Browse on the web or flick through a magazine and take a look at all the advertisements there are for stalking kit - you will almost certainly come across hundreds of gismos and gadgets for sale.
    Lots of them are very tempting but if you bought all the advertised "must haves" out there you would have no room at home for the rifle!  So, what are the really necessary pieces of equipment for a stalking outing?
    The basic kit of course is a rifle and ammunition, suitable clothes, knife, binoculars, something to carry or drag the carcass with and a shooting stick of some kind. With regard to sticks I have always used a pair of telescopic bipod sticks of which there is a large choice on the market to suit everyone's pocket Tripod sticks are also available, and many stalkers even design and make their own. A shooting stick to aid accuracy and produce a clean, safe and humane shot is a necessity in my book.
     A recent visitor to Greenlee brought with him a brand new set of Quadpod Stalking Sticks. Well, it would have been rude to refuse so I was forced to join him on the range and give them a test drive; believe me, it’s a difficult job but someone has to do it!
    On the range my guest produced a bull at 100 yards, I then used his rifle and produced another two bulls virtually in the same hole. All I can say is that accuracy of this sort is usually only produced when shooting from a firmly fixed bench - not off sticks from a standing position at a distance of 100 yards!
    Most of our roe deer here are shot off sticks at pretty close range and under normal circumstances I would not entertain a shot being taken in a standing position from sticks at more than 70 yards.
    A tip worth noting is that you can often use a tree to support the fore stock and bipod poles to stabilise the butt of the rifle for a very accurate shot at longer distances. However the Quadpod sticks we were using automatically produce the stability needed for accurate shooting at longer ranges, and especially when there is no other support available.
    I've got to say that the results on the range were remarkable and the sticks proved to be the most stable shooting sticks I have ever come across. They are light, well designed and straightforward to use.  As with anything new of course a little practice is needed to get used to them.
    I’ve used all sorts of sticks over the years and what struck me was that a lot of thought had been put into their design by someone who knows his stuff - in other words, a practical stalker.
    I was so impressed with the sticks that I immediately bought a pair and they arrived within two days just in time to use with my next guest, Steve, a lad who enjoys messing about with new bits of kit when he gets the chance.
    The sticks proved their worth on the range but how, I hear you say, did they fare in the field?

A VERY useful three-shot group at 100 metres taken off the Quadpod.

    The weekend just gone dished up some horrible weather so all I could do was nip out with Steve between periods of gusty winds and torrential showers, in an attempt to catch the beggars out.  Have I mentioned that deerstalkers are an odd bunch? Crackers more like!
    We took a chance that afternoon by venturing out at around 3pm, rather than dusk, a decision based on the fact that for the previous couple of weeks the bucks hadn't shown up in the late evening. They had to be moving at some time or other, so the trick in these circumstances is to try and catch the current feeding pattern. Off we went in the afternoon; we walked and paused. . . then walked and paused a bit more. This went on for some three hours spending periods in butts or just hidden in the tree line.. .not a deer to be seen! I had just about given up for the outing when, on our way back to the vehicle, I spotted some movement, and there was our buck.
    Our intended roe buck was sauntering up a rack of newly planted trees heading for cover. The range was 155 yards and I had no hesitation in mounting the sticks and commenting to my guest: "If you are comfortable with the shot, take it." I have to say here that I am nearly deaf in one lug and Steve is the same in the opposite ear. Picture it.
    We were trying to communicate quietly to each other using both duff ears. We had this comical enactment of a Laurel and Hardy sketch, quizzical looks, vacant expressions; part mimed part sign language from both of us. We were caught out in the open with a buck in clear view. How he hadn't seen us I don't know, he probably couldn't believe what he was seeing! Within a few seconds the beggar was going to wind us.. .at last communications were completed!  My guest, who I knew was a good marksman and whom I also knew would not dream of taking a doubtful shot on an animal, mounted the rifle onto the sticks. The buck obligingly turned broadside, probably deciding such a comical pair couldn't be at all dangerous, and Steve squeezed the trigger. The buck demonstrated the classic heart shot reaction. He leapt into the air and charged off with his neck outstretched. He then attempted to climb a small bank before turning back and running a short distance before collapsing. From the time of shot to our bucks demise took all of five seconds.
    On inspection the buck had taken a perfect heart/lung shot, bang on point of aim. Steve, my guest, remarked that he would not have considered taking the shot off normal sticks and that on taking aim with the Quadpod sticks he felt very stable. Given this confidence he comfortably took the shot. A classic end result, standing shot off sticks but at the distance of 155 yards!  Brilliant, we were both ecstatic, had a buck off the new plantation and the added bonus of venison in the larder.
    I am going to the CLA Game Fair at Belvoir and will be on the Sporting Gun stand in Gunmaker's Row. It's always good to meet readers and you are welcome to come in and say hello.

    The sticks will be with me and you can see them demonstrated and have a go for yourself. Good hunting!

The Quadpod Stalking Sticks are hand made, easy to use and produce an incredibly stable rest. They are versatile (you can also use them as a monopod or bi-pod at closer ranges) and are the best bit of practical kit I have seen in a long time. If you are serious about your deer stalking take a look at them, they could be just what you are looking for.
Check them out by either emailing bernard@midfieldandco.com or visiting www.midfieldandco.com


JULY 2009 SPORTING GUN