Shooting with a tripod.

Shooting with a tripod.

Shooting from a tripod in a standing position.

There are advantages to even shooting free hand that a tripod actually takes away.

I had a client a few years ago where we were in close to some elk in the timber. My usual protocol for guiding someone in timber is to have my tripod cradled like a gun with two of the legs extended to shooting height for a quick setup in case we'd need to thread the needle. This time we were close and still undetected. I had stood the tripod up and my client had his gun ready for the bull to show himself. He eventually did but in the form of a fast exiting trot after our wind had swirled and the lead cow took the herd out. Though my client was able to get him in his scope long enough to verbalize "He's big!" he wasn't able to swing his gun and get a shot off at less than 60 yards.

Afterwards I was kicking myself for even having the tripod set up. I didn't realize we were in that tight and should have just let him free hand a shot as the bull trotted through the small clearing we had. He would have easily been able to swing his gun with his crosshairs on the bulls shoulder and I am certain this guy had dumped many a deer back in his home state in that same scenario. But that's hunting!

On another occasion I had a client on the tripod standing up with a bull feeding at 300yds. All the bull had to do was turn just a little more for a good shot. My client had stated before the hunt that he was "good out to 500" so I thought he could take this shot. But as I watched the end of his barrel making small circles I began to doubt this. The bull turned and the rifle cracked. He hit the bull too far back and then he proceeded to hastily rack off 4 more shots to try and hit the bull again. Needless to say he missed all those shots but the damage from the first shot was just enough to do it as the bull laid down behind some brush and expired after a few minutes.    

Moral of these stories is; without the use of a rear brace or additional support for the firearm or even a clamp or hog saddle, your tripod's stability can only go so far. A tripod in itself as a rest does add to your effective range, but at a longer distance, sooner or later you'll be reaching for more support. And then, if you are skilled at free hand shooting inside 100 yards, a tripod will only hinder your shot opportunity. 

Tripod attachments, suggestions and methods

I do not recommend shooting longer distances at game animals from any tripod in a standing position without additional gun support. Some shooting tripods offer gun clamp anvil heads or even add-on rear gun brace supports but it is often cumbersome and at the cost of additional weight to have along with you when hunting. These set ups are more for target shooting and though they do have their place in the field they are still not often used in a big game hunting scenario.

An anvil head with arca mounts or other direct interface gun mount are obviously the most solid and may look cool holding a 4 pound carbon fiber gun to the head of a tripod but often times an animal is moving around and you will want to have the ability to move with it until the right shot is offered. So its up to you if you want to be messing around with tension knobs or levers while trying to stay tuned in on a shot opportunity. In my opinion a simple V yoke is all that is necessary in most hunting scenarios. If you plan to shoot excessively longer distance you will be set up lower to the ground and will have more gun support if not completely prone and without a tripod. 

Most of you who like a set up that clamps your gun onto a tripod head or accessory will likely scoff at the plastic Rally Clip, and understandably so. The standard Rally Clips intention is not to supercede the obvious. It is intended for practical hunting with weight being the most important aspect in most hunters minds. Though it is pretty stout with all things considered, the rubber pads on the bottom create a highly resistive interface much like any other direct to tripod mount, and allows for a greater range of resistive motion to get on target without the need to operate levers or knobs. The Rally Clip can be used with any bolt on tripod shooting accessory, from a basic V yoke cradle that works well the majority of the time, to arca anvil or hog saddle setups for target shooting or certain types of hunting scenarios.

With that said, the Rally Clip version 2.0 was developed to be used for more heavy duty applications. It employs a metal interface replacing the hook portion on the standard Rally Clip. I'd also has set screws and a flex plate that adjust out the gap between the head and the clip where the rubber pads are used on the standard clip. So if you're looking for a great fast direct to gun metal interface then check out the new Rally Clip 2.0 along with the Top Plate Tac-Table.

One must keep in mind that whatever method you use to take your last shots while sighting your gun in at a range should be the same method you will most likely be using in the field when hunting. In other words, if you use a gun vice to sight in your gun and then go to try and shoot from a tree trunk your shot will most likely be off some. This may not matter at close distance but it will begin to matter on longer shots.

It's always best to finish your shooting session at the range with the same method you will be taking those same distance shots in the field. And a little trick of the trade while at the range is to get your heart rate up before taking your shots. You may look funny but jogging in place for 30 seconds to a minute or more works great to mimick your heart rate when that world class bull is giving you a shot. 

The Top Hand Tripod is designed with shooting in mind, though it is not the same and should not be compared with a tripod setup specifically designed or marketed for shooting from. Especially a setup that can weigh 3X the Top Hand. However, if you are someone who uses a tripod a lot for shooting and feel you need a heavier tripod to shoot from, you can use the rope in the head of the Top Hand to hang weight from it like your pack or even your leg if in a sitting position. Or, with the rope hook making a loop around your boot you can use your foot to stand on the rope when in a standing position and have a considerable amount of down pressure on the tripod. Way more than any tripod alone.   

When a standing shot from a tripod is eminent in a hunting scenario I would suggest to use about a foot or so of the hook end of the rope on the Top Hand and attach it to the sling or forearm of the gun. Lock the rope in the head and slide the gun forward to where there is tension in the rope. This will create a triangle effect and some down pressure on the front end of the gun in leu of a rear gun support. It works well to stabilize your shot and still keep the ability to move your scope with the animal as you wait for a shot opportunity instead of being clamped in tight and having to constantly be adjusting things. The rope can be set up and ready to quickly attach to a gun like this. Or you can make a separate length of rope with multiple loops pre-tied in it for quick setup and adjustment. Be creative. Many tripods utilize locking positions of the legs at certain angles. This design feature most often can be quite cumbersome as the vast majority of the time a hunting tripod is set up the ground is not level, much less, flat. The Top Hand legs have a rotational resistance point that keeps the legs from completely folding in when the tripod is lifted off the ground. This feature allows you to reposition or make a quick move and the legs will automatically be kept at about a 30 degree angle where there is little worry of a leg kicking out. Whereas with the legs set at a shallower angle you will likely be shortening a leg section to maintain the proper angle that will be less likely to skip and kick out. After setting down, any of the legs can be quickly moved out or in without the need to push a button or pull a knob. I've found this feature to be all that is needed as most of the time whether glassing or shooting you will have to reset the leg angles whenever you move the tripod.  

If you hunt predators a lot you likely use a tripod to shoot from all the time. You can consider the Top Hand for the above mentioned capabilities as well as being able to quickly skin for your pelts in the field right away. The Top Hand can hold a considerable amount of weight being designed for big game quarters. So you can hang a whole coyote or bobcat from it to skin its pelt in the field. We consider furbearers small game and the Top Hand will be able to hang the whole thing while you skin it. Many of you know that skinning goes much easier and faster when the hide is fresh. Also, you wont have to pack or drag the whole carcass back to your rig. And then you wouldn't have to dispose of the carcass from your home.   

When hunting with a tripod you will find the same pangs of achieving a steady standing shot will be encountered no matter what type of tripod or gun attachment set up you have. Setting your tripod up to a standing height, attaching your gun and taking a good long shot in a real world hunting scenario is actually pretty rare. Even if you have the time to achieve this on a longer shot at a game animal, unless you are a very skilled shooter, you will eventually find yourself in a sitting position with your tripod set low and your pack under your armpit, which (if a prone position shot isn't possible) is where you should start anyways for any longer distance shot on a game animal even when using a tripod.

You should never take a rushed long distance shot. You should however, take your time. Though time may be of the essence in some hunting scenarios, hunting is not and should not feel like a competition or some kind of timed event. The vast majority of hunters are not competition shooters. Considering the infinite variables of hunting, you never know when a missed opportunity could still turn into another or allow for a better one resulting in a trophy of a lifetime. Going home empty is far better than the thought of a lost hit on any game.

About the author: 

Jamin Florell is 47 and considers himself a proficiently standard outdoorsman. He is a professional hunting guide working exclusively for Medicine Bow Outfitters on Colorado's public land back country for over 20 years. He has been hunting Big Game since he was 10 and killed his first Elk when he was allowed to get an Elk tag at the age of 12. He has hunted Elk every year since then. He has also successfully hunted and guided for Mule Deer, Bear, Mt Lion, Pronghorn, and Moose. He's an inventor, and the proprietor of the Top Hand Tripod.

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