Filming Your Hunts

[AbramDean]

I wanna know what everyone's filming set ups look like! GO!

[Maverick1]

Interested in this as well. Tried filming once a number of years ago. With the fiddle-factor of turning the camera on, adjusting the camera arm to the right position, and getting the animal in the frame, there was a lot of movement, which the deer picked up on and busted me. I wasn't very high off the ground and I was in a ladder stand without much cover. It was a mature doe, she easily busted me and blew out. Looking back that was a pretty terrible setup for filming! Haven't tried to film another shot-sequence on a deer since! Figured if it cost me once on a doe, it could cost me on a nicer animal. Now I just carry a small pocket camera or phone and film animals that I know I am not releasing an arrow on. Perhaps it is time to reconsider?

[dan]

There are two very different kinds of filming when filming hunts... A dedicated camera man, and self filming. The two different types require whole different techniques and styles, yet most hunters filming hunts can't seem ti separate the two... You get much better footage and a better view with a camera man. Trouble with that is in most cases we can't afford a camera man, or we don't want to take turns with a partner because you only get to hunt 1/2 as much. There is also the very real problem of trying to hide two people in a tree, or not hunting the right spot because of the right tree only only being big enough for one person. It also can cause a distraction from the hunt and have excessive movement and talking...

On the other side, a self filmer has to do everything, he has to adjust the camera, turn it on, and capture the event while trying to get the weapon ready and concentrate on the kill... Though harder, its the type I prefer. Usually this means panned back views so the target don't walk out of screen, smaller lighter equipment so you can get everything and your hunting gear back to your spot, and often added smaller back up and second view cameras that can be attached to the weapon, a branch, your hat, etc...

I use a beast camera arm for deer hunt filming, and a tripod for turkey or ground hunting for my main camera and a lot of different small cameras and attachments... The main problem for self filmers is trying to get zoomed in footage. It almost always works best on animals you intend to kill to pan back...