not oh well. I'm not getting paid to film my hunts and no camera man is telling me I can't shoot.
I hunt from the ground a lot in Ohio, and also in the late season in Indiana, so I'm looking for a good tripod. I am new to filming hunts and don't take my camera every time, mainly because I don't have a camera arm yet. Sportsman's Guide recently got the majority of my hunting budget for the rest of the year, so a tree arm is looking like a no-go this year. Plus I have been letting the farm cool off since opening week and have a couple stands that need a first sit. As of now, I am a clumsy self filmer.. I need some equipment . I am also looking into Pine Ridge product. Good luck filming your hunts, looking forward to watching. It is pretty fun imo, but I have a lot to learn. Many more things that need attention when you add a camera into the mix. I have a long way to go with filming/hunting, lots of respect to those who have successfully self-filmed hunts. I can't think of a better way to re-live the memory of a hunt than to have the ability to watch it and share it with friends/family and what not.
I usually set mine up on the tree so that it can be "stored" out of the way. When I see an op, it gets swung into postion and is not in a position to cost me a shot. My only problem is getting zoomed in and drawn before the deer have moved.
I made a camera mount that goes on my stabalizer it seemed to work fine. I have a hany cam it doesn't weigh that much but it does change the way I shoot so I had to practice with it on.
Well this year I started putting my camera at leg level when I am sitting, that way it is out of the way . Biggest problem I have is that my Gorilla arm is a year old, but the bushings are worn out and starting to sqeak . I have two arms coming from Scott Extreme camera arms company. Also the Gorilla cam head will not allow you to rotate the camera 360 without moving the camera up so the angle arm will not hit the bar as you turn it. The biggest problem other then that is the fact its hard to hold off shooting a deer when you have everything lined up perfect. I try to lead my deer and then stop them in the lane I want to shoot so they are in the middle of the screen I have a ton of videos on youtube I filmed myself, they are not professional grade, but I have fun with them here is the link http://www.youtube.com/user/bowhunterjohn63#p/u YOu will have to hit the see all button to go thru and find the deer hunting vid's Good luck, its a lot of work and hard, but its really rewarding when you get the shot on tape
I've been wanting to video tape my hunts too but absolutely do NOT want it to jeopardize my hunts. I came across the "Scope Clamp" the other day and have been thinking about trying it out. My idea is to just clamp it on my climber stand and video from there. Surely it won't work as well as a traditional camera arm but I think it might do the trick. http://trophytools.com/
Filming I decided this year I wanted to start filming some of my hunts on my own. I bought a small tripod with legs that bend and will grip the rail on the treestand. I managed to capture my first video kill this past Saturday. However, I have not been able to figure out yet how to get it on the website. Can't quite get the whole thing on there, it keeps cutting off just before the shot. It however, was one of the most amazing things I have done since I have been hunting. It was not a large deer but he was still an awesome feeling. I would suggest filming your hunts one way or another whenever possible. I am looking at getting a camera arm instead of the tripod I currently have just haven't figured out which one to get though. Good Luck!
i want to get into this so bad..im gonna purchase a camera and all the goodies that come with it when i get some extra cash on me.... I really wouldnt care if i was actually hunting or filming..it would just be fun to actually be in a stand with another guy filming...
X2, I have the Pine Ridge camera arm as some others have mentioned. Ben is exactly right, the toughest part is trying to pick a spot that will not only allow you to get a shot at a deer, but to also be able to effectively have time and space to get your camera into position before you grab your bow and draw for the shot. Fortunately for me, this year we have adopted a "earn a buck" rule for the property I am hunting, this has allowed me to get the kinks out of my set ups prior to focusing on a buck once we get closer to November. Like mentioned above, try to keep the camera arm low enough not to interfere with your draw and where you can store it out of the way until you need it. I also put the camera on my right hand side, most cameras are meant to be used from this side and this will eliminate awkward movements. And, if you are right handed it will allow you to use your left hand to grip your bow while you can adjust the camera with your right. The trick is getting the camera set where you think the deer will pass through a shooting lane. If you set the camera and the deer changes it's route after you have locked your release onto your bow string, with the camera on your right side, you can unlock and make minor adjustments without re-hanging your bow. (If you're right handed) I try to get myself into a set up where I have a sweet spot, or a place that I expect the majority of my shots to take place. I set the camera up so that it is out of the way and set on that specific spot zoomed out enough to give me some cushion. If a deer comes into that spot I can just hit power and record, then I can just focus on the shot. Good luck! It's tough going by yourself, I have botched a couple of opportunities on does already. It's just tough to get them in the frame and get a good shot without getting busted or just missing opportunity because they move on before you get set up.
