Embellished hunting stories may soon come to an abrupt end.

Two Ann Arbor area entrepreneurs have created a video camera that attaches to a hunter’s bow or rifle and documents a kill, a near-miss or wildlife scenes.

Ann Arbor resident Richard Millunchick and friend Ron Schofield of Saline said they've sold “thousands” of their $350 device since releasing it in April 2008 to national retailers.

Their startup company, RiserCam LLC, has turned into a full-time venture, and now the firm is seeking investment to accelerate its expansion.

Ron Schofield, left, and Richard Millunchick pose with a Roscoby RiserCam camera mounted to a bow. The pair developed the camera to attach to hunters' guns and bows.

Photo by Melanie Maxwell | AnnArbor.com

“Guys have been trying to figure out how to film (a hunting expedition) for a long time - a long time - and it wasn’t practical. We’ve finally created a device that allows them to do it,” said Millunchick, the CEO.

The entrepreneurs believe there’s a significant market for the device. The hunting industry reports annual revenues of $22.9 billion, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The U.S. has some 12.5 million hunters, including 753,000 in Michigan. The firm is also marketing the device to “wildlife watchers,” people who want to record their experiences in nature.

The device, dubbed Roscoby RiserCam, was designed to withstand the tremendous force of a bow’s release or a rifle shot. The camera, which resembles a mini version of a police officer’s radar scanner, points directly toward the area the hunter’s weapon is facing. The device also turns into a makeshift stabilizer.

For devoted hunters, the 13-ounce camera represents a chance to brag about a big kill or complain about missing the big one. Its simplicity is a selling point.

“It only does two things,” said Schofield, chief technology officer. “It turns on and it records, so the hunter focuses on hunting.”

Video enthusiasts can upload footage to a computer for editing purposes, or it can be displayed on a TV. The camera records video at a resolution of 640-by-480 pixels and works with a memory card. It makes no noise.

RiserCam convinced a variety of national retailers to sell the camera, including Cabela’s, Bass Pro Shops and Gander Mountain. It connects directly to a bow; a firearm requires the purchase of a separate third-party latch to attach the camera.

The firm is working with economic development group Ann Arbor SPARK to polish a business plan and seek small levels of private investment.

Millunchick said RiserCam expects to establish an office in the Ann Arbor area and hire employees to accelerate sales efforts. The device has been initially manufactured with a Chinese contractor, but the company hopes to relocate the production operation to Michigan.

“This is a great market,” Millunchick said, of the hunting video market. “It’s big enough for a small business, but not small enough to keep the big guys out.”

Contact AnnArbor.com’s Nathan Bomey at (734) 623-2587 or nathanbomey@annarbor.com. You can also follow him on Twitter.