I'm doing some walking varmint (mostly prairie dogs) shooting. I'm leisurely walking a mile or two off the two-tracks and been packing my old trigger stick (mono) and a lightweight folding chair but find I need more rifle stability for making 125-250 yards shots. I'm considering getting either a Caldwell Dead Shot Field Pod (Max version) or a Primos Gen 2 Trigger Stick tripod (Shockey Edition). They make a 2-Point gun rest accessory for the Trigger Tripod and I'd probably buy that if I went with the Primos. Price is about the same but I'm more concerned with performance in the field.

I'd like to hear from people with some experience with either.

Cant tell you anything on the Caldwell

But I absolutely love my Primos tall tripod

A guide friend of mine has the Primos version I had the chance to use during a bear hunt I was on. I used them in a wolf bait blind. Didn't get the opportunity on a wolf but I was impressed with the sticks. I like the fact that all you need to raise or lower them is a press of the trigger. Sturdy too.

For someone seriously hiking the mountains the weight might be a factor but for varmint hunting I would think they should work well. I haven't used the others.

My Primos is great, it is well made and easy to adjust. Never tried the Caldwell, maybe they have both at Cabelas for a comparison.

They do have both at the local Cabelas but the Caldwell is in the box. I've really liked the mono Trigger Stick I've had for several years. Shot many deer off it out of various blinds but the distances averaged 60-75 yards. I need more stabilization now trying to whack p-dogs at 175 yards.

The Primos tri-pod might be more versatile in that it has a greater range of heights it can be utilized for.

Damn the glitches!! Guess I'll start over again!

Can't help you with these gadgets. I use a 23" Harris bipod on my rifles. IF you can sit on the ground they're just right, and can be let down to shoot prone. In the short grass you just about need elbow pads or it'll wear the skin off 'em.

I took the legs off a plastic chair and set it on the ground. I need back support, can lean back like in a recliner, it's great.

I riveted shoulder straps and a canteen cover on the back of it. Stuff: trash bags and flea spray, some rope etc in it. Need help to stand up, but, I've carried out two coyotes tied to the seat and it's not bad. Bag 'em and soak it down good inside with the spray, tie it shut and they're dead by the time I get to the truck.

George

I have a three legged Bogpod and and two legged Trigger stick.Both work great.

That's just something else to pack all day IMO..besides I can't shoot well over sticks. I practice a lot shooting off hand, and 99% of the time I can find a rock or tree for support. Just speaking for myself..I do have a single trigger stick, use it mostly for a cattle prod. Even when I took it hunting I didn't use it, Do the same damn thing with my range finder..A rifle, a 5 or 10 round cartridge belt, a pocket knife (deer hunting) and two or three stick of jerky is all I carry on a day hunt. Some young bucks go heavy, I go light as possible.

quote:

Originally posted by Atkinson:
That's just something else to pack all day IMO..besides I can't shoot well over sticks. I practice a lot shooting off hand, and 99% of the time I can find a rock or tree for support. Just speaking for myself..I do have a single trigger stick, use it mostly for a cattle prod. Even when I took it hunting I didn't use it, Do the same damn thing with my range finder..A rifle, a 5 or 10 round cartridge belt, a pocket knife (deer hunting) and two or three stick of jerky is all I carry on a day hunt. Some young bucks go heavy, I go light as possible.

I'm with ray on this. People haul around too much stuff. Makes you wonder how far they get from the truck. If I'm hunting open country, I'll hang a Harris on the front of the rifle, the rest of the time, I rely on field position shooting or finding a handy rock or limb or stump, etc. And practice, practice, practice.

quote:

Originally posted by wasbeeman:

quote:

Originally posted by Atkinson:
That's just something else to pack all day IMO..besides I can't shoot well over sticks. I practice a lot shooting off hand, and 99% of the time I can find a rock or tree for support. Just speaking for myself..I do have a single trigger stick, use it mostly for a cattle prod. Even when I took it hunting I didn't use it, Do the same damn thing with my range finder..A rifle, a 5 or 10 round cartridge belt, a pocket knife (deer hunting) and two or three stick of jerky is all I carry on a day hunt. Some young bucks go heavy, I go light as possible.

I'm with ray on this. People haul around too much stuff. Makes you wonder how far they get from the truck. If I'm hunting open country, I'll hang a Harris on the front of the rifle, the rest of the time, I rely on field position shooting or finding a handy rock or limb or stump, etc. And practice, practice, practice.

Did you 2 EXPERTS even read the OP's post? He is hunting primarily Prairie Dogs.....
I must agree I don't normally want to lug any extra junk on my hunts in the mountains and use field position shooting and rocks, logs, trees or a backpack but he is talking about a Prairie Dog field.
Maybe I should explain to you 2 experts how few trees, rocks and logs are found where Prairie Dogs live but in case you've never experienced that in the field for yourselves you could probably Google it up or something in case you don't believe me.

Yes, I read the OP...Ive done all my PD hunting out the window of a pickup. and off hand practice, same with Jack Rabbits and Rock Chucks to a lesser degree..I was posting in generalities..Sorry to upset you.

Primos is far and away the better of the two.

23" Harris bipod works great if you bring a ground cushion

PM Gale Johnson on here and ask him about the shooting sticks he got. I believe they are from Norway. I'm pretty impressed with them

I bought & used "Jim Shockey's" 3 legged tall Primos trigger Sticks on my baited AK grizzly bear hunt. We were hunting out of a ground blind & needed the extra height. I left it with the outfitter/guide for future hunts. It was used on the following 2 hunts after mine. Everyone killed grizzly bears.

The Caldwell field sled was too short. The window in the blind was about 40" from ground level.

I have the caldwell deadshot magnum and I love it. It is as steady as a machinegun tripod. I even use at the range as most ranges the benches are total crap. I use it sitting or standing.

Safe shooting...............LL

quote:

Yes, I read the OP...Ive done all my PD hunting out the window of a pickup. and off hand practice, same with Jack Rabbits and Rock Chucks to a lesser degree..I was posting in generalities..Sorry to upset you

Fully understand the pickup window the locals would laugh at us shooting of bi-pods. Done my share of using the power window for adjustment.

Just about everybody in this area (western edge of Colorado and eastern Utah) go out and whack prairie dogs from their trucks. It works for a week or two when the season opens up (yes, they have a season on prairie dogs now) but it doesn't take long to thin them out. For a number of reasons I've opted to park the truck and get my fat/old butt out there and hike around a bit. Besides seeing some nice country and other critters I encounter little pockets of p-dogs that afford me some nice shooting. There isn't a tree or stump for miles, seldom a handy rock, and kneeling or sitting down can be a problem due to our crappy little cactus we have. Last week when I was out it was 98 degrees and laying on a p-dog mound shooting prone was not comfortable.

Although long ago I did a lot of competition smallbore and big-bore shooting including Camp Perry matches, hitting a prairie dog at 150-200 yards offhand is not do-able for me. I daresay not too many people can do it consistently.

So yes, I want to travel light and I also want to hit things consistently. That is why I'm going to be packing something more than my mono trigger stick that is more stable and still portable

I want to thank the folks that responded with their experiences with the equipment I'm looking at.

P.S. Here's a photo of what it looks like. And for those curious, I am packing an old Sako 222, with a ss Hart barrel put on by old man Hart himself. The original barrel got wore out shooting prairie dogs back in my salad years.

quote:

Originally posted by Snellstrom:

quote:

Originally posted by wasbeeman:

quote:

Originally posted by Atkinson:
That's just something else to pack all day IMO..besides I can't shoot well over sticks. I practice a lot shooting off hand, and 99% of the time I can find a rock or tree for support. Just speaking for myself..I do have a single trigger stick, use it mostly for a cattle prod. Even when I took it hunting I didn't use it, Do the same damn thing with my range finder..A rifle, a 5 or 10 round cartridge belt, a pocket knife (deer hunting) and two or three stick of jerky is all I carry on a day hunt. Some young bucks go heavy, I go light as possible.

I'm with ray on this. People haul around too much stuff. Makes you wonder how far they get from the truck. If I'm hunting open country, I'll hang a Harris on the front of the rifle, the rest of the time, I rely on field position shooting or finding a handy rock or limb or stump, etc. And practice, practice, practice.

Did you 2 EXPERTS even read the OP's post? He is hunting primarily Prairie Dogs.....
I must agree I don't normally want to lug any extra junk on my hunts in the mountains and use field position shooting and rocks, logs, trees or a backpack but he is talking about a Prairie Dog field.
Maybe I should explain to you 2 experts how few trees, rocks and logs are found where Prairie Dogs live but in case you've never experienced that in the field for yourselves you could probably Google it up or something in case you don't believe me.

well it looks like the world's self-annointed top 10% 3 shot group shooter is off his meds again. Or, perhaps, is too much on his meds. Did you miss my mention of a harris bi-pod? Or were you so excited to make another of your snotty posts that you overlooked it? I probably haven't shot as many Pdogs as you because of where you live, but I've killed a bunch. With a tarp to throw on the ground, a bi-pod equipped rifle, and a sack of ammo.

Seems simple enough which of 2 products is better the Primos or the Caldwell. Yet the internet curse of answering a question not asked always occurs.

Amazing.

Kudos to you sir for taking the walks. I make my own sticks out of fiberglass electric fence stakes. Sitting height only but can be used for walking stick too. I love the cut off chair idea! I had a folding beach chair with straps I used until the nylon rotted off it. Pink! That means it worked very well to put up with all the crap I took,and so comfortable. Like shooting with all your body supported with sticks deployed.

We have used the Caldwell Deadshot Fieldpod that is sitting height. Helpful in a pop-up blind or ground blind. One pig and a doe to its credit so far, simply did not have enough time in the field last year to add to the count. It can be a bit fussy to fold down and then back out if you are trying to get it as compact as possible for transport.

I have the Primos bipod with regular V head. Not nearly as steady but easy to adjust for height. Have not tried the tripod version or separate head with front and back support.

I did pick up a Bog Pod with larger head last year as it will go closer to the ground than the Primos I have. Have not had anyone take a shot from it yet.

quote:

Originally posted by wasbeeman:

quote:

Originally posted by Snellstrom:

quote:

Originally posted by wasbeeman:

quote:

Originally posted by Atkinson:
That's just something else to pack all day IMO..besides I can't shoot well over sticks. I practice a lot shooting off hand, and 99% of the time I can find a rock or tree for support. Just speaking for myself..I do have a single trigger stick, use it mostly for a cattle prod. Even when I took it hunting I didn't use it, Do the same damn thing with my range finder..A rifle, a 5 or 10 round cartridge belt, a pocket knife (deer hunting) and two or three stick of jerky is all I carry on a day hunt. Some young bucks go heavy, I go light as possible.

I'm with ray on this. People haul around too much stuff. Makes you wonder how far they get from the truck. If I'm hunting open country, I'll hang a Harris on the front of the rifle, the rest of the time, I rely on field position shooting or finding a handy rock or limb or stump, etc. And practice, practice, practice.

Did you 2 EXPERTS even read the OP's post? He is hunting primarily Prairie Dogs.....
I must agree I don't normally want to lug any extra junk on my hunts in the mountains and use field position shooting and rocks, logs, trees or a backpack but he is talking about a Prairie Dog field.
Maybe I should explain to you 2 experts how few trees, rocks and logs are found where Prairie Dogs live but in case you've never experienced that in the field for yourselves you could probably Google it up or something in case you don't believe me.

well it looks like the world's self-annointed top 10% 3 shot group shooter is off his meds again. Or, perhaps, is too much on his meds. Did you miss my mention of a harris bi-pod? Or were you so excited to make another of your snotty posts that you overlooked it? I probably haven't shot as many Pdogs as you because of where you live, but I've killed a bunch. With a tarp to throw on the ground, a bi-pod equipped rifle, and a sack of ammo.

IS IT NECESSARY TO BE PERSONNALLY INSULTING IN ORDER TO VOICE A DIFFERENCE OF OPINION ON THIS FORUM?

Matt,

I really like the BogPod tripod with the extra wide rest. Super lightweight and solid as a rock. The legs twist to lengthen or shorten and work well. BogPod also sells replacement parts should you need them

I carry them on every hunt and will usually rest my 15's on them to glass. Works like a champ

http://www.btibrands.com/product/rld-3-2/?mobile=true

http://www.btibrands.com/produ...ng-rest/?mobile=true

I have use a monopod, bipod, bogpod (2 legs) and trigger stick (3 leg).
I tossed all but the 3 legged trigger sticks for a couple of reasons.
1. Trigger sticks are by far the easiest to use and adjust.

2. Three legs are better than one or two legs.

3. A bipod is great if you are shooting prone, but most of my shooting is over grass or uphill/downhill making the bipod awkward.

I like shooting off sticks and consider offhand shooting the worst way to shoot. I miss more shooting offhand than with a rest.

To me shooting PDs, jack Rabbits, Rock Chucks off hand is to be ready for deer and elk season or an African safari..To a lesser extent coyotes are the same, I do miss a lot of them when they are way out there, but missing PDs, Jacks and Chucks isn't a life changing experience to me..I have them all practically in my back yard, and many are shot in my pasture. Its great practice for honing shooting skills, I don't gain much using a trigger stick. Just a different approach to varmints..Don't know why that's a criminal offense, just suggesting a way to upgrade shooting skills.

I agree with drummond and dogcat both. I love the wide body rifle rest from Bog Pod, but I like the super easy to adjust legs on the trigger stick. I bought an adapta-pod from bog pod and screwed it onto the head of the trigger stick so I can use the best of both worlds, to me anyway.

quote:

Originally posted by drummondlindsey:
Matt,

I really like the BogPod tripod with the extra wide rest. Super lightweight and solid as a rock. The legs twist to lengthen or shorten and work well. BogPod also sells replacement parts should you need them

I carry them on every hunt and will usually rest my 15's on them to glass. Works like a champ

http://www.btibrands.com/product/rld-3-2/?mobile=true

http://www.btibrands.com/produ...ng-rest/?mobile=true

After using the Primos tall tripod in Africa for two weeks I gave my Bog Pod away.

I now use the primos for glassing more than shooting

I rest my binoculars on the yoke like a 6 ft monopod when standing and in seconds its a wide tripod that goes very low and works on uneven ground better then anuthing out there. I even use a ball head with the Primos and my spotting scope......not as good as my dedicated tripods for that purpose but it eliminates a piece of gear in the pack.

My tall tripod is either used as a walking stick or on my pack as shown.

I'm only using the bipod version of Trigger Sticks, but I do pretty much what Ted does. I love it for glassing and have come to rely on the fast, easy adjustment. I use it mainly for coyote calling. When I leave the truck, I never know whether I'll be sitting in my chair or standing next to a yucca. I can easily adjust my TS to do either. When hunting big game, it's great for glassing. I don't usually carry it very far though. If I'm going to be more than a mile or so from the truck, I drop down to a lighter weight Stoney Point collapsible and cross my fingers that I'll be able to find a place for a sitting or kneeling shot.

Here's a rest I made that can be attached to a tripod. Works real well for standing or sitting shots. I have it mounted on a Swarovski carbon fiber tripod.

I have the first version of the Caldwell field pod. I also have bog pod tripod I believe the Caldwell would be sturdier but it comes at a price of quite a bit more weight and longer setup time. If you're only shooting out 250 yards or so I would think the promos trigger sticks or the bog pod would be solid enough in a sitting or prone position

This is what I went with; the Trigger Stick tripod (Shockey Version) and the two point rest accessory. Went to the desert today and it worked really good. Used it standing for quick shots encountered at 75-100 yards, and then set it up with my folding chair when I wanted to glass an area over for awhile. While not a concrete bench rest it certainly made ~200 yard shots much more do-able. I carried the folding chair strapped to the bottom of my harnessed belt back and just carried the Trigger Stick folded up with the rifle rest attached. To walk a couple hundred yards away from the truck was no problem. As you can see in the second photo the area is devoid of rocks and stumps to use as a rest. Yes, you could shoot prone but there is just enough cactus, not always obvious, to be a problem.

That looks like an awsome set up.

I have no doubt you will use the heck out of that set up.

Looks like that should work!

I hope you have better luck with the trigger sticks than I have. I've had two go bad where one of the legs quits locking and it makes it into a heavy monopod but I'm also using them more on one season that most would use them in 10