Video Bowhunting
by Gary Olsen
I have been videotaping my bowhunts since 1986. It's a great way to relive fond memories and share my experiences with others. I edit my videos on a computer, which allows me to add narration, music, graphics and special effects.
I'm not a professional videographer, but I have learned a lot through experience, what it takes to make a good hunting video. I have been encouraged by friends to share my knowledge on the subject by writing this article.
When I first started videotaping, very few people owned camcorders. Nowadays, nearly everyone has one or has access to one, yet very few choose to videotape their hunts. A lot of hunters take along a camcorder but never take it out of the case, or only tape a few scenes around camp or at the buck pole. They don't want to take on the extra burden of dragging another piece of equipment with them into the woods.
Good video does take some dedication and sacrifice. You have to deal with the hassle of hauling and setting up your equipment every time out. You have to deal with the disappointment of all that effort going un-rewarded day after day as good video opportunities elude you. You may lose some bow shot opportunities because you're concentrating on video. However, if you want good video, you must think video first and bow shots second.
The number and variety of camcorders available today will boggle your mind. Any camcorder will do to get started. It's just a matter of taking it with you into the woods. If you want really good video that you can edit and make copies of that are worth watching, you should go with the new digital video. Prices have come down over the past few years, and are fairly reasonable. The camcorder that I bought 4 years ago for $1100.00 can be purchased today for about $500.00.
The camcorder that I use most of the time is a digital 8 MM palmcorder. It is a consumer grade camera, but it records excellent, near broadcast quality video. If you step up to a semi-professional digital camcorder, you'll be paying $3000.00 or more.
I'm not going to get into the technical aspects of videography or make product recommendations. I'm just going to describe the techniques that I have used and the lessons that I have learned over the years that you might find useful.
Videotaping methods
When taping hunting situations there are two basic methods; the buddy system, where one person carries his bow and the other mans the camcorder; and alone, where you try to hunt with both bow and camcorder. The buddy system works the best to get really good video of both hunter and prey, but some one must sacrifice his hunting time to run the camcorder. We used this method on the moose hunt described at the beginning of this article. We would alternate each day until some one filled his tag, then that person would become permanent cameraman for the rest of the hunt.
When going solo, you give up the opportunity to get hunter and prey in the same scene, but get to spend more of your time trying to fill your own tag.
Stability is very important when recording. If you don't have your camcorder mounted on a stabile platform, your video can be very shaky, especially when using telephoto. I've seen people waving their camcorders around like they're swatting bugs. They are going to be very disappointed with their video. The picture will be so shaky that you get dizzy watching it. If your camcorder has a image stabilizer, you should use it all the time.
The best way to achieve stability is by using a tripod. You should use one whenever possible. However, using a tripod in a hunting situation can present some problems because of its limited amount of flexibility. If all of the action is in front of you, it works fine, but what if an animal approaches from behind you? You either have to move the tripod or walk around it. Either way, it's way too much movement. If you're in a tree, a tripod is impractical. There are a number of camera mounts available that attach to your tree stand or a tree or other object. These will do the job in some situations, but are subject to the same limitations as a tripod.
Another method is to mount the camcorder on your bow. With this method, you can follow the action and still be ready to shoot. This method presents you with a different set of problems. It is a shaky setup if you hold your bow in a shooting position. When I am using this method, I hold the lower limb of my longbow between my knees, and press the camcorder up against my head as I look through the viewfinder. I hold the bow handle in one hand and the camcorder in the other. This way I can hold the camcorder fairly steady and operate all of the controls. When my quarry reaches a point that might present a shooting situation, I shift to a normal shooting mode. My camcorder is synchronized with my arrow so it "looks" wherever my arrow is pointing. This way I can stay on target without having to look through the viewfinder just by pointing my arrow. This works good right up to the point that you release your arrow. At that instant, the limb shock jolts the camera so hard that it blinks or jerks so badly that you can't follow the path of the arrow when you view the video. You miss "the moment of truth". Also, in the heat of the moment, your brain goes numb and you forget to follow the flight of the animal with your camcorder.
Another problem with a bow mount is that the extra weight on your bow can affect your shooting. With practice you will get used to the extra weight, and your accuracy shouldn't be affected. However, you should not practice with the camcorder attached. The shock of the bow being fired time after time can damage your camcorder after a while. To solve this problem, I constructed a lead dummy with the same weight as my camcorder, and attached it to my bow mount.
There are bow mounts commercially available. However, I don't know if any one has come out with a model that can be mounted on a longbow. I have experimented with a couple of longbow mounts of my own design.
If you are using your camcorder freehand, there are a few methods that you can use to achieve stability. One method is to lean against a tree or other solid object. If there are no objects available, you can sit on the ground, with you knees up. Lock your elbows around your knees and hold the camcorder against your head as you look through the viewfinder. This method is nearly as stabile as a tripod, but because of your proximity to the ground, you may have trouble seeing past ground cover like grass and brush. I sometimes use my longbow as a stabilizer. I stick the lower limb in the top of my boot, and grip the upper limb as I hold the camcorder in both hands. Another method that works very well is to attach your camcorder to a gun-stock. There are stocks commercially available that are built specifically for this purpose. I adapted an old pellet gun stock which does a pretty good job. This technique works very well when using the buddy system. However, when hunting alone the stock adds more bulk for you to deal with.
Another videotaping method that I have been experimenting with is the use of a head-cam. I attached a small video camera to a hard-hat liner, which fits snuggly on my head. I wear a camo stocking cap over the top of it with a small hole for the lens. I pre-aim the camera so it points right where I look when I'm shooting my longbow. This camera is linked via cable to my camcorder, which I have slung over my shoulder. I use the camcorder freehand until a shooting situation develops. Then I turn on the head-cam and switch the camcorder to VTR mode. The camcorder will then record the video input from the head-cam. I use a thin nylon cord as a sling rather than a regular shoulder strap. The cord slides against my clothing better than the wide shoulder strap. I slide the camcorder around behind me, which leaves my hands free to shoot my longbow. The only time that I use the head-cam is when I'm anticipating taking a shot with my bow. The picture quality of the head-cam isn't as good as the camcorder, and it doesn't have an image stabilizer. However, it does do a good job of capturing the "moment of truth". You still have to remember to follow the flight of the animal after the shot.
Mike Misch with his bow-mounted mini-DV camcorder.
What to Tape
When it comes to taping wildlife, you can't get too much footage. You never know when something interesting will happen, so let the camera run. Later you can edit out all of the boring scenes. You should try to get some scenes of hunting activities too, like setting up stands, building blinds or following blood trails. Camp activities can add a little variety to your video as well. Some introductory shots of hunting companions, methods of transportation, scenery and other points of interest all add a little spice to your video. However, moderation is the key to an interesting video. Too much of any scene will become boring after a bit.
When taping scenery, try to keep camera movement to a minimum. A five second still shot, of a sunset is better than panning across the horizon. If you have a wide panorama that you want to capture, you can use a series of still shots. If you really want a panning shot, move very slow and steady, preferably with a tripod. A beautiful sunset that's bouncing all over the screen is not very pleasing to watch.
When taping a number of animals that are passing by (a herd of caribou, a flock of turkeys, etc.), you should keep the camcorder pointed at one spot and let the animals pass through that spot, rather than shifting your attention back and forth from one animal to another or panning across the whole area. If you try capturing the whole herd at once by panning back and forth, the resulting video will be jerky and less interesting. If you keep the camcorder pointed at one spot, you'll have a nice steady video that shows each animal in detail as it passes through the camcorders field of view.
No matter what scene you're taping, you should let your camcorder continue recording for 2 or 3 seconds beyond the point that you want the scene to stop. Some camcorders backup (run in reverse) after you turn them off. If you stop your scene too abruptly, you can lose important parts of the scene. Also, when editing, its good to have a couple of extra seconds between scenes to work with.
Editing
Editing can make an average video into a really good one. You can get rid of mistakes and boring or unwanted footage. You can add narration to explain what's happening on the screen. You can dub in music, text, graphics and special effects. Some editing can be done with nothing but your camcorder and a VCR. There are also editing programs for your computer that allow you to capture the video from your camcorder and edit it on the computer and then print it back to tape or DVD without losing any resolution. Some of these programs are expensive but there are some that are reasonably priced that do a good job.
One thing is for sure, you will never regret having videotaped a hunt. It's amazing how many details you forget about a hunt until you re-live them when viewing the video. Videotaping allows you to save precious memories and share them with friends and family. Whenever I return from a hunt, one of the first things people say to me is, "When do I get to see the video?"
TIPS
A manual over-ride for your auto-focus is a very important feature. When videotaping wildlife, there is almost always some foreground clutter between you and your subject. For example, you're videotaping a moving deer and he passes behind a tree that is close to you. The auto-focus thinks that you want to shoot the tree and focuses on it, leaving the deer a big blur. If you switch off the auto focus, and manually focus to infinity, most animal encounters will be in focus. If not, it should only take a slight manual adjustment to bring the image to a sharp focus. My buddy Mike was operating the camcorder one time, as I was about to take a shot at a bull moose. As the bull approached, he passed behind a bush in the foreground and since the auto-focus was on, the camcorder focused on the bush. Mike failed to notice that fact, in the heat of the moment. The bull was a big fuzzy blur as my arrow skipped off his back.
Battery Conservation
Often, while on a hunting trip, you don't have access to electricity. Therefore, you need to be efficient with the use of your batteries. You can conserve battery power by turning off automatic features like auto-focus and auto-zoom. Most new camcorders don't have a manual zoom option, but if you minimize the use of it, you can save power. Also, if you use the eyepiece viewfinder instead of the flip out viewing monitor, you can save a lot of power. The new digital camcorders are more efficient than the older models. Most camcorders come with a one or two hour battery. Extra batteries can be purchased separately though. Some are rated to last as long as 12 hours. However, the battery rating is based on minimal power settings. Lithium batteries are the best and the most expensive.
Videotape
You should always use the best grade of videotape that is available for your particular camcorder. Standard grade tape is okay for taping a TV program, but your precious memories should be recorded on something that's not going to deteriorate in a few years.
Microphone
One piece of equipment that I find very useful is an external, directional microphone. The built-in mic on your camcorder is inadequate to pick up the subtle sounds that you experience in hunting situations, like a deer walking in the leaves or birds singing in the background. These elements add greatly to your video. Nearly all camcorders have a jack for an external mic. Many camcorders have a hot shoe that will accept an external mic. This type (sometimes referred to as "Shotgun Mic") gets power from the camcorder. There is a problem with this type, however. The mic picks up the sound of your camcorder motors, so your video has a continuous hum in the background. I like to use a remotely mounted mic, which eliminates this problem. However, this type needs a battery. I hope this brief summary is helpful or inspirational to any of you bowhunters that are ready to add another dimension to your already challenging hobby.
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