Shooting positions on a downhill

[deserthunter86]

hey,

I tried to find what I was looking for but couldn't get the exact positions.

Most of my shots seem to be off a mountainside. I'm seated or on a knee facing downhill. My butt is higher than my feet. Usually shooting straight across a valley to another mountain or slightly down. I haven't been able to get comfortable in this position that is a stable as sitting on flat ground.

I have a hog saddle with the shadow tech tripod and a ball head. Hopefully that is clear thanks for the advice.

 

[martinakl]

If you have a hunting pack with you, you can try try to use it for support by lodging it in your arm pit. Something like the image below.

photo credit:
https://www.gunsamerica.com/digest/bag-tricks-use-gear-stabilize-position/

 

[memtb]

hey,

I tried to find what I was looking for but couldn't get the exact positions.

Most of my shots seem to be off a mountainside. I'm seated or on a knee facing downhill. My butt is higher than my feet. Usually shooting straight across a valley to another mountain or slightly down. I haven't been able to get comfortable in this position that is a stable as sitting on flat ground.

I have a hog saddle with the shadow tech tripod and a ball head. Hopefully that is clear thanks for the advice.

That's when some nice tall shooting sticks "more than" pay for themselves! My sticks are 40" at the "cross". They will take care of some pretty steep downhill shots! memtb

 

[deserthunter86]

If you have a hunting pack with you, you can try try to use it for support by lodging it in your arm pit. Something like the image below.

photo credit:
https://www.gunsamerica.com/digest/bag-tricks-use-gear-stabilize-position/

That's a good position, but I'm usually not sitting that flat. It's usually lower in the front

 

[deserthunter86]

That's when some nice tall shooting sticks "more than" pay for themselves! My sticks are 40" at the "cross". They will take care of some pretty steep downhill shots! memtb

do you prefer that to a tripod setup? I thought about a trigger stick tripod instead of my larger setup

 

[martinakl]

That's a good position, but I'm usually not sitting that flat. It's usually lower in the front

It works with legs lower too. Move the pack more toward your hip for more extended positions.

 

[Lrreloader]

Once I forgot my bipod, and ended up having to take my boots off and stack them for a downward prone shot. Not ideal but got the job done! I know this doesn't help but there is no limit to improvising.

 

[memtb]

do you prefer that to a tripod setup? I thought about a trigger stick tripod instead of my larger setup

Yes! They lighter, less bulky, and quicker to set-up. I also use them as "walking sticks", to aid in balance control when moving thru deadfall, even to "feel" my way through a snow covered rock field. You may loose a "tiny bit" of stability, but, unless the shots are extremely long.....I'll take portability and versatility! memtb

 

[Lrreloader]

Once I forgot my bipod, and ended up having to take my boots off and stack them for a downward prone shot. Not ideal but got the job done! I know this doesn't help but there is no limit to improvising.

Note to self and others when trying this stay away from the scope it will bite you

 

[TRG65]

If it's something that I can't lay prone and just deal with the blood rushing to my head for a bit, because the grass is too high or it's too rocky then my tripod comes out. I use a cf tripod with a ball head that my rifle can clip into. you have to keep hold of if so everything doesn't go tumbling, but it is quite stable.

 

[Greyfox]

Down hill prone is generally a difficult position for me unless I'm in the crest of a hill. While a tripod can work well, I find simple two leg collapsible shooting sticks are fast and provides comparable support from a sitting position.

 

[BallisticsGuy]

There's downhill from a hillside and downhill from a flat spot.

I find downhill shots taken from a down-sloping hillside to be uncomfortable when prone and it's easy to over-load the bipod. I'll sometimes dig my feet into the ground and pull myself backward a bit with my toes to reduce the bipod loading just a little if I'm sliding down the hill. The only way to make the whole shooting from a downslope experience tolerable is to stick something under my chest to lift my pecs off the ground and provide support so I'm not straining my back or neck or muscling the gun. Doing downhill from a seated position is massively easier but you still have to get low for maximum stability and not slide down the hill. A second option is to do a normal prone position but bend your body so your legs go off to your strong hand side instead of straight behind you. That'll lift your strong side which will lift the scope which will make downhill more comfortable.

Downhill from a relatively flat firing location isn't entirely different but it's easier to prone out on if done right. If I'm going to prone out in this situation I'll need a MUCH shorter bipod height than on flat ground. If I sit then I'll need a much taller bipod height. You can see here I've got the bipod as low as it'll go and pushed down the slope a little to get it even lower. If I needed to go any steeper I'd have put the pack that's to my right under my chest to raise the back end of the gun. (Pic taken in South Africa, I'm tracking my first eland after putting one in the boiler room.)

Here's a screen cap of me in the best position I've found for a mix of speed and precision from a flat spot at the edge of a downhill slope. This is a pretty seriously downhill shot as long range downhill shots go. The target is in the bottom of that valley out there slightly to my left. The position is: legs go criss cross applesauce, facing target square horse, body leaned as far forward as possible over my legs, elbie bones stuffed behind my knees, offhand grasping my right side bicep with the butt stock resting on the back of my support hand, bipod about 4" taller than I could use while prone for the same shot. I'm also loading the bipod pretty aggressively, possibly a little more than is good. Not good to hold this position for a super long time but to take 1 shot that you must make a hit on, it's been very reliable. Works great from the actual hillside too.

 

[436]

hey,

I tried to find what I was looking for but couldn't get the exact positions.

Most of my shots seem to be off a mountainside. I'm seated or on a knee facing downhill. My butt is higher than my feet. Usually shooting straight across a valley to another mountain or slightly down. I haven't been able to get comfortable in this position that is a stable as sitting on flat ground.

I have a hog saddle with the shadow tech tripod and a ball head. Hopefully that is clear thanks for the advice.

By far the position that Martinakl is demonstrating in his post is one of the best, master that and you've taken care of 95% of your downhill problems.

 

[skipglo]

hey,

I tried to find what I was looking for but couldn't get the exact positions.

Most of my shots seem to be off a mountainside. I'm seated or on a knee facing downhill. My butt is higher than my feet. Usually shooting straight across a valley to another mountain or slightly down. I haven't been able to get comfortable in this position that is a stable as sitting on flat ground.

I have a hog saddle with the shadow tech tripod and a ball head. Hopefully that is clear thanks for the advice.

Can't resist this one.....thank God your butt is higher than your feet.....makes walking and sitting alot easier!