While U.S. hunting participation has declined by almost half since the 50s, more than 11 million Americans participate in hunting activities today — taking more than 147 million trips annually — so hunting remains a very popular sport. While often not the first piece of kit that comes to mind when building out your bag, one decidedly useful piece of gear is a high-quality shooting stick.
Range shooting is a great way to get familiar with your rifle, zero your scope, and train, whether off a bench or standing. Shooting in the field, often unsupported, is usually a lot more challenging.
Hunting, be it with a firearm or crossbow, has a primary ethical responsibility to deliver a clean shot. This can be difficult under stress or after a long trek along uneven ground.
That’s why I recommend shooting sticks: these relatively simple shooting supports make for a more stable shot that keeps your rifle locked into position. Since the colonial period, they’ve been in use in the US and have been helping people maintain a good shooting position ever since. Today, we’re going to look at the best shooting sticks to give you a solid rest for your hunting tool in the field.
Shooting sticks come in various systems, from monopods to bipods and tripods, all of which deliver support for shooting from standing, which keeps you from ending up prone in the mud to make a good shot. The market has various options, with different degrees of adjustment and lots of options to accommodate all kinds of shooting positions and shooters.
By Michael Crites
Michael Crites has served as executive editor of AmericanFirearms.org since 2016 and previously held positions as associate editor and range correspondent dating back to 2000. He discovered his passion for precision shooting at age 12 during his first visit to his grandfather's shooting range, eventually earning an Expert classification in three different shooting disciplines before age 18.
During his studies at University of Wyoming, he earned four varsity letters on the collegiate rifle and pistol teams, serving as team captain for three consecutive years. He became the first UW student to complete the NRA Range Safety Officer certification while maintaining full-time student status. He graduated magna cum laude with a B.A. in Sports Communications.
His diverse career has included roles as Range Safety Coordinator for the National Rifle Championships in Camp Perry 2001; editor-in-chief, Precision Shooter Quarterly; series editor, Modern Firearms Handbook collection; managing editor, National Shooting Sports Foundation Newsletter; editor, Competitive Shooter Magazine; operations director for Western Arms & Ammunition Co.; senior editor for the Shooter's Reference Annual (Cheyenne); content director for The Firearms Report, published by the American Shooting Coalition in Billings, MT; firearms correspondent for Hunting & Shooting, produced by Outdoor Sports Media Group in Jackson, WY; and publisher for Wyoming Shooting Sports Journal in Casper. He has contributed as a regular columnist for American Rifleman (NRA Publications), technical editor for Precision, a publication of the National Bench Rest Shooters Association (Phoenix, AZ); and as firearms specialist for the Gun Owner's Annual.
As a digital content creator, he has written more than 400 articles on AmericanFirearms.org, developed shooting technique coverage for the Brownells Shooting Blog (Montezuma, IA) and Federal Premium "Range Notes" platform (Anoka, MN), and served as lead content strategist for International Defensive Pistol Association (Berryville, AR). Beyond Tactical Firearms, his current endeavors include content development for the Wyoming State Rifle Association (Cheyenne, WY) and technical manual production for High Plains Publishing of Laramie, WY.
He has contributed to the 12th, 13th, and 14th editions of Modern Sporting Rifles Guide and edited The Complete Guide to Tactical Shooting and Competitive Shooter's Reference Manual (Gun Digest Books).
View all of Michael Crites's posts.
