African shooting sticks are a cornerstone of accurate, ethical shot placement in Africa. Hunting in Africa presents unique challenges that require precision, confidence, and the right equipment.
One of the best pieces of advice I received when prepping for safari was to get my own set of shooting sticks, practice shooting from them regularly and take them with me on the hunt.
For many first-time hunters, shooting sticks are unfamiliar, but on an African safari, they are essential. The unique terrain, vegetation, and hunting style make standing shots supported by sticks the most practical approach.
Before stepping into the field, selecting the right gear sets the foundation for success.
What are African Shooting Sticks?
African Shooting Sticks are universal across the continent and an essential tool for success on safari. They are designed to provide hunters with a rock-solid shooting platform, especially when hunting from a standing position across Africa’s open and unpredictable terrain.
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Shooting sticks are the cornerstone of accurate, ethical shot placement in Africa.
In Africa, this is how it works: the tracker, with the best eyes, leads, carrying shooting sticks, a simple tripod, legs joined at the top. The professional hunter (PH) follows closely, with you third in line. When the tracker nears an opening, he spots a three-toed "gazork" on the far side. He then sets up the sticks and steps to the left.
Traditional three-legged shooting sticks can be spread wide for use in a low position. Over there, brush and nasty thorns often preclude a low position or natural rest. Standing against a tall tripod gets you above low vegetation and provides fast, quiet stability for short- to medium-range shots, maybe 150 yards.
Essentially all options fall into a few main categories: bipods, monopods (one leg), tripods, and shooting sticks. In comparison, a tripod offers three points of contact, delivering excellent stability and versatility across various shooting positions and terrains.
While instructing students on the proper use of shooting sticks, Gunsite Academy’s Mario Marchman (left) and the author show two different types of tripod-style sticks, one tradition and one more modern.
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The two-legged shooting stick used to be the standard in hunting circles, but we’ve smartened up since and added another leg for more support in most cases. Variations with a quick-adjust feature, like the Primos Trigger Stickhave come along, and some modern shooting sticks are more like the tripods used by precision long-range shooters.
There are also versions like those from Spartan Precisionthat magnetically interface with a proprietary mount on the rifle. And there are now even shooting sticks with four, and believe it or not, five legs, that support the forend and the butt stock.
Benefits of Using Shooting Sticks
The main benefit of using shooting sticks while hunting is improved accuracy. By providing a stable shooting platform, shooting sticks improve accuracy, reduce fatigue, increase range, and allow for better shot selection.
Shooting sticks help hunters maintain a stable shooting position, reducing the amount of movement and improving shot placement.
Another advantage of using shooting sticks is that they can increase the effective range of a hunter's gun. By providing a stable shooting platform, shooting sticks allow hunters to take shots at greater distances than they might be able to otherwise.
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Shooting sticks help to reduce fatigue by providing a stable platform for the gun, taking some of the weight off the hunter's arms.
Using shooting sticks can also help hunters make better shot selections. By providing a stable platform, shooting sticks allow hunters to take shots that might be more difficult or risky without them.
They were quiet to carry and set up in the bush, and they provided a stable rest for my rifle even though my heart was hammering in my chest.
Another huge advantage of the shooting sticks is that if your quarry is moving or partially blocked by bush or other cover, you can simply rest your rifle in a ready position until such time as an opportunity presents itself, set up immediately to take the shot .
I’m currently in the middle of a 41-day safari, and I’d say more than half the animals stalked and taken so far have been shot from shooting sticks. I’ve never hunted with an African professional hunter who did not carry them.
This is partly because high grass and the bush make it problematic to shoot from intermediate positions, like kneeling or sitting. But it’s also because shooting sticks work very well with the spot-and-stalk type of hunting most often employed in Africa.
If you’re going on safari, it’s wise to become proficient at shooting off sticks from a standing position, and it can come in very handy in the States too.
How to use shooting sticks in Africa.
Techniques for Using Shooting Sticks
Proper placement of your feet is crucial for stability and shot accuracy when using shooting sticks.
Optimal Leg Placement - For maximum stability, position two legs toward you and the third leg pointing directly at your target.
With three-leg sticks, set two of the legs toward you but spread out with the third leg away and in line with the target. This keeps your legs from getting tangled with the legs of the stick if you have to adjust your position. It also allows you to put a small amount of forward pressure on the shooting sticks for stability.
Set shooting sticks with two legs just like you set the first two legs of a three-leg stick, perpendicular to the direction you want to shoot. But also, place them so the legs contact the ground slightly forward of where the rifle is rested on the sticks. Otherwise you’ll find the rifle wants to pivot almost uncontrollably up and down on the sticks.
When shooting from the standing position, most hunters tend to set their legs in a fighting stance much like when shooting a handgun. Having your feet in this position seems normal, but if you blade your body excessively, it can make it difficult to control the rifle’s movement from left to right when shooting from sticks.
A more stable shooting position with sticks is to set your feet nearly perpendicular to the rifle and the direction of the target. Put your support-side leg minimally forward-if at all-of your strong-side leg. In this portion, your legs are simply acting as a two-leg support for the rear of your rifle, just as the shooting sticks act as a bipod or tripod for the front of the rifle.
There are essentially three options for the forward hand placement with shooting sticks. The first is to hold the sticks below the rifle. My testing has shown this to provide the least steadiness, but it can be practical with the trigger-style sticks that offer fast height adjustment, especially if the shot is not too difficult.
Another option is to hold the top of the sticks and the rifle together. This technique does a good job of steadying the rifle, but depending on the sticks used and how they interface with the rifle stock-and how tightly you hold both together-it can slightly alter your point of impact and therefore requires practice.
I prefer to hold the rifle forend as normal and then rest the back of my hand or the rifle’s forend on the support area of the shooting sticks. This allows for a normal recoil impulse but more importantly, it allows me to maintain complete control of the rifle. This is a good technique if a fast follow up shot is needed.
And it can also be especially beneficial with dangerous game where you may need to quickly step away from the sticks to finish the fight.
Correct height is critical, in two ways: First, the sticks need to be long enough to accommodate your height, but not too long.
Next, it’s essential for the sticks to be set up at the right height for you. With tripod legs spread, I like the juncture of the sticks to be level with the top of my sternum. That way, I can lean slightly forward into the sticks.
Position of the supporting hand is also critical. Proper set-up height is probably the most important factor with shooting sticks.
The goal is for your body and the sticks to interact with the rifle so that you minimize the rifle’s movement up and down and right to left.
By the way, one of the biggest mistakes made by hunters is moving too quickly and in a rushed manner to place the rifle on the sticks. Quick movements are immediately spotted by game .
Shooting Sticks from African Sporting Creations
African Sporting Creations is a company that began in 2003, who began to create quality products to be used in some of the harshest environments imaginable out on African safaris. They also offer unique collections of lifestyle and décor products.
I recently had the pleasure of using a set of their shooting sticks.
The 3-piece Super Compact Shooting Sticks by African Sporting Creations are a spectacular set of shooting sticks.
These shooting sticks are light weight, quiet, and have a beautiful classic look with stained hickory sections. The 3 sections allow for a quick and versatile setup for those shots from prone using one section all the way to standing shots using all 3 sections together.
These light weigh sticks can also be used as a walking stick in case you come across rough terrain during your trek. Another feature that helps with stable shots is the pointed bottom sections.
What really impressed me was the easy and silent assemble making the shooting sticks a great tool for spot and stalking. One disadvantage I noted was the duration of assembling the sections. This is only area I think modern style telescoping shooting stick have the advantage.
Overall, the product provides a very stable and secure shooting platform with a classic aesthetic look.
African sporting creations offers these shooting sticks in two different configurations and 3 sizes.
- Featherweights-Weigh approximately 2.5 lbs. and use lightweight but very rigid exotic African hardwood for the top and bottom sections. Hickory stained a medium brown color is used for the middle sections. $429
- Standards-Larges weigh approximately 3.0 lbs. and use hickory stained medium brown for all sections. $379
- Medium size fits hunters “62-67”
- Larger size fits hunter “68-73”
- XL fits hunters above 74”
Our 3-piece Super Compact Shooting Sticks are for those who like to travel with their firearms incognito in a shorter take-down case (Blaser, double rifles) and need a more compact set of shooting sticks. Instead of one set of anodized take-down connectors, these have two. The shorter wood sections make these sticks even more rigid than our other models.
To make sure you can plant them in the ground, pointed tips are always facing down whether you use one, two, or all three sections. These are also our most versatile shooting sticks. Use the top section alone to shoot from the prone position. Connect the top section to the bottom ones which feature quiet wood points to shoot from the kneeling position or to make a 48″ walking staff for navigating rough terrain. Use all three sections to shoot from the standing position.
Practice is Key
Practice shooting off sticks will prove invaluable to better coordination and accurate field shooting . Practice standing , sitting and kneeling using the sticks .
The goal is for your body and the sticks to interact with the rifle so that you minimize the rifle’s movement up and down and right to left. Practice to find the body and hand position that best eliminates this movement for you. This can largely be sorted with dry-fire practice.
This is exactly what I did with my wife prior to this safari. For about a week, I worked with her as she dry-fired from the sticks for several minutes each evening.
With regular practice-painlessly and cheaply done with a .22 LR rifle-confidence and accuracy will improve, along with effective range off sticks.
