Tips for Filming your Hunt from a Treestand

by Jamieson Crast, owner of Reckoning Media Company, LLC.

Ever want to film your own deer hunt but didn’t know how to get started? Here’s how you do it.

Filming your own hunt is an awesome way to spend more time in the woods, learn a new skill, and relive the hunt for years down the road. It’s not terribly expensive to get started, but you will need some specialized gear. Here are some tips and gear that I use to film my deer hunts from a treestand. Don’t forget to wear that safety harness.

You Need a Tree Arm

Think of this as an extension of your arms, except that it’s attached to the tree allowing you to hunt. Tree arms come in all shapes and sizes and range from $100 to $500. In this video, I’m using a Muddy Camera Arm. These are rugged and well-built.

Where to Mount the Tree Arm

Being right-handed, I set my treestand so my shot will be somewhere in that 100-120 degree window in front of me. This is especially important when filming to ensure that you can get the camera wrapped around and get the deer in the frame.

I mount the base of the tree arm on my right side. When I’m standing, I want the base mount just a few inches below the belt. Once the base is secured tightly to the tree, you can attach the arm, get it level, and mount your camera. This position allows me to grab my bow with my left hand and get myself in position to take the shot. This is something that comes with practice, so make sure you run through this shot process in your mind. I’d even give it a few dry runs once you get in the tree. You’re going to mess up a lot, but you’ll be really thankful the times it works out.

Add More Cameras for More Angles

Once I’ve got the tree arm mounted, the last thing I do is mount a couple more cameras to pick up other angles. These cameras might be GoPros, DSLRs—any point-of-view cam. There’s no right or wrong here. I always mount a wide-angle camera above me pointing out where I expect my shot to be. This acts as my safety or backup angle. It should get me in the same frame as I grab my bow and take the shot. If you get the shakes when that big buck is coming in and you mess up on the main angle, you’ll be thankful you ran your second angle.

That’s my treestand camera setup. Mess around with it for yourself. Try out some different mounts and cameras. Get creative and be safe out there. An ethical hunt should always be the main focus here, and there’s nothing better than the camera capturing the raw emotion at the moment of truth.