Just curious how many of you buy dvd's before your hunts?

How have they helped you in your hunt?

If I was going on any hunt and had not been there before I would most certainly buy any relevant video out there.
If you are going after DG then any of the Boddingtons and all of Mark Sullivans videos are very good to watch. YOu wont beat Sullivans footage for educational benefit. I would buy the lot if I were you.
If it was for plains game I would go out and shoot as much as possible and hunt all season leading up to it.
Watching plains game videos wont teach you much but may give you a mental picture of what to expect when you get there.
Good luck
HQ

I second that Boddington choice.

But, I would take anything produced by Mark Sullivan with a very large dose of salt.

His way is simply NOT the way to hunt dangerous game.

It is our duty as hunters to dispatch the animals we shoot as quickly as possible.

Playing silly buggers by says "I give the buffalo a choice of how he wants to die" is nothing but total bullshit.

The buffalo did not want to die, it is as simple as that.

Each to his own.
I was referring to the sequence in which the animals, more specifically Buff and Hippo start to charge etc. The way they carry their heads, the movement of the brain, the differing angles of the brain.
If you have a slow/mo function on your dvd you can really break it down to better understand the situation.
There is no greater number of charges to study for the money you pay than on the sullivan DVD's If you are looking for a Safari video then look elsewhere. If you want kills shots to study the worst case scenarios then Sullivan. Boddington is educational and provides a good middle ground.
Most of the PH/guide schools I know of use Sullivans footage to teach with as it is up close and personal and very well filmed.
Not to say that Boddington is not well filmed, but Sullivans focus is on the death of the animal and how to bring that about in close quarters situations.
A very good thing to look at is "The perfect shot" by Doctari it will help you a lot.

If I am traveling to a new area I have not hunted before and there is a dvd covering a safari in that area, I will buy it to get an idea of the conditions and terrain I will be hunting in. They also give a good idea of game density and trophy quality... sometimes the quality of the dvd is just ok but the intel is worth the price.

I also buy dvd's of concessions and outfits I have hunted with before. Good to see old friends and familiar country again. Brings back great memories of the people and places I have met in my journeys.

Buzz Charlton's DVD on hunting ele is a good watch before an elephant hunt.

quote:

Buzz Charlton's DVD on hunting ele is a good watch before an elephant hunt.

That and Will's book and you're good-to-go.

Even after more than a handful of elephants, I still always look at Buzz's video before I go... sometimes second guessing Buzz .... but, always learning more about elephant behavior and where to shoot from different angles.

Will's book is certainly worth its cost, too. Besides being educational, it's entertaining to read.

quote:

Originally posted by African Hunters Quest:
If I was going on any hunt and had not been there before I would most certainly buy any relevant video out there.
If you are going after DG then any of the Boddingtons and all of Mark Sullivans videos are very good to watch. YOu wont beat Sullivans footage for educational benefit. I would buy the lot if I were you.
If it was for plains game I would go out and shoot as much as possible and hunt all season leading up to it.
Watching plains game videos wont teach you much but may give you a mental picture of what to expect when you get there.
Good luck
HQ

AHQ there are some lessons on MS films best not learned!

quote:

Originally posted by Saeed:
I second that Boddington choice.

But, I would take anything produced by Mark Sullivan with a very large dose of salt.

His way is simply NOT the way to hunt dangerous game.

It is our duty as hunters to dispatch the animals we shoot as quickly as possible.

Playing silly buggers by says "I give the buffalo a choice of how he wants to die" is nothing but total bullshit.

The buffalo did not want to die, it is as simple as that.

Saeed you well know my feelings toward MS’s antics, and I agree with you on the “SALT”

However there is some education in MS’s films! First it is a primer on how not to shoot your client’s buffalo, or to teach clients that is a good idea to cause a charge when it is not necessary!

The real value in his films is the study of the body language of cape buffalo to learn what they are likely to do next, by the way they act! This is a skill that on your own, it will take years of experience to learn what you can learn on these films about the buffalo’s habits! If the films are used for that purpose, then they will be beneficial to a new client hunter, but he has to be able to disregard the BS on the films as well! He will learn far more valuable information from Boddington, than MS for sure!

............................

quote:

Originally posted by Biebs:

quote:

Buzz Charlton's DVD on hunting ele is a good watch before an elephant hunt.

That and Will's book and you're good-to-go.

Damn Biebs, you shouldn't have said that, Hell Will's hat will barely fit him now!

I have done some African hunting and particularly if I was going to hunt a new area or species I had no experience with I would try to read or look at everything I could find on the subject. I think DVD's are a great way to familiarize yourself with a new hunting experience. You may not want to take every word as gospel but you'll have a general idea of what the hunt might be like.

Mark

mostly what i would like is a dvd that would show the area i was going to. helps alot if you know something of the landscape before

Hell I buy hunting DVD's before and AFTER the hunt.

There's nothing good on TV anymore and I need fodder for my portable DVD player in my reloading room.

Seriously, I buy hunting DVDs for two reasons. Some are educational - the Boddington DVDs serve that purpose well. Some of the informatin is basic or remedial, but it's all good and there's no one that couldn't benefit from a refresher even if they already know most of that stuff. Second, they're entertaining. I like Marc Watts' videos even though his way (long range shooting) isn't my way. I like Sullivan's videos (though I only have a couple) because I find them entertaining. I suppose you could study them as others have suggested so as to be more familiar with a buffalo's behavior and the subtle things it does when it is about to charge, but for me it's just something cool to watch when I'm working.

Anticipation is one of the best parts of going on a hunt. Watching DVD's before the hunt really adds to the anticipation.

If it wasn't for Buzz Charlton's and Boddington's videos on Elephant hunting, i would not have been nearly prepared enough for my hunt. They really helped in all aspects. Between my 3 Brothers and i we have hundreds of hunting videos and about 1/3 are on african hunting. We continuously swap and buy new ones when they come out. Some of my favorites other than the 2 mentioned above are:

Big Bore productions
Big Botswana Tuskers #2 (Johan Calitz)
Jack Brittingham
Tracks Accross Africa
Nosler or Magnum Hunt Club
Billy Mole (North American Game)
Bart Lancaster (North American Game)
Jim Shockey or Stony Wolf Productions

By far, my favorite is Trail Outdoor Productions. (It is my brother and he films most of our hunts for us now and the DVD is one of the greatest treasures from the hunting adventure) I may be a bit biased here, but he really does a good job.

quote:

The real value in his films is the study of the body language of cape buffalo to learn what they are likely to do next, by the way they act! This is a skill that on your own, it will take years of experience to learn what you can learn on these films about the buffalo’s habits! If the films are used for that purpose, then they will be beneficial to a new client hunter, but he has to be able to disregard the BS on the films as well!

Mac
You have hit the nail on the head. As you so often do
Thanks
HQ

Watch the first part of disk 1 of Boddington on Elephant and if that doesn't get you fired up for elephant hunting I don't know what would.

Craig Boddington, Buzz Charlton, Kevin Robertson dvds are all very educational and great preparation.

I have most, if not all of those videos listed. I think Buzz's Elephant video is tops on where to shoot. I watch it several times before each trip.

And Buzz is a genuinely great guy!

quote:

However there is some education in MS’s films! First it is a primer on how not to shoot your client’s buffalo, or to teach clients that is a good idea to cause a charge when it is not necessary!

Exactly!

quote:

Originally posted by PSmith:
Craig Boddington, Buzz Charlton, Kevin Robertson dvds are all very educational and great preparation.

+1

Didn't Buzz put out a second video? If so what is the name?

His instructional video is great. The best out there IMHO.

quote:

Didn't Buzz put out a second video? If so what is the name?

In 2008 Charlton McCallum Safaris put out a DvD with the name Zambezi Extreme.

/Krister

I just love hunting and so I watch videos all the time! Both before the hunt and afterwards. I need something to feed the addiction.

Before my elephant hunt I watched Buzz's video and before my lion hunt I watched Craig's video. I like them for their info, but I also use it as an anticipation and to try and imagine the shot angles and types of presentations that could get offered. On the plane I usually end up just thinking about shot placement and what I have to do to make the perfect shot on several different presentations. It has worked out well for me so far. I usually carry Kevin Robertson's mini perfect shot for africa as well.