Trekking Poles converted to shooting sticks

[Hoyts n Mulies]

I'm getting ready to start my calling season and have been thinking the trekking poles would sure be nice for those days in the snow or light crust. I am hoping to come up with a way to use them as shooting sticks on stand as well. I've got a few ideas but thought I'd see if anyone else has already done this and how they accomplished it.

I'd appreciate any information you're willing to share.

 

[dotman]

There are a few threads on it, think the easiest ones to find are in the DIY section.

 

[Stid2677]

Luke modified his with a screw on rest, I simply use my hand on the grip and place my rifle on my off hand, killed plenty of critters that way as I always use poles. Using the same technique you would if using a tree as a rest.

 

[mtmiller]

Slide the barel and stock through the hand loop. Works dandy.

 

[Hoyts n Mulies]

Thanks for the info guys.

Mtmiller - have you tested your POI doing this? Wondering if it puts any side pressure on your barrel. I know you indicated to slide the stock into it as well but i've seen people take a shot with just their barrel on something and had their POI changed.

 

[FreeRange]

If you're using two poles this method works pretty good to yoke them together with no extra straps (assuming you have wriststraps)

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi...ums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=79584

^Do this then cross them and you have a good rest.

I see predator hunting as an opportunity improve my shooting skills under real hunting conditions, so I try and emulate what conditions I'll be shooting under during deer/bear season, so I'll just shoot off one trekking pole because I only ever hike with one. Not as stable as two but it's more realistic practice for me. I just rest my off hand on the pole like Stid described.

 

[mtmiller]

Thanks for the info guys.

Mtmiller - have you tested your POI doing this? Wondering if it puts any side pressure on your barrel. I know you indicated to slide the stock into it as well but i've seen people take a shot with just their barrel on something and had their POI changed.

I have not. Pressure will be on the stock. I just mentioned the barrel and stock as I thought it painted a better picture on sliding it through the hand loops. My bad.

 

[Backpack Hunter]

If I'm using two sticks I loop both wrist straps over the opposite stick and then x them, basically making a cradle. With one stick I just put the stock thru the wrist strap like mtmiller stated.

 

[Hoyts n Mulies]

mtmiller - I see what your saying.

Backpack Hunter - I'll give that a shot when I get home. Seems like this would be the more simple and not require anything else to be carried.

 

[mt100gr.]

One of the slickest ways I have seen is to cut 2 fingers off a sturdy glove and leave them connected as they would be on a glove. Then slip sticks, or in this case, the non-hand grip end into the fingers. When you cross them the fabric covered pole tips make the yoke.

 

[MuleyFever]

I usually am hiking with 2 poles. I keep a piece of Velcro around one pole just under the grip. I then use that Velcro to wrap around both poles and it keeps them together when using as shooting sticks. Honestly though it is easier for me to just hold them with my hand and shoot off them than to mess with trying to rig them up.

 

[husky390]

One of the slickest ways I have seen is to cut 2 fingers off a sturdy glove and leave them connected as they would be on a glove. Then slip sticks, or in this case, the non-hand grip end into the fingers. When you cross them the fabric covered pole tips make the yoke.

That's a helluva good idea.

 

[huntin'monkey]

If I'm using two sticks I loop both wrist straps over the opposite stick and then x them, basically making a cradle.

This is what I do. Super simple and works great. When hiking with a single pole, I grip the top of the pole with my last two fingers and use the other two fingers and thumb to cradle the stock on top of it. It's quicker to get into position for a snap shot than trying to get the barrel and stock through the strap.

 

[back country]

Thanks for the info guys.

Mtmiller - have you tested your POI doing this? Wondering if it puts any side pressure on your barrel. I know you indicated to slide the stock into it as well but i've seen people take a shot with just their barrel on something and had their POI changed.

The changing POI when only sliding the barrel through the trekking pole handle would probably be due to the fact that the barrel in the gun you're talking about was a free-floating barrel. So it would make sense that your POI changes because as you're resting the gun in such a way with only the barrel actually resting on something, what you're actually doing is tilting the barrel up slightly from where you think you're aiming. After 200, 300, etc yards, that fraction of a millimeter that you're changing how your gun is pointed propagates to a difference in POI of quite a bit.