As I have mentioned before in other posts, I am going on my first elk hunt this October. At my age, I don’t have too many more in my future so I am trying to prepare as much as possible to be successful. So, I have a tripod with a ARCA ball head I am taking and will hopefully be able to shoot from. But, should the need come up where that isn’t an option, I am trying to prepare for shooting off a branch or other stable position (backpack). In a seated position, I am not sure how to stablize the rear stock like I would if i were prone.
How do you all get into a stable shooting position (butt stock) when in a seated position. I am especially interested in options that don’t add gear to the backpack (or add very light gear).
If you have a solid tripod, I probably wouldn’t even shoot seated at all.
When walking around, if you have your tripod legs out to the right height for a kneeling position behind the tripod, you can get to that position in like 30 seconds and be more stable than seated. The trouble with seated is there’s no support for your back, so if you don’t practice it often, or you aren’t flexible and have good ab strength, it’s not very steady.
Thanks Jim. Tripod is pretty solid: Sunwayfoto carbon fiber. I had not considered packing it at kneeling hight… such a great idea. Also means I don’t really have to consider practicing off the top of my backpack either.
Fifteen years or so ago, before my first trip to Africa, I practiced quite a bit with a set of traditional African shooting sticks - basically a tripod. With some practice I found it quite easy to shoot accurately while standing at moderate (300 yds or so) range. Since then I’ve never hunted anywhere without some kind of shooting sticks. For the last ten years it’s been a BogPod but I’ve tried similar products which worked well.
I use them to shoot ground squirrels with a 17HMR. Great practice and fun shooting out to 200+ yards. Same thing with a 204R on prairie dogs out to double that range. Really helps develop confidence for longer shots at bigger game.
They are tall enough to shoot over most vegetation and the telescoping legs can adjust for irregular terrain as well as kneeling or sitting shots.
They make a great binocular rest; much steadier and less strain during long spotting sessions - almost worth it for this alone.
They make a functional walking stick, particularly good on steep terrain.
A few years ago I partially tore my Achilles tendon while hunting elk in hilly country in New Mexico; I couldn’t walk but managed a couple of miles, downhill, back to the road using the sticks as a crutch. I shot a nice bull at 350 yds the following day from a ground blind while sitting in a chair using the sticks as a rest. High shoulder 300RUM, 175 Barnes LRX, folded like a cheap lawn chair.