Filming with a bow.

Plewis99

Member
Anyone plan on filming their hunts while using their bow? I would like to, but trying to get an idea on what sort of camera would be best. Would rather have something that mounts to my bow, at a decent price.
 

BigCats

Senior Member
I have a little bitty cannon hand held not fancy I built an aluminum bracket that mounts behind stab and the camera mounts to that. Works pretty good nice to be able to sit in stand and go back and look at shot and such the camera is close enough I can turn it on and hit record with my middle finger.
 

Jim Boyd

Senior Member
GoPro most likely

They make numerous brackets

They are not exactly cheap though.

I see some cheap knock offs on Amazon but not sure how good they are.

Good luck!
 

Pneumothorax

Senior Member
Here's a recent, similar question asked and answered in the bowhunting forum:

http://forum.gon.com/showthread.php?t=848465

I've been self-filming my bowhunts for the last two seasons. I do use a GoPro but not attached to the bow. I put it where I expect the deer to be to get some close-up, from-the-ground video in addition to from-the-tree footage. The GoPro is controlled via WiFi remote. My tree-cam is a Sony HDR CX160 that I bought off ebay. Here's what I think is some cool video I took with the GoPro/Sony combo.



A GoPro would also be a good choice either mounted to the tree filming you or mounted on the bow pointed back at you.

I think most would agree that a bow-mounted camera is not ideal because the bow will jump when you shoot, which is the moment you want it to be very still. Better than nothing though.

Use lighted nocks. You'll be able to see the arrow's flight much better on video.

It cranks up the difficulty level of bowhunting but it's worth it when you're able to get some good video of your hunt! Good luck.
 

bw561737

Member
Look up the tactacam bow package. I bought it this summer and can't wait to use it in a week! The camera mounts into your stabilizer, and shoots in 1080p.

I would stay away from the gopro for your "kill shot." The reason being, the gopro features a fisheye lense, which makes the target appear farther than it actually is. A 20 yard shot in real life, looks like 40 on the fisheye. The gopro is great for the selfie style shot.

Just my two cents.
 

TireKicker

Banned
Anyone plan on filming their hunts while using their bow? I would like to, but trying to get an idea on what sort of camera would be best. Would rather have something that mounts to my bow, at a decent price.

Bows don't seem to have high quality video, I would opt for an actual camera.
 

edsebring

Senior Member
I have been using an Epic camera mounted to the front of my bow for years. It is good video but it does have a few flaws. I am sure that anyone here will tell you that if the camera is mounted to the bow then at the moment that you make that shot the image is going to jump from the vibration of the bow. It is nice to have the video of the animal walking in and if you can remember after the shot to keep your bow up and follow the animal you will have great video of the after shot. The nice thing with most of these cameras is that you can look at the video with any SD card reader. I carry one with me to check game cameras in the woods so it is handy to check exactly where I shot the animal at before I even get down out of the tree.
 

edsebring

Senior Member
the other nice thing is that they have two different models of this Epic camera. The cheap one is less than 60 dollars on sportsman's guide and the one I use I picked it up for 130 dollars.
 

critterslayer

Senior Member
I film my hunts using HD camcorders on a camera arm for my main camera, and GoPro's as my secondary in the tree pointing back at me. A camera mounted on your bow is not going to produce the best footage. If you're starting out, look at the little Canon cameras, an HME camera arm (they are cheap, but work well starting out), and a secondary camera if you want one.
 

DYI hunting

Senior Member
I've got a camera mount on my stand for this season and I'm working on a way to mount my cellphone to my bow.

I've never filmed before but looking forward to trying.
 

Deer Fanatic

Cool ? Useless Billy Deer Guide
I was originally going to get a go pro type camera last year for filming but decided to go with a small canon camera instead. I have been very happy so far, I really like being able to zoom in and out and also being able to look at the footage immediately after the shot. I got mine from Campbell Cameras along with a camera arm that straps to the tree. The video quality from these small cameras is really good too.
 

Silver Britches

Official Sports Forum Birthday Thread Starter
If quality matters to you, I would avoid mounting any type of camera to your bow, and mount it to the tree, instead. Your videos will be a lot more stable and more enjoyable to watch. Get it right the first time by going with a quality camera and setup.

I don't know what you're willing to spend, but this small Canon camera looks worth checking out. Canon VIXIA HF R600 and this inexpensive Camera arm Ridge Hunter Camera Arm looks very similar to the camera arm I have, which works great!

Best of luck with your decision.
 

rjseniorpro

Senior Member
Not only is the Bow mounted camera not a good idea, it's very hard on the camera. Just watch some of the slow motion shots of Bows and you will see the shock the camera receives. I tried it one season until I realized what the camera was going thru. You can't beat the buddy system, take turns filming each other.
 

rastus270

Senior Member
bow mounted cameras suck, cant see the shot and sure as heck aint gonna see anything after the shot. get a handycam and a camera mount that straps to tree or stand.
 

Grey Man

Senior Member
I tried it but it was just too much work. I shoot about one deer with my bow a year and trying to get it on film was such a challenge that I was spending more time working at that than I was enjoying my hunts. I quite because I didn't enjoy it. Sure, I wish I had hunts on film. But not at the expense of not enjoying myself.
 

Hairtrigger

Senior Member
I have to give you guys respect on being able to film your own archery hunts. I am lucky to remember my release, much less video cam, mounts, and everything else that goes with it....
 
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