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Jesse's Hunting > Hunting Articles > Hunting Articles Archives > Make Your Own Shooting Sticks
Make Your Own Shooting Sticks
Shane Greif - JHO ProStaff
- Bellevue, Washington
September 29, 2004
In an effort to keep things a little more home-grown traditional and with today’s prices of outdoor products, I find it rewarding to make my own gear when I can. Now I fully endorse many of the great products out there that promise good things, but I just feel a little bit better if I have a hand in building some of them. Here is one I want to share with you that I think you’ll really enjoy. 
Basic shooting sticks
As a shooting aid, few things are as simple and effective as a basic set of shooting sticks. |
Shooting aids have always been very popular and I’ve always admired the pure functionality of the shooting sticks African professional hunters are known for using to help their clients make steady shots over the tall grass. Well, like them, many of us have uses for them as well.
Now, whether you want a more native styling or modern form and function should determine the ingredients you use. I’ll share the steps and products used to make the sticks shown here. I chose bamboo because of its strength, low cost, light weight and exotic look.
Items list:
- Bamboo (to desired length) - I used 2, 6 foot X 5/8” sections
- Location: Your favorite home improvement/hardware retailer
- Cost: approx. $1.99 per 6 foot length – Be selective in matching pieces
- Leather strips (1/2”, 1”, 2” strips will work well)
- Location: Craft and leather stores, Native American retailers
- Cost: varies depending on quality and quantity
- Real/Artificial Sinew (roll of nylon sinew)
- Location: Native American retailers, auction web sites, etc.
- Cost: varies depending on product type
- O-rings (3/4” plumbing O-rings) – Used instead of leather strip for pivot hinge
- Location: Your favorite home improvement/hardware retailer
- Cost: approx. 48 cents per
Easy to build
With a few simple items, and a little time, you can build your own shooting sticks to suit your own style. |
Once I’ve got the supplies in font of me, I’ll begin by making any necessary cuts in length that need to be made to accommodate the shooters height. Then I’ll sand the bamboo to knock the sharp edges off. Bamboo can cause pretty serious injury if not sanded. When sanding has been completed, I’ll find the “pivot point” - the point where the sticks will cross when the legs are folded out. This is where you can either wrap your leather strip or place the O-rings to form the hinge.
If you are using the thinner leather strip to wrap several times around the sticks, then you can just tie a finishing knot in the strip, and then reinforce by wrapping around the leather several times with the sinew. If you are using the thicker strip, I use a needle and the artificial sinew to sew the ends together after wrapping a couple of times around the sticks at the pivot point. Use a leather needle and pair of pliers for this process. Once the pivot is tight and secure, I’ll move onto the rest pad – optional.
For the rest pad, I’ll cut the wider leather strip at a length of about 2 inches longer than the width of the sick ends at their most open position. This will ensure the sticks will open enough once the leather ends are secure to each end of the poles. Fore securing these ends, you can see that I simply wrapped them over the outer edge of the pole and wrapped sinew around the pole, pinching the leather between, several times.
Now, since bamboo tends to splinter when the ends are left open and bare to the elements, I also wrapped leather patches around the foot ends of each pole. I don’t tend to use these too much as a walking stick so the leather will last a bit longer than if I did. If you want something a bit more rugged, the hardware stores carry rubber feet you can secure to the ends. You also might want to try making a set of sticks with three legs. From what I’ve seen, the tri-pods tend to be more common for the African hunters.
I hope you’ll give this one a try. These sticks are very functional and easy to build.
Have fun with it!
Custom Twists
Whether you prefer something with a traditional twist, or a simpler solution, homemade shooting sticks are easy to make and a definite benefit in the field. |
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