[If you just want to see the details about the arm itself and don’t care about the backstory skip to the third paragraph]
Other than saddle hunting, self-filming seems to be the fastest growing hunting fad recently. I got into self filming three seasons ago and was able to film a few deer hunts the first two seasons. I didn’t shoot a buck either of those seasons though; and when I took up saddle hunting before last season, I quickly realized that my Fourth Arrow Camera Arm that worked from my LW hang-on didn’t work so great from my tree saddle. The camera arms available at the time were not designed for the hunter to be facing the tree; they were all long arms designed to come from behind the hunter and extend out in front of them when used from a treestand. These long arms were awkward when used from a saddle and since both arm segments were always the same length, the shot gun mic would get hung up on the tree when passing the camera from one side to another. Not only was the extended length of the arms a hindrance for saddle hunters, it also made the arms heavier and less compact for transport, which of course is the exact opposite of what saddle hunting is all about. Not only was my self-filming equipment not fit for filming from a saddle, I was also adjusting to the learning curve that naturally comes with saddle hunting, so self-filming took a backseat.
I’m a big fan of DIY Sportsman, and when I saw his video of how he modified his Fourth Arrow Camera Arm, so that the shotgun mic can pass between you and the tree without getting hung-up on the tree, I had one of those “why didn’t I think of that” moments. The problem I had with just copying what he did was that I live in an apartment and don’t have the tools or workspace to do mods like that, so I tried to come up with an easier way to accomplish the same thing involving less DIY-ing and still making use of some of the Fourth Arrow equipment I already had.
Ok enough backstory, I’ll get to the point now... Here is what I came up with:
The arm consists of the 12” Extension Arm combined with the 6” Raptor Arm, and it plugs into the Stiff Arm Base I already own, which I modified by replacing the ratchet strap with a 2” thick camo OCB buckle and strap from Strapworks. Since it is made of Fourth Arrow components, it is completely modular. If I know I will be sitting in a tree that is too large in diameter for my modified saddle hunting arm, I can always grab my old stiff arm and use that. However this is hardly ever going to be the case because the 18” of length should be plenty for trees up to about 30” in diameter I would guess, and 30” trees are few and far between in the marsh areas I target. Additionally, this arm seems like it is able to hold more camera weight than my original Stiff Arm; I believe this is just because it holds the weight much closer to the tree when fully extended. Also, the Raptor Arm comes with a tripod adapter so when I hunt from the ground in my ghillie suit I can put the Raptor arm on top of my tripod and run it that way. The 6” difference in length between the two arm segments allows my shotgun mic to easily pass by the tree, and as you can tell in the photos I have a very large shotgun mic on my camera, so if mine works yours probably will too. Another benefit of this setup, unlike any other arms I’ve seen, is that it is comprised of separate components that can pack up easily and then be quickly assembled at the tree. This arm actually takes up considerably less space in my pack than my Stiff Arm, and this has a lot to do with its ability to completely disassemble (the arm segments come apart from each other, not just from the base and shoulder) and stow away in the pack.
I do not have a scale to get a weight at the moment, but it seems to be a bit lighter than the stiff arm and I believe this is just a result of its smaller size. It is also still a work in progress. I have just received stealth strips in the mail to stealth strip the whole arm, base, and shoulder, as well as the large OCB buckle. I am also on a waitlist to get Fourth Arrows new compact base and shoulder when they are back in stock, so that will help out with weight even more. For me the dimensions optimized for saddle hunting are the main benefit of this system as well as the compact size. The little weight savings I may get from this are not as big of a concern for me because I’m using a frame pack when I’m self-filming and there isn’t a filming setup on the planet that is truly “lightweight” by SaddleHunter standards. In my experience, if weight is your primary concern than self-filming is probably not for you because camera gear, especially high end camera gear, is heavy.
One other thing I want to mention because I know it will get brought up... yes, I have seen Modern Assassin and OOAL’s new Reach Arm. It looks like a very nice option and I was considering it until I came up with this setup. Personally, I am not a fan of three arm segments, but that’s strictly my personal preference. I also already had a Fourth Arrow arm that I had gotten comfortable with and liked, so I wanted to find a solution using Fourth Arrow components because it’s what I was already familiar with. I made this post because I think what I made here is a good option for guys that prefer two arm segments and don’t want to do the full DIY version that DIY Sportsman made. If you have the time and resources to do his mod I strongly suggest looking into his version, because it might be even lighter and cheaper to make than my version. Or if you like three arm segments, I hear great things about OOAL and talked to Matt Garis on the phone over the summer about a different DIY project, he is a solid guy and from what I hear his products are great too.
I will be doing some in the field testing this weekend and report back. At some point I will also be making a video review of my whole saddle self-filming system. Hopefully I will get around to making that video somewhat soon, but with the awesome cold front we have in the Midwest right now, you probably shouldn’t hold your breath because I’m using all my spare time for hunting right now. I will make one eventually though, and in the meantime I am happy to answer any questions if my setup is something you might be interested in trying out yourself.
If you read all that, I applaud you. Shoot me questions if you have any!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Other than saddle hunting, self-filming seems to be the fastest growing hunting fad recently. I got into self filming three seasons ago and was able to film a few deer hunts the first two seasons. I didn’t shoot a buck either of those seasons though; and when I took up saddle hunting before last season, I quickly realized that my Fourth Arrow Camera Arm that worked from my LW hang-on didn’t work so great from my tree saddle. The camera arms available at the time were not designed for the hunter to be facing the tree; they were all long arms designed to come from behind the hunter and extend out in front of them when used from a treestand. These long arms were awkward when used from a saddle and since both arm segments were always the same length, the shot gun mic would get hung up on the tree when passing the camera from one side to another. Not only was the extended length of the arms a hindrance for saddle hunters, it also made the arms heavier and less compact for transport, which of course is the exact opposite of what saddle hunting is all about. Not only was my self-filming equipment not fit for filming from a saddle, I was also adjusting to the learning curve that naturally comes with saddle hunting, so self-filming took a backseat.
I’m a big fan of DIY Sportsman, and when I saw his video of how he modified his Fourth Arrow Camera Arm, so that the shotgun mic can pass between you and the tree without getting hung-up on the tree, I had one of those “why didn’t I think of that” moments. The problem I had with just copying what he did was that I live in an apartment and don’t have the tools or workspace to do mods like that, so I tried to come up with an easier way to accomplish the same thing involving less DIY-ing and still making use of some of the Fourth Arrow equipment I already had.
Ok enough backstory, I’ll get to the point now... Here is what I came up with:
The arm consists of the 12” Extension Arm combined with the 6” Raptor Arm, and it plugs into the Stiff Arm Base I already own, which I modified by replacing the ratchet strap with a 2” thick camo OCB buckle and strap from Strapworks. Since it is made of Fourth Arrow components, it is completely modular. If I know I will be sitting in a tree that is too large in diameter for my modified saddle hunting arm, I can always grab my old stiff arm and use that. However this is hardly ever going to be the case because the 18” of length should be plenty for trees up to about 30” in diameter I would guess, and 30” trees are few and far between in the marsh areas I target. Additionally, this arm seems like it is able to hold more camera weight than my original Stiff Arm; I believe this is just because it holds the weight much closer to the tree when fully extended. Also, the Raptor Arm comes with a tripod adapter so when I hunt from the ground in my ghillie suit I can put the Raptor arm on top of my tripod and run it that way. The 6” difference in length between the two arm segments allows my shotgun mic to easily pass by the tree, and as you can tell in the photos I have a very large shotgun mic on my camera, so if mine works yours probably will too. Another benefit of this setup, unlike any other arms I’ve seen, is that it is comprised of separate components that can pack up easily and then be quickly assembled at the tree. This arm actually takes up considerably less space in my pack than my Stiff Arm, and this has a lot to do with its ability to completely disassemble (the arm segments come apart from each other, not just from the base and shoulder) and stow away in the pack.
I do not have a scale to get a weight at the moment, but it seems to be a bit lighter than the stiff arm and I believe this is just a result of its smaller size. It is also still a work in progress. I have just received stealth strips in the mail to stealth strip the whole arm, base, and shoulder, as well as the large OCB buckle. I am also on a waitlist to get Fourth Arrows new compact base and shoulder when they are back in stock, so that will help out with weight even more. For me the dimensions optimized for saddle hunting are the main benefit of this system as well as the compact size. The little weight savings I may get from this are not as big of a concern for me because I’m using a frame pack when I’m self-filming and there isn’t a filming setup on the planet that is truly “lightweight” by SaddleHunter standards. In my experience, if weight is your primary concern than self-filming is probably not for you because camera gear, especially high end camera gear, is heavy.
One other thing I want to mention because I know it will get brought up... yes, I have seen Modern Assassin and OOAL’s new Reach Arm. It looks like a very nice option and I was considering it until I came up with this setup. Personally, I am not a fan of three arm segments, but that’s strictly my personal preference. I also already had a Fourth Arrow arm that I had gotten comfortable with and liked, so I wanted to find a solution using Fourth Arrow components because it’s what I was already familiar with. I made this post because I think what I made here is a good option for guys that prefer two arm segments and don’t want to do the full DIY version that DIY Sportsman made. If you have the time and resources to do his mod I strongly suggest looking into his version, because it might be even lighter and cheaper to make than my version. Or if you like three arm segments, I hear great things about OOAL and talked to Matt Garis on the phone over the summer about a different DIY project, he is a solid guy and from what I hear his products are great too.
I will be doing some in the field testing this weekend and report back. At some point I will also be making a video review of my whole saddle self-filming system. Hopefully I will get around to making that video somewhat soon, but with the awesome cold front we have in the Midwest right now, you probably shouldn’t hold your breath because I’m using all my spare time for hunting right now. I will make one eventually though, and in the meantime I am happy to answer any questions if my setup is something you might be interested in trying out yourself.
If you read all that, I applaud you. Shoot me questions if you have any!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk