The best hunting stool

[Greg Ragan]

#4030

The Best Hunting Stool

No stool!

Learn to shoot sitting on your rear end. Nothing to carry, nothing to lose. It is a skill like any other in traditional archery. You need to lean forward and keep the bow almost horizontal. Watch out for the bow arm sleeve dropping down and really put a bend in your bow arm. It just takes practice.

Sit slomo from Greg Ragan on Vimeo.

Bob Swinehart Practicing.

Schulz Sitting

[Ralph]

#27894

Yeppers, I agree. Sitting, kneeling, twisting around. All should be practiced for hunting situations.

Old as I am though gettin off that stool a pain sometimes:D:D

Not really, I’m not that bad off 🙄 Just can’t sit cross legged and stand up without holding on to something as easily as I did in days of yore…

[Charles Ek]

#28805

Gentlemen, if game could be shot here in heavily vegetated and hilly NH while sitting on the ground, I would just carry a rock and not a bow. At an effective visual range of, oh, I dunno, two or three yards, I’d save a whole lot of time and expense just lugging a chunk of granite around. This here ain’t the Lonestar State, and parks are something owned by the state or a municipality, not a term for open expanses among aspens and the like. 😀

And BTW, I do practice sitting on the ground for the possibility of it being handy some day. But the Hammock Seat or a folding stool go in the woods with me.

[Stephen Graf]

#32392

Here’s another vote for the hammock seat!

My A$$ has spent enough time kissing rocks and roots for one lifetime.

Nice shot Greg! I thought you were gonna shoot that moth out of the air. Now that would have been sweet 😀

[William Warren]

#134710

That slo mo shot was a cool shot Greg. I expect those moths are flying much faster in real time.

[Ralph]

#32652

Practice maybe yeah, I do, but I do use discretion where I park my butt.

Shooting whilst seated oughta be shot when suited…

[Greg Ragan]

#33175

eidsvolling wrote: Gentlemen, if game could be shot here in heavily vegetated and hilly NH while sitting on the ground, I would just carry a rock and not a bow. At an effective visual range of, oh, I dunno, two or three yards, I’d save a whole lot of time and expense just lugging a chunk of granite around. This here ain’t the Lonestar State, and parks are something owned by the state or a municipality, not a term for open expanses among aspens and the like. 😀

And BTW, I do practice sitting on the ground for the possibility of it being handy some day. But the Hammock Seat or a folding stool go in the woods with me.

Sorry folks, this argument does not hold water with me. I am hunting is the thick east here in MD….believe me it is thick! There are some multiflora areas I need to cut my way through. I still have luck hunting from the ground and using my butt and carrying less. There is nothing like a little still hunting and just stopping to sit for a spell without having to unpack something or hook up something or having all that movement. Just trying to give some “another way”…..a simpler way. Freedom for me.

thanks

Greg

[Charles Ek]

#35430

I guess I should clarify. I too see the merit of simply sitting on the ground or a low stump, and I do it often while hunting when the view is adequate. But for sitting still in one place for a long time, it’s hard to beat the Hammock Seat. It allows you to really minimize movement, which is tougher to do when your butt is on the ground. At least my butt.

[Greg Ragan]

#35860

OK, yes agreed. I usually only spend multi-hourly / all day sits in that magic week in November. Most of my hunting the rest of the year is spent as Hill put it, “Getting after ’em”. An hour here, 45 minutes there as I still hunt….especially at dawn and dusk.

[grumpy]

#39431

Being next door to the Granite State…

No Lone Stars around here.

The ground is WET, and WET is COLD, especially after it freezes. Then it is HARD. I carry a waterproof, foam cushion for my super sensitive butt. Its warm, dry, and cuddly. Usually put it on a rock (like one of our stone walls), or a log, then sit on it. The hammock is great for a nap in the back yard in August, but there is no insulation, that means cold. No stumps in the WMAs I hunt.

[Ptaylor]

#21398

Man I love slow-mo archery videos. Thanks for sharing!

[Nathan Ester]

#132592

Just buy a good hunting stool honestly – https://catchthemeasy.com/best-hunting-stool-reviews/

[Raymond Coffman]

#132593

Mr Ester

Interesting stools shown in the review.  Some of them look very comfortable, but heavy / bulky. For my hunting style here in the Southwest I like the hammock seat ( light, easy to carry, although in some areas it is unusable due to lack of trees). Don’t do cross leg sitting much anymore due to a knee issue – always good to practice from though. Thanks for the link. I enjoyed seeing some of the current type of packable hunting seats.

Cyberscout

[Michael Branson]

#132652

Folks,

I admire the tenacity of those willing to sit for long periods on the bare earth and that will certainly keep the weight of your hunting pack down. My time hunting in Oklahoma though brief, did expose me to a wonderful depth of knowledge including the number of pests you might stumble into if you just plop it down. Many of these are innocuous and brushed off as easily as the dirt or leaves, a stool provides a barrier between chiggers, spiders, unseen poison ivy or prickly pear cactus lurking just behind you. If you carry a day pack as many do a small folding stool might weigh as little as 12oz and tucks nicely into against the back.

Think it over.

[William Warren]

#134655

I know the thread involves advocating learning to hunt and shoot without a stool but the title does imply that the thread is about stools. I can make those shots sitting cross legged but I’m 61 years old and now I would rather sit a bit higher. You can buy a stool and there have been some great suggestions but I’d like to offer my suggestion on stools. Why not make your own? Here is a link to a build along that I used to make mine. I have had it for a couple a 3 years now and it has held up well and is surprisingly comfortable as a seat and as a short trip backpack for hunting or fishing. Here is the link to Dr Nordenbergs portable stool. It is a great project. Makes a great dove stool too. I guarantee there are feathers in the pack right now!

Note: The Dr does not appear to be a bow hunter and there are pics of him and the stool with his rifle going hunting so hope that is not a problem. The instructions are great and easy to follow.

http://www.drnordbergondeerhunting.com/hypertext/Portable_Stool/Portable_Stool.html

I did not make my pack but instead used a canvas back pack from an Army surplus store. It attached in the same manner. I did make the straps from used satchel shoulder straps in the same manner the Dr shows them.  Seems every conference or vendor show the wife and I have been to they always give you a satchel to collect all your seminar and vendor pamplets in. They can stack up over the years. The shoulder straps have many uses. 🙂 The stool height can be adjusted slightly by changing the spread of the fabric seat material.

Duncan

[Ralph]

#134666

I used to have this neat little metal framed canvas seat stool that was connected at the bottom with a bit of chain and a latch. An X shaped little thing. Pretty handy, weighed nothing, kept my butt about a foot off the ground.

Problem, it’s amazing how far a one foot fall is when one is totally relaxed and the little chain breaks.   😯 I nearly cracked my tailbone.

Truth be known, methinks some feller didn’t do the latch correctly but breakage makes me feel less of a dummy.

 

[Raymond Coffman]

#134670

William

I like the design and construction of that stool. Looks like it would work well and be quite comfortable for long sits. A better stool than most I have seen for sale lately. A lot of the current stuff is very flimsy, leading to misadventures -haha- as R2 mentioned. I might build one if I get some extra time this winter. Thanks for the link.

Scout

 

[William Warren]

#134674

R2

Everybody likes surprises just not the ones that let you down. 🙂

 

Scout,

I used oak stained with walnut hulls and polyurethane to seal it. Pre drill and counter sink the screw holes and use a good wood glue.

I also use  a foam pad to add to the comfort of sitting which fits perfectly in the small canvas backpack.

Hunters often carry essentials in one pack be it a backpack or buttpack and a seat. This little gem consolidates that gear and it is not that heavy or uncomfortable for the average day of hunting.  Most in urban areas are not traveleing more then a couple of miles or less from their vehicle anyway. I keep mine in the back of my vehicle most of the year.

Duncan

[Raymond Coffman]

#134688

Duncan.

I would definitely use a pad also. What is the seat material ? It looks thick.

Out here in the west, most of the good hunting areas are a ways off the road. I like the fact it has its own pack . I would probably modify the pack to haul my day stand possibles.

Thanks for the info

Scout

[William Warren]

#134709

Scout,

Any cotton or cotton blend fabric could be used, even denim. I happened to have a scrap of 10x brown camo in the vintage WWII type of pattern. Like the link shows I doubled it folding the sides into the middle and used fabric glue to hold it down instead of sewing. Much less complicated than setting up the “cussing machine”. I lucked out and found an OD green canvas backpack at the Army Surplus that fits the stool perfectly. I searched my pictures and the only pic I have handy is the wrong angle to show the pack. I’ll try to put up a pick of mine tomorrow. If you are ranging farther from the road than most you could modify this to use actual padded backpack straps or add some slip on pads to the nylon straps. Have fun with it.

Duncan

[Ralph]

#134692

Some kinds of downloads suck.  :-))

[Stephen Graf]

#134702

Nice seat Duncan!

If I wasn’t still loving my hammock seat, I’d get on making one of those.

Another nice thing with the hammock seat is that it won’t wash away with the 6 inches of rain we’ve had in the last 24 hours.  If I was out hunting this morning, at least I’d be attached to a tree 😎

[William Warren]

#134708

Stephen,

You just have to be heavy enough to hold it down in a deluge! At least around here the forecast is a bit better Thurs,Fri, and Sat.  As Yogi Berra famously once said, “It ain’t over till its over.”

You could still make one for fun and use it in various locations on your range to practice seated shots. Of course you probably could do that with the hammock seat too.

Duncan

 

 

 

[Ralph]

#134736

Hunting stool????….Yep one must be a mite selective.  Could get into a real mess if not.  😁

[William Warren]

#134766

Or bit up by fire ants. No thanks!

Duncan

[Stephen Graf]

#134739

Nice shot on that stool Ralph!  Don’t forget to wipe that arrow off before putting it back in your pocket 🙂

[Ralph]

#134740

New terminology, since we have no stumps for a stump shooting, how about stool stumping? Aplenty of that.

back to hunting stools, it would be nice to have an area to sit and lean back but the best I can do in my area is to find a soft rock and rest for awhile. Stay off the skyline and do some glassing. Play the wind and hope to see before being seen.

[William Warren]

#134767

Ralph,

Funny you should mention pie shooting. When I was a youngster with my first bow I had no knowledge of stump shooting. Cow pies and horse an mule poo were my long range targets in a nearby pasture. Horse an Mule poo made good hillbilly golf balls too btw. 🙂

Duncan

[richard roop]

#135109

Cool video !!!

Conejo Valley Archers in S. Calif. have an ‘under the ribbon’ shot as part of their Traditional Challenge that is shot from the sit, lay or really low kneel. It’s a hoot to watch people shoot it.

 

In this part of Arizona though, one does not sit on the ground unless you have a really good friend to pick cacti needles out of your butt.

The stool that I use was cobbled together from parts like Frankenstien’s  Monster.  I started with a folding dove stool that has a backrest. That backrest is worth ever extra ounce. The useless little bag under the seat was discarded and a daypack was sewed in in it’s place. Then sewed in some more. A hip belt with a couple of pouches and a ‘bow-hook’  was added.  Some serious time was spent getting everything adjusted just right.  All in all, I’m quite happy with it.

 

[tigertrad]

#136013

More power to y’all who want to voluntarily sit on the ground.  Personally, I prefer a stool, although on my last hunt I found a convenient log among some deadfall to set up a spot.

For those wanting a stool, I don’t have a particular model to recommend, BUT I do have some advice:  whatever model you’re considering, make sure you sit on it and wiggle around some first to test quietness.  Couple of years ago, I bought a nice new one and took it out untried into the woods, set up in a pop-up, and proceeded to sit on the squeakiest seat I’ve ever come across. No way to shift weight, much less draw your bow without spooking game. Fine for a campfire stool but NOT for hunting.

[Neven]

#136060

I like this walk stool made in Sweden and comes in different heights. Lightweight and I’ve had mine for about 8-10 years without problems.

http://www.walkstool.com/

[Raymond Coffman]

#136065

Neven

That’s pretty cool , the videos show it all. They did demonstrate shooting from it. ( firearm). It is my understanding that the Scandinavians still have a fairly large hunting culture.  Have you used it to bowhunt with yet?

Scout

[Neven]

#136073

I use that stool all the time. I have two straps with a buckle on each strap tied to my belt. The stool is tied to my belt with two straps. I carry it on my backside. The stool is well made and lightweight. I have also used it without extending it on the ground up against a tree. You almost have to lean up against something so you don’t rock if you don’t extend it. But it works that way too and keeps yourbut off the ground.

[Raymond Coffman]

#136088

Neven

Looks like a nice piece of gear.  I figured it would need to be extended for good stability – but that’s ok. Thanks for the info–

Scout

 

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