Do you hunt with a rest?

[ChefJeff1]

I've been thinking about rifle/shooting rests lately. What kind of rest do you hunt with? Bi-pod, shooting sticks, mono-pod, tri-pod. I saw a nice bi-pod in a cabelas catalog from Caldwell, the Caldwell pivoting bi=pod for like half the price of a harris. I'm also thinking about a bog-pod tri-pod. What are the advantages of a gun mounted bi-pod and a tri-pod stick?

 

[janobles14]

i use a monopod shooting stick. collapses nicely into my pack and is pretty sturdy. not quite as stable as a bipod or tripod but much quicker to deploy and overall much handier.

 

[RockinU]

I use Stoney Point shooting sticks. I have a Harris bi-pod, but it really adds to the carry weight of the rifle, and makes off-hand shooting harder for me anyway. I like the shooting sticks due to their light weight, ease of carrying and versatility on uneven terrain. Once you have played with them a bit you will find that you can get very stable on them in the sitting position. I shot a doe at 324 lasered yards off shooting sticks this year (another hunter had already wounded her, and I didn't want to track on a Sunday).

 

[sumpnz]

Some varient of the walking stick with a V to rest the rifle on is somewhat popular, especially for still and spot/stalk hunting. I've set my rifle on one or two varients and some worked better at steadying the gun than others. The steadiest one I tried was a hard polymer cane type walking stick that was pointed on the bottom so you could push it several inches into the ground.

The couple times I've shot or fondled rifles with bi-pods mounted they seemed to work really well if you were in a situation that enabled prone positions. I've looked at some of the longer bi-pods that would work better from sitting or kneeling positions but they seem like they'd add too much weight and bulk to the gun.

 

[skiking]

I mostly use shooting sticks here around the mountains where most shots are <200 yds but also use my backpack for long pokes. But when I go east of the mountains my bipod usually works best, unless the deer is in a CRP and sticks get you above the grass, that is when I rely on others to supply the sticks.

 

[JimKirk]

Yrs back, I had knee surgery and could not climb tree, so I sat on a gas pipeline. I had cut a forked Maple limb just the right height to use a shooting stick(shooting stick it was)! Killed three nice deer that yr., two does and a 7 pointer. I'm right handed so I cut the limb a little long and leaned it slightly to the left some, that with a little pressure from my left hand made a very stable rest. Two of the three shots were at 300 yds., one nearing 375.


Jimmy K

 

[wankerjake]

For deer/elk I use homemade shooting sticks. For predators I sit in a chair and have an adjustable monopod. I'm a much better shot with a rest

 

[ArmedBear]

Shooting sticks: two 4' wood dowels, wrapped in tape for protection, tied together with a strip of bicycle inner tube. Works fine.

I might get something else one day, but only if it's ultralight, compact and very quick to unfold and use.

 

[dmazur]

Stoney Point shooting sticks, the shorter length.

I've practiced with them and am confident out to 200 yds, from a sitting position.

I've tried the taller ones and they just don't make that stable a rest for me. Better than offhand, to be sure, but not as stable as sitting.

 

[blackops]

Any kind of solid foundation to lay your rifle against is going to give you an advantage. I hunt in a couple different types terrain and they offer completely different shots. It depends on your application for which type would fit you best. For me it comes down to range of the majority shots and time you have to spare. When I’m hunting flatter planes with cover most of my shots are around 100yds and I seem to have a little less time to make shots. I use the Primos trigger stick when I hunt that particular area. When I’m deep in the mountains I like the harris 9-13 bipod. Most of those shots are 200+ yards and they are across canyons. I have time to setup prone and take a little more time. That said sometimes I find myself in between and have to put a little more time into the stalk or make a quick pull up shot with a bipod.. I just setup for what majority of the shots I’m going to be taking in that particular terrain.

 

[CajunBass]

I don't carry it, but I've always found the side of a tree to be really handy. Hand on the tree, rifle rested in the fork of the hand.

Of course we have a lot of trees around here.

 

[scythefwd]

usually .... but after that 45 minutes or so I tend to wake up and see a deer in the next few. Too bad my waking up startles the deer as much as it does me. Can't count the number of naps I have taken out in the field.

Oh, you mean for the rifle... I tend to have natural ones around me. I know where the deer traverse the roads, and I use downed trees as rests from the prone.

 

[d2wing]

+ mono pod.

 

[countertop]

Anyone have experience with a primos trigger stick?

 

[Kernel]

+1 mono pod.

I have couple of different ones. The Stoney Point Explorer with a screw on v-yoke adapter works well. Makes a good walking stick too.

 

[chevyforlife21]

noo only for very fine sighting in

 

[blackops]

Anyone have experience with a primos trigger stick?

Yes and I like it. It's setup well, just pull the bottom portion out first and the trigger will adjust to the desired length of the top two sections. When you want to close it up just pull the trigger and push it to the floor. As mentioned Stoney offers a quality stick. I haven't used that one though.

 

[Sav .250]

Looks like lots of guys use something but for me...... nope.

 

[shaggy430]

I prop on the closest tree if available. If a really long shot and nothing is available to prop on I'll sit down or go prone.

 

[PT1911]

+1 on the stoney points. I am happy with the way mine has worked out.

 

[qajaq59]

I use a monopod shooting stick. It takes the place of my cane going and out, and steadies my rifle when I shoot. Works well for both uses.

 

[highorder]

Dad had been using a 14" TC Contender from the same ground blind for as long as I can remember. It's built of logs, and has two 1'x3' firing ports. Both of those ports have a 40"ish paracord sling across them.

Those "cradles" have helped harvest deer for as long as I can remember.

 

[kingmt]

A fiberglass broom handle that has the foam grip. No way would I pay $20 for a stick.

 

[MCgunner]

I hunt, now days, from a 12 ft tripod that has a rest around it 360 degrees. I have used a set of shooting stix (bipod) and just bought a monopod. I've used tree limbs, my own limbs, fence posts, whatever I had handy in the past. I always look for a rest. That was drummed into me as a kid. I have made some off hand shots, but I try to use a rest if I can find one and have time and won't take the shot if it's too far to take without a rest and I can't get to the rest. I've passed on many shots I could have made from a rested position.

 

[ArmedBear]

Oh yeah, I should say that I've never actually shot anything with those sticks, just that I've practiced with them. When I've actually shot at game, it's been offhand or using whatever object was available to steady up, not sticks.