SELFILMED’s Rich Peace discusses quivers and what he likes most about the TightSpot Quivers. Stay tuned for more blogs and vlogs to come in the near future!
If you are interested in purchasing what we think is the best hunting quiver on the market, stop by TightSpot’s website at http://www.tightspotquiver.com/ to view their entire selection of quivers and accessories.
I’m not going to lie: I’ve been shooting with a Spot Hogg sight ever since I reunited with compound-bow hunting back in 2010. Prior to that I was either in middle school shooting a bow that didn’t even fit me, or instinctively shooting a stick-and-string throughout high school/college. After giving several haircuts I decided I wanted to get back into compound bows, and bought a new rig with a used, 5-pin Spot Hogg Hunter sight.
Since then I have had little reason to switch. Of course I made minor modifications here and there; like when I swapped my 5-pin head for a Cameron Hanes’ edition 7-pin head for those long-range shots. With a range of 20 to 80 yards covered with a pin for every 10 yards, in a bulletproof setup that survived a couple tow-rope breaks from the stand and numerous cross-country trips, why would I even consider changing?
To be frank, I am not advocating for 80 yard shots on animals. However, I’m a firm-believer in practicing for those long shots to make those 30 to 40 yarders become more of a chip-shot. The biggest challenge of having all those pins was trying to shoot at a longer distance on whitetail-sized targets (especially these smaller, east-coast Virginia whitetails) where the target quickly became lost behind multiple pins.
Several close friends have been shooting a movable single-pin slider for quite some time and boasted about how much it had improved the size of their groups. However, in the game of hunting I rarely have found that I have extra time to not only range my target, but also dial in the yardage, all without being seen. I liked having my 20-30-40 hard-set so that I can range a few items and make the most of a moment when a buck on the prowl waited just a tad too long.
Not wanting to lose the versatility of having multiple fixed pins, I stuck with my 7-Pin Spot Hogg for most of a decade. Finally, during the 2018 ATA show I saw first-hand the answer to my conundrum: Spot Hogg’s Fast-Eddie XL with a three-pin sight, now with a double
pointer. This sight was a nice blend of what I was looking for… almost infinite yardage adjustability, still with a fixed 20-30-40 pin, and a rock-solid design to boot. The addition of the new rack-stop on the slider makes it easy to quickly – and without looking – move back to my 20-30-40 configuration with ease. The MRT (multi-ring technology) is a very nice feature to boot.
All-in-all, you can’t beat this sight. The movable dovetail base helps me to pack my bow up nice and protected… not that you’d need to, it’s built like Fort Knox; yet the precision machining allows me to reinstall it to its original position and know my sight will still be on target. The MRT system helps me keep consistent sight alignment in varying light conditions. The reduced pin count keeps the sight picture uncluttered, while the variable yardage gives me flexibility all the way out to roughly 80 yards (before I have any fletching contact). If you are debating making the switch from fixed pins to a moveable sight, the Fast-Eddie XL with a 3 pin head is a hard to beat option that can give you the best of both worlds.
For more information on Spot Hogg products be sure to check out their website at www.spot-hogg.com.
So you finally had a successful hunt, you got the shot on camera, and your second and third angle footage is perfect. The hunt couldn’t have gone any better. After a long evening of getting your animal taken care of you suddenly realize your mistake. Amidst all of the excitement you completely forgot to film a post hunt interview! You wonder if the footage you have will be sufficient, but you know deep down you could have done a better job. We’ve all been there, and it is definitely a frustrating feeling. With a little preparation, these frustrations can be easily avoided.
Just like all of the b-roll you’ll want to capture during your hunt, there are a few critical pieces of footage you should try to get post hunt. There is definitely an endless array of shots you could get, but this article will focus on the following: post-shot interview, recovery footage, post-hunt interview and gear loading/exit.
The post-shot interview should be kept brief and shot immediately after the kill shot. This is when the adrenaline and excitement of the hunt truly shows. It should be a short clip, but it is an important part of telling your story. Often times, you spend hours and hours waiting for an opportunity at an animal and once it happens, it happens quick. 
As a viewer, it is hard to fully understand exactly what happened many times, so it is a good idea to provide a quick recap of the shot opportunity and how it came into being. There is no need to elaborate in too great of detail at this point, that can be saved for your post-hunt interview. However, it is often times a good idea to share your initial thoughts on your shot placement and your expected outcome of the hunt.
Next, you’ll obviously be on the recovery. One good shot to get at the start of this period is climbing down out of your stand. At the least, get some footage of lowering your bow/packing up your backpack. Once you hit the ground, it is good to shoot some footage of the blood trailing process, get footage of any sign that you come across, etc. If you see your animal drop within sight, it is still good to get some footage of recovering your arrow or finding the first blood. This process provides a great opportunity to share an “updated opinion” on your shot placement and likelihood of recovering the animal. Again, this footage does not have to make up a huge portion of your hunt, but always shoot more than you think you’ll need. It’s best to have options when you hit the editing station.
At this point, you’ve hopefully found your animal, and you are likely pumped…be sure to show it! Take the time to do a post-hunt interview with your kill. Walk back through the hunt, share any pertinent details on preparation that helped you be successful. Remember, filming your hunts is really just a great way to share your story and also relive it. So be sure to share as much detail as you can, for example: why you placed your treestand where you did. This detail is what helps make a good hunt great. It’s always best to film more than you think you’ll use here. In reality, when you go to edit your hunt, you’ll edit out most of this interview since the viewer will have already watched it unfold, but there are always going to be moments of the hunt that you weren’t able to capture on film.
Last but not least, shoot some additional b-roll transporting your animal from the field and loading it, as well as your gear, into your truck. This footage helps to create a natural ending to your hunt so it doesn’t go straight from your post-hunt interview to a black screen. This 
type of footage is very easy to capture, but it is often overlooked.We are guilty of skipping this step as well, but have been working hard over the past couple years to do a better job wrapping up the story. To capture some exit footage, simply place your camera on the ground in different locations as you are walking or loading your gear, and even as you drive away. Just don’t forget to go back and retrieve your camera!
Like all things that are self-filmed, these tasks can be tedious and tiring, especially considering you’ll already be exhausted from all the effort you’ve put into your hunt. However, I promise you, the extra effort will be worth it in the end. You’ll be glad you took the extra steps after the shot to capture the hunt in its entirety.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention this, even though it doesn’t have anything to do filming, but make sure you take some time to get some great photos! Check back soon as we’ll be putting together a similar mini 101 series on photography, specifically with regards to hunting related photos and hero shots.
If you have any questions or would like further clarification on the information from this article, please visit our contact form and let us know. We love hearing from our readers, and as always, we welcome any feedback or tips you have to offer.
SELFILMED 101 Series:
In our first, of hopefully several, “VLOGs” (video blogs for those that haven’t heard the term used before), SELFILMED’s Steve Shields discusses broadheads and why he chooses to shoot the heads he does. Stay tuned for more blogs and vlogs to come in the near future!
If you are interested in purchasing the broadheads Steve discusses in the vlog, stop by Grim Reaper’s website at https://www.grimreaperbroadheads.com/ to view their entire selection of both fixed and mechanical broadheads.
