Shooting sticks

[Vuilbek]

That's low tech enough to not feel like cheating. I know that sounds stupid, but l like to keep things as 1900's as possible, apart from having a rifle, as low tech as possible. As a science, hunting is more efficient using our latest developments. As an art, it's the hunter, the animal, and a rifle to compensate for the animals greater veldkuns ( fieldcraft)

 

[Ray B]

And if you need to spend the night, wrap a poncho around them and you have a teepee.

 

[Grumulkin]

These are shooting sticks I made and use on those nice summer days when I'm sitting on my chair looking over "the back 50" sniping raccoons, etc. Two reasonably straight willow branches, some paracord to tie them together and a little gaffers tape for padding and you have very functional shooting sticks for under a dollar and some of your time.

 

[curtism1234]

Do make certain you practice with sticks before you go, preferably ones similar to what you're going to be using there. Some rifles will not shoot well unless you hold the rifle with your hand and rest your hand inside the sticks. That's something you need to know before you go.

 

[Vuilbek]

Most people today, practice from a bench, some even using a lead sled or other device to make the experience less taxing. Shooting sticks, though obviously conducive to good shooting, seems to me to be an extension of the benchrest culture. I mean no disrespect, l'm just having trouble adapting. 70's 80's even 90's a shooting range in my part of SA didn't even have a bench. If we went hunting, shooting from a bakkie, was ok. Sitting and waiting at selected spots, or being given a field of fire in a driven hunt, was normal, but no sticks. I don't know what to say , l'm struggling with this idea of more and more equipment being used to bag game. Is it becoming more of an equipment race and less fair chase? Forgive me, l'm getting old and fixed in old ways......trying to change.

 

[nztimb]

There are all sorts of "hunts" undertaken with so many different approaches in different parts of the world that some of them (to others) barley resemble hunting at all.
Standing in one spot and having others drive game toward you is completely opposite to those of us who walk and climb the hills looking for game and then stalk to within shooting distance. Those who stalk the timberlands do so in the c0mplete opposite manner to those who sit in a blind or tree stand and wait for the game to wander into view and shooting position whille other wait at waterholes or shoot from the back of a hunting truck.
To say that using a set of shooting sticks is part of a equipment race is as disingenuous as saying that a different form of hunting is not true hunting.
Those who hunt on foot and use the shooting stick as an aid to steady the shot are no more relying on equipment than is the hunter who relies on others to drive the game toward him or a blind to decieve the animals or indeed the back of a truck to find game, get to them and shoot from.
A set of shooting sticks has been used by hunters for many years and even Bell used a ladder on one occasion to clamb above the tall grass so he could shoot elephant. It is no more part of an equipment race than is a scope sight or indeed new types of bullet or powder when in fact the hunting equipment has been in general upgrade since the first hunter threw a sharpened stick to kill untold generations of hunters ago.

 

[Rule 303]

Vuilbek, no disrespect taken. I view shooting sticks as nothing more than a convenient tree. I was always taught to use a rest to steady shots if possible and the sticks are no more than this. I have shot more larger game using a rest than not, this includes shooting prone. I say larger as I don't want to include all the rabbits I have shot free hand.

 

[Devin Twitty]

I've used sticks for years hunting and they help improve accuracy alot. Where I hunt I've very rarely shot standing but kneeling and sitting I've used mono pods and bipod sticks. I've taken coyotes out to 552 yards of bipod stick sitting and Elk at 60. Learning how to shot off them will help before you get there.

 

[Redruff]

Sticks are an essential tool on any Safari. Use them.

R.