Amazing to think that a couple of sticks could warrant so much attention?

Just out of interest what do you chaps do in the States with out them?

quote:

Originally posted by fairgame:
Amazing to think that a couple of sticks could warrant so much attention?

Just out of interest what do you chaps do in the States with out them?

I shot a moose in the Yukon a few years ago at 285 yards. I sat down, my guide offered my some sticks, but I told him I didn't need them. I put my arm through the sling, tightened the keepers, held a bit into the wind, and let him have it.

He said, "I have never seen a guy shoot like that before."

I said it wasn't a difficult shot; he replied, "No, I mean I have never seen a guy shoot using his sling like that. Most people need a rest."

As time goes on, the whole issue of rests and sticks is getting a bit carried away IMO. Some guys don't feel comfortable shooting unless they have the tripod with rifle clamp. I won't pass one up in a leopard blind, but come on. If you can't hit a critter out to 300 yards with two sticks you need to practice some more.

quote:

Originally posted by fairgame:
Amazing to think that a couple of sticks could warrant so much attention?

Just out of interest what do you chaps do in the States with out them?

I try to sit down whenever possible. As one of my deer and elk hunting buddies once observed "When Blacktailer sits down you know something is going to die." Failing a place to sit or the grass being too tall any available rest is preferable to off hand but if that is what it takes, that is what you need to do. (OR not take the shot!)
Put me down in the Home Depot 3 pieces of bamboo and innertube column.

quote:

Originally posted by fairgame:
Amazing to think that a couple of sticks could warrant so much attention?

Just out of interest what do you chaps do in the States with out them?

Some of us hit, and others miss.

quote:

Originally posted by Blacktailer:

quote:

Originally posted by fairgame:
Amazing to think that a couple of sticks could warrant so much attention?

Just out of interest what do you chaps do in the States with out them?

I try to sit down whenever possible. As one of my deer and elk hunting buddies once observed "When Blacktailer sits down you know something is going to die."

BT I can't remember the how many times I has dropped on my butt in a pile of cactus or thorn bush to get a quick shot. I don't shoot well from sticks, but it is better than nothing in high grass, if no more solid rest is available.

The use of being wrapped up in a rifle sling is a throw-back from world war I training where the rifle was a Springfield 03 bolt rifle.

There are several types of rifles where that doesn't work. Any rifle with the sling swivel on the barrel, a double rifle of any type. If you can see your target from a sitting position, that is the way to go, if not any rest you can get will help even sticks!

........................................................................ .........

I shot a chipmunk at 28 yards with my .22 off my shooting sticks today so guess I am ready for Moz next month??

Larry Sellers
SCI Life Member

quote:

Originally posted by Larry Sellers:
I shot a chipmunk at 28 yards with my .22 off my shooting sticks today so guess I am ready for Moz next month??

Larry Sellers
SCI Life Member

Rug or Full body mount?

Ummm...
Just took my Bogpod on a 14 day safari in W Africa.
Its good, but not as quiet as wooden sticks. Being made of aluminum, the bogpod clanks, usually at the wrong time. Good for practice though.
I prefer my home made bamboo sticks held together with rubber tubing for actual hunting

All my rabbit shooting is in rolling country and getting prone is not possible and even a sitting shot is not easily acomplished so standing shots out to 150-200 yds with a 20 VarTarg shows the potential of the good stable shooting position of the Bog Pod. I do not find them any less usable on the sloping ground I habitually shoot.

Frost - Rug for sure, don't have room left for a full mount in the trophy room.

Larry Sellers
SCI Life Member

quote:

Originally posted by Frostbit:

quote:

Originally posted by Larry Sellers:
I shot a chipmunk at 28 yards with my .22 off my shooting sticks today so guess I am ready for Moz next month??

Larry Sellers
SCI Life Member

Rug or Full body mount?

PH last year had a pair of the trigger thingy's - not my favorite, they are too narrow and not as stable. OK for close shots - but out past 200, not so much.

This year, bringing my Stoney Points, in the gun case. I keep a set of these on the Mule at the ranch - works for everything between sitting and standing positions. PH will have to carry both if he won't leave the trigger thingy, cuz I ain't using it! I'd rather have the three sticks or bamboo instead.

One thing that is taught at SAAM school, is using a second pair of sticks for extra steady shooting - place the second ones either under the butt of the rifle, or the strong side armpit, whichever works best for the spot you are in.

If I can get sitting, and see the target, with the Stoney Points, I'm good to 600 yards. the lower to the ground you get, the more stable.

As a real smart guy told me - "if you cannot get closer, get steadier; if you can't get steadier, get closer!" Sometimes the skill in shooting, is knowing when not to shoot.

Whichever you pick - practice with them daily for a few weeks before you go. Plant them, pick them up, find a target, set up, adjust the sticks, repeat 50 times.

Tip: if you remove set screws from both sides of Gen 1 Trigger Stick, turn leg around, reinstall screws you have more movement. It almost duplicates the new Gen 2 Trigger Stick.

I guess I'm the less sophisticated guy. The bamboo rods look classier, but I use the green fiberglass rods from home depot. No one in my family has any used inner tube, but does have surgical tubing (hey RIP) and I use that to hold my three sticks together. Have had numerous people try these at the range and liked the way they worked. One additional thing I have done is sharpen the bottom of the legs so they dig into the ground a bit. As to hold on the sticks, if you are shooting something like my .395 Max or bigger, you need to hold onto the forearm.

I have hunted my whole life without any kind of sticks and didn't use them in the military either. But last year bear hunting, I became a believer. My hunting buddy and walked up to the edge of a canyon a glassed across to the other hillside. For some reason, both of us had left out rifles in my jeep parked further down the hill. We soon heard crashing in the bushes so I decided to walk back and get my rifle. As soon as I had grabbed it and turned around I saw my buddy waving frantically at me. I ran back up the hill and, winded and excited I tried to aim at a bear 235 yards away.

What follows I'm not proud of but I'll tell you anyway. I was completely unable to hold my cross hairs on the vital area, or really on the bear for that matter but the excitement and my buddy whisper-shouting "shoot it, shoot it!" got the better of me and I fired. Fortunately it was a complete miss but I was angry with myself for taking the shot in the first place.

The next time I went out, I decided to try using sticks. In three minutes just before leaving I grabbed two bamboo garden stakes, tied some twine around them and added some electrical tape for good measure. I cut two fingers off a pair of leather work gloves (yes I put the fore end in the V, not my wrist) and was set. The same bear came back to the same spot and this time it dropped like pile of bricks.

Since then I have used it on an elk and a deer that same season and will continue to carry it this year.
While I am the type of person who considers hunting an excellent excuse to buy endless amounts of equipment I doubt I will ever buy a pair of sticks. The ones I made just work too well. OK, if I find a really nice pair of handmade sticks, preferably made for me, I might cave in.

Anyways, not saying anything new here. Make a pair yourself and use them. I actually like my home made bipods better than the tripod my PH had in Namibia this past May.

There are some nice ones out there. African Sporting Creations has some nice looking ones, but unless you are buying them for the craftsmanship, from a purely pragmatic point of view, the homemade ones will do you just fine.

I just realized I had quite a few typo's in that post. My apologies! However, I'm sitting in the in the garden enjoying a drop of scotch and a cigar so I hope I will be excused for that faux-pas due to the quality of my distractions...

I use whatever sticks my PH has.

The three legged ones are more stable, but can be very difficult to set up on uneven ground.

So most of the time we use a 2 legged sticks, and they work just fine.

I like to hold the sticks where the rifle rests, together with the rifle at that point.

Never having been to SA, or on a guided hunt yet. I've never been around sticks of any type. Dad always told me when elk hunting. "never shoot without a rest". I've made that the first thing I do when spotting a possible shootable animal. So far out of close to 200 I've yet to wound one that went very far. I do use a Harris bipod on all my varmint rifles and sit when shooting. Of course that's never in tall grass either. So far Iv'e never hunted in such a place as that. When I do, very likely sticks may come into use.
This has been a very informative thread, thank you all. I've learned from it.
George

What is the kind of shooting stick are usually found among African hunting camps? I hope to be in Zimbabwe / Omay next Sept / Oct & I would like to know if the PHs normally use commercial sticks or just make their own.

Here in NZ my options are limited. I can buy a Primo at reasonable cost or make up a set with "Manuka" saplings.

I suggest everyone gets a copy of Tom Selleck and Quigley Down Under.

That is how to shoot.

Slightly off topic but what is the Rowland Ward minimum for Chipmunk ?
Do they count for the Zircon level "vermin of the world" ?
Just asking !

Nakihunter,

PH's sticks vary in quality and style quite a bit. I've used excellent and very steady sticks that the PH provided all the way to wabbly ones that would collapse on a whim. I suggest you buy or manufacture your own that you are happy with, practice with them, take them on your safari and use only those.

Mark

Naki
I have 2 sets of 3 legged sticks, 1 is from Long Grass & the other from BogPod. I like them both.
I have made a few 2 legged ones from various things & find I like hunting from 2 legged better that the 3 legged. Others may like the 3 legged ones better.
Just make you some & try them out to see what suits you best.
Most of all, PRACTICE-PRACTICE-PRACTICE!!!

quote:

Originally posted by MARK H. YOUNG:
Nakihunter,

PH's sticks vary in quality and style quite a bit. I've used excellent and very steady sticks that the PH provided all the way to wabbly ones that would collaple on a whim. I suggest you buy or manufacture your own that you are happy with, practice with them, take them on your safari and use only those.

Mark

While I can understand the logic behind this approach, with all due respect I must point out that a well-rounded shooter should be able to adapt to variations in rests of various types. Do you really want to be proficient only with the specific set of sticks on which you spent all your practice time? I have only a tiny fraction of the international hunting experience of many others here, but I have been a hunter and shooter all my life and I make a point of practicing as many different positions as possible, using whatever rest is available. To me, the idea of actually carrying a set of shooting sticks halfway around the world, rather than simply using the ones provided, is ludicrous. I have a couple of commercial rests (BogPod, Stoney Point, etc.) and also a couple of homemade tripods, and I use all of them in practice, but there is no way I will carry them much further than the back 40 here at home.

If you are really concerned, then make a set of practice sticks at home, using surgical tubing or whatever else works for you. When you go on your hunt, simply pack a bit of the tubing with you, and manufacture another set when you arrive at your destination...there will be suitable branches or saplings to be found! I even carry a couple of 4-inch pieces of garden hose, split lengthwise, with which to pad the tops of the sticks to protect my rifle and my hands. Along with the ever-present electrical tape, I can put together a comfortable and practical shooting tripod in no time.

If you can't hunt unless you are wearing all matching camo...if you need to carry 9 different types of batteries to power up all your high-tech electronic gear...if you believe that "packing light" means using only one luggage cart at the airport...then maybe you need to bring shooting sticks with you. There is, however, a certain satisfaction in going the simple route.

Most PHs' shooting sticks that I have used over 12 safaris have been steady and reliable. For me, the most important thing that I did over 15 years ago was to learn to shoot well off of shooting sticks. I had earlier learned to shoot from all of the standard positions that you are taught growing up (prone, sitting, kneeling, standing, etc.) and had also been taught to look for and use natural or man made "rests"(boulders, branches, earth berms, stumps, etc, or a backpack, your sling, a coat, etc.) when out hunting to ensure steadiness. But, for me, the shooting sticks are and have been absolutely the best way to go! I always carry either the BogPods, Stoney Points, BiPod(it's a brand), my homemade ones, or a couple of other types that I have purchased, when I am out hunting.

quote:

To me, the idea of actually carrying a set of shooting sticks halfway around the world, rather than simply using the ones provided, is ludicrous.

I have yet to take a set of sticks with me on safari, but the 2 sets I have either break down or telescope in & fit into a slender bag they come with. There would be little to no problem dropping them into my TuffPak & certainly would not effect weight very much.
Just the same I want to be adaptable to whatever comes along, so I'll probably continue to use whatever the PH has on the truck.

JWM:

quote:

While I can understand the logic behind this approach, with all due respect I must point out that a well-rounded shooter should be able to adapt to variations in rests of various types......

The idea of actually carrying a set of shooting sticks halfway around the world, rather than simply using the ones provided, is ludicrous.

jwm,

I like to eliminate as many variables as possible when going on an expensive safari and using the same sticks I have gooten used to during practice helps me with that goal. Using the same sticks in the field that you use in practice is akin to using your own rifles while hunting as opposed to borrowing/renting rifles once in Africa. Most rifleman could do a pretty good job with the camp guns unless they are junk but most would agree that your better off with your own guns that you are used to.

I really have not found carrying my own sticks to be ludicrous. They fit nicely in my gun case or in my duffle.

Mark

Mark, my apologies if my post came across as abrasive. That was not my intent, but upon re-reading it now I am shocked at how ill-mannered and unfriendly it sounds!

Your analogy of using one's own rifle vs. a loaner or rental has merit, but only up to a point. Like most of us, I enjoy shooting my own guns, and am familiar and comfortable with them. I am willing to tolerate the inconvenience of transporting them in order to be able to use them, but experience allows me to shoot reasonably well with any decent gun, and I would not expect the success of a hunt to hang in the balance if I were forced to use something else. Shooting sticks, however, have no particular esthetic or emotional appeal. As long as they work, great...and with sufficient practice, it is easy to make just about any old set of sticks work well, so why would I bother to schlep a particular set around with me? It would just feel silly, like travelling with a supply of my usual brand of toilet paper in case the local stuff is not quite right!

Having said that, I'll admit that I will be taking a pair of Stoney Point folding sticks with me on my first antelope hunt next month. Too many folks have told me how handy they will be for me to simply disregard their advice. If I use them and feel that they were worth having along, I will dip into my supply of crow recipes and prepare a hearty meal for myself...it won't be the first time!

John

For those that want to take their own, I would suggest looking at these: www.bipodshootingsticks.com They are about as compact as you can get. And no, I am not a salesman for them, but I do have them and they work.

quote:

Originally posted by jwm:
Mark, my apologies if my post came across as abrasive. That was not my intent, but upon re-reading it now I am shocked at how ill-mannered and unfriendly it sounds!

Your analogy of using one's own rifle vs. a loaner or rental has merit, but only up to a point. Like most of us, I enjoy shooting my own guns, and am familiar and comfortable with them. I am willing to tolerate the inconvenience of transporting them in order to be able to use them, but experience allows me to shoot reasonably well with any decent gun, and I would not expect the success of a hunt to hang in the balance if I were forced to use something else. Shooting sticks, however, have no particular esthetic or emotional appeal. As long as they work, great...and with sufficient practice, it is easy to make just about any old set of sticks work well, so why would I bother to schlep a particular set around with me? It would just feel silly, like travelling with a supply of my usual brand of toilet paper in case the local stuff is not quite right!

Having said that, I'll admit that I will be taking a pair of Stoney Point folding sticks with me on my first antelope hunt next month. Too many folks have told me how handy they will be for me to simply disregard their advice. If I use them and feel that they were worth having along, I will dip into my supply of crow recipes and prepare a hearty meal for myself...it won't be the first time!

John

damn, i must really be dumb.i use camp rifles and camp shooting sticks. and somehow i have managed to kill what i went after. can't beat luck, i guess. hope it continues this Oct in the Caprivi....( and in Cameroon next March)

TPB is spot on. This makes the 1st Gen model much better.

Jerry,

I knew the minute I finished writing my opinion on this subject you wouold jump in. More power to you if you can do what you need to do without your own equipment. I tried using camp guns just once and eventhough they were not junk I never was completely comfortable with them during the safari.

Mark

jwm,

No worries?! Your more than entitled to your own opinion as is everyone else.

Mark