Thought it would be fun to discuss field shooting positions. Specifically what to do when you can’t get prone.
Scenario: You’re hunting mule deer in sage brush country (see picture) and see the buck of a lifetime at 350 yards. You can’t get prone to make the shot because brush is in the way. What shooting position would you use to give yourself the best opportunity to make a good shot? Assume you don’t have a tripod, but do have gear you would normally carry on a hunting trip.
Kneeling off a tripod is my preference.
No tripod? I like cross legged, knees to elbows for support. Fairly stable for me.
Wiser precision quick sticks or a tall bipod up front and backpack vertically under the stock. 350 is far, gotta be very stable, will take some time to build a position to shoot that far.
Going with the thought of you forgot your tripod and shooting sticks I Think I would be sitting, utilizing the most stable tallest natural tripod I could find and have someone behind me applying some pressure to help stabilize my body. There is a lot a brush that can mimic shooting sticks would be fun to try any case.. back up plan would be to build up off brush finding most stable utilizing my back pack and such as platform shooting from kneeling most likely, this would be a challenge at 200 yards for a lot let alone 350
Yes, Grab some sticks and improvise a shooting stick. That’s a good idea.
Just listened to the podcast today on hunting mistakes, shooting position etc. Does anybody have some photos or links to sites that show examples of good shooting positions using various tools, packs, etc to gain stability? Then I’ll have some ideas on how to practice…
Assuming you are out with your daypack (and use that for a front rest), what do folks use to gain stability for the back/stock?
The tripods recommended here are just way out of my budget. Are there any quality, lower-budget tripods. I’ve used shooting stick and found them pretty challenging.
We plan on elk hunting in the Fall!
