I have an upcoming Aoudad hunt and trying to decide if a bipod is needed? If so, what height seems to be best? Thoughts or advice appreciated.
Whats "needed" is always going to be subjective, but in my experience its more a matter of if I might need to shoot past ~150yds Im going to want to stabilize my rifle with something. Ask yourself what are the ranges you might be expected to shoot and if you can do that offhand, if not... you -will- need something to stabilize your shot.
A bipod is just one option, the advantage is its fastest to deploy being attached to the rifle, disadvantage is it adds weight and bulk to the rifle. From the prone position its a very stable option. Height is a personal preference, the lowest setting should comfortably put the rifle horizontal to your prone position, the tallest setting should be at least tall enough to get over shorter ground vegetation like grass. The tradeoff is the taller the bipod the heavier and bulkier. IMO a basic bipod should extend at least 12 to 14in tall.
Another option are shooting sticks. The advantage is a lot more shooting heights and configurations to get over grasses to taller brush. The disadvantage is it wont be useful prone (if thats the best option at the moment), they take slightly longer to deploy depending on how you carry them. Weight isn't an issue to me as there are some very UL options that work very well.....
IMO, I use both. If its a hunt tag thats hard to get, guided, etc. I would get both, at least a basic light weight bipod and UL shooting sticks.
Brands:
A basic affordable budget bipod that works I like are from
Magpul. $75-$130 and they are great to trickle down to other rifles in your quiver when you find a more expensive brand you like better, but they just work and are very light weight. Don't get the one that doesn't pan left or right.
Harris Bipods are nice. Cost a little more. They are heavy and bulky with lots of snag points, mine is not comfortable to shoulder the rifle with. But they work solid and probably will never break.
A fancy high end expensive bipod.... I haven't purchased yet but plan to after I recover from my Christmas shopping. I recently discovered, what should be a very UL bipod thats fully functional:
Backlandz Bipods. Made in New Zeland but they sell them in the US. A full featured bipod that extends to 18in that only weights 6.5oz is one I need to try.
Shooting sticks:
Cabelas brand
Kwik Stik are super cheap. They fold up small and only weigh 6oz and work. I have one in my quiver for the very UL stalks to day hunts.
Trekking poles with the
Wiser Precision adapter. I use these and they work solid. Recommend a 3pc trekking pole set to collapse the shortest, and strap on the pack. Slow to get off the pack but a very solid shooting platform once deployed. The bonus is trekking poles are invaluable if hauling heavy meat loads out on the backpack.