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I'm going on an elk hunt in unit 34 in New mexico. I spoke with the guild and he recommended being proficient at shooting from sticks at a range of 300 to 400 yards. I never feel very stable when shooting from sticks. I bought a tripod trigger style system and I have been practicing some but could use some tips. How do you guys use them while feeling steady when shooting at range? | ||
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I’ve shot sitting with sticks for many years on shots that matter. Have learned to hold well enough to kill game cleanly at 3-400 yards no problem. Standing sticks; can’t help you. Would sure prefer that to offhand. Practice practice practice is the answer to about any shooting question. Comfortable position and clean trigger break is what works. "The liberty enjoyed by the people of these states of worshiping Almighty God agreeably to their conscience, is not only among the choicest of their blessings, but also of their rights." ~George Washington - 1789 | |||
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Tip? Practice. I've shot game animals standing on the sticks out to 300 yards but at 400 yards, go prone off a bipod if possible. If not, sitting with a short set of sticks is very solid for me. Frank "I don't know what there is about buffalo that frightens me so.....He looks like he hates you personally. He looks like you owe him money." - Robert Ruark, Horn of the Hunter, 1953 NRA Life, SAF Life, CRPA Life, DRSS lite | |||
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. On those longer shots off sticks (RHS) I often rest my right elbow on the PH's shoulder or if not possible a tree or similar giving me a 3 point rest. Otherwise +1 on sitting down shots. . "Up the ladders and down the snakes!" | |||
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Don't forget about dry firing. | |||
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By practicing with sitting stix, resting elbows on each leg, I've been able to consistently take game out to 300 meters. I can't give an opinion on the standing stix. It took plenty of practice to be able to consistently use the stix with accuracy - and I still practice with them before a hunt. I also agree strongly with p dog's advice about dry firing (centerfire only). Finally, I'm a fan of practicing with a full size .22 LR. Consistently knocking down the tiny chickens at 50 yards off the sticks taught me a lot about stability, breathing and trigger control. | |||
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Ok, 34 is about 60 miles from my house. Bill/Oregon lives 10 miles from there. It is heavily timbered with Ponderosa pine on the west side. The east side is more open and so is the foothills. It is not overly vertical, once you are on top of the mountain. Though there are parts of the unit that are. It is much less flat than the Gila. I carry a 5 pound Bogen Manfrotto tripod with a Hog Saddle on it. It is a lot of weight to carry, but I have made 400 yard shots on game with it. A regular set of shooting sticks will not give you that level of accuracy. | |||
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I will try three points of contact and sitting and see how that goes. I'm going to practice all day tomorrow. | |||
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+2 | |||
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I carry a set of sticks when I am out west the hunting prairies. I also have put a pi-pod to good use. | |||
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Jim with African Sporting Creations sells 3-piece Super Compact Shooting Sticks. Use the top section alone to shoot from the prone position, connect the top section to the bottom ones to shoot from the kneeling position, or use all three sections to shoot from the standing position. Their featherweight model weighs approximately 2.5 lbs. A little expensive but definitely a quality product manufactured by a company that is client focused. DSC Life Member HSC Life Member NRA Life Member SCI RMEF | |||
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I have killed 10 elk in Unit 34 over the last 20 years. The furthest that I have had to shoot was about 150 yards... | |||
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I'll take a tree to lean on as a rest over sticks if available but I do have a tripod type of folding/collapsible sticks from Cabela's that work well. Still prefer a tree though. Much more solid. ~Ann   | |||
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Get yourself a set of viper flex shooting sticks from Denmark. 300-400yard shots become very easy with practise! | |||
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Where I hunt in northern Wis it is very heavily forested. I don't think I leaned/rested my rifle against a tree. More then twice in 52 years of hunting and a couple hundred deer. Good idea but there never seems one available in the right spot at the right time. To move to a tree many times would mean the deer spotting you and taking off. I did use one to shoot my first elk but it was 297 yards away and movement wasn't that critical. | |||
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I've carried sitting shooting sticks for years. I can't remember the name right now but they are essentially like aluminum tent polls that fold out with a flick of the wrist. They weigh about as much as a deck of cards. Steady stix maybe? They work well for me in the mountains. I never understood those heavy bipods attached to the rifle. It seems everybody wants a lightweight rifle then adds pounds of bipod and observatory size scope on it. Well it ain't lightweight no more. If I felt the need to shoot prone I have a pack to rest on. I also don't get those who think they 'need' to shoot at extended ranges. Practice is fine but often being a better stalker is a better solution for all envolved. Roger ___________________________ I'm a trophy hunter - until something better comes along. *we band of 45-70ers* | |||
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This advice may be the most important of all. If you can get another rest or anchor point with the back of rifle, or at least with your elbow on trigger hand side, you’ll find shooting accurately off sticks to be much easier | |||
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I made a set of two legged sticks and practiced on them a lot. When I was fairly comfortable with them I went to three legs. That made three feel really steady. I found reactive targets seemed to help also. Plastic jugs of water! It's a mess to pick up the pieces but the instant gratification was way better than just punching paper! Don't over look a good shooting sling. A little practice with natural point of aim and breathing will have you rock solid in prone! | |||
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I have the same set that Cougarz is speaking of. Stoney Point Steady Stix I believe. I have the version for sitting and the version for standing. I love how light they are. They add very little weight to a day pack. With that being said, I haven't practiced with either out to 400 yards and I think the shooting sticks that were offered here on AR in the classifieds (for 175$?) that support the rear of the gun as well may be a better choice for a longer shot. I did bring the sitting shooting sticks with me on my Colorado elk hunts, but never planned on shooting past 250y. "Let me start off with two words: Made in America" | |||
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What Fjold said ++++++ Practice, ,, For what it is worth, my two longest shots at game with my M70 .308 were sitting, both on a forward slope and both connected. 300 yards on a mule deer and 400 on a whitetail. Most of my shots are under 200 and anything less than 250 is a chip hot for my rifle. This Pronghorn was taken in 2019 at 235 ; standing with a rest.  Oh yes, remember to practice. NRA Life Benefactor Member, DRSS, DWWC, Whittington Center,Android Reloading Ballistics App at http://www.xplat.net/ | |||
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I have no use for sticks, I can find a rock or tree if I need a rest, but I shoot a lot off hand, if you can shoot decent off hand you don't need stix.. Packing stix around is just that much more crap to carry. A rifle, binocs. chewing gum, a Hershey bar and a stick of jerky has been my choice for 60 years, Nobody had sticks until fairly recently. Still don't see many in the US where I hunt anyway, its an Afrian thing but thats probably changing as I see them for sale in most sporting goods stores. African phs, refused me the use of sticks, I missed every shot, so they made me shoot off hand and that worked great. I just never could get the hang of shooting over sticks.... Even so I recommend lots of off hand practice in other words learn to shoot..The sticks may come in handy as you age.. Most of the elk Ive shot were around 100 yards a good number at 200, a precious few at 300 and only about 4, maybe 5 at beyond that, 350 to 400 yards..even in the sage brush country, have had to crawl a lot.. 400 is risky, and those that take those long shots regularly have wounded elk, didn't know it, denied it. or just don't give a shit..reading wind in elk country is tricky as hell, shooting across canyons with updraft, etc can mess with any zero you choose..Not saying nobody can do it, but most cannot.. Ray Atkinson Atkinson Hunting Adventures 10 Ward Lane, Filer, Idaho, 83328 208-731-4120 rayatkinsonhunting@gmail.com | |||
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I hunt with a Hog Saddle and a Bogen tripod. The combination weighs 5 pounds, but I have shot game at 400 yards with it sitting. The hog saddle is a rifle clamp, and the weight to the bipod allows for fairly precise shooting off the tripod even when standing. I have sighted in many big bores this way. | |||
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I carry in my pack a set of light weight fold up cross sticks I bought for those rare times I need a support in an odd place. Most time I dont use anything. I have used cross sticks made with bamboo for 30 years when setting in one location but stalking I carry the fold ups. | |||
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I use cross sticks of bamboo that fold together and then used for walking stick. Very light and allow for a great set up on a deer stand. Helps threading a shot through an opening in thick cover.. often if I am just setting up a stand to use at a later time I will cut two sticks and tie them together and then I need to carry no sticks but still have my shooting aid. | |||
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I don't really know much about hunting / shooting elk...but just get an adjustable Harris Bi-Pod, that's all you really need. | |||
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I have shot 10's of thousands of rounds off bi-pods at P-dogs. They are a great aid. But they have there limitations. The last four mule deer I have shot one was off the bi-pod at 305 yards the other 3 were shot standing. As the sage and limited time did not allow the bi-pod to be deployed. The last elk I shot was shot using a tree at 299 yards. Couldn't have used the bi-pod. Sticks are very handy and a useful shooting aid. Plus a good strong pair make a good walking aid also. | |||
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I actually did a spit take when I saw that. Glad it was a dry bite. Kind of like John Elway not knowing how to throw a football. | |||
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Or let Joyce shoot it for you. ______________________ DRSS ______________________ Hunt Reports 2015 His & Her Leopards with Derek Littleton of Luwire Safaris - http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/2971090112 2015 Trophy Bull Elephant with CMS http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/1651069012 DIY Brooks Range Sheep Hunt 2013 - http://forums.accuratereloadin...901038191#9901038191 Zambia June/July 2012 with Andrew Baldry - Royal Kafue http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/7971064771 Zambia Sept 2010- Muchinga Safaris http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/4211096141 Namibia Sept 2010 - ARUB Safaris http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/6781076141 | |||
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Basically shooting sticks are nothing but a rifle rest. Use it as best as you can. Nothing to it. | |||
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Hey you guys, Remember when we were young we could hit a pop can all day at 70-80 yds off hand with iron sights? Now I need sticks to do it at 50yds. IHMSA BC Provincial Champion and Perfect 40 Score, Unlimited Category, AAA Class. | |||
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Right!!! I have used snap on tripods hooked to the forward sling stud on a lot of hunting rifles, to use when shooting from a prone position for very long range shots. However I have often used a rest by putting my for arm against a tree or rock for some distance to steady my hold on target. But my most often rest is sitting with each of my elbows resting on each knee from a sitting position where possible. In country like mountain or canyon slopes I like to use a walking stick that was the center bloom stalk from a Yucca plant. Those things weigh almost nothing, and work for steady walking on steep slopes and and will steady my forehand for long off hand shots where I must shoot from a standing position. The key is to all this is practice with what ever you use, and most will work with the amount of practice you work with. Like anything else, PRACTICE IS THE KEY To SUCCESS! ..................................  MacD37....Mac >>>===(x)===> MacD37, ...and DUGABOY1 DRSS Charter member "If I die today, I've had a life well spent, for I've been to see the Elephant, and smelled the smoke of Africa!"~ME 1982 Hands of Old Elmer Keith  | |||
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What Saeed said. I won't hunt anywhere without adjustable shooting sticks. I use the Trigger Sticks. Longest shot off of them for me while standing up was 430 yards on a Vaal Rhebok while hunting with PH Charl van Rooyen. While sitting longest shot was 510 yards in Mexico on Coues Deer while hunting with former Borderland Adventures Guide Vince Martinez. Both times shooting my MG Arms 325 WSM. They do work. | |||
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If you can sit with your right knee up and use it to rest your right elbow on this will help. Or better yet use your pack and lay it across your lap and rest your elbow on it. | |||
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triger sticks are also nice to rest binos on while glassing if your standing, and I have used them as a little support in steep snow covered rocky terrain. Moisture seems to degrade the internal mechanisim after a few years of hard use though. | |||
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I just hate packing all that crap with me, but hey at my age Id rather use the outside mirror of my pickup..I have a $1.50 ticket thats good for life that hangs on my inside mirror that says I can shoot out the pickup window over the hood or whatever..Thank you Idaho Fish and Game, they love us senior citizens. I bet that saves a lot of game being wounded by us shaky old farts.. Ray Atkinson Atkinson Hunting Adventures 10 Ward Lane, Filer, Idaho, 83328 208-731-4120 rayatkinsonhunting@gmail.com | |||
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The only place I've used sticks was Africa. Dave | |||
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The shooting sticks that I make are different than most. I make them out of dowel. I drill the ends and use arrow inserts and rubber arrow tips or the steel field points depending on how I amusing them. I added some Mole skin to keep them quiet   Then I drill the top of the sticks. I add sling swivels and a leather strap the swivels are epoxied in. I gave it some mole skin again to keep them quiet and for better grip.    The rifle rests on the leather. I don't like the rifle sitting on a hard spot to shoot from. I feel that the leather allows the rifle to recoil without outside input from the rest. Every shot is the same. I tested this with my air rifle. It is hold sensitive and the leather allows it to do its thing the same way every time. When they are deployed I can adjust the height by leaning them back. I have three different sizes to choose from. Short for bench rest, medium for sitting on the ground, and tall for sitting in a blind or on my knees.    Here is a video I made on them. https://youtu.be/AZNvWYoDENQ | |||
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I use my walking stick. I epoxied a 1/4" bolt into the top and use a forked rubber bracket that you see on some of the commercial sticks. The single stick is steady enough if I'm sitting and makes it more stable than offhand by far but I won't shoot 3-400 yards. I do really like Idaho Ron's sticks. Is it OK if I make a copy of the prone set Ron? | |||
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Sitting with cross sticks and your day pack as an elbow support is about the optimal combination of accuracy, speed, and flexibility. Depending on the size of your day pack you can rest it on your thigh, between your feet, or next to your hip.  Mike Legistine actu quod scripsi? Never under estimate the internet community's ability to reply to your post with their personal rant about their tangentially related, single occurrence issue.  What I have learned on AR, since 2001: 1. The proper answer to: Where is the best place in town to get a steak dinner? is…You should go to Mel's Diner and get the fried chicken. 2. Big game animals can tell the difference between .015 of an inch in diameter, 15 grains of bullet weight, and 150 fps. 3. There is a difference in the performance of two identical projectiles launched at the same velocity if they came from different cartridges. 4. While a double rifle is the perfect DGR, every 375HH bolt gun needs to be modified to carry at least 5 down. 5. While a floor plate and detachable box magazine both use a mechanical latch, only the floor plate latch is reliable. Disregard the fact that every modern military rifle uses a detachable box magazine. 6. The Remington 700 is unreliable regardless of the fact it is the basis of the USMC M40 sniper rifle for 40+ years with no changes to the receiver or extractor and is the choice of more military and law enforcement sniper units than any other rifle. 7. PF actions are not suitable for a DGR and it is irrelevant that the M1, M14, M16, & AK47 which were designed for hunting men that can shoot back are all PF actions. 8. 95 deg F in Africa is different than 95 deg F in TX or CA and that is why you must worry about ammunition temperature in Africa (even though most safaris take place in winter) but not in TX or in CA. 9. The size of a ding in a gun's finish doesn't matter, what matters is whether it’s a safe ding or not. 10. 1 in a row is a trend, 2 in a row is statistically significant, and 3 in a row is an irrefutable fact. 11. Never buy a WSM or RCM cartridge for a safari rifle or your go to rifle in the USA because if they lose your ammo you can't find replacement ammo but don't worry 280 Rem, 338-06, 35 Whelen, and all Weatherby cartridges abound in Africa and back country stores. 12. A well hit animal can run 75 yds. in the open and suddenly drop with no initial blood trail, but the one I shot from 200 yds. away that ran 10 yds. and disappeared into a thicket and was not found was lost because the bullet penciled thru. I am 100% certain of this even though I have no physical evidence. 13. A 300 Win Mag is a 500 yard elk cartridge but a 308 Win is not a 300 yard elk cartridge even though the same bullet is travelling at the same velocity at those respective distances. | |||
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