shooting platform for hunting (deer/elk)

[Jay Christopherson]

That would be bipod shooting for me. All my elk were inside 200 yards, last year's in sage @143 yards prone in the snow.

yeah I dunno. Different terrain I guess. Anything below a seated or kneeling position is basically impossible to see off a bipod, without a lot of forethought and planning. In the years I've hunted the area, I've only gotten one shot off a bipod, from a rock ledge above, shooting down.

 

[David Milisock]

eh. 600 yards, MAX. I can shoot LR well enough, but I prefer not to do so hunting. My preference is to glass & stalk, working with enough time to setup properly. Sometimes I'll pass on a shot if it feels too hurried (usually shots inside of 150 yards or so, where I didn't spot the animal in time to setup well).

Most of the hunting I do is high/cold desert-ish, lots of knee high sage brush, tall grass, pockets of trees here and there.

My suggestion would be finding and practicing with shooting sticks.

 

[Bugger Picker1]

I've been using a pair of shooting sticks for quite a long time. They're effective enough if I'm seated, but I find them unusable standing (beyond very short range). I also have a bipod, but frankly - I've never been in terrain that would let me use them.

I'm looking for something that will provide a fairly stable shooting platform. I don't know if that's a tripod with some sort of attachment or some other system. I expect some level of setup time. I don't like snapshot situations, so I try to put myself in position to have time to get myself situated, though that's not always possible I guess.

Any thoughts?

Practice both?

 

[effendude]

I've used the 4 Stable Sticks or the South African version on the last several trips to South Africa. They are lightweight and quick. With practice, 400 yard shots are doable, maybe farther. I have several Bog Pod Death Grip tripods for more stationary hunting, bears at bait, predators, deer, etc. They work great for the price but I wouldn't want to spot and stalk with them

 

[RegionRat]

I've used the 4 Stable Sticks or the South African version on the last several trips to South Africa. They are lightweight and quick. With practice, 400 yard shots are doable, maybe farther. I have several Bog Pod Death Grip tripods for more stationary hunting, bears at bait, predators, deer, etc. They work great for the price but I wouldn't want to spot and stalk with them

Agree. You have to anticipate the kind of day and pack accordingly.

My pack allows me to carry the tripod to places where I know I will be setting up ambush style, but I walk with the gun slung and shooting sticks in my hands. The terrain, distance from the truck/camp, depth of the snow, known paths of the game, etc., all have to be considered before you start walking.

While I have done many varmint stands from the tripod, and I have packed it for elk, the dynamics of elk/deer have never given me a shot from the tripod and I end up off the sticks, boulder, or improvised support, and it happens too fast to move a tripod.

 

[Lefty2506]

I've used an older BOG POD tripod (yolk, not the Death Grip) for several years now and like it. From a seated position, 400 yds isn't hard on a prairie dog, and 200 yds is pretty easy from a standing position. I use it for whitetail as well, but I rarely shoot much past 200 yds for deer here in Indiana. I use it as a walking stick when I'm moving. It's admittedly a little bulky in the hand, but its sturdy enough to hold up. Not something you're going to snap shoot with, but it also only takes a few seconds to deploy since I already have the legs extended.

 

[5spd]

I use a bog pod tripod when I'm welding pastures for deer, goats.
I have a U cradle and a arca rail on it depending on my rifle used.

 

[marchx]

@Jay Christopherson

I run both a carbonfiber tripod and shooting sticks. Ok, tripod might be more stable but deploying shooting sticks is way faster than a tripod and the Blaser stuff has this great rotating head.
The most important factor is weight- Blaser weights only 985 grams (34,7oz). In Europe we stalk a lot and approach the game at about 200-100m. At that distance you have to be fast and with a little training with shooting sticks you can be.

Carbon fiber shooting stick – stable, light, and precise I Blaser

This shooting stick with a swiveling pistol grip is lightweight yet stable and performs with each shot! Discover now!

store.blaser.de

 

[AWS]

I'm mostly a predator hunter and a little long in the tooth. I'm not a big fan of tripods, BUT they do have their place in my kit.

I bought a BOG Death Grip and found it doesn't work well with tapered bolt action stocks for me. No matter how tight I make it the rifle moves in the saddle.

While camped in NV I found a nice light HD aluminum tripod with a broken head. I replaced the head with a ball head and set up a rifle with a Swiss Acra plate and this is pretty decent. Again BUT, there has to be something better, there is and the ball head aluminum is doing its work with a spotting scope attached.

Next I bought a mid level Sirius carbon fiber tripod and mounted a half-ball leveling head and Swiss Acra mount, Bingo, it works, with a half price coupon from Amazon and Chinese parts I have about $200 into it and it is light, fairly quick to set up and very stable. 99% of my predator hunting is still off of sticks but he tripod rides in the truck for those spots where the t would be perfect. I have a BA 22-250AI set up for the tripod for preds and a 20P set up for those rare times I shoot PDs. This tripod works seated on the ground, on my stool(most used) and standing.

I make my own sticks from tempered aluminum tent poles.