Watch for Robby Rohm’s camera work on Bowhunter Magazine TV the week of December 18. We were hunting with Rob Nye at Camp Grayling (1-866-455-4488 or campgrayling.ca).

When things go wrong on a video hunt, I’ve heard some people say, “It’s always the cameraman’s fault.” That’s kind of a joke around the Bowhunter Magazine TV crew. It’s easy to place blame on the other guy, but I know better.

Fitting the many pieces together that make up the jigsaw puzzle that is a successful TV hunt is always time-consuming and more often than not exceedingly demanding. When things don’t go as planned, especially when that dark cloud seems to follow you from one hunt to another, it’s easy to get frustrated. And it’s human nature to lash out at someone else. But the truth is, our cameramen are the unsung heroes of our TV show.

Here are 10 reasons why you can’t blame the cameraman if things don’t go quite right:

10. Good cameramen are hard to find.
We have a couple of full-time cameramen on staff, but we rely on the services of a number of freelance cameramen. These guys are busy people. They’re either running their own video production operations or are working at something outside the industry that pays real money. Their time is extremely valuable, and often they have to take vacation from their real work — not to mention family and friends — to fit into our schedule and follow us with a camera. To a one they’re enthusiastic, accomplished outdoorsmen with an innate appreciation for nature and a desire to tell stories with video equipment. They’re hard workers, happy to be behind the camera and not in front of it, and sticklers for detail, dedicated to capturing the minutia of any given hunt. The best ones develop a rapport with their hunter(s), have an easy going nature, and are able to dispel the fears of those who aren’t comfortable in front of a camera lens — and coach those who are. Best of all, these guys are team players who recognize that even if they’ve shot hunting video for other producers before, we have a Bowhunter Way of doing things.

9. The bulk of pre-hunt preparation and planning falls on their shoulders.
Let’s face it. Being a cameraman isn’t easy. It takes a lot of dedication and hard work. And the demands of any video assignment can be rigorous. First, you’ve got all sorts of planning meetings and phone calls…with hunters, with editors (from both the TV show and the magazine), and with outfitters. And then there are the lists…gear lists, shot lists, sometimes even grocery lists. Just coordinating travel plans and equipment needs can make for a migraine headache. I know one stout cameraman who even built a box to carry his hunter’s Summit treestand on the plane to Canada for a spring bear hunt.

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Being a cameraman is hard work! You grab a few winks whenever you get a chance.

8. Once in the field, cameramen are ” at work.”
There’s no down-time for cameramen. From the time they leave home, they are on the job. They have to be sharp at all times, fully conscious of their responsibilities to capture all of the video needs on their shot list. And they’re constantly looking for opportunities to get a shot at just the right moment, before the light fades, or the subjects move, or it begins to blow or rain or snow, or all of the above. In the field, a hunter concentrates on hunting and at some point slips away, enjoying the hunt and sometimes even forgetting about the camera. But the cameraman is on the job, never forgetting about the hunter and knowing that at the moment of truth, he has to somehow control the course of events and get the shot. That’s challenging work.

7. Cameramen are creative people; they’re the artists behind the scenes.
Cameramen are keen observers, and it’s their job not only to tell the big story of the hunt but to video all the small details, the little things that make a hunt special and memorable. That focus makes them a little strange sometimes. While hunters might just take in a beautiful sunrise and smile, you can bet a cameraman will be videotaping the colors of the sky or rays of sun slicing through leaves. These guys will wander off by themselves to video something in camp or pause suddenly in the field to video some little bit of flora or fauna. Equipment Editor Curt Wells told me about one hunt when the sun cast a perfect shadow of him against a thick-barked oak. When Curt turned to point it out, the cameraman was already on it. Cameramen have sharp eyes. They’re visual artists.

6. They’re your “partners in crime.”
Taking an animal on video with bow and arrow is no easy task, and likely it won’t happen if hunter and cameraman don’t work together. It’s called teamwork. When you have a cameraman with you in the field, you’re never really alone. He’s got your back; you’ve got his. Whatever happens, good or bad, you’re in it together.

5. They’ve got all of the outtakes.
Think we nail our lines every time? That we don’t stumble, get tongue-tied, or get frustrated and say something inappropriate? Think that our hunting prowess isn’t a little less than spectacular sometimes, or that we don’t ever fall completely apart? Not hardly. Cameramen have the video that reveals the truth, and sometimes the truth can be humbling, even a little embarrassing. After all, we’re trying to present bowhunting in the very best light.

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4. Usually they’re packing the goods.
In a pinch and need another battery for your StealthCam or Nikon rangefinder? Your cameraman probably has you covered. Dropped your glove out of the treestand? He has you covered. Nasty-looking storm brewing? He probably even has an extra poncho for you. Need a Snickers bar or a cookie to stave off hunger pangs? You can count on your cameraman. One video trooper I know usually packs cookies the size of Frisbees. The only thing I know that has more nutritional potency is a Sportsmen’s Edge multivitamin. Cameramen come prepared.

3. They can “make you or break you.”
A good relationship between hunter and cameraman is vital. Friendships are great. Friends trust each other and want other friends to do well and look good on camera. Friendly cameramen don’t foc
us on your plumber’s crack when you’re stalking up on a bedded muley. The camera sees all, but it doesn’t always show all. And that’s a good thing.

2. Quite often they’re the better hunter.
Most of the cameramen we use are accomplished hunters in their own right. Many are bowhunters and are as passionate about hunting with the bow and arrow as we are. Because they often sacrifice their own hunting time to follow us with cameras, the last thing they’re going to do is threaten our chances of success by not following the full scent-elimination regimen and wearing their ScentBlocker clothes. Some even seem to think they’re hunting with a camera. Maybe that’s because they are. It goes back to teamwork. While much is made of the difficulty of capturing bowhunting video when movement, noise, and scent are doubled, there’s also something to be said for having two sets of eyes, two sets of ears, and two brains on stand together. While most bowhunters prefer to be alone on stand, I have to say that sometimes I welcome the company of a cameraman, and I’ve definitely benefited from the hunting advice of some of the cameramen I’ve been with. We all like it when they whisper, “Take ‘em!”

1. They never show up on video.
Whatever you say about your cameraman won’t stand up in court anyway. There’s no proof. Cameramen rarely, if ever, show up on video. They’re smarter than that…

Editor’s Note: To learn more about Bowhunter Magazine TV, visit www.bowhunter.com. If you’re interested in becoming a freelance video cameraman, contact the Bowhunter Magazine office.