Tripod or Bipod for Youth Hunter

[mdmitchell]

My 8 year old will be going on his first turkey hunt as the hunter here end of month in Illinois for youth season. I got him a Rossi tuffy turkey and have it all setup and good to go. We will be hunting mobile with a short throw down blind that's a few feet tall.

In preparation, I put a red dot on an air rifle to mimic the red dot on his shotgun. We have been practicing in the yard using a monopod and it's clearly not going to cut it from a stability standpoint.

So I'm gonna ask some of you guys with experience what you prefer for a young hunter? Bipod (Shooting sticks) or tripod?

It just so happens I shoot off tripods a lot for coyote hunting and western hunting. So right now I have a really big tripod I use for thermal hunting with a reaper grip head that would work but I really don't wanna carry it. Then I have a Sirui I use for glassing but it's got a fluid head which isn't the best for shooting but it's way smaller and lighter. So I could use it but I'd wanna buy a ball head and I guess a shooting v?

In my head a tripod would be more stable but I worry about it being less "nimble" if a bird is moving vs a bipod.

So what say you? Bipod or tripod?

note- I am not talking a bipod attached to the gun. But basically a shooting stick type bipod with the shooting v on top.

[backforty]

I would go with a tripod and put a decoy out that everything is already setup to shoot at. I think both would require way to much movement to get on an incoming turkey without a full blind. Have you tried having him shoot off his knee?

[Marc]

I agree with Backforty...  Movement will be the killer, and a blind would be optimal.  But I would go with the bipod...

Bipod is easier to move.  Tripod is more stable, but can be much more difficult to reposition, and also heavier to carry around.

I would go with a good light-weight bipod (with a good swivel system), and make sure to be on the ready to help reposition quickly and quietly when the time comes.

And be prepared to laugh and not cry (or yell) when $h!t goes wrong...  Cause it will with an 8 year old.  The worst thing about hunting with a child, is that the totally unexpected and unpredictable will happen...  The best thing about hunting with an 8 year old is that the totally unexpected and unpredictable will happen.

When that bird comes in to 15 yards, and is just about to walk right in front of his gun, and he yells "I SEE HIM!"  You laugh, and make it a teaching moment.  Maybe with a clump of your own hair in your hand...  But laugh, and store it as a good memory....

[Lcmacd 58]

Im also from Illinois .... not sure what your answer is but good luck.

[davisd9]

What my boys use:

https://www.amazon.com/Primos-Trigger-Stick-Short-Tripod/dp/B071P7DD9D

[wchadw]

Tripod. Primos trigger stick. Get the short one


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[GobbleNut]

Both of my boys started turkey hunting at eight years old. I got them a gun they could handle (.410) and took them to the range enough where they got comfortable shooting off their knees...and I got comfortable that they could hit what they aimed-at doing so. I would at least give your son the opportunity to try that before assuming he needed some additional aid.

Having said that, I also built a light-weight "sawhorse" for them (for longer-range big-game hunting) that I could set in front of them at the right height such that they could rest the gun on it and also move the gun along the top of it as needed to reposition (it was about three-feet long and a couple of feet high, as I recall). In addition, it also acted as a blind of sorts in that camo material could be draped over it if needed to help hide any movement involved in that repositioning.

Looking back on it, if I was to do something similar now, I would probably make the design of the sawhorse with an arced top rather than a straight-line top so that it would be more versatile, as well as allow additional concealment when using the camo material.  ...Might be worth considering...   

[RiverBuck]

My son uses a Vanguard VEO 2 CM-234TU Carbon Fiber Shooting Stick. It has 3 fold out legs. We don't use a blind and he's had no problems putting his .410 on it and killing turkey since 6 years old.

[Notsoyoungturk]

We have used the primos trigger stick tripod in the past.  Trigger makes vertical adjustments very easy.  Tripod very stable during adjustments.  Then, the young hunters just have to adjust laterally to acquire the target.  As mentioned previously, a decoy should limit any adjustments that need to be made.  Best of luck getting them started!

[bowbird87]

Bog pods are rock solid! They are extremely well built and have lots of adjustments.


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[mdmitchell]

I wound up buying a shooting V from Amazon for $8 and it screwed onto the top of my Sirui traveler tripod that I use for glassing for elk hunting and it works pretty decent. The center column gets in the way a bit but it will suffice for this year!

[Muzzy61]

Another vote for Primos trigger stick, the short one.