Most common field position on big game animals?

[pods8 (Rugged Stitching)]

Most of my shots are prone, but I prefer prone so go there as my first choice. Since its quick to drop and make a stable shot in many many situations (never understood the folks that act like finding a prone shot is rare). That said if I enjoyed shooting sitting or such more so then many shots that work out prone for me could likely be done sitting (or something else) if that was my preference.

I fully admit I need to spend more time shooting field positions to impose lots more muscle memory for alternatives to prone. Prone is often viable imho but also not inherently necessary in many of the cases I use it.

 

[eLightfoot]

I’ve killed most of my big game off hand standing. Only a couple prone, couple off the knee. I’m most prepared to take a nice prone shot but it rarely happens for me on public blacktail country. After the noise of opening day most of my bucks have been killed jumping them out of their hiding spots. Gotta be quick on the gun and hit a moving target. Shot a bunch of pigs on the move and pigs with dogs after em also.

 

[PathFinder]

Assuming you meant 16 prone, not standing

Ha woops, good catch. It's fixed now.

 

[huntnful]

It’s curious why so much emphasis online is spent shooting prone, while in reality sitting is just as, if not more, important.

I think seated is definitely an area I'm going to focus more future practicing on. It's a legit field position potential, and is a steeper learning curve to become proficient at for sure.

For me personally, I was at 77% prone kills. So, prone obviously is predominant for my positions and my style of hunting, and the terrain I'm in.

But I think seated is very important as well.

 

[Castle Rock]

Sitting, but not in the sense intended by this poll
By far the most game, generally pigs, are shot over the handlebars of a quad or dirt bike

 

[Hnthrdr]

Elk I generally bow hunt so almost always standing. Kind of wild, and I havent killed that many animals with a rifle but I am 3 for 11 on prone of the 11 killed. 5 were standing supported ( tripod trigger stick) 2 were seated supported (tripod trigger stick on stock& pack in between my legs acting as a rear bag, shot was across basin uphill) I want to go prone always, but it seems either terrain or veg ruin that for me. Edit I forgot about my 5antelope several were taken prone. Maybe deer season this year I’ll get my chance at prone, but if not I’ll be ready standing or seated.

 

[JBradley500]

Usually looks something like this with me thinking "move you stupid f'ing thing!"

 

[mxgsfmdpx]

Sitting, but not in the sense intended by this poll
By far the most game, generally pigs, are shot over the handlebars of a quad or dirt bike

I need a “off vehicle” rest option if we’re including varmints and predators. That would probably be number one. I think this poll is for general western big game hunting not meant to count the thousands of other kills that happen per year.

 

[huntnful]

I need a “off vehicle” rest option if we’re including varmints and predators. That would probably be number one. I think this poll is for general western big game hunting not meant to count the thousands of other kills that happen per year.

Haha oh I know.

I wanted it big game specific, because it is a different style of hunting than predator hunting or varmint shooting.

I’d fill up the poll with “rested on the window of a pickup” kills lol.

 

[mxgsfmdpx]

It’s curious why so much emphasis online is spent shooting prone, while in reality sitting is just as, if not more, important.

Prone is absolutely ideal for me when feasible and lots of big game kills happen this way (see poll results).

The sad truth is that for the vast majority of shooters, they look like a monkey trying to hump a football in ANY other position other than prone. So everyone just defaults to this position when it may not be the most ideal.

When we set up on steep faces glassing up or down I’ll ask folks… So if a shooter buck or bull stepped out right down there or up there at 300 yards how would you kill it? They immediately start trying to find a place where they can “clear an area” and get setup for their prone shot. Only to realize that the terrain and vegetation don’t allow for it, or they have to move and try to get a “lane” or “spot” they can “get proned out”. Normally this also leads to them not having a tall enough front rest to make the angle work as well and over half the time the kill opportunity has long passed.

Looking through kill photos in my phone and remembering the shots… Generally, private property cow elk in Wyoming or white tails in Minnesota are the only kills where I personally have had good/quick enough opportunities to take a prone shot. California sierras and foothills have also allowed for a fair amount of prone shot kills on deer.

All other hunts across the other states and countries the vegetation, steep angles, terrain, and lack of an area to get setup for prone shots leads to many more seated or kneeling shots.

I think if more folks practiced shots other than prone they would be more creative and effective killers. Seated as mentioned, can be nearly as stable as prone when practiced. Especially when leaning your back against a rock, tree, hunting partner, and using rests properly to your advantage.

 

[huntnful]

Prone is absolutely ideal for me when feasible and lots of big game kills happen this way (see poll results).

The sad truth is that for the vast majority of shooters, they look like a monkey trying to hump a football in ANY other position other than prone. So everyone just defaults to this position when it may not be the most ideal.

When we set up on steep faces glassing up or down I’ll ask folks… So if a shooter buck or bull stepped out right down there or up there at 300 yards how would you kill it? They immediately start trying to find a place where they can “clear an area” and get setup for their prone shot. Only to realize that the terrain and vegetation don’t allow for it, or they have to move and try to get a “lane” or “spot” they can “get proned out”. Normally this also leads to them not having a tall enough front rest to make the angle work as well and over half the time the kill opportunity has long passed.

Looking through kill photos in my phone and remembering the shots… Generally, private property cow elk in Wyoming or white tails in Minnesota are the only kills where I personally have had good/quick enough opportunities to take a prone shot. California sierras and foothills have also allowed for a fair amount of prone shot kills on deer.

All other hunts across the other states and countries the vegetation, steep angles, terrain, and lack of an area to get setup for prone shots leads to many more seated or kneeling shots.

I think if more folks practiced shots other than prone they would be more creative and effective killers. Seated as mentioned, can be nearly as stable as prone when practiced. Especially when leaning your back against a rock, tree, hunting partner, and using rests properly to your advantage.

I was that guy that always looked for prone, but because it was all I knew. One kill (barely a kill) last year made me change my mind on seated stability.

So I started practicing it much more and trying different stability options immediately after that hunt. Wouldn’t you know it if my next THREE kills weren’t made easier by being in a seated position with some legit front stability.

Now I’ll still “fight for prone” under a lot of circumstances. Any time it’s easy to achieve, and any time the shot has some good distance to it.

But I feel much more versatile in the seated position now with my various stability options for various ranges.

 

[TaperPin]

I think seated is definitely an area I'm going to focus more future practicing on. It's a legit field position potential, and is a steeper learning curve to become proficient at for sure.

For me personally, I was at 77% prone kills. So, prone obviously is predominant for my positions and my style of hunting, and the terrain I'm in.

But I think seated is very important as well.

I spent most of my 20’s confused about which of 15 different seated variations I should focus on - non of them felt natural so I had to simply go by the groups. Lol

I had a chuckle watching an instructional YouTube video on shooting seated - the guy was trying really hard to shoot squared up without anything to rest the forend on - his left arm wasn’t long enough to rest on his left knee, but he sure tried!

 

[Harvey_NW]

Haha oh I know.

I wanted it big game specific, because it is a different style of hunting than predator hunting or varmint shooting.

I’d fill up the poll with “rested on the window of a pickup” kills lol.

In my defense, the couple coyotes in my data points were from hunting big game and stumbling on them, only 2 were standing supported against vehicle lol. I definitely don't kill as many coyotes as needed and I'm hoping I can change that soon and target them more.

 

[brn2hnt]

This was an interesting trip down memory lane for me. I grew up hunting a very different style than I practice today.

From 2001 to about 2012 I primarily hunted blacktails on both private and public land and mule deer and cow elk on private. Longest shot ever was 320-ish. Lots of blacktails killed off front racks of ATVs in young walnut orchards (depredation), while everything else was almost always seated or standing. We sat in known areas and waited for animals to move by or moved slowly through known game areas. HIGHLY effective, but def better suited to the thicker country of NW CA and areas with higher game density.

Post 2012 I really started venturing out of state more, notably CO and ID. I needed to glass more, because the game density wasn't high enough to make just walking around as effective as it had been for me prior. Starting then, prone would pop up more, but for anything inside 400 yds, it's still usually sitting for me. Prone is still only ever off my pack, but sitting just feels like less fuss. No monkeying around trying to lay down, get myself situated, yada yada. Just drop your butt and kill em. Most oftentimes I stalk into final position, so I know shot will be incoming, so pack is either being carried in the ready position or trekking poles are already out and loops crossed.

Quick count since 2019:
3 prone
6 sitting
2 standing

 

[DiabeticKripple]

for me it depends on the terrain im hunting in.

open prairies its easy to get down in prone and have time to get setup.

Bush whitetails i just sit in a camping chair with a tripod on a pipeline cut and wait for them to cross going to/from feed to bedding areas.

very rarely do i take a shot standing, but i have used tree limbs before as a rest.

i'd estimate my game taken at 50% sitting, 40% prone and 10% standing.

 

[Tell]

last 2 years
prone - 2
Standing supported - 1

 

[Brucebarker024]

Last 2 years

5- prone
1- standing

 

[Brucebarker024]

Last 2 years

3- prone
1- standing

Home from deer hunting. Updating to 5 prone (counting my dads from the same trip). His shot was 630 yards, 12 degrees downhill, prone with the bipod on the pack for more height, lightweight rear bag. Mine was 548 yards, 24 degrees downhill shooting from the top of a flat rock outcropping, prone off the backpack no bipod bino harness for the rear. This was my first hunt not using a bipod or a rear bag and didn’t miss it one bit. With a bipod I would’ve had a difficult time getting low enough in the front or building up the rear enough to make that shot.

 

[Taudisio]

Add 2 more standing, unsupported, so far this season.

 

[TxLite]

Last two years
Standing (tripod): 2 (100-125 yards coyote hunting)
Kneeling: 1 (110 yards)
Prone: 4 (400, 260, 220, 100)

No telling how many varmints with the thermal out to 50 yards while standing