Hunting Washington Forum

Big Game Hunting => Deer Hunting => Topic started by: Gobble on June 24, 2008, 10:16:10 AM

Title: How many people use shooting sticks?
Post by: Gobble on June 24, 2008, 10:16:10 AM: I bought my first ones last year and won't be caught without them. Me and my son both took our deer last year from them. I can't beleive what a difference they make. I also recommend getting the larger dia. for better stability. Mine fold down nicely, I think mine are stoney point or something like that.

Tell me if you use them.
Title: Re: How many people use shooting sticks?
Post by: DOUBLELUNG on June 24, 2008, 10:43:51 AM: RELIGIOUSLY.
Title: Re: How many people use shooting sticks?
Post by: BlackTail on June 24, 2008, 11:17:55 AM: Always have them with me. I love those things!!
Title: Re: How many people use shooting sticks?
Post by: smdave on June 24, 2008, 11:21:49 AM: Purchased one last year and would not hunt with out it, I have bad knees and just being able to have it like a walking stick was a bonus.
Dave
Title: Re: How many people use shooting sticks?
Post by: zackmioli on June 24, 2008, 11:29:39 AM: ive been looking at getting some this year. what brand should i get and all that? the ones ive seen on cables' website all have terrible reviews and i wanna get something ill actually enjoy using and carrying around. haha.
Title: Re: How many people use shooting sticks?
Post by: Gobble on June 24, 2008, 11:38:41 AM: The stoney point ones are great. I went with the bigger dia tube and they work excellent little to no movement Just my :twocents:
Title: Re: How many people use shooting sticks?
Post by: GoldTip on June 24, 2008, 11:40:05 AM: I would look forward to having some info on them as well, am looking more at the taller model to use both as a walking staff and shooting stick.
Title: Re: How many people use shooting sticks?
Post by: tlbradford on June 24, 2008, 11:43:55 AM: I use the predator snyper styx for coyote hunting. They are for a sitting position. Never used them for anything else.
Title: Re: How many people use shooting sticks?
Post by: DeKuma on June 24, 2008, 11:44:30 AM: They are great if you do not forget to put them back on your belt when you are using them as a rest while sitting watching the valley, then realize they are not there when you get back to camp and you do not mark the spot on your GPS where you were sitting and cannot seem to find the exact spot again......... They are either still there, or someone has a brand new set only used once and left out in the middle of nowhere. :bash:
Title: Re: How many people use shooting sticks?
Post by: jdb on June 24, 2008, 11:59:17 AM: My dad killed his biggest buck to date useing a stoney point mono pod last fall my eldest son has also used both a mono pod and a set of homemade sticks to kill a number of deer. JB
Title: Re: How many people use shooting sticks?
Post by: Gobble on June 24, 2008, 12:07:37 PM: Quote from: DeKuma on June 24, 2008, 11:44:30 AM
They are great if you do not forget to put them back on your belt when you are using them as a rest while sitting watching the valley, then realize they are not there when you get back to camp and you do not mark the spot on your GPS where you were sitting and cannot seem to find the exact spot again......... They are either still there, or someone has a brand new set only used once and left out in the middle of nowhere. :bash:

Did that last year after we drug my 5 x 5 down the hill except it was my new baseball hat with the built in Led lights in the bill. I knew right where it was but said no way to climbing the 1500' back up to get it. We'll see if its still there next year :chuckle:
Title: Re: How many people use shooting sticks?
Post by: Alchase on June 24, 2008, 12:27:55 PM: I love mine. I use the Stony point bi-pod,. I liked them so much I bought three sets. I keep one in each others pack (tall side pouch) so either of us can quickly grab out them out. My youngest son sometomes carries them for me (he pretends they are his rifle). My boys practice shooting of them at the range, it has made an incredible difference in their accuracy. I especially like them when setup on a draw from above. It is nice to have a comfortable stable shooting platform.
linky to what we use.

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/product/standard-item.jsp?_DARGS=/cabelas/en/common/catalog/item-link.jsp_A&_DAV=netcon&id=0005829221333a&navCount=1&podId=0005829&parentId=cat20774&masterpathid=&navAction=push&catalogCode=IJ&rid=&parentType=index&indexId=cat20774&hasJS=true
Title: Re: How many people use shooting sticks?
Post by: BlackTail on June 24, 2008, 12:28:59 PM: Quote from: DeKuma on June 24, 2008, 11:44:30 AM
They are great if you do not forget to put them back on your belt when you are using them as a rest while sitting watching the valley, then realize they are not there when you get back to camp and you do not mark the spot on your GPS where you were sitting and cannot seem to find the exact spot again......... They are either still there, or someone has a brand new set only used once and left out in the middle of nowhere. :bash:

My buddy loses his every year. :chuckle: I think he's on his 5th pair. Mine are also the stoney point shooting sticks and I think they're great. My next pair will be the larger diameter sticks! One thing I've noticed is that if you store them assembled as opposed to folded up, the elastic strings lasts longer. Just FYI!
Title: Re: How many people use shooting sticks?
Post by: DeKuma on June 24, 2008, 12:30:33 PM: Mine will last, since they are set-up and still stuck in the ground......... :'(
Title: Re: How many people use shooting sticks?
Post by: Gobble on June 24, 2008, 12:35:41 PM: Quote from: BlackTail on June 24, 2008, 12:28:59 PM
Quote from: DeKuma on June 24, 2008, 11:44:30 AM
They are great if you do not forget to put them back on your belt when you are using them as a rest while sitting watching the valley, then realize they are not there when you get back to camp and you do not mark the spot on your GPS where you were sitting and cannot seem to find the exact spot again......... They are either still there, or someone has a brand new set only used once and left out in the middle of nowhere. :bash:

My buddy loses his every year. :chuckle: I think he's on his 5th pair. Mine are also the stoney point shooting sticks and I think they're great. My next pair will be the larger diameter sticks! One thing I've noticed is that if you store them assembled as opposed to folded up, the elastic strings lasts longer. Just FYI!

The bigger dia sticks make a huge difference. I bought the smaller ones and took them back because they were very flimsy and unstable. plus the larger dia ones were only 5 dollars or so more.
Title: Re: How many people use shooting sticks?
Post by: BlackTail on June 24, 2008, 12:37:31 PM: Yeah, as soon as the larger diameter ones came out I thought they would be the ticket!! I just looked on Cabelas and can't find them. Where'd you get yours?
Title: Re: How many people use shooting sticks?
Post by: Gobble on June 24, 2008, 12:41:08 PM: I got mine at Sportsmans Warehouse
Title: Re: How many people use shooting sticks?
Post by: tlbradford on June 24, 2008, 12:49:51 PM: Make sure you are not loading up the sticks when you are shooting or you will affect your long range accuracy. If you are putting weight on them, you are putting an upward force on your barrel or stock that was not there when sighting in off a bench. This is going to change your barrels vibration and will alter at what point during the vibration the bullet is released. Use them as a rest w/o putting on weight and you wil be good. Same goes for bipods.
Title: Re: How many people use shooting sticks?
Post by: Intruder on June 24, 2008, 12:56:36 PM: I use a bipod.
Title: Re: How many people use shooting sticks?
Post by: boneaddict on June 24, 2008, 05:22:11 PM: I shoot sharp sticks, does that count?
Title: Re: How many people use shooting sticks?
Post by: Ray on June 24, 2008, 05:25:50 PM: I have used 3 bamboo poles with nails driven in the bottom and with leather wrapped around them. They work fantastic if you're walking around not too far and casually shooting things. It may be a good idea to put a cloth where you rest your rifle if you are concerned about damaging the wood stock in any way. It's not something I use regularly. Most of the time I would rather rest off something else because I don't like carrying things around like that.
Title: Re: How many people use shooting sticks?
Post by: boneaddict on June 24, 2008, 05:39:34 PM: serious answer now....what he said about carrying things around.
Title: Re: How many people use shooting sticks?
Post by: billythekidrock on June 24, 2008, 07:41:34 PM: Quote from: tlbradford on June 24, 2008, 11:43:55 AM
I use the predator snyper styx for coyote hunting. They are for a sitting position. Never used them for anything else.

Same here.
Title: Re: How many people use shooting sticks?
Post by: huntnphool on June 24, 2008, 07:50:51 PM: Stoney Points for me as well
Title: Re: How many people use shooting sticks?
Post by: jackelope on June 24, 2008, 08:05:21 PM: the jury is out for me. i had been using a harris bipod until last year when i got the large diameter stony point sticks that are tall enough for me (6'4") to shoot off of standing up. i killed my buck last year at 295 yards off the sticks from a sitting position and they worked real well. i shot off of them at the range too.
Title: Re: How many people use shooting sticks?
Post by: bobcat on June 24, 2008, 08:11:12 PM: I have 3 sets of shooting sticks but never have killed anything using them. I was hunting with my cousin one time after having used my tag already, and I carried the shooting sticks for him. He ended up killing a real nice whitetail at about 150 yards that he most likely never would have gotten otherwise. The grass was too tall to allow for shooting prone or sitting so the only option would have been offhand. He may have made the shot without the sticks but then again he may not have. And it was right at dark in the evening. No time to be tracking a wounded buck. As it was he made a perfect shot and the buck went nowhere but down. The only bad thing about it was that it was a good mile out of there and we drug it the entire way. I HATE dragging deer but my cousin doesn't seem to mind...must have a better back than I do. :bash:
Title: Re: How many people use shooting sticks?
Post by: simpleshooter308 on June 24, 2008, 08:26:04 PM: i had a pair of steady sticks. i used them one time , thay were thin and flimsy, and when thay were spread out thay were about 3 feet on each side of me. thay sucked. never did shoot off of them, i bet thay would have broke, lol. plus putting them togeather was noisy. im gona use the primos trigger stick this year, it has a head on it that is adjustable for tilt, and it swivles. its really thick as well. also it automaticly deploys with a pull of the little trigger on it.
Title: Re: How many people use shooting sticks?
Post by: ICEMAN on June 24, 2008, 08:38:19 PM: I keep a taller Harris bipod on my rifle most all of the season. I have two store bought stix, they are a little flim flam is you ask me, too bouncy..... I made three sets at home. My first one was from two alum. arrow shafts I found, I beefed them up at the pivot with an internal dowel, a bit of camo tape and some black fuel line at the top to reduce noise and scratching. Most all of the sticks seem to short for me. I am not that damn tall, I think I must have about three extra sets of ribs, cause I am all torso... The last set I made are better. (Bigger is better, go ask your wife!) Anyway, last set is made from two garden stake/poles. Plastic over thin steel tube, fiberglass point, did the dowel at pivot trick here too...camo tape....a bit ugly looking, but way taller, way stronger. For turkey I have a monoleg thingy....shotgun can swing in any direction, but did not deploy it on my turkey last year...too excited...forgot about it....
Title: Re: How many people use shooting sticks?
Post by: WAcoueshunter on June 24, 2008, 08:51:20 PM: I've got a monopod that breaks down like a tent pole, so you can halve the height and use it like a bipod if needed. Breaks down to fit into a pack. Have only used it one rifle season, but with great success...had tall grass and no trees, so no way for anything but a standing shot. The buck was at 200 yards, moving to the ridgeline and dense timber about 20 yards away. If I didn't have the stick I wouldn't have taken the standing shot. But it gave me the steadiness to drill him (pic below). Will always carry it (or something similar) going forward for those situations.
Title: Re: How many people use shooting sticks?
Post by: Ingwe on June 24, 2008, 09:36:12 PM: I never hunt without shooting sticks. I learned how well shooting sticks work while hunting in Africa. Sure beats looking for a log to lay the gun on or using a tree limb for a rest.
Title: Re: How many people use shooting sticks?
Post by: RightPlace-RightTime on June 24, 2008, 10:07:15 PM: I use a bipod that swivels. I love using it as i know i can make a clean confident shot. The swivels work great on a hillside.
Title: Re: How many people use shooting sticks?
Post by: arrowflinger on June 24, 2008, 10:33:26 PM: I made a set of shooting sticks out of a couple of old carbon arrows and rubber hose, they work great. But I also like my bi-pod (harris). Just my 2 cents/
Title: Re: How many people use shooting sticks?
Post by: robodad on June 24, 2008, 10:52:42 PM: I just use a wading staff that I got at Walmart for $3 (regular $25) on clearance it is aluminum and fatter then my thumb, also has a compass on top and a lanyard so I don't lose it. Came with a nifty pouch it fits neatly in after I break it down to about a foot long. Really compact and lightweight, very nice for a walking stick as well, with a load on I need all the support I can get !!
Title: Re: How many people use shooting sticks?
Post by: saylean on June 24, 2008, 11:08:14 PM: No shooting sticks for me...i have a bipod on my tikka..but i mainly use that so I dont set the gun down in the dirt.
Title: Re: How many people use shooting sticks?
Post by: M_ray on June 25, 2008, 08:24:10 AM: I carry them and I have shot several of my bucks with them! I just don't like a bipod on my gun.
Title: Re: How many people use shooting sticks?
Post by: Intruder on June 25, 2008, 09:52:45 AM: Quote from: boneaddict on June 24, 2008, 05:39:34 PM
serious answer now....what he said about carrying things around.

That's always been my concern w/ sticks and why I went w/ a bipod. Figure if I could sit or shoot prone the bipod works great. If I'm standing the shot was gonna be close enough to shoot free hand. I wouldn't be opposed to using sticks but I can't imagine they'd be nearly as solid as my Harris when shoting prone or sitting but they may be more versitile in respect to offering more shooting positions overall. :dunno:
Title: Re: How many people use shooting sticks?
Post by: Gobble on June 25, 2008, 10:07:23 AM: Quote from: Intruder on June 25, 2008, 09:52:45 AM
Quote from: boneaddict on June 24, 2008, 05:39:34 PM
serious answer now....what he said about carrying things around.

That's always been my concern w/ sticks and why I went w/ a bipod. Figure if I could sit or shoot prone the bipod works great. If I'm standing the shot was gonna be close enough to shoot free hand. I wouldn't be opposed to using sticks but I can't imagine they'd be nearly as solid as my Harris when shoting prone or sitting but they may be more versitile in respect to offering more shooting positions overall. :dunno:

The advantage I see with the shooting sticks is you are not limited to the heigth of crap your hunting in. With the bipod you are limited to the heigth of the brush or sage and you can't shoot down a steep hill very good because of the angle esp if you are on a hill trying to shoot across to another hill or valley. I looked real hard at the harris but decided against it for a couple of reasons, Weight being one and snagging it on crap if you are walking through thick crap., plus if you are free handing it you have the bipod in the way and the excess weight on the end of the gun which makes it harder to hold steady. Just my :twocents:
Title: Re: How many people use shooting sticks?
Post by: Intruder on June 25, 2008, 10:12:31 AM: I can't disagree with you on the downside points of having a bipod. I've experienced everything you've outline....
Title: Re: How many people use shooting sticks?
Post by: Ray on June 25, 2008, 12:36:43 PM: Quote
If I'm standing the shot was gonna be close enough to shoot free hand.
I suppose that depends on what you are shooting and how far away it is. That concept does not always apply but might apply for you. I like to use them to hit ground squirrels or any small varmint at 100 + yards while walking around the prairie. That is usually a mighty small target to be shooting off hand and sometimes there are more than one. The shooting sticks come into their own when the targets start running. It's easier to get the body around to track them and then re-adjust in order to make that killing shot for the second the target might sit still. The bipod is a good concept but it has it's own set of limitations. Seeing over the grass is one obvious one in addition to mobility in the sense I just described.

(https://hunting-washington.com/cpg/albums/userpics/10001/IMG_0339.JPG)
Title: Re: How many people use shooting sticks?
Post by: Intruder on June 25, 2008, 01:43:07 PM: Quote from: Ray(huntwa) on June 25, 2008, 12:36:43 PM
Quote
I like to use them to hit ground squirrels or any small varmint at 100 + yards while walking around the prairie.

No, I agree, wouldn't apply to ground squirrels. My point was more a matter of big game no more than 100 (preferrably less than 75) yards away for making a good freehand shot.
Title: Re: How many people use shooting sticks?
Post by: Wea300mag on June 25, 2008, 07:30:35 PM: I'm with everyone who don't like to carry them over long hunts. Short hunts or varmint hunting they are OK though.
Title: Re: How many people use shooting sticks?
Post by: RubblesPH on June 25, 2008, 08:34:06 PM: Used a mono-pod for the first time this year on my Spring bear hunt. Worked great as a walking stick and adjused well for use under the tree I was sitting under. Got rid off the heavy bi-pod that was mounted on my gun and the walking stick really helped in the steep nasty stuff. I throw my gun over my back or on my pack for taking extended hikes so it doesn't really seem like I'm carrying something extra. I'm a believer.
Title: Re: How many people use shooting sticks?
Post by: 257 Wby Mag on June 25, 2008, 10:26:34 PM: I use The Pole Cat, have 2 sizes, one you can sit down or neel and shoot, the other is the stand up set, used those down in New Mexico for Oryx. Won't leave home without em' !!!
Title: Re: How many people use shooting sticks?
Post by: rosscrazyelk on June 26, 2008, 09:25:11 AM: I now carry sticks after learning the hard way. I was in Idaho and had a bull at 300 yards with bushes as tall as me all around. Had nothing to rest against so good not get a good shot. Sticks would of helped greatly.
Title: Re: How many people use shooting sticks?
Post by: MountainWalk on June 27, 2008, 10:45:04 PM: i use a walking stick, but have never shot game off of it. seems like when its crunch time and its time to put an end to things, i either have plenty of time to get a more proper more solid rest, or there is not enough time to set the height properly or get set or whatever. ive had several hunters who carried them, and thats just what they did, carry them. they took the game without them. ended up not carrying them later in the hunt.

its kinda sad. America used to be a nation of Riflemen. we didnt need all sorts of aids and crutches to get good solid field shooting. i practice as much as i can offhand or off of a tree.i do think sticks are great for stationary hunting.
Title: Re: How many people use shooting sticks?
Post by: Blacklab on July 16, 2008, 07:55:59 AM: Never used one on big game :dunno: But I did purches a harris bi-pod S series for the AR. Seems to work well for paper haven't tried it on life targets yet.
Title: Re: How many people use shooting sticks?
Post by: demontang on July 16, 2008, 08:00:23 AM: Started to use some this year and they make a big difference when shooting at coyote that are over 200yd's, I will be taking them deer hunting.
Title: Re: How many people use shooting sticks?
Post by: finnman on July 17, 2008, 02:48:00 PM: I will never hunt anything again without a set of them!
Title: Re: How many people use shooting sticks?
Post by: HuntingFanatic on July 17, 2008, 02:58:51 PM: I have yet to actually shoot something using them. But I carry them around.
Title: Re: How many people use shooting sticks?
Post by: Broken Arrow on July 17, 2008, 02:59:55 PM: My youngest son practices with them every day in the back yard.
Title: Re: How many people use shooting sticks?
Post by: hunterbuilder on July 17, 2008, 03:36:25 PM: I used to use the Stoney Point bipod and liked it. Now I have the SnipePod. It's a collapsable system that clips onto your gun at the sling swivel.

http://www.snipepod.com/
Title: Re: How many people use shooting sticks?
Post by: Slenk on July 17, 2008, 03:55:56 PM: used them for years in long range muzzleloader competition. I use then once in a while hunting coyotes, Have not used them on big game yet but may start soon.getting older ya know.
Slenk
Title: Re: How many people use shooting sticks?
Post by: rjm5 on July 18, 2008, 06:39:20 PM: Since all our hunts are backpack hunts we use our hiking sticks as shooting sticks. Works great. Just another idea.