Don’t think I’m sorry to have skipped large parts of the thread but when I teach young hunters my strong recommendation is to practice offhand & do your very best not to ever shoot at an animal that way.
I didn’t have a choice last year on a cow elk after about 60 yards of uphill sprint with taller grass & brush between us about 90 yards. To my great surprise she went tits up done in an instant.
I’m usually good to a little over 200 off a knee, out to 700+ sitting on my butt using my pack as a rest sighting in and somewhere in between other methods depending on conditions. Almost Always carry a stick but don’t really like to use it if another rest is available.
A few years ago trained a gifted woman archery hunter to get ready for a TV hunting show. She is a natural markswoman so easy to do & she did great shooting against women who grew up with rifles. But where she beat them all was a hike/run with targets where the other gals shot off hand. I told her drop to a knee if it’s not against the rules. She killed an Aoudad & Oryx 1 shot kills it was rewarding to see how skilled a shooter she had become in a short time. The charging Cape buffalo target was fun & she handled a light 375H&H like a seasoned pro practicing & a 375 Ruger in the show competition.
My hunting partner hits deer vitals targets offhand at 300 yarded practicing. He missed an elk at 120 yards the last time he shot that way - adrenaline & heavy breathing in the mountains make those difficult for anyone.
Using a bipod, tripod, tree, rock, pack or whatever is the best most solid rest that you can is the most ethical choice in hunting.
