Rifle tripods

[md7]

For years I’ve hunted in stands. Last few seasons I’ve taken to scouting woods, looking for sign of activity, and then setting up near that location. It’s been a great change up for me, and I enjoy it. A more mobile style of hunting I’d say.

Those of you that have done this for years probably already know, but I’m a newcomer to tripods and got a Bog death grip recently. Wow! What a handy piece of kit. Wish I’d known about these things much sooner, and super helpful for mobile hunting.

For those of you looking to hunt on the move or scouting and setting up on the ground, you may want to take a look. Been pleasantly surprised.

For those of you using tripods, what’s your go to? Anybody got any long term feedback from the bog death grip?

 

[earlthegoat2]

I’ve used a cheapy Cabelas, Trigger Stick, and a Bog Death Grip.

For me the Cabelas and Trigger stick have been best for on the move.

I use the Bog in my pop up blind though because it’s a bit heavier and makes a nice stable rest for a very stable shot when sitting in a chair.

 

[Chuck R.]

I was using a cheap/light Bog Pod "Switchero", but upgraded this year to a Hog Saddle PF4 "Piglight" carbon fiber with their GNN XB-44DL low profile ball head. Total weight is slightly over 5lbs. On a couple of my longer range hunting rigs I mounted Swiss Arca plates from Salmon River Solutions. They're pretty small and can be removed if you don't need them. I've also got the Hog saddle clamp, but only use it to practice with some rifles that don't have plates. IMHO it's too heavy to drag along and too slow to get set up if you're in a hurry. It's also slow to get out of if things don't go like you've planned. The bag excels when it comes to flexibility.

I really like the tripod when calling yotes.

I spent quite a bit of time (and rounds) practicing with this setup and just throwing a small "mini-waxed bag" from Thunderbird Long Range with Git-Lite fill. Both work, the bag is faster, but clamping in is just a bit steadier. I carry the bag strapped to my backpack on the top handle, so it also works as a rest when shooting sitting off the bag.

Used it on a Mulie in MT this year at 263yds "clamped in" and a doe here in KS at about 80 off the bag from a ground blind.

Nolser M48 with Arca plate:


My M7 in .223 with the Hog Saddle:


My M7 is .260 using bag on the ball head.


Practicing for MT:


I should be heading to OK to hunt pigs next month and the tripod's going with me.

 

[jmr40]

A full tripod is more than I want to carry. I do carry shooting sticks in my day pack on most hunts. I have 2 sets. A small light weight set similar to this;

Swagger Stalker Lite Shooting Sticks 21 to 36 Black (midwayusa.com)

These take up almost no space. They aren't long enough to use standing, but work great prone or sitting.

I have another more sturdy set if I anticipate longer shots.

Primos Pole Cat Short Bipod Shooting Stick 65482 | eBay

There was a learning curve, but once mastered I can do pretty well with either of those. To me these are a good compromise. I've tried the ones with only 1 leg and couldn't shoot well enough to justify it. And while 3 legs would be better, I cover too much ground and often in steep terrain to carry the weight. The bigger set can double as a hiking stick if extended.

 

[mcb]

Another fan of the trigger sticks. Love them!

Been using them for the past two years. Killed a lot of armadillos and one nice buck over mine.

 

[H&Hhunter]

I have some input on the Bog Death Grip, it’s absolute junk! Cheaply built, heavy and over priced for what it is. The connection between the saddle and the tripod has very loose tolerances and makes for an unstable and shaky platform. The leg angle adjustment buttons on mine almost immediately failed. Just say no to a Bog Death Grip.

 

[md7]

Appreciate the feedback!

The one drawback with the Bog is weight. I see several posts have mentioned lighter options that may be easier to pack and I’ll look into those.

Thanks all!

 

[Chuck R.]

Appreciate the feedback!

The one drawback with the Bog is weight. I see several posts have mentioned lighter options that may be easier to pack and I’ll look into those.

Thanks all!

There are lighter options, some going as light as 3LBs but the cost goes up quite a bit. You've got to match your capacity requirement to your Tripod capability. Right now with my current set up, which was designed for military application, I'm over my capacity requirement, which is costing me some weight. My tripod's good for 24lbs, my ball head for 40Lbs, and for hunting I'm using it for a 9lb "all up" rifle. It does come in handy for my precision rigs, and it's durable as heck, stable as all get out, but definitely overkill for hunting. It does pack nicely though size-wise and easily straps to a pack.

As JMR said, there's a learning curve. I worked from 100-760yds with mine from various positions to get a feel for what position, grip, clamped in, off bag etc. would corelate to good hits at what distance. A lot of this I did with dry-fire, .22LRs and .223 before going with the "real" thing. I ended up with a pretty good idea of my capabilities depending on the position. Previously I worked with my Bog Pod:



and got good out to 400 sitting, the precision tripod easily adds a couple hundred yards to that. It's not as stable, the saddle acts as a fulcrum, but it is light and easy to pack.

I'm working on a couple elk hunts now and will be looking for a lighter solution at about the 3lb range. The way I figure it, I'd have something for glassing anyway, might as well be able to shoot off it if needbe.

I have some input on the Bog Death Grip, it’s absolute junk! Cheaply built, heavy and over priced for what it is. The connection between the saddle and the tripod has very loose tolerances and makes for an unstable and shaky platform. The angle adjustment buttons on mine almost immediately failed. Just say no to a Bog Death Grip.

A couple friends have them, and that's what steered me clear, heavy with out the benefits of stability or durability.

 

[jmorris]

I have one of the BOG setups and it’s obvious they wanted a piece of the market the superior HOG saddle has.

I can get it to work much better than shooting sticks for sure but it’s a cheap copy of a good product.

 

[Jeff62]

Mine is home brew shop special. I bought three camera tripods at an estate auction for five dollars. I bolted a Kolpin gun grip thingy, leftover from another project, to the top plate. I’ve been using tripod and monopod for a couple of years. I don’t care for bi-pods.

 

[LoonWulf]

Im using a Spartan tripod, its very light and plenty sturdy enough....the gun thats hanging from it is about 12lbs.








(didnt realize weight was so hard to read, its .3 oz under 2lbs.....



I've got some in use pictures. I'll dig up later.

 

[marksman13]

My go to on the move is a Primos Trigger Stick tripod. Lightweight, doubles as a walking stick, plenty sturdy for what I’m doing. I’ve got an older BOG tripod and it’s fine though not as versatile as the Trigger Stick. I’ve also got a BOG Deathgrip and I like some of the others here, I’ve had good luck with mine. It’s heavy, but plenty sturdy. I practice 500 yard shots with mine pretty routinely from both the sitting and standing position and the only complaint I have against it is weight and that it is slow to set up.

 

[LoonWulf]

Hunt that lasted all of 2 minutes after reaching the spot I was posted....
Shot crouched behind the pod with just the first sections of legs extended, shot was thru about a 5" gap in two trees at just over 100yds.

picture from last year...or maybe the year before.
S20 isnt light either, tripods at full extension as I had to shoot over the top of some scrub at a downward angle.

I really only use the tripod when I'm hunting areas with stuff I cant easily see over from a bipod, but its been invaluable in those instances. Otherwise Id usually just steal a pair of shooting sticks from my FIL, or make a set myself while I was out there. In areas I wouldnt usually bother to take it out of my backpack I still usually carry it.