Best Shooting Sticks for Hunting 

I bought my first set of shooting sticks from Cabela’s in the early 2000s before going on a Moose Hunt to Newfoundland. My shooting sticks consisted of two telescoping poles hinged together at one end with a V rest affixed at the end. The shooting sticks also served as a walking stick to steady my balance while walking through the wet bogs along the way. 

When the moment of truth came, and I was able to aim at a target, the shooting sticks turned out to be a great aid. When used properly, the odds of hitting your target are greatly improved. I own three pairs of shooting sticks and want to share some tips for new hunters.

Best Shooting Sticks for Ground Blind

Discover the game-changing world of shooting sticks—hunting tools that make aiming easier and boost your chances of hitting the target! Here are three different types that I own and what my sons and I like about them:

Pole Cat Tall Bipod

The Pole Cat Tall Bipod was the first shooting stick set I added to my hunting gear. At the time of purchase, there weren’t many options available aside from the Pole Cat Tall Bipod. What I appreciated the most about this buy was the compact size of the sticks. They easily strapped onto my backpack on the outside, allowing quick access. The bipod stance provided a steady aim with no side-to-side movement.

Primos Trigger Stick 

The Primos Trigger Stick Gen3 Tall Monopod Shooting Stick became the second set of shooting sticks in my hunting gear. I chose this set for its quick adjustment trigger, allowing me to set the height to a comfortable position with just one click. The spring-loaded monopod adds to the ease of getting into a shooting position. Unlike a bipod shooting stick, there is a slight adjustment to get used to regarding side-to-side movement.

VanGuard Quest

The VanGuard Quest B62 Portable Shooting Bipod with U-Shaped Yoke is a recent addition to my hunting gear, serving as an extra set of shooting sticks for my sons to use. These shooting sticks share the same features as the Pole Cat version. The top of the sticks features a neoprene-coated grip on both sides, providing a comfortable hold when shooting.

How to Use Shooting Sticks

The proper use of a set of shooting sticks is merely setting the gun’s stock in the rest of the shooting sticks. Resting the barrel on the rest of a shooting stick impacts how the bullet will travel when fired. For a better understanding of this, the gun’s barrel usually floats on the stock and does not come in contact with any surface of the stock. This same concept applies to using a shooting rest at a gun range; the gun’s barrel should never rest on a lead sled rest or even a sandbag.

Steadying Young Hunters

Shooting sticks are a great way to improve the odds for a young hunter taking aim at a potential target. The weight of a gun alone may be a little too much for a young hunter to take a free-standing shot. Try opting for a set of shooting sticks. They can also reduce the amount of things the hunter needs to think about and remember.

How to Make Shooting Sticks

A good DIY option that can also be used is a 2×4 cut to a certain height that satisfies any young hunter. Using a 2×4 and cutting a V out of the end of the board results in a better shooting position for a young hunter.

If you want a really rustic solution you can watch this video about how to make your own tripod shooting sticks with rope and actual sticks found in the woods. It’s all about making the hunter comfortable for making a steady shot.

Investing in Hunting Tools

Now, there are many styles of shooting sticks to choose from at most outdoor sporting goods stores. I currently have three sets of shooting sticks in my collection. My sons always call dibs on specific sticks they have used over the years and have given them a comfortable shooting rest. For me, I have seen their interest in hunting increase, and they invest a fair amount of time making sure they have the correct tools along with them on their hunts.

Go Old School Hunting

If you are brand new to hunting and not sure if you want to invest in more equipment yet. That’s okay. In my younger days of heading to the woods with my father and brothers, the tools in which we used were on a much smaller scale than what is available today. 

A Short Hunting Story

Back in the day, we headed to the woods with warm boots, hunting pants with suspenders, and a warm jacket that typically matched our pants in a bright hunter’s orange. Along with a warm hat and warm gloves we each went our own way to set out for our day of hunting. We didn’t think of using back packs or anything similar but if we were lucky we afforded an insulated hot seat to sit on to keep our bottom warm.

Aside from this, we had our gun, a knife, and maybe even a Snickers bar to take care of any cravings along the way. Over time sitting in the woods we could only imagine how everyone else was doing at their selected hunting spots. 

Back in the Old Days

When I hunted with my dad, we did not have the luxury of cell phones to text each other. Usually, we would just go by our feelings for knowing what the time of day was, or better yet, Dad would blow a whistling call to us and wave us back to him for a break in the action. (Wondering about whether making noise is a good idea? It’s not. My dad made a lot of hunting mistakes.)

We would meet back at the car and get some coffee to drink and perhaps a sandwich to eat. We would discuss any sightings or talk about a change of plans which dads terms meant let’s go for a walk. This style of hunting would later prove to me that I did not like this method of hunting.

As the years went by and I was able to head out on my own, I began to develop my own style of hunting with hopes of better success. As I got into my late teens, the hunting industry changed and that meant new technology and tools to use along the way. 

A Brief History of Shooting Sticks

Resting your rifle on something can be traced back to stories from American Indians. This concept also has history in Africa with safari hunts. The safari guides would carry a set of three bamboo like sticks all tied together at one end. When an animal was spotted, the guide was quick to set up the sticks in a tripod fashion to create a rest for the client hunter. The hunter would then use this tripod as a standing rest to take aim on a target. This became a great tool for the hunting industry that would change the game for many hunters.

One of the best tools that came to the hunting market was shooting sticks. I take my shooting sticks on every rifle hunt during deer season and have seen them improve the success of my sons too. There are so many reasons to consider this a hunting essential. May you shoot straight and aim small on your next hunt.