How To Film Your Own Deer Hunt Part 2 | What Camera Gear and Camera Arm You Need

JEREMY FLINN

07/06/2016

This is part 2 in our series devoted to information on filming you own deer hunt, in our last segment the first part of this how to film your own deer hunt series, we talked about the camera gear. The first segment covered which camera to actual get, the secondary camera or camera for the second angle, and audio that you should pay attention to. In this segment I wanted to talk about getting it all up in the tree, and the actual filming of the hunts themselves, that’s where the rubber meets the

What Camera Gear and Camera Arm You Need To Buy To Film Deer Hunts

Backpack

To start before you even climb up in the tree you need a good backpack, for that I turn to the Campbell Camera Pack, By Badlands.

The Campbell Camera Pack, by Badlands – $299

The Purchase was well worth it, It works great for weather I’m using a tripod, or I have my hunting camera arm attached, and it fits all of my camera gear in it as well as a computer and extras for hunting and work. It also features a water resistant suspended pocket for DSLRs or the camcorder batteries and lenses, and a lot of pockets for the go pro and the long list of accessories one might need when filming your own deer hunt.

Fluid Head

The other thing you need is a fluid head, now there is a lot of cheaper fluid head options out there, but if you want high quality footage it needs to be steady rock solid and smooth! Cheap fluid heads just don’t cut it, by far Manfrotto makes exceptional fluid heads I have the MVH500AH head.

Manfrotto MVH550AH – $169.99

Tripod
I mention a tripod in this video, it is a critical part of what camera gear you need to buy to film deer hunts with. You just need something that threads in with the fluid head that is at a height you desire, what you are paying for is durability, flexibility, and weight. The one in this video is listed below.

Vanguard Auctus Plus 284AT Aluminum Tripod – $195
Hunting Camera Arm

When filming whitetail hunts, the most important thing besides the actual camera is the hunting camera arm. Now this can be one of the most important purchases you make. First and what’s pretty basic is being steady with the weight, for first time filming or amateur filming you really don’t have to worry so much about weight restrictions, what you have like me is pretty light, but once you get into larger cameras you need to upgrade. Second the camera arm itself needs to be light but steady and strong. When you are carrying this stuff in, lighter is always better especially if you are filming every day or every other day, it can wear you out fast. The third thing that I know a lot of different camera arms fail to realize is ease of setting it up. While the designs of some camera arms look good on paper or online, they really do not think of the hunter. Place yourself into the scenario its dark, its cold, you have got a lot of bulky clothes on you just climbed up 20 feet, you need something basic and routine to set up. Again I cannot stress the importance enough on how easy it needs to be to set up and quiet for that matter. For the past two years I have taken a camera to the stand almost every day of the season, and ease and simplicity of the camera arm is what made my decision, and ultimately what should make your decision. I use the Muddy camera arms, and it literally is the perfect camera arm for filming your own hunt.

The Muddy Outfitter Camera Arm – $139.99

I picked up the Muddy camera arm. For one the base is all one piece nothing can fall off or needs to be assembled, and it’s all very silent even when hit with something. Second it’s easy to set up I just climb up, and it features an easy hang system, basically have a hook in the stand to hang it on while I put the strap around it and connect. The camera arm also has got easy adjustability up and down, side to side to make it really easy to level out. And what’s more important is it holds its weight down when extended. Fully extending a camera arm reveals a lot of problems with other camera arms on the market, but this can hold its weight extended in any direction.

Secondary Camera Head

When it comes to what camera gear you need to buy to film deer hunts, you can’t forget about the secondary camera angle. For this I usually go with a bow hook or small screw in arm. For this muddy makes it easy by supplying both, the link is below.

Muddy Micro Mount Camera Holder – $29.99

So that is what you should consider when it comes to what camera gear you need to buy to film deer hunts. This is the second segment in the series devoted to how to film your own deer hunt. Be sure to check back in later this summer for another video in the series on how to set up camera gear for filming deer hunts in a tree stand.