I have a friend with ALS who I used to hunt elk with. In two years he's gone from carrying elk quarters down the mountain to barely being able to blink. His brain is completely unaffected, so he's trapped in there.

I want to video my hunts this year for him, but I don't want some big, clunky equipment. What's the best way to put him out there with me? I am bow hunting so an extra person just ain't in the cards.

I will be back country in TZ for buff and in AK for grizz, so power and support requirements are important considerations.

Don, you might check here?
Bow Mounts

Also you might check GoPro

In addition ot Rusty's suggestion, I have another.

I bought a Contour Pro HD video camera and cable-tied it to the side of my hat. I adjusted it so that it "saw" exactly what I was looking at and captured the entirety of our elephant stalk while in Africa.

Sorry for your friend's condition. I hope that your efforts bring him some happiness.

Thanks, Rusty.

I'd already found those two. I don't know what I was hoping for.

If you search Amazon for "helmet video camera" you'll see a variety of very small cameras that mount in various ways.

quote:

Originally posted by dr_dog_guy:
If you search Amazon for "helmet video camera" you'll see a variety of very small cameras that mount in various ways.

Go Pro Camera

I'll give another vote for the Contour line of cameras. I currently own two, the GoPro is great as well; but for its size, rotating lens, one button operation, and USB charging the contour is the way to go. Be aware that some POVs shoot low quality video (VGA) make your selection based on full 1080p HD video and you'll be happy.
Hope this helps.

CCMDoc & Staley,

I was hoping to get it mounted on my head somehow. I'll check into your suggestion. What kind of logistics did you need?

Thanks to all for your suggestions.

Don,

Walter says he will be happy to drill and tap your head and mount the camera on it.

Free of charge!

Saeed,

Maybe he could fix my loose screw while he's in there.

I wondered how long it would take someone to go there! Hope you and yours are doing well.

I have a gift that I havent used yet its a pair of dark glasses with a built in camera from HUNTERS SPECIALITY I-Kam xtreame
It has a wide angle lens and captures everything right out to 30-40yds
www.hsindustries.com
We used them last year and they work real well you cant zoom up on anything but its great for bowhunting.

they only have a 4gig memory so can only take 20min at a time though they do support 8 gig SD cards

. . . they dont do so well when you drive over them with a landcruiser though

I know you said another person (cameraman) isn't an option. But in all honesty I don't think you're going to get much good footage with a helmet or body-mounted camera system. The GoPros and similar cameras are excellent quality but you really have no control of what you are getting footage of for the most part. Unless you could make absolute sure in what direction it is pointing at all times.

maybe buy a small HD camcorder (Canon makes great ones) to film the scenery, maybe some footage of the animal during the stalk, etc... then try and mount one of the above mentioned cameras to the bow itself to try and get the kill shot on video.

Don

I took a GoPro to Namibia last summer on a rifle safari, and was a disappointed because the animals 150 yards away weren't visible, even though the camera was pointed in the right direction. However, on an archery hunt that would not be an issue.
Mine came with a head mount and a few other mounts as well. You have to buy a memory card for it, and I don't remember the sizes, but they're pretty big.
One big drawback is that you have to buy software to view mp4 files, because that's what the gopro makes.
I hope your friend enjoys the videos and that you can spend some time enjoying him.

We have an AR member here who's a bow hunter and has also developed a mount for a bow to fit a Kodak Playsport. I'll ask him to contact you.

I have a Sony Handycam HDR-CX130 with a 40X zoom.
It is small and light and takes good video.

I have tried to use a camera bow mount that replaces the stabilizer.
It works very well all the way till the shot.
At the shot, you get a disturbance(shock) and you will not be able to film the arrow flight and impact properly.

I am still working on finding a solution to make it work well enough to make me satisfied.

quote:

Originally posted by Don_G:
CCMDoc & Staley,

I was hoping to get it mounted on my head somehow. I'll check into your suggestion. What kind of logistics did you need?

Thanks to all for your suggestions.

Hi Don_G

Take a look at the photos in this thread:

Click Here - look about halfway down page

In the photos (taken by my father as he walked behind us) I have the Contour Pro HD 1080 video camera zip tied to the right side of my hat. Pretty light and unobtrusive and it was actually very simple to get it to "see" whatever I faced.

It has laser pointers to help set it up and a slide on top to turn it on. I think it can take about 8 hours of video at a time - maybe more depending on micro SD card you use.

Though this is an older model and uses lasers to figure out where to point it, the newer models allow you to use the BlueTooth feature along with a phone or computer with BT as a "viewfinder" when you are first setting it up. Of course if you carry the phone around, even if it doesn't ahve service you can flip it on to "see" what the camera is pointing at.

I also carry around a few pocket video cameras and many credit-card sized cameras also take exceptionally good video but having hands-free as I had with the "Hat-Cam" and having it automatically see what I was seeing was a big plus.

Good luck,

Paul

I agree with "Bobby7321" in that your probably not going to get the results you anticipate from a "self filmed" experience. Also, I'm a bit confussed by your statement, "I am bow hunting so an extra person just ain't in the card" unless it is a monetary consideration. Stating the obvious here... bow hunts are filmed with an extra person (cameraman) producing excellent results just as with any other form of hunting.
Best of luck!

We have the gopro and contour at work, both are great - I don't think you'll go wrong with either.

Thanks for all the pointers.

I really like the the GoPro HD HERO 2 and have been contemplating it for the coming season. You won't have a great "kill shot" with any POV camera (although it will be OK at bow ranges), but otherwise, you'll capture realtime video of the experience without the hassle of having a camera to your eye all the time.

http://gopro.com/cameras/hd-hero2-outdoor-edition/

I also like the I-KAM product and have seen some good videos online made with them. The video quality is nowhere near the GoPro HD but the I-KAM set up is about as handy as it gets.

The problem with bowhunting with a POV camera is that a head mounted camera, or a sunglass mounted camera, will be naturally pointed in the wrong direction at the moment you take the shot. A bow mounted camera will be perfect in that instance, but who wants to carry their bow so that its pointed where you want to video all the rest of the time?

Check this I-KAM you-tube vid for what I mean...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...7_qE&feature=related

Another fellow from BC uses an I-KAM a lot and posts his videos on his youtube channel...Rockdoctor07. Here's an example...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7cJf0U3X6Y

He also uses a VOI POV camera and endorses it highly. Check out the other clips on his channel and you'll usually see what camera he used in the information or comments.

Thanks, Canuck. I'll check it out.

Don I have had good success with the epic camera. It comes with several mounts and I have been able to take one and mount it on my stabilizer.