Filming your hunt with a doggie cam? Here’s how to get the best video

Given today’s advancements in cameras and growing interest in social media, strapping a video camera to your bird dog not only captures fun memories, it could also make your four-legged friend the next viral video star. Here’s how to get the best dog’s-eye footage.

MOUNTING

Action cameras are compact and lightweight, complete with various options for attaching them to dogs. First, you want to harness the camera to your dog where it allows for an unobstructed line of sight without encumbering the dog. Also, consider the terrain in which you’ll be hunting—a side-mounted camera can get snagged in brush or cattails, for example. (A side-mounted set-up can also affect your dog’s balance, so consider a counterweight on the opposite side if you go that route.)

A chest mount works well on larger breeds, but it may get dirty faster; it’s also a poor choice for waterfowl dogs. For overall video quality, a shoulder harness is best. To keep your dog comfortable, use a padded harness and watch for chaffing in high-friction areas, especially during warmer weather.

PERSPECTIVE

Action cameras can record the dog’s point of view as it retrieves or flushes, creating jaw-dropping videos. And by changing the zoom, you can alter the field of view and the resulting video’s look and feel. A wide-angle perspective shows more of the surroundings, for example, but it lacks the details of a zoomed-in viewpoint. Zoom in too much, though, and you risk missing the action if the bird quickly flies or runs out of the frame. Finding the right field of view is simply a matter of experimenting.

PRODUCTION

While capturing video of an entire hunt is tempting, it requires a lot of data storage. Reviewing and editing is also onerous. So, to save both memory and time, use a remote control to only record short bursts of action.