Green Shoots Wales officer, Hamish Profit shares a simple way to make a pair of shooting sticks for under £10.
You will need:
- Three garden poles (pick up from local gardening store)
- Three cable ties
- Two old socks or bubble wrap
- Black, brown or camouflage tape
- A pair of scissors
Instructions:
1. Mark out the right height for your sticks
Stand next to the sticks, and where your eyebrow line meets them is where the first cable tie will go.
2. Tie your cable ties
Tie two sticks together first, then run a cable tie from one of these sticks to the third stick. Attach the final two sticks together then cut the cable ties, leaving an end of about two to four mm.
3. Make the padding for the rifle and noise reduction
Old socks are better than bubble wrap as they take longer to degrade. Cut the sock into rings approx. one inch in diameter.
4. Padding for the rifle
Wrap one of the sock rings you have just made around the top of one of your sticks. You do this by pulling the sock as tight as you can and then wrapping it back on itself. Now push the cushioning down so it is about one to two inches above the cable ties. Make sure you will be able to wrap some tape around it later. Repeat this on the other sticks ensuring that all padding is at the same height.
5. Noise reduction
Wrap sock rings around each of the sticks, positioning them one to two inches below the cable ties. Wrap further sock rings around each stick and position them about two feet from the bottom of each stick. This reduces the amount of noise the sticks make when they are folded together for carrying and creates a gap so that you can open them easily.
6. Increase longevity of the sticks
Wrap another sock ring around the cable ties. This will reduce the chance of the cut cable ties piercing through the tape.
7. Cover up the ugly bits
Finally, use the tape to cover over all the pieces of socks and cable ties. This will reduce wear and confer some level of waterproofing.
8. Practice
Using these sticks can be strange for the first few attempts, but with practice they can be noiselessly carried and rapidly positioned when you want to take a shot.