At the beginning of the 2012/2013 deer season, goals were presented and emailed out to all Backwoods Life Bohnheads (Backwoods Life TV Prostaff). At the top of the list, harvesting a buck on film for Backwoods Life TV. The act of capturing the moment for all the viewers to see on The Sportsman Channel is a challenging task in itself, but videoing yourself filling a buck tag, raises the bar of difficulty.
How many of you have ever had a mature animal within the vicinity and you, as the hunter, could not seal the deal? If a few experiences just passed through your memory, you understand the degree of difficulty we are trying to capture. Hunting is never a guaranteed success. It’s a challenging enough sport due to the fact that we have absolutely no control of the game being pursued or the conditions in which we hunt. Now, add a camera into the mix and you see exactly what I mean. For those of you who have spent time in the woods filming, you know exactly how difficult it can be. After all, the person running the camera is the eyes of what will be seen on outdoor television. In filming, angles are everything! Just because the hunter has a clear picture of the scene before him doesn’t necessarily mean the cameraman is recording the same and vice-versa.
In order to capture and tell a story of the hunt, first, you must always have a video camera with you at all times. Second, the first action to be completed once a deer is spotted, is to hit the record button and focus in on the scene. And lastly, preparing yourself for the ethical shot and yes, all while recording every second. So, in other words, since I am filming myself, I am the cameraman first, then performing the duties and fundamentals of the hunter next.
I have hunted this particular land for more than 5 years, so I was familiar with the lay of the land, food sources, travel corridors, and game activity as the season progressed. I did manage to harvest two does on film while hunting with my Elite Pulse, which in my mind, was great practice.
Finally, on January 19th 2013, my Florida Buck tag was filled and all caught on film. You will have to tune into Backwoods Life TV on The Sportsman Channel this coming summer to see the hunt revealed. What you won’t see, are the two mature bucks I could have harvested, but unfortunately, could not get on camera, therefore, didn’t take the shot. That’s just the sacrifice I will have to live with while filming myself. All in all, I have not only become a better hunter, but a much better cameraman. So next time you hit the backwoods, take a video camera, for you never know what you will be able to share with others.