DIY_guy

I really like the Ultimate Predator Adventure cam for all the features (far better than Go-Pro in my opinion due to things like the ability to zoom, no fish eye , better low light filming) and last year I designed a bow mount and made one on my 3D printer. The 3D printed mount was sound but the supplied housing for the cam allowed too much swing and flex upon release of an arrow. While capturing slow motion footage of the new arrow rest, it was easy to see just how much the camera moved upon release and why the footage I was getting was too blurry to be a value in regards to arrow impacts.



My first printed mount also stuck out to far to the side of the bow so when laying the bow on its side, the camera took all the load. The plan is to design and make a better mount that eliminates the supplied housing and to move the cam from below the sight bar to above the sight bar with a single piece housing bolted right to the sight bracket.





Looking forward to seeing if this mount will improve stability upon arrow release.

DIY_guy

I printed the new mount for the Ultimate Predator Adventure cam hoping it would reduce the vibration at arrow launch. It seems to be a success and an improvement over the first attempt. Its not perfect but the shock created at the launch of an arrow is unavoidable.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzru...ature=youtu.be

DIY_guy

I've made a change regarding the broadhead I will use for the Bull hunt. I had planed to use the woodsman broadhead which is a 3 blade 1 1/8" cutting diameter head and its what I used on my recent Russian boar hunt. The Woodsman flies great and performed well on the hog, producing a pass through even though the off side shoulder and it may certainly do well on a large bull but due to the size of the bulls, the recent passing of Roger Rothhar and because they fly equally well, I'm switching to the Roger Rothhar Snuffer broadhead.

One of the many advantages of high FOC arrows is that broadhead tuning is far easier and you can get just about any broadhead to fly well because the weight forward arrow means the fletching account for so much more steering ability. Ive been shooting the large Snuffers out to 50+ yards with fantastic accuracy. The total broadhead weight will be 250 grains.

Here you can see the difference between the Woodsman (that I used on my recent Russian boar hunt) and the much larger Rothhar Snuffer.



In comparison, here is the 1 3/8" snuffer next to my favorite deer broadhead (Slick Trick magum 1 1/8")



Next up is creating a shipping container for the bow and gear I will ship to the Hotel in Kauai in advance of my departure on the 15th.

JoeA

Keep us posted on your progress, and especially the results. There can be some really good archery action for feral goats on parts of the Na Pali trail. The Blacktail numbers are on the rise, but it's still a tough hunt.

DIY_guy

I will be hunting on the Big Island for the bulls but Kauai for other species.

I shipped to bow and other gear to the hotel in Kauai. Its now got 2 weeks to make the journey. I checked with FedX and UPS and the Post office. FedX and UPS were crazy expensive. (3 or 4 times the cost of the post office) The cost to ship a bow and gear totaling 27 pounds was only $84. I insured it for $1500 which added another $20. I thought was a fair price. The bow is in a hard case and I built a pretty heavy duty box and included a handle so the carriers have a means to handle it. In a week I will call the Hotel to see if it arrived.

davidg

IMDADGUMPRESSIVE! you definitely have way too much time on your hands...lol .. i love all your posts . can't wait to read them .. keep 'em coming and good luck ..be careful shaving your arm ha ha

Irondog54

I'm jealous!! Way to go!! Have a great hunt, I know there will be videos! Are you starting another thread just for the hunt?

DIY_guy

With only 10 days before departure for Hawaii there has been a change of plans. Early in the planning stage I researched Hawaiian outfitters and selected one. A phone call and a couple emails were exchanged then a deposit sent to the outfitter. The bull hunt on the Big Island was booked. I booked a flight from Kauai to the big island, Hotel accommodations made on the big island and everything was set. Then all communications ended. Several phone messages were left, several emails sent, messages via their facebook page, messages sent via their “contact us” link on their web site and zero responses. Weeks went by and even at this writing there have been no replies to any and all attempts to contact them. I don’t think this was a scam as the outfitter did not cash the deposit check that was sent. Yesterday, I placed a stop payment on that check and a final email stating that I was no longer planning to hunt with them.

Im hesitant to be too harsh with the outfitter as I don’t know the whole story. Perhaps he died or was injured in an accident or is ill or some other catastrophic life event and until I learn (if I ever learn) what the situation is that made him go missing, I cant pass judgement and since he didn’t cash the deposit check, Im out nothing but time in planning.

Yesterday I booked a new Vancouver bull hunt with another outfitter who happened to have an opening near the dates I would be in Hawaii. I had to cancel the original hotel stay and book a different hotel and re-book my inter-island flight as the days the new outfitter had available were not the same days as my first planned hunt. So, now I have a new outfitter, new hotel and revised flight itinerary and was able to pull it all together in one day. Nothing like a complete change of plans 10 days prior to flying 4,500 miles for a hunt. I guess this is how memories are made. Nobody recalls things that go smoothly and according to plan.

JoeA

Good luck on your bull hunt. Those guys can be ornery. There's a few times where a feral bull has rammed a truck, jeep or horse. They are dangerous game when pissed off.

DIY_guy

I called the hotel on Kauai to check on the delivery of my hunting gear. They confirmed everything arrived and is in storage. I plan to fly back with the gear rather than shipping it so I picked up some TSA locks.



This last weeks has dumped well over a foot of snow on us so Im looking forward to Hawaii.





4 days and counting.