Scenario:

The PH sets me up for a shot on a kudu..

He unfolds the shooting sticks, I put my rifle on the sticks, and he puts his fingers into his ears...

then...

#1 I hold the forearm with my left hand, and when I fire, the muzzle rise causes the sticks to fall over, meaning that a quick followup shot will have to be offhand.

or...

#2 I hold the sticks with my left hand, and when I fire, the muzzle rise leaves me with the sticks in my left hand, and the rifle in my right hand, totally preventing a followup shot.

So, which is it - #1, #2, or none-of-the-above?

Rick.

Thats why I like the "Safari Sticks". They have some bend in them and when you lean into them they flex a bit so's there is some counter-pressure to your hold. With your non-trigger hand hold the rifle stock in a "circular manner" right at the point before the stock meets the sticks.

Keeping a nice tight hold, with weight forward, and shooting elbow high, makes for a nice system. I love shooting off of sticks and feel comfortable with my safari sticks out to about 300 yrds.....good luck..........J

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I don't know if it is the "right way", but I hold the forend of the rifle. I have also grabbed the left fork of the stick and secured the rifle in the "V" with my thumb, which seems to work okay too. I think whatever feels best and seems most stable for you is the right way to go. Many times, after your initial shot, the PH will grab the sticks, ready to reposition them in case a follow-up is needed. Any way you do it, the sticks could get in the way of a fast follow-up. You should make some and practice using them before your hunt.

When working with clients, either I or my tracker will hold the sticks to counter the problem you have mentioned or will catch the sticks after the shot...I prefer to have hte tracker hold the sticks so that I can focus on the animal and watch hte reaction to the shot so as to make an instant call as to what happens next.

I often use sticks for my own hunting and and let them fall away for the follow up shot from the off-hand position.

Sticks are easily fashioned to two styles; either long or short. Short ones for use while sitting are made from 1/2" dowel rods, longs ones are made from local hard wood saplings are measure about 6 ft. Both types are joined together about 4-6" from teh top using a section of auto tyre inner tube.

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Peter

"Walk softly and carry a big bore"

is your video of Walter and the shooting sticks scene on the site? it would clearly show the world the best use of shooting sticks.

ep

Michael

But that's just me.

jeff

Well, if that doesn't work, scroll to the bottom of this page. You will also find the world's largest termite mound. Ever seen one that beat that? Click below:

http://raberry0.tripod.com/RonsHuntingPage/id9.html

Hey! The big picture above works ...sometimes... if you click on the address to the web page and then go back to the forum.

If you can view the big picture you will more easily see that if I pulled the trigger from this position, the scope would knock my hat off. See anything else that might inflict pain upon me if I pulled the trigger?
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RAB

[This message has been edited by DaggaRon (edited 04-17-2002).]

quote:

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Originally posted by 500grains:
I refused to use sticks. I don't use them in the US, and I won't use them in Africa. To me it's kind of like shooting a whitetail from sandbags. It takes some of the challenge and thus some of the fun out of it for me.

But that's just me.

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To each his own, but how much challenge do you need?

Do you shoot from sitting when you could be prone? Do you shoot offhand when you could sit?

Would you not use a rock or a backpack as a rest?

How shaky do you need to be to enjoy the challenge?