Bipod or shooting sticks for coyote hunting?

[driftrider]

Well, I' ve finally got a decent rifle for coyote (Ruger M77VT MkII, 22-250), but I was wondering what your preferred method of shooting support is while actually in the field. I' d be doing the shooting from the sitting because my knees can' t handle a tight kneeling position anymore. I was thinking about getting either a Harris bipod with the tall legs or a pair of shooting sticks (the kind with the two aluminum poles hinged toward the top). Seems that both have their plusses and minusses, like the bipod being more stable but the sticks being a little quicker and easier to use. The sticks are also more portable and don' t add to the weight and bulk of the rifle, but the bipod, being attached to the rifle, is right there when needed and not kept separately on one' s person.

Since I have no experience calling coyote in the field I don' t really know from experience which method is better in practice, making your suggestions helpful.

Thanks,

Mike

[Howler]

Here' s my take on the subject. Bi-pod are very stable and always attached to the rifle, so they won' t get lost. Bi-pods don' t pivot very far very well. Shooting sticks can be made for cheap, allow good stability, allow the rifle to pivot freely, easily height adjustable, just by spreading the legs. If you need to stand to take a shot at a target, the shooting sticks fall free of the rifle and the bi-pod will be left swinging under the rifle, which makes it very difficult to shoot accurately off hand. I put my shooting sticks just infront of the trigger guard which allows me to follow the game as it is coming in to the call, because of the pivot point being back on the rifle I have more pivot than the bi-pod can even come close to. I use two aluminum arrows with two castraction bands to hold them together and put mole skin at the rifle contact point. I have a tall Harris bi-pod for sell if someone wants one! It works great for shooting prairie dogs!

[okbow68]

Driftrider,
I too prefer the shooting sticks. Check out my page at www.geocities.com/chairman68
There I have directions on making some really good light weight sticks and they are inexpensive. You can try them cheap. Let me know what you think.

okbow68

[coyoteseeker]

for a long time i used only a harris by pod and althgough it work well in many different situations,it does have its limatations.these days i perfer shooting sticks but the harris is still on the rifle for when i do need it.alum arrows do work great but i found wooden dowles to be better,for me.i use 7/16 inch hard wood dowles from home depot(pick thru all of them and get perfectly straight ones)4 foot long.then trim to size.i like the wood becuse its just as steady as alum but theres no need for mole hair or any other kind on silencer material on the rifle or shooting sticks.just my personal preference,both shafts work great.