Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting Shoot from a rest?

Dogslife57: For Deer I have always tried to use a rest - even back when I Hunted Blacktails early on in my Hunting career I would either clamp to a tree or use the sling (military style) and sit resting the elbows on the knees. Then I became a Mule Deer Hunter and used my day pack of prone position.
Then I went to bi-pods and that is my go to method now.
The last six years now I have taken six dandy Whitetail Bucks (at longish ranges 250 -375 yards) with six shots using the newish swiveling bi-pods by Harris or a very solid rest.
I use these swiveling Harris Bi-Pods for Coyote Hunting as well.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

I owe it to the animal I shoot to make the best shot possible when I hunt with my rifles,so I rest the rifle somehow if I can use a window frame,tree,truck for coyotes, bi-pod,backpack,boat whatever. but I can shoot off hand well too.

Depends on what kind of stand I'm in. Climbing and ladder stands, I use my knee for a rest, if I can. Box stand, I use the window for a rest. Loc-on stand, I put a rail around it for safety reasons and use it for a rest when I can.

I can't remember the last time I used a rest to shoot a deer. All of my hunting is in the woods and there's simply no need at the ranges I shoot them.

Depends.
If in a climber I'll prop up. No rest with lock on stands, if sitting on the ground I'll use my knees or a picked up limb stuck in the ground.
Always try to use a rest but don't depend on having one.
Rest or not might change me from a neck shot to a lung shot though.

Take my bogpod when hunting coyotes, but have yet to call one in and shoot one. Did get one several years back as a target of opportunity during deer season, offhand shot as I recall hunting thicker woods.

I use a makeshift rest whenever I can. A tree works in the woods if I'm still hunting and very often it's shooting position...whether kneeling or sitting on a stump or rock, my left knee is the rest.

Dan

Almost all of my rifle hunting is/was still hunting big woods. We typically carry only the absolute necessary stuff so treestands, shooting benches etc are unheard of in this area. I stop next to a tree when watching and trees provide a good solid rest - just jam that fore end against the side of a tree and you're solid. If moving, most shots are under 75 yds so shot offhand. this year I carried a monopod mostly as a walking stick and did shoot a deer off of it - it was OK but trees are more stable and i like them better for shooting rests..

Unless I'm being run over, my first thought upon sighting game is finding or creating a rest. Trees, rocks, stumps, shrubs, fences, pack frames, piled up snow, you name it.

Offhand is a last resort, at pretty much any range. Sitting in a treestand, on a stool, log, or rock, I rest my elbows on my legs or knees. Even standing, there's usually a tree to lean against. A couple of treestands I have are equiped with padded rails, which not only make great rests, but can be used to hold the rifle by placing it upside down on the seat beside me, barrel resting on the rail, a big help to keeping alert and even warm, and for using a binocular or camera.

That said, I try to practice from offhand whenever I can. Stuff happens.

You mean to tell me none of you far gone rifle loony's and expert marksmen can confidently bust a deer from 50 yards or less offhand ? Holy fugg that's pitiful ! Not to mention funny as hell !

You never leaving the county to deer hunt yet assuming all deer hunting is done in similar fashion and ranges is far funnier.

You not understanding that where I've hunted has nothing to do with what most of these guys said is funnier still.

I almost always still hunt, or just stand by a tree or a slowdown.
When still hunting, i always stop to look by a tree. It breaks up the outline, and provides a potential rest.

A rest is is used anytime possible, but many times it's offhand, now, or not at all.

My dad is the only pure hunter I know that shoots offhand by choice.
He uses a bench to check zero. And no other time.
His favorite stand for years was in the middle of a field, standing on top a hill.
Everything from 50 to almost 400 yards shot offhand.

My father taught me this- "Son, a good rifleman knows how to pick a good rest." I hate bipods, but will carry light shooting sticks in the prairie. In the woods, branches, tree trunk, etc as above. I practice sitting, kneeling a lot. prone is tough (grass, weeds, sage), unless I'm antelope hunting in the prairie.

Oh, I can do it alright, but ethics require the steadiest position time allows for. The hunting part stops when the safety goes off; then it's time to make the best possible shot.

I don't see a reason to look for a rest if you're sure you can make the shot without. The thought of using a rest doesn't even occur to me at the ranges I normally kill my deer because I KNOW, without a doubt, I can make the shot. If I do get a shot beyond my offhand comfort zone I have and will take a rest but that doesn't happen often where I normally hunt.

Where I hunt you always have a tree to lean on. But its so thick you better hope he drops cause if you have to follow up youll have a hell of a time not hitting another tree on the swing. Definitely use a rest if I hunt a power line or new cut.

The treestands all have pipe insulation affixed to the shooting rails with electrical ties. The tower blind has it on as well. The shooting houses all have sandbags. I've gotten so I even use the bags on 10-yard shots.

Yes, it does sound a bit pat. However, after 18 seasons, it would be rather stupid to try and admit otherwise. If you go mucking about in the known bedding areas, you queer things up rather quickly. If you tromp through the oak groves, they just move to other oak groves. If you just go sit quietly in a few spots on the place and wait, all the venison you would ever want comes walzing out at sunrise and sunset and chows down.

To be honest, there's not a whole lot keeping me from popping one out my bedroom window. I can see my 100 yard target stand from there. The gear for the shooting bench is stored behind my bedroom chair. I could. . .

. . . no. That's going too far.

I couple of years ago, I still had a doe tag. We were packing up to leave deer camp. We'd put everything on the porch and poured ourselves one last cup of coffee and waited for the rain to let up before loading the cars and leaving. The rain stopped. I looked out at the target stand, and there was a doe munching on the long stuff that had grown up around the posts. I really did think about doing her from the bench, but it would have meant uncasing the rifle, etc. The biggest problem was we were ready to leave and the back of the truck would need to be hosed out before taking off. It would have also meant a 2 hour delay getting home, running the deer into the processor. I passed.

Like I said, I take the steadiest position time allows for. Sitting in a treestand, or on the ground, I'm already in that position. While still-hunting, not often possible where I hunt because of the number of hunters stomping around, I usually sidle up to a tree during my pauses to reduce my silhouette, so again, I can lean against it or brace my support hand on it.

Last offhand shot I took, in 2015, was after climbing down from a treestand. My rifle was leaning against the tree while I took a wicked whiz. Heard the doe coming, put away my "bidness", grabbed my .308 and when she paused to figger out WTF I was, I slapped the little green dot in the scope on her and popped her.