Recording hunts

[amishnightmare]

As any outdoor enthusiast, I have a question about recording my hunts. I know Terry Drury and Michael Waddell are champion turkey callers so they kind of have a trade in it i guess but how would be the best way to get my hunts out there and get started. I know i'll have to prove myself to be good. I'm not rich so its not like i can book a guided hunt when ever i want unfortunately. But i want my own show. Any input on how to get started? I do have a HD Sony camcorder. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

[DEER30]

Hunt hard and often. We have been filming our hunts for 2 yrs now. It sounds like you and I are in the same boat in that we hunt when we can (after work and weekends I'm guessing) and in areas that may not be known for monster bucks. It will be hard to get interesting footage that will be attractive to investors and the larger audiences with limited hunting time or access. Always take your camera and be dedicated. It can get frustrating hauling that camera around and the equipment that goes with it (camera arm, tripod, etc.) but believe me, the one time you leave it in the truck is a garunteed way to kill a big deer. Then you are left with one less tag and still no video. Also, film everything. Remember its not just about the kill. You want to tell a story and give your viewers an idea of the setting, conditions, and the experience of the hunt.

To help be successful, I get in the stand earlier to allow extra setup time. be familiar with your equipment so your not fumbling around in the dark. If you are solo caming it, when the shot is about to present itself, move the camera into position and allow the deer to walk into frame.

Buy a decent media editing software. I use Pinnacle Studio and it has many effects that can help you put a quality product together.

I hope this helps. You can check out some of our videos at www.deer30outdoors.com These clips have been reduced in size to load better on the web.

[mhouck06]

THat is a tall order, but good luck!
We film our hunts.. Its difficult, very difficult, because most of the time no one wants to give up hunting to film. We are not too serious about it. Some of the small companies around here asked for our footage, so we give them what we get.. Kill or not... like deer 30 said, it’s not all about the kill.
Depending on the time you have saved up to take off.. we do a lot of diy hunts out of state. Usually you can get in 2 or 3 states for less than $1000. That opens up the door tremendously. Only bad thing is, I hardly hunted PA this year... but we were in MD, OH, IN and MT.
Montana took us well over our normal budget, but that’s one we have saved up for over the past 2 years. You have to be very dedicated to the sport. To do it successfully takes a lot of work and attention to detail. Most times, I do leave the camera in the truck because I would rather get the full experience of the hunt and not worry about the camera. If you are willing to sacrifice a lot and work harder than ever to hunt, you are in the right mind set.. Getting up extra early.. Passing on shots because you don’t have the right camera angle.. It turns into work and I don’t like to work.. I like to hunt. You can PM me if you have specific questions.
We established ourselves as primarily public land hunters and we have had some success, from that, people started asking us to record hunts. Don’t get me wrong, it’s fun doing it, it’s fun watching the footage and its fun getting a little more notoriety around town, but it is definitely earned with hard work and dedication. Do not lose sight that you are out there to hunt and enjoy the outdoors.