Hunting in autumn/winter vs hunting in spring/summer in Italy. Animals disappearing in grass, hunting style, bipods

[simone]

Hi guys, yeaterday i went to check my favourite spots for hunting roes in the new hunting district i have been assigned to since last november just to check conditions and animal presence.. wow, so much changed since march. Now that i hunt in this area were shots are 90% prone and beyond 150-200 yards (up to 4-5 hundred), i realized that the vegetation will be a problem.

For example, i am going to buy a harris bipod and I tried to figure out the ideal height (6-9 or 9-13 inches). I am not fat and i am 5'9" so i think the lower bipod could work well but i wanted to check if i could find a situation were the extra inches of the 9-13 bipod could have helped me taking a shot that I couldn't have taken with the 6-9". In this new district grass and vegetation grows like crazy, i didn't find any field were i could have taken a prone shot off anyone of the two bipods cause the minimum height of grass i found was around 20 inches with many fields and praires with 2 feet thick grass!

For a prone shot an elevated position will be critical, as it will be the fact that the animal will be shootable with all that vegetation in the way. On an elevated position bipod height will be irrelevant to make the shot as long as that height fits the hunter body. What do you guys think? Have you ever been in a situation were you wouldn't have been able to take a prone shot with a bipod due to its short height, just for 4 inches like in this case?

Thanks!

 

[Bucklowery]

Yes. It changes your normal set up for sure. Check out the tripods that allow you to go from 6" to 50". There are lots out there

Thanks

Buck

 

[dogz]

From time to time in the sage a bipod can cause a challenge so I just rest on my pack over a sage bush and drop the hammer

 

[simone]

From time to time in the sage a bipod can cause a challenge so I just rest on my pack over a sage bush and drop the hammer

That's interesting, I never thought about resting the backpack on a bush.. our bushes here are usually tall and with a very irregular shape so it would be impossible but you told me something very interesting!

 

[simone]

Yes. It changes your normal set up for sure. Check out the tripods that allow you to go from 6" to 50". There are lots out there

Thanks

Buck

I already have a tripod, it's very useful, i took a couple animals with it. It's a pita to bring around though. Mine is almost just for sitting shooting. being 5'9" i can use it also standing, leaning a bit on the rifle. Here i am even a bit above the average height but americans are usually taller. Btw i used the tripod standing only once, i shot a roe doe at 145 yards after a long stalking but i didn't found the rifle to be as steady as i like when taking a shot. Probably also because I didn't even have the time to take off the 30 pbs backpack from my back and because i was standing but leaning a bit to use the tripod as a rest. I also have 2 blCk diamond trekking poles that are occasionally used as shooting sticks but bringing them around is annoying and noisy. For mountain hunting i would pick them over the tripod and I would put the rifle attached to the backpack but for the hills where i hunt i don't like them much

 

[Rich Coyle]

Yes. I used a B-Square. I took some extensions out of the backpack and installed them. I made a 240 yard shot on one of the five elk I killed.

 

[simone]

Yes. I used a B-Square. I took some extensions out of the backpack and installed them. I made a 240 yard shot on one of the five elk I killed.

Interesting. Just a question, why didn't you la with the bipod on the backpack directly? Did you have to take a shot from sitting?

 

[BirdDog50]

I use a hatch bipod look them up on the internet. It's the most versatile bipod that's available that I know of. You can use it in several different ways check out their website. The downside is they're pricey. It definitely has the option to get you up over the grass or vegetation with no problem. By the way what part of Italy are you in? My family is from asiago have taken a few trips to Italy and love it almost wish my family never left. Good luck

 

[DoneNOut]

Either I haven't had enough coffee, or there are two exact threads on this by @simone

 

[M1A1ABRAMS]

I already have a tripod, it's very useful, i took a couple animals with it. It's a pita to bring around though. Mine is almost just for sitting shooting. being 5'9" i can use it also standing, leaning a bit on the rifle. Here i am even a bit above the average height but americans are usually taller. Btw i used the tripod standing only once, i shot a roe doe at 145 yards after a long stalking but i didn't found the rifle to be as steady as i like when taking a shot. Probably also because I didn't even have the time to take off the 30 pbs backpack from my back and because i was standing but leaning a bit to use the tripod as a rest. I also have 2 blCk diamond trekking poles that are occasionally used as shooting sticks but bringing them around is annoying and noisy. For mountain hunting i would pick them over the tripod and I would put the rifle attached to the backpack but for the hills where i hunt i don't like them much

On my wish list

 

[memtb]

Hi guys, yeaterday i went to check my favourite spots for hunting roes in the new hunting district i have been assigned to since last november just to check conditions and animal presence.. wow, so much changed since march. Now that i hunt in this area were shots are 90% prone and beyond 150-200 yards (up to 4-5 hundred), i realized that the vegetation will be a problem.

For example, i am going to buy a harris bipod and I tried to figure out the ideal height (6-9 or 9-13 inches). I am not fat and i am 5'9" so i think the lower bipod could work well but i wanted to check if i could find a situation were the extra inches of the 9-13 bipod could have helped me taking a shot that I couldn't have taken with the 6-9". In this new district grass and vegetation grows like crazy, i didn't find any field were i could have taken a prone shot off anyone of the two bipods cause the minimum height of grass i found was around 20 inches with many fields and praires with 2 feet thick grass!

For a prone shot an elevated position will be critical, as it will be the fact that the animal will be shootable with all that vegetation in the way. On an elevated position bipod height will be irrelevant to make the shot as long as that height fits the hunter body. What do you guys think? Have you ever been in a situation were you wouldn't have been able to take a prone shot with a bipod due to its short height, just for 4 inches like in this case?

Thanks!

What you are experiencing is the very (actually one of several) reason that I do not use a bipod!

Unless the hunter hunts/shoots from the exact spot every time….he/she needs to be prepared for higher obstructions, possibly extreme land contours (impossible to shoot down a steep grade with a bipod), quick/easy to deploy, ect.

These situations are what makes quality shooting sticks very desirable! I use (my homemade) shooting sticks which are pretty darn stiff, fairly lightweight, and can be used as a walking stick. Much lighter and more practical than tall tripods that are designed for shooting from a standing position…..and I dare say more accurate! Yes a bipod is a bit more stable…..but useless if you can make the shot.

I believe that there is a post from Len Backus (916 yards from a sitting position) at the start of this part of the forum…..proving that a shooter can do pretty good from sticks!

My longest shot, to date, was an Antelope @ 430 yards, several elk at around 400 yards, and a coyote just shy of 300 yards. My wife has taken several elk and a bear (ranged @ 378) at and around 400 yards. I don't claim to be the marksman than many on this forum are, but to summarize shooting sticks…..they simply work! memtb

 

[simone]

I use a hatch bipod look them up on the internet. It's the most versatile bipod that's available that I know of. You can use it in several different ways check out their website. The downside is they're pricey. It definitely has the option to get you up over the grass or vegetation with no problem. By the way what part of Italy are you in? My family is from asiago have taken a few trips to Italy and love it almost wish my family never left. Good luck

I will look into it, thanks! I live in Milan, i work here in a hospital, but hunt in the hills of oltrepò pavese. Google it, it's an amazing place. I also hunted in the alps and in the swamps next to pavia. I have been to asiago, nice place with a great history, especially ww1 related. Huge battles between italians and austrohungarians took place there

 

[simone]

Either I haven't had enough coffee, or there are two exact threads on this by @simone

Not enough coffee man
I posted another thread but it's not the same as this one

 

[simone]

What you are experiencing is the very (actually one of several) reason that I do not use a bipod!

Unless the hunter hunts/shoots from the exact spot every time….he/she needs to be prepared for higher obstructions, possibly extreme land contours (impossible to shoot down a steep grade with a bipod), quick/easy to deploy, ect.

These situations are what makes quality shooting sticks very desirable! I use (my homemade) shooting sticks which are pretty darn stiff, fairly lightweight, and can be used as a walking stick. Much lighter and more practical than tall tripods that are designed for shooting from a standing position…..and I dare say more accurate! Yes a bipod is a bit more stable…..but useless if you can make the shot.

I believe that there is a post from Len Backus (916 yards from a sitting position) at the start of this part of the forum…..proving that a shooter can do pretty good from sticks!

My longest shot, to date, was an Antelope @ 430 yards, several elk at around 400 yards, and a coyote just shy of 300 yards. My wife has taken several elk and a bear (ranged @ 378) at and around 400 yards. I don't claim to be the marksman than many on this forum are, but to summarize shooting sticks…..they simply work! memtb

You can do well with shooting sticks but the steadiness you get from a prone shot is another thing. I actually find a bipod very useful in stalking when you get closer to animals, especially if they are very used to be hunted, preparing the backpack as a rest is not always good (noisy, a lot of movement) so a bipod comes handy. This is true for cold season here, in warm season it seems like i will leave the bipod home