Tripod for western hunting?

[ElDiablito]

Not necessarily. About 60% of the animals I find in the western Lower-48, are found without a tripod.

Sounds as though you aren’t glassing them up or shooting far enough to need a tripod then.

 

[Mykolaivka887]

Sounds as though you aren’t glassing them up or shooting far enough to need a tripod then.

No, I am an emphatic binocular user. About 90% of the animals I find in the Lower-48 are found by glassing. I try to keep rifle shots to 400 yds or less.

 

[bowhuntercoop]

No one, I mean no can glass as well free hand as they can off a tripod. I would love to see someone free hand a set of 15 or 12 swaros vs someone using them the proper way on a tripod. Tripod wins every single time.

 

[Mykolaivka887]

No one, I mean no can glass as well free hand as they can off a tripod. I would love to see someone free hand a set of 15 or 12 swaros vs someone using them the proper way on a tripod. Tripod wins every single time.

I agree. I was helping out my outfitter in Arizona while he guided a hunter from the East Coast, and the hunter was trying to freehand 15x binos. Crazy nuts!

 

[IH8Cali]

Might be tough to set up a tripod in that situation anyways

The buck I killed last season was this exact scenario; trigger sticks and took a knee, dead deer in sub 5 seconds. The whole thing was a blur, but solid as a rock as opposed to trying to freehand/sling shoot with a pack on and adrenaline.

 

[IH8Cali]

Rifle shooting basics, my friend. Employ the long forgotten military loop sling technique for those standing offhand shots. Works great.

I agree, the caveat however is very few people actually train this and become profiecient at it. Most (luckily) clean miss, others are not so lucky.

 

[Wrench]

If I can shoot from a knee, then a 24" pack frame works great. I have trekking poles for the trip out that can be deployed pretty quickly too.

I'm only 48 and I have spent my life hunting, shooting and living in the west and have never fired a shot at game from a tripod and don't see it happening soon.

Try hunting coyotes to evaluate your gear. They are wary as shit, small and plentiful. Shooting those with your gear will let you trim the fat in no time.

 

[Wrench]

It already feels like target practice when I bomb elk from beyond 6-700...no excitement to be had there. The gunwerks high fives stuff after a 4 digit shot makes me laugh.

 

[Mykolaivka887]

Try hunting coyotes to evaluate your gear. They are wary as shit, small and plentiful. Shooting those with your gear will let you trim the fat in no time.

And to really get good at it, try still hunting jackrabbits with a high-powered scoped rifle. If you can consistently jump shoot and kill jackrabbits with your deer rifle, you're ready for just about anything when it comes time to shoot at big game.

 

[Steve300xcw]

I agree, the caveat however is very few people actually train this and become profiecient at it. Most (luckily) clean miss, others are not so lucky.

That is always interesting to me. Folks will invest the time and money into getting proficient at killing something at 700 yards. But practice an offhand shot? Hardly ever hear of anybody doing that

 

[Steve300xcw]

And to really get good at it, try still hunting jackrabbits with a high-powered scoped rifle. If you can consistently jump shoot and kill jackrabbits with your deer rifle, you're ready for just about anything when it comes time to shoot at big game.

Not many jack rabbits around here. But popping digger squirrels in old logging sites is always good practice. Some time spent in a rock pit is never a bad thing either.

 

[Mykolaivka887]

That is always interesting to me. Folks will invest the time and money into getting proficient at killing something at 700 yards. But practice an offhand shot? Hardly ever hear of anybody doing that

I see that sort of thing all the time, nowadays. Clients show up ready to be the next "American Sniper" whiz kid, but when it comes time for a quick shot at 100 yds or less, they know not what to do.

 

[Steve300xcw]

I see that sort of thing all the time, nowadays. Clients show up ready to be the next "American Sniper" whiz kid, but when it comes time for a quick shot at 100 yds or less, they know not what to do.

Heck just read around on this forum. Look at most of the rifles that are posted up..Theres alot of guys that straight up will not even consider an off hand shot. Blows my mind.

I bought my first tripod last fall. I will agree that for glassing, it is an absolute game changer! Kinda wanting to dump my 10x for a pair of 8x and a 15x. Not sure yet though.... I dont see myself using it to shoot off of though.

 

[Mykolaivka887]

Kinda wanting to dump my 10x for a pair of 8x and a 15x. Not sure yet though.... I dont see myself using it to shoot off of though.

I carry 10x and 20x binos in the field, simultaneously; 10x around my neck for quick, close viewing, and the 20x in my pack, to put atop the Manfrotto tripod.

 

[Wrench]

That is always interesting to me. Folks will invest the time and money into getting proficient at killing something at 700 yards. But practice an offhand shot? Hardly ever hear of anybody doing that

The tripod makes great sense in the prs game where low recoiling 20 lb guns are the norm. Guys here are paying a $100 premium on a rail for lighter materials so they can get sub 5lbs on a rig.....not the best plan for tripod shooting.

 

[JohnJohnson]

Look at most of the rifles that are posted up..Theres alot of guys that straight up will not even consider an off hand shot.

I bought my first tripod last fall. I will agree that for glassing, it is an absolute game changer! Kinda wanting to dump my 10x for a pair of 8x and a 15x. Not sure yet though.... I dont see myself using it to shoot off of though.

I see it as them choosing to become specialized in different kinds of shooting than offhand and improvised positions. Offhand shots and improvised positions are great if you can pull them off but I think a majority of the time the person isn't experienced enough and it results in more wounded animals. Missed opportunities are preferable to risky shots for me personally.

You don't need to do too much to shoot off of your tripod by the way. Just get a pint size gamechanger with git-lite fill (1.1 lbs) and put it on top of the tripod. You now have a shooting rest and don't need to go contort yourself around a rock or tree limb. You can also put the bag on a tree limb or rock as well to make those rests better. Just make sure your tripod is sturdy enough to handle the weight of the rifle.

The tripod makes great sense in the prs game where low recoiling 20 lb guns are the norm. Guys here are paying a $100 premium on a rail for lighter materials so they can get sub 5lbs on a rig.....not the best plan for tripod shooting.

This is valid. I don't think shooting off a tripod is a viable option for people who are counting ounces, mainly because they just don't tend to use tripods sturdy enough to be of use for shooting.

 

[Steve300xcw]

I carry 10x and 20x binos in the field, simultaneously; 10x around my neck for quick, close viewing, and the 20x in my pack, to put atop the Manfrotto tripod.

I think 20x would be a bit much for what I hunt. Though I have never gotten behind anything over 12x.

Mainly hunting blacktails these days and I hardly ever look out past 1200 yards.

 

[AZ_Hunter_2000]

I use my tripod primarily for glassing with the occasional use for shooting. For that purpose, my Manfrotto 290 XTRA and Slik 635 have been just fine. But if my shooting position of choice was using a tripod and locking it in, then I'd look at changing things up (if I could not get my current setup to work as intended).

As I practice getting setup for glassing as fast as I can, it is pretty easy and quick to get a tripod into play for a fast shot that is beyond my ability to make off-hand or with a sling. And if this type of shot is likely, I'll leave the shooting V on my tripod head until it is time to glass to save a few more moments,

Myko is spot on but in a different way. Folks get too hung up on doing something a specific way that they get mindful*cked when time is short or if they are thrown a curve ball. Prone is awesome until the vegetation is too tall. Shooting off a tripod is nice until it is an 80* slope downward. You get the idea.

Be flexible and use what makes the most sense at any given moment. It may be prone (bipod/tripod/pack), sitting (free-hand, vertical pack, rock, etc), off a tripod and spotting scope, off a limb, fence post, off-hand, roll of fencing, etc.

 

[AZ_Hunter_2000]

I think 20x would be a bit much for what I hunt. Though I have never gotten behind anything over 12x.

Mainly hunting blacktails these days and I hardly ever look out past 1200 yards.

It is not about distance but the ability to identify fragments of an animal that is mostly obscured.

Guarantee folks are missing out on a lot of animals that are closer due to the inability to identify pieces of an animal unless they hunt in a magical place where the animals are 100% in the open, perfectly broadside, under perfect lighting, etc.

If a person were to listen to the experts, including many on this site, an 8x or 10x is all you need for finding animals for miles "out west". But it is crazy to watch a deer bed down at 300 yards with SLC 15s (or even an STX) and almost completely vanish with just the tips of the rack visible.

 

[Steve300xcw]

. Offhand shots and improvised positions are great if you can pull them off but I think a majority of the time the person isn't experienced enough and it results in more wounded animals. Missed opportunities are preferable to risky shots for me personally.

That goes right back to practice. Just like anything else.

You don't need to do too much to shoot off of your tripod by the way. Just get a pint size gamechanger with git-lite fill (1.1 lbs) and put it on top of the tripod. You now have a shooting rest and don't need to go contort yourself around a rock or tree limb. You can also put the bag on a tree limb or rock as well to make those rests better. Just make sure your tripod is sturdy enough to handle the weight of the rifle.

Good to know... I dont see myself packing a 1lb bag around just so I can shoot off a tripod though.

As for trees, I have found it to be alot easier to grab the main trunk with your hand, and rest the rifle on top your arm, near the tree . Its actually pretty solid