Cams for turkey hunting

[Crappie16]

I hunt by myself alot. Wanting to start try to film my hunts. Not wanting any expensive cameras.

[jdl80]

Phone camera works pretty good, get a decent tripod and/or mount. GoPro or other action cams are good cheaper alternatives, but the fisheye lens is not the greatest for the application. Small rig and Joby brands make pretty decent inexpensive mounts, fluid heads and tripods. For phone filming, a power bank for charging, handheld remote, and a good fluid head are great to have. I only film for my own enjoyment, leaving my good mirrorless camera at home saves weight and one less expensive thing to worry about.

[jdl80]

The Amazon basics tripods are super cheap, lightweight, and decent enough for phone or action cam filming. Just might want to dull the bronze finish with some rattle can paint or matte tape

[Dtrkyman]

360 cam is a good addition instead of go pro.


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[Bowguy]

A newer go pro has no fish eye. The tacticam more zoom. Neither is really great. A used camcorder would be a better option. About same money if used and much better option

[CALLM2U]

Easiest and least frustrating is just use an action camera like a GoPro. 

You can get a cheap selfie stick that doubles as a tripod.  Just point it in the direction you expect him to come and let it run.  It doesn't interupt your hunt and captures the essence. 

You may be content with what it captures.  If not, then you're going to go into a spiral of DSLR vs Camcorder, lav mics, shotgun mics, batteries, software to edit ect.  It can get expensive real quick.

[g8rvet]

I filmed a Canada duck and goose hunt with a goPro mounted with a head mount.  Was very good quality for a waterfowl hunt - not anywhere near production quality, but lets us have fun and re-visit the hunt and talk shiz to each other about our shooting.  I can put in a link so you can see it if you want. 

[GobbleNut]

If you just want to film your hunts for your personal enjoyment, I would agree that keeping it simple is probably your best option. An inexpensive camcorder with a decent tripod will suffice...but you can go uphill in expense and complication from there to your heart's desire.

As one who has been filming my hunts on and off for a while, I don't want it to be too involved so I follow that KISS method. Here are the snafu's that I regularly encounter when filming:

 My hunts are generally "run and gun" affairs where I engage a gobbler, set up quickly, and see what happens.  As such, I set my camera/tripod (adjustable) next to me with some level of contemplation as to minimizing movement in the direction the gobbler is anticipated to come from. The camera needs to be high enough off of the ground to "clear" ground cover (hence the adjustable-height tripod)...but not so high that operating it requires too much visible movement or makes the view-finder hard to see.

Set-up is important...and often difficult to meet all of the desired elements noted above. If you are operating the camera controls manually...on/off, zoom, directional changes, etc...each of those requires movement. There is a point where that movement will make or break your hunt, so there is a time before the turkey(s) get to you where you just have to "guess and by gosh" as to where to aim the camera, how much zoom you want...and flip the on switch. On the other hand, your set-up, good or bad, can dictate how much movement you will be able to get away with.

Another issue is the auto-focus function on most cameras. If you use it, it will invariably go out of focus at the most inopportune times...but switching to manual focus again requires added movement in the process. You have to choose your poison.

Also, running a camera on and off over the period of filming a hunt has this irritating habit of having the battery go dead at just about the time that gobbler is about to show himself. Extra batteries are a necessity...and you need to be aware of the battery charge such that you can change out prior to the turkeys arriving.

Again, this is my KISS approach to filming. You can get a lot more sophisticated in your approach...adding action cameras, "360" cameras, gun cams, etc.  One guy that appears to have it all figured out is Shane Simpson. Take a look at some of his videos to get an idea of what is possible in filming your hunts by yourself.