Hunting with a Tactacam.

[deerbasshunter3]

Does anybody here hunt with a Tactacam mounted to their shotgun? If so, when do you turn it on, and is it too loud when you do?

I hunted with one last year, mounted to the barrel, but it always seemed like the vibration (camera/camera mounted to the shotgun) was really loud...

Does anybody have any experience with turning one on when a turkey is cooperating, and did the turkey seem like it heard it? Thank you.

[GobbleNut]

Great question.  I have been considering investing in a barrel cam.  It seems like that would be the way to get good footage when videoing solo.  Tactacam seems to be a popular choice. Would be nice to know the options that are available for those types of cameras and what the pros and cons are of the choices.  ...So I am listening in here....

[MK M GOBL]

I have a Tactacam 4.0, mine is mounted to my scope. I did put a thin piece of rubber between my mount and the scope, doesn't seem like the "buzz" really makes any noise. I also have the APP on my phone so easy to turn on that way, need to have phone on silent or you get a beep when you hit record. Otherwise no other real issues. We film with other cameras, Tactacam becomes B-roll, ditched the gopros... Tactacam is nice for the Run & Gun when we don't have the Canon with us.


MK M GOBL

[deerbasshunter3]

I have the 4.0. It is the stabilizer on my bow, and have/had no issue with deer hearing it. However, it definitely seems louder on the shotgun than it does as a stabilizer on my bow.

I feel like, maybe, it vibrates the shotgun so it seems really loud. Of course, it could just seem like it is louder than it really is while sitting in the woods being quiet...

I tried running it with the app and it just seems like too much to be doing when an animal is coming in. Too easy to just reach up and push the button.

[Turkeyman]

I have a Tactacam 5.0. I have it mounted to my hat with a wire "sight" which I made from 12 gauge copper wire so I know what it's looking at. It's fastened snug to my cap, but not fixed tight...I can reach up and rotate it.If I want to record a bird coming in there's no way I want it mounted to my shotgun...waving it around and pointing it all over the place. Plus how would you like a fellow hunter recording you by pointing his shotgun at you...I don't think so! I have my phone with the app attached to my leg and can see what it's seeing, plus change the zoom or whatever. The fittings are standard GoPro stuff available everywhere. Regarding editing software I use Shotcut. Works great.

[Muzzy61]

I have a Tactacam solo that I used for the first time last year. I din't see any negative effect from turning it on and using it. I got one kill on camera . I mount it back on the barrel a little to make it easier to turn on.

[Marc]

I have a Tactacam 5.0. I have it mounted to my hat with a wire "sight" which I made from 12 gauge copper wire so I know what it's looking at. It's fastened snug to my cap, but not fixed tight...I can reach up and rotate it.If I want to record a bird coming in there's no way I want it mounted to my shotgun...waving it around and pointing it all over the place. Plus how would you like a fellow hunter recording you by pointing his shotgun at you...I don't think so! I have my phone with the app attached to my leg and can see what it's seeing, plus change the zoom or whatever. The fittings are standard GoPro stuff available everywhere. Regarding editing software I use Shotcut. Works great.

The hat mount seems like a better idea to me...  All too frequently my gun is not "looking" at where the bird is coming from, and more often than not, I simply mount my gun when I am ready to shoot. 

I would also be using this for waterfowl, and maybe even dove hunting, and waving the gun around to capture video would not work out well, and probably not be all that safe.

Do you notice any differences in the video quality capture between the gun mount and the hat mount?  Is there any felt vibration on your hat while wearing it?  How stable is that thing on your hat, and how did you stabilize it on your hat?

Does anyone know if you can link or combine videos with this device and a GoPro?

[Turkeyman]

"Do you notice any differences in the video quality capture between the gun mount and the hat mount?  Is there any felt vibration on your hat while wearing it?  How stable is that thing on your hat, and how did you stabilize it on your hat?"

Well, it's the same camera whether on hat or via gun mount so no diff in video quality. If you take a look at the hat mount I configured you can see that it's well balanced...neither "bill heavy" nor "rear heavy". Pretty much centered on your head weight-wise. That GoPro fitting attached to my cap is the 1/4-20 screw job. What I did with it is drill a hole to accept the 12 ga. copper wire as a sighting device...otherwise you don't know what the camera is looking at. Then drill a hole in the bill of the cap to screw into the fitting. What I did was file off the screw length so that I could bottom it out in the fitting tightly, plus secure the 12 ga. wire...but could still rotate it  to where I wanted it to point. What can I say...I'm a retired engineer so always thing of design and ways to improve products LOL.

[Turkeyman]

BTW I have my phone attached to my left leg running the Tactacam app (I'm right-handed) so I can glance down and see what my camera is seeing. With my 5.0 Tactacam I can adjust the zoom as I see fit when bird is coming in...all the while keeping my wire sighting device on him.

[Turkeyman]

Due to my sighting device got some good video of a couple dandy bucks walking under my bow tree stand last fall. Unfortunately had already killed a good buck...although a bit lesser...prior.

[Marc]

Great thread...

Anyone that have both have any opinions on the advantages or the disadvantages of the Tactacam verses the GoPro systems for filming hunting/shooting (primarily wing-shooting)

Ease of use?  Ease of focus and target acquisition? Optical quality and POV?

[ssramage]

I used a Tactacam and got footage last year. Honestly not sure if I'll use it again this year. It was ok, but added complexity and the footage wasn't great...

[Turkeyman]

A good buddy has a GoPro and it works great except for one main feature. A turkey even relatively close looks about the size of a robin. The lack of zoom is, to me, a big detriment. Originally I had the Tactacam 4.0 which has a 5X zoom (5.0, with 8X zoom, was in the works, but not available yet). I made videos in the back yard by using the purchased stabilizer bow mount. I was satisfied with the quality but not the zoom even at the 20-30 yard distances. I filmed in every available mode. I returned it to the vendor for full refund...I had verified I'd be able to. Then I got on his waiting list for the 5.0. I'm satisfied with it.

Now...I haven't checked if GoPro has a zoom capability with any current models but it was designed as an action camera, not hunting camera.

[MK M GOBL]

Great thread...

Anyone that have both have any opinions on the advantages or the disadvantages of the Tactacam verses the GoPro systems for filming hunting/shooting (primarily wing-shooting)

Ease of use?  Ease of focus and target acquisition? Optical quality and POV?

Have had all three, Tactacam/GoPro/Camcorder

Ultimately it depends somewhat on what your final use or expectation is.

Is this just for personal or professional use? And what do you want as far as end result? So here is what we use and what it's use is.

We have "main" cameras to catch footage all are similar Canon models (G20/XA20) we did this for ability to swap batteries if needed (as we hunt together and catch multiple angles)

B-roll cameras catch everything else, I have the Tactacam 4.0 for the POV shot and does have some zoom functionality. Buddies have GoPro (action cameras) think his is a hero4 other maybe a 3. So part of the reason I have the Tactacam is I didn't like the "Fisheye" footage we were getting with the gopro3 (this camera ended up being the "selfie" camera either mounted back facing on bow, gun or in blind. The fisheye kept even close (hunting close not extreme sport/action close) animals, be it turkey, deer, coyote, bear appearing way too far out... Now the gopro4 does this a bit better and we have used this to catch some more b-roll of the hunt, catching walking in/out, pre/post interview and some specific angle work.

Now as to the "wing shooting" I think a GoPro may need to look into the latest model had better zoom and can by a setting get rid of the fisheye thing at least to a degree. Would really need to research a bit as we have never used for this.

The Tactacam in the 5.0 would still be my choice, another friend of mine has this and gets some great footage ducks/geese, of course this is mostly on incoming birds not "flushed" as in pheasant, grouse, quail what have you. He says he can just set the zoom for his chosen power and he has linked to phone so he can see POV and adjust to hunt conditions.


So back to the "main" cameras, all of our hunt footage is with these, quality of this, zoom, audio (both game and hunter) is better (tech details you can read online) the main thing with these cameras are size/weight and you are either filming another or self filming and this requires a tripod to get any kind of quality footage (few other things for editing comes in to this too) and not going to mount one of these on a firearm/bow for POV.

Hope this helps a bit, I'm sure there are others with their opinions as well, read as much as you can and see what others have to say too.

I am still more of the hunt first, film 2nd. I like to film but it is secondary to my actual hunt, if I don't get it on film I'm okay with it (part of me having the Tactacam and catching footage I would have otherwise missed). I am not a paid professional cameraman and for the most part I have my own use for my footage, Now some of my friends are sponsored by companies and are expected to have footage every year, I help them with that as having a "cameraman" makes some difference.

Good luck with your filming, it brings a whole other aspect to your hunts.


MK M GOBL

[GobbleNut]

Great information.  I guess my main problem/thought on the Tactacam (or similar) is that if it is attached to your gun (or other part of the body) the shot recoil is going to always be a problem,...which pretty much means if you want to get a good video of the actual shot, you would always have to have another camera running and on the bird.

I am not trying to get professional-level footage.  I use a small (but pretty good) Sony on a tripod set beside me so I can catch the "action", but the obvious short-coming of that is you only get that one angle,...not to mention that movement is always going to be a concern when turkeys are close by.  After some consideration of the options, I am leaning towards just picking up another inexpensive Sony (or similar) and setting it up in a position that I can get some wider-view footage from behind or from the side and just hoping it is pointed in the right direction, I suppose. 

What us self-filmers really need is some sort of affordable, remote-control camera and tripod set-up so we can control every aspect of the filming from a single source without movement.  I'm not aware that anything like that exists, but it would sure make things a lot easier. 

Here's another question for you guys that try to put together more complete videos of your hunts:  What editing software and/or equipment do you use?