Shooting tripods may be only an optional tool for hunters. But if you know when to use them, they can be a big help.
Some hunting situations need you not only to build a steady rest but also do it quickly. A solid platform with quick deployment is always a huge advantage in the field. Check out the guide below to learn how to choose a shooting tripod.
What To Consider When Buying A Shooting Tripod
When you shop around for a shooting tripod for the first time, it is important to have a good understanding of how it is made and what each component dictates the use of your stick.
Many other factors can also play a crucial role in helping you prepare for your shots. Your hunting needs call for different requirements, and many aspects of your shooting tripod can make a huge difference in those scenarios.
A good shooting tripod helps create a solid platform while hunting.
Yoke
This is where you actually hold your weapons, such as crossbows or rifles. Most shooting tripods on the market come with U- or V-shaped yokes. These designs are there for a reason. You can quickly drop your gun into your shooting tripod, especially when you are in a hurry.
To stabilize your aim further, the yoke may also have some ribs. Bag-like yokes are also a common design, which works like a shooting sandbag. They can cradle your gun stock and steady it.
Adjustments
Not all the best shooting tripods in the world are created equal. Some of them may offer more adjustability than others. There is no “best level of adjustability” as all it depends on is your requirements and personal requirements.
There are some premium shooting tripods that you can tune almost every part of them. This doesn’t mean they are the best choice for every hunting situation.
Repositioning is what many hunters prefer to do when they prepare for a good shot, while others want to just sit in one place and fine-tune their aim through levers or dials on the shooting stick. If small tweaks are not your top concern, a high degree of adjustability will not be a big selling point.
That being said, having the ability to make some adjustments with the offhand can be helpful when preparing for the shot. It keeps the movements down to the minimum, a vital requirement in many scenarios.
The animal you’re aiming for may make a run, and your shooting tripod should allow it to adapt to the situation.
With some models, you can just swivel them side to side or up and down to follow the animal, while others may force you to reconfigure the whole setup. Some quick flexibility is always nice to have in this case.
There are plenty of mechanisms to adjust various aspects of a shooting tripod. Depending on your needs, you can opt for models that have dials, levers, or knobs to optimize your aim. Manufacturers can add them to several locations in their shooting sticks. From the head’s rotation to how much the legs are extended, you can virtually adjust everything.
Head Adjustments
Shooting tripods can mount plenty of other things besides a crossbow or rifle. Some models are designed to hold optics on the yoke with the right attachments.
These multiuse shooting tripods bring greater value out of the money you have to pay for them. You can use them to steady your cameras, rangefinders, spotting scopes, and binoculars. Some models even allow you to attach the stock to them for better stability.
Height
How extendable the legs are can be crucial. Depending on the animals you are going after, this range of movement determines how you plan to take them down.
For instance, if you intend to shoot in the prone position or from a ground blind, a non-adjustable shooting tripod that can’t collapse and get down near to the ground would be useless. On the other hand, an unextendable short stick would not be useful if you plan to only shoot in the standing position.
Weight
A bigger weight brings more stability to your shooting stick, and therefore, your shooting setup.
It is easy to see why a heavy model is your best bet if you need to do some long-range shooting practices. It would keep your rifle from wiggling and allow you to have the most accurate shots.
However, a bulky and heavy shooting tripod can be burdensome on a long shooting trip, especially if you need to move around on your feet a lot. Even if it is back-pack friendly, carrying a heavy shooting stick can be tiring.
In those situations where every ounce matters, a lightweight model should be on your shortlist.
The materials used to make shooting tripods play the biggest role. Aluminum or carbon fiber sticks are lightweight choices that can still be sturdy enough for backcountry hunting trips.
Durability
How durable the construction of a shooting tripod depends on the material used to make it. Real-world conditions can take a toll on shooting sticks, especially when your hunting trips last for several days.
Plastic and wood shooting tripods are usually much cheaper. But they aren’t likely to withstand the roughness of hunting in the wild. Opt for more durable materials like aluminum.
Shooting Situations
Depending on the species you are going to target, your best choice should include different features.
Hogs And Predators
Hunting those animals requires you to sit in the field for long periods of time. You need to stay silent to prevent the perceptive predators from detecting you.
A heavy shooting stick should be fine. It is more stable, and the reduced mobility isn’t a big deal when you don’t need to move around a lot.
Models without many adjustments can work too. You are going to shoot long-range anyway, so some extra readjusting will not be an issue.
Instead, you can go for multi-use models that you can mount optics. A thermal camera can come in handy when you need to scan the fields.
Big Games
Big-game hunting can take place in different parts of the country. If you are going to hunt whitetails in the Midwest, where tall crops and thick forests are a common sight, a shooting stick may not even be necessary.
Still, the added stability this tool provides should not be underestimated. As you don’t need much mobility, go for heavy and highly adjustable models.
Conversely, hunters in the West usually face longer hikes in punishing conditions. These backcountry hunting trips require a lightweight shooting tripod that you can grab and go with ease.
Owners of food plots should also favor stability over mobility. They already know beforehand where animals like deer should appear. In addition to understanding when to plant turnips for deer, for example, a steady shooting tripod would make sure your effort wouldn’t go to waste.
Conclusion
There are more aspects of a shooting tripod you should have a look at than you might think. They can be handy in many cases when you need to establish a solid platform for your weapon. Understanding how to choose a shooting tripod, therefore, should be essential knowledge that every hunter needs to have.