Self Filming saga

[Dietter700]

So about 3 years ago I started self filming my hunts. I find so much joy and excitement of catching wildlife and if lucky the kill on film. The problem is in the past two years I have only got 2 kills on film. One was a doe in gun season and crappy quality so I didn't even bother editing it, on that hunt I was more concerned about getting meat in the freezer.
The second one was my trip out to Montana this September mule deer hunting with my wife. That one I got good footage of the whole adventure and managed to get the kills on gopro from my head strap. Which I am grateful of but not ideal. I was filming with my camcorder a lot of the time but on the second to last day and a far stalk I opted out of bringing that with. I was more concerned about getting a deer. I still have to edit that film. For me editing is insanely time consuming and rarely ever have free time.
All that to say, self filming has cost me a lot of shots (luckily on nothing big) and it's super time consuming to set up and break down on run and gun hunts. Which is what I generally do. Also the extra weight alone is a killer. But it's like I can't not take the camera bc what if that's the day the big one comes by and I took the camera every other time that season but not on this one ya know.

I don't know really what I am looking for feedback wise in this thread but I guess I just wanted to hear and see other peoples opinion on self filming.
Does anyone have any tips or tricks to share? I just wish I always had two guys on all my hunts like they do on hunting shows haha.

The following is the gear I use to film with :
HC -770 camcorder with a little rogue shot gun mic
Go Pro (for second angle shot and some B roll)
fourth arrow carbon arm and fluid head
fourth arrow micro base and shoulder (with boat buckle)
4 muddy pro sticks
Predator platform and Mantis saddle

Also carrying the following:
Kill Kit
Binoculars
Grunt
Tree/gear strap and hooks
Down jacket stuffed in pack
Extra batteries for cameras
and some other odds and ends

I would like to lighten my load, and or become more efficient. The easy answer is "well, don't self film. Just hunt". Sometimes I think that my be what I do.

 

[elk yinzer]

The reasons you list are the reasons I'll never do it. I don't get shot opportunities often, so that's not a sacrifice I am willing to accept. And holy schneikes is it a lot of extra crap to carry. I guess I'll avoid guessing at validations and motivations to do so, but certainly it's an option not to....

 

[mball1684]

I’m 3 years in myself. I have 1 6pt and 2 doe kills on cam. The thing I have learned is giving yourself the extra time to setup. Additionally practice the camera movements in a tree at home.

 

[mball1684]

I’m 3 years in myself. I have 1 6pt and 2 doe kills on cam. The thing I have learned is giving yourself the extra time to setup. Additionally practice the camera movements in a tree at home.

Of course that’s with the camcorder style of filming. Also good editing software makes it pretty easy...they are all a little different

 

[Dietter700]

Of course that’s with the camcorder style of filming. Also good editing software makes it pretty easy...they are all a little different

Yup, I tend to go in WAY early to set everything up. Just this year I did got FCP so that awesome but still a huge learning curve especially when you only get to tinker on it once a week or so ..

 

[Dietter700]

One thing I may try to do is set goals. Rather than wanting to self film and kill a good buck maybe my first goal should be to a doe or small buck on film and do it "cleanly" . 2nd goal: to shoot and cleanly film any legal buck kill. Then move into being more picky about bucks I shoot ...
Just thinking out loud...

 

[mball1684]

One thing I may try to do is set goals. Rather than wanting to self film and kill a good buck maybe my first goal should be to a doe or small buck on film and do it "cleanly" . 2nd goal: to shoot and cleanly film any legal buck kill. Then move into being more picky about bucks I shoot ...
Just thinking out loud...

Not a bad idea at all actually. I’m one of the weirdos that things saddle filming is easier than tree stand filming. It’s important to be streamlining your gear and minimizing your time with your head lamp on drawing attention up in a tree. But at the end of the day, if I can’t get the camera ready and a nice shooting scenario is at hand...you HAVE to establish a line where you ditch the cam and take the shot. We are out here to hunt not be famous TV stars...lol. Also I’d rather film me for ding a deer I shot off camera then not getting a shot....

 

[CptFrank]

You can also consider using a camera like Shot cam for gun hunting and Tactacam for bow hunting. I have the Shotcam and while i dont use it for hunting i like it for skeet shooting. You start recording and it will save video based on when your shot goes off.

 

[EricS]

I think it’s not a huge thing saddle vs treestand but mobile vs preset. Our heat in the early season adds to the aggravation. When it’s 95 degrees I’ve reached my limit on what I consider fun just getting in the tree without camera gear.

 

[robstewart]

I’ve thought about filming to share my experience with family and to remember it but I’m too lazy to haul extra gear, set it up, and then I too might miss shots.


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[beermedean]

I caught the self film bug a couple years ago as well...thanks Hunting Public for that LOL! I filmed and edited a doe kill which turned out pretty cool. I still haven't uploaded it to YouTube tho.

I am new to the saddle and I'm still getting used to it...only 6 hunts in. I haven't brought the camera gear along yet.

I wish that I would have had it the other day when I missed possibly the biggest buck I've ever shot at with the bow. I could have reviewed the shot and learned what happened and why.

It's a love/hate thing for me at this point...you're right about it being nice if there was 2 people on every hunt. I feel bad leaving it home seeing as how much I've invested in it...so I'll probably put it in the pack again soon.


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[catman529]

Part of filming is always lugging that extra gear around. If I hunt on the ground or stillhunt, I carry the camera on a tripod and leave the backpack at home. If hunting from a saddle, everything fits in a backpack I bought at academy which I sewed on some buckles to hold the climbing sticks. Including the ropes and Predator platform and all the camera stuff.

This may be unpopular but I never bring binos into the woods. It’s just more weight, and the camcorder has a good enough zoom I can use it to see anything in the distance. That 770 should have a great zoom. I have binocs in the truck but never hunt with them. The less gear I can bring the better.

It’s a commitment to always have the camera with you and always film everything. It’s not for everyone, but I can see you’re bit by the bug after getting some good footage. It’s up to you to decide if it’s worth the effort or not.

Edit: one other thing, editing... I grew up using adobe premiere pro on my dads computer as a kid, so when I got into hunting and self filming I already had a head start on the editing. I can do a whole video (usually at least 2 days of hunting) in one sitting if I want, but usually take a couple evenings to finish one. The biggest problem I have is my computer is too slow for the latest version of premiere. Video lags real bad while editing. Need to upgrade to a more powerful computer with a lot more RAM.


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[catman529]

One thing I may try to do is set goals. Rather than wanting to self film and kill a good buck maybe my first goal should be to a doe or small buck on film and do it "cleanly" . 2nd goal: to shoot and cleanly film any legal buck kill. Then move into being more picky about bucks I shoot ...
Just thinking out loud...

I don’t know how many doe tags you get, but I got most of my practice from shooting does. Just have fun and shoot whatever gets you excited as long as you got some use for the meat. Practice keeping a steady hand on the camera and getting it positioned before you shoot. I have moved my camera while at full draw before. I bend my wrist away from the release and careful not to bump the trigger, grab the camera arm and move the camera a little.


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[kyler1945]

Part of filming is always lugging that extra gear around. If I hunt on the ground or stillhunt, I carry the camera on a tripod and leave the backpack at home. If hunting from a saddle, everything fits in a backpack I bought at academy which I sewed on some buckles to hold the climbing sticks. Including the ropes and Predator platform and all the camera stuff.

This may be unpopular but I never bring binos into the woods. It’s just more weight, and the camcorder has a good enough zoom I can use it to see anything in the distance. That 770 should have a great zoom. I have binocs in the truck but never hunt with them. The less gear I can bring the better.

It’s a commitment to always have the camera with you and always film everything. It’s not for everyone, but I can see you’re bit by the bug after getting some good footage. It’s up to you to decide if it’s worth the effort or not.

Edit: one other thing, editing... I grew up using adobe premiere pro on my dads computer as a kid, so when I got into hunting and self filming I already had a head start on the editing. I can do a whole video (usually at least 2 days of hunting) in one sitting if I want, but usually take a couple evenings to finish one. The biggest problem I have is my computer is too slow for the latest version of premiere. Video lags real bad while editing. Need to upgrade to a more powerful computer with a lot more RAM.


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I never understood the value of bino’s for whitetail hunting from a tree. I’m with you on that one. Extra 2lbs to mayyyybeee see a deer I can’t shoot.

 

[catman529]

I wish that I would have had it the other day when I missed possibly the biggest buck I've ever shot at with the bow. I could have reviewed the shot and learned what happened and why.

I’ve got plenty of misses on film and it is painful to watch but you can definitely learn something. Also helps if you made a marginal shot and deciding how much time to give the deer.


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[CptFrank]

This may be unpopular but I never bring binos into the woods. It’s just more weight

Yeah they are about to come out of my pack too.

I dont really ever use them so they are hard to get to in my pack, which means they arent ready when i need them, which means i dont really ever use them........

 

[Gator]

I used to self film a lot, have about 15 kills on video but I've only ever published a couple. Used to just share at deer camp. I would get a lot of questions and I always told everyone, self filming will cost you deer. At some point, you will have the decision to film or get a shot but both are not going to happen. Just part of it.

 

[BCHunter]

The fourth arrow arm/base is huge.... there are better ways! The newest out on a limb camera arm is a much smaller package, but I think us saddle hunters will figure out even more compact options soon. This forum has some great minds.

 

[swd]

I got into deer hunting with the idea that I would film my hunts. I sat that first morning in a ground blind (too fat to climb back then) with my camera on a tripod. First deer I saw and tried to get the camera on busted me. Camera got shut off and has never gone back to the woods with me again.

I have nothing but respect, appreciation, and admiration for those that are able to get it done on film, especially those self filming.

You are better woodsmen than I!

 

[catman529]

I got into deer hunting with the idea that I would film my hunts. I sat that first morning in a ground blind (too fat to climb back then) with my camera on a tripod. First deer I saw and tried to get the camera on busted me. Camera got shut off and has never gone back to the woods with me again.

I have nothing but respect, appreciation, and admiration for those that are able to get it done on film, especially those self filming.

You are better woodsmen than I!

It’s more about getting in the zone than woodsmanship I think. Self filming is a hobby of its own that goes along with hunting. When a deer steps into view, I’m thinking about being stealthy, running the camera, and having my weapon ready all at the same time. It’s easy to get shook up and I am guilty of this many times, fumbling with the camera or even the weapon or my own movement. After doing it a few years, I got better at getting in the zone and staying relaxed in the moment of truth. I can still feel my heart pounding, but I gotta keep my cool, otherwise I will regret making a dumb mistake.

When you shut that camera off in your blind that one day, is when you decided it wasn’t for you. If there’s no fun in it, why do it. I completely understand the desire to just go hunt without worrying about all the camera gear and trying to film everything. The only reason I film is because I really enjoy it and have viewers waiting for the next video. It’s really satisfying to get a bunch of good footage of a good hunt. But if you’re not having fun doing it, then don’t do it. Hunting is about the enjoyment after all.


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