Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Who here uses shooting sticks?

Just wondering who uses shooting sticks and are they really worth the extra trouble of packing out into the field? The area I will deer hunt this year (hopefully) will require some long shots. I'm anticipating a long shot on a nice mulie anyways, you never know it may end up being 50 yds . I've never used shooting sticks and may end up giving some a try. If you had a choice between shooting sticks and a bi-pod, which would you choose? Thanks guys..

I use both. The one I use any given day depends on the terrain and such. Cant use my bipods if the grass is to tall and it usually is. I always carry shooting sticks with me though. I use them alot like a walking stick too.

I got bog pod tripod sticks for an elk hunt this fall. My host tells me most shots are standing as scrub brush is too high to get down and the trees in the area are not conducive to a good rest

I shot off the sticks out to 450 yards last weekend. It wasnt easy but i managed to keep most of my shots minute of elk in a light breeze. At 450 it was difficult to stay steady. Would have been nice to have something for my right arm/elbow to rest on

Ive got little use for them for my carolina deer hunting but figure they will be a handy tool to be proficiemt with

I carry SP shooting sticks in my back pack and a Pole cat as a walking stick/ shooting stick. Don't like the extra wt on the rifle of a bipod.

Shooting sticks....hands down. They allow you to pan with a moving animal and very adaptable to unlevel terrain. Since purchasing shooting sticks, my bi-pods have all went down the road.
I'd purchase the tall sticks and practice with them every chance you can.
Mitch

Sounds like good advice. I usually like to practice offhand so I don't get too rusty . Seems like most of my hunting shots are offhand and up pretty close (usually around 80 to 100 yards) most of the time the animals are moving, but sometimes I get lucky and they sit still long enough to take the shot in that postition.

bsa1917hunter;
While I must admit that I shoot off of impromptu rests or my pack more often than not, I found that a tripod setup was great for our daughters when they started hunting.

Here is the only photo we seem to have of the older set which I made up from 4' sections of �" dowel rod.

They lasted us for 3 seasons and then unceremoniously broke during the stalk on the mule deer that our youngest eventually did shoot - off the two remaining legs.

The replacement that I built was about 5' 2" high and I made them out of American Hickory that was clear all the way through.

Anyway, we've found that a tripod has certainly helped our girls place their shots on uneven terrain and in grass high enough that a bipod might not work.

Hopefully that was some use to you. Good luck on your upcoming mule deer hunt.

Regards,
Dwayne

That's a cute picture Dwayne. I'm hoping to get my girls interested in hunting one of these days .

Dwayne, I do the same thing with 1/2" dowels and 1/2" tubing. I don't make them for standing, but sitting shots.

At my age, it's more important to keep my ass dry and cactus free. So I steal the ol' milkstool outta the cow barn. The side benefit is a place for yer elbows.......And surprisingly stable. Good on coyote sized targets to 600.

That's a very interesting set-up......and if you're hitting out to 600 yards with it, it definitely works!

BTW - I'm using Stoney Point Steady Stix II. They pack well and work great.

Here ya go...the Huntsman "improved"

http://bse.wisc.edu/hfhp/tipsheets_html/stool.htm

hey, the pogo-stick spring on the bottom might just come in handy....

Don't forget about the shooting sticks in your body. There called bones.

I can't shoot nearly as well with 'sticks as I can shooting off my pack.

Sumpthin' like these??

Only time I've used them is in the Kalahari. Shots sometimes were at 250 yds (or slightly more)and they were great. I used the Bog Pods, and the PH was so impressed by them that I gifted the set to him.

Other brands seemed a bit wobbly to me.

NO value to me stateside, as most of my rifle hunting is at wild hogs, and most shots are offhand within 50 yds. or so.

I carry a set of Stoney point collapsible sticks.

For certain shots they come in handy, but I would agree a shot off a pack is preferred. The sticks are light and work as walking sticks at times too.

how I roll..

Prone off a pack is always my first choice. Stoney points are light and help with shooting over higher brush. They seem to get used mostly during tukey season. but shooting off a steep hillside acroos canyons is sometimes easier with sticks.