Best shooting sticks for elk hunting?

[muleystalker]

I bought one and have shot with it but I didn't use it on those two elk. I was prone on those shots, in some pretty tough positions, the great degree of adjustments with this bipod really helped out. The tripod mount does work great though.

 

[Blkz06]

I just returned from Northern Colorado Elk Hunting and my guide used a trigger stick.

I had my 300 WSM set up with an Atlas bipod, and honestly it was a waste of time for me. The sticks worked much better for the type of terrain and shot opportunities I encountered.

Just my .02 cents.

 

[rolly]

A tree.....works almost every time.

Sturdy, available, and free.

 

[muleystalker]

There again depends on the situation. Trees wouldn't work for any of my oped thingies this Hunt I Colorado. Lists of oak brush but not tall enough or sturdy enough to use. Also this is a LRH site, do most people feel comfortable shooting a deer or elk at a 1000 yards standing against a tree. It was tuff in this area to get in a good position for long shots, but I just thought ahead a put myself in places that I could get prone and the glassed from there so when I got an opportunity I could capitalize. None of the positions were the best but they were doable. On my cow at 700+ I had to stack rocks about 12" high and put a big flat rock on top to place my bipod on, because I was lying down hill shooting across a canyon, I set that up ahead of time before I started glassing that morning, and it worked great. My bull at 968 yards I first spotted him and bedded him at 1400+, I watched for 3hours while I also scanned the are for a spot to get. Loser because the wind was owing to hard to shoot from there. I set my buddy to check a spot I saw , while I stayed on the bull. He said it might be doable so I made the move and about 11 hours after I spotted the bull I dropped him. Some tes you have to find you spots to work for the style shooting you are comfortable with so you can push the odds in your favor. I had other areas I could have hunted where more animals were being seen, but it was brushy quick glimpses and fast shooting. I purposely past those spots up and hunted the harder areas even though I knew we weren't seeing as many animals, I knew if I did see one i would be able to make a shot and anchor him. Needless to say 20 something guys went home without elk even though they saw a lot more.

 

[Maxxis31]

I also think the primos tripod or single stick works great. I hunt in the sagebrush and there is no trees around. Not having a good shooting stick cost my son a 180 class buck this year, all that was on the rifle was a 13-23" and the sage brush was about 3 feet deep all around us. He can't shoot free hand because he is too small (10yrs) and the deer were only about 150 yards away. I took my wife back to the same spot the following weekend and borrowed a buddies primos stick, she shot a decent buck the first day only a couple hundred yards from where my son had a missed opportunity.

I realize this is a long range forum but even if you plan on long range you might want to take a shot at a bruiser if he is closer, you don't always have time to stack rocks, IMO the primos sticks are a great tool and you can easily carry them on your pack or use them as a walking stick when not shooting off of them.

 

[muleystalker]

Maxxis, I agree a good set of shooting six are handy, you never know where a good animal is going to show up.It sound like you guys were hunting a lot of the same type terrain I was this last hunt, a lot of Oak brush and tall sage, really tuff to get any type of solid rest shooting over it. I didn't mean to sound pretentious with the comment about this being a LRH site, that wasn't my intention. I was just trying to say that sometimes it pays to not waste time looking for animals in terrain your not set up to capitalize on when the opportunity presents itself, sometimes you have to help make you own luck, thats why i set up a good shooting hide, by stalking rocks as a shooting platform, before shoot time.That way when the opportunity came up I was ready to capitalize on it. As you said you don't always have time to set up when you see an animal. To the OP, I have shot with the evolution tripod mount and it works great.

 

[FURMAN]

Are you wanting fast or steady? I have not found a more steady set of sticks than the Rudolph shooting sticks. They will slow down your time to shot.

 

[BGL]

BOGear Bog Pod - its a tripod. So much better than a bi-pod or any sticks. I set the legs long enough to use as a walking stick which is real handy when traversing a slope. Because the weight is spread across all three legs they are quite sturdy when the pod is closed and the velcro strap holds them together. To shoot I open the legs and shoot off one knee. I can be set up in a matter of seconds. The height is adjusted by how wide I spread the legs. I occasionally use it to rest my binoculars on as well. For me, the only way to travel.

 

[RobStar]

I tried for years to master the Bog Pod and the Primos Trigger stick and never mastered it to the level that I wanted to use them and they mostly ended up being walking sticks.

Some of the local guys here in Vegas introduced me to the Reaper Grip and the Hog Saddle. Once I used the Reaper Grip and a tripod I never intend on using my Pog or Trigger sticks again.

This was my first season with the Reaper Grip and I killed a bull elk, two mule deer bucks and two antelope bucks. I absolutely LOVE my setup!

~Robert

 

[mustang58]

I have to have the the butt stock supported to be confident with long shots.

 

[Boman]

I really want to try that Reaper rest this year. They are pricey though. I had the Primos triggerstick and it was fine for shots out to 350 or so but past that you need a more solid rest. They are fine for regular elk hunting but not for long range work.

 

[bulzeye11]

I tried for years to master the Bog Pod and the Primos Trigger stick and never mastered it to the level that I wanted to use them and they mostly ended up being walking sticks.

Some of the local guys here in Vegas introduced me to the Reaper Grip and the Hog Saddle. Once I used the Reaper Grip and a tripod I never intend on using my Pog or Trigger sticks again.

This was my first season with the Reaper Grip and I killed a bull elk, two mule deer bucks and two antelope bucks. I absolutely LOVE my setup!

~Robert

what tripod are you using with your reaper grip?

 

[Barrelnut]

Do you have POI shifts with a rifle not sighted in while attached to the Reaper? That would seem to add substantial weight directly to the rifle and would affect muzzle rise and recoil speed and affect POI during long-range shots?

 

[RobStar]

what tripod are you using with your reaper grip?

That is a Gitzo 3542 L wrapped with camo tape. It's an amazing tripod; lightweight, rock solid, stiff and doesn't torque when twisting. It's also $1000 but we use it in our film and television business and I take it out for extended "loan" during hunting season.

~Robert