With turkey season well under way in Alabama, the weekends cannot get here quick enough from week to week. Prior to this season I had always been lucky enough to be able to hunt weekday mornings before driving into work. This season, our turkey hunting land is an hour and a half away from work; leaving only the weekends to hunt. Every Friday night before the lights are shut off in our home, you will find a pile of gear at the back door waiting for our early morning departure to the turkey paradise.
In that pile you will always find the same gear: two packed turkey vests, a turkey stool, a turkey chair, a shotgun, 2 complete sets of clothes, socks, two pairs of hunting boots, two ball caps, a camera tripod, the video camera and various other things. Two things that you will always find in that pile are my BOGgear Red Legged Devil and Camo Legged Devil.
Those that have turkey hunted for many years or have turkey hunted hard in their short few years, in my case, know what it is like to have a tom take his merry time approaching the decoy set-up or to simply hang just outside of comfortable shooting range. Unfortunately, comfort is far from accurate when waiting an extended time for the tom to approach with the weight of a “very still” shotgun extended out in front of you. For this reason I always take my BOGgear shooting stick to prop my gun on. I don’t always use the stick to shoot off of but resting the weight of my gun on that stick keeps my arms from tiring out; allowing me my best shot when I do have the opportunity to shoot.
Not only does this extra support keep you perfectly still and your gun aimed where you need it when taking that shot at a bird, it can allow a shooter an advantage for a much more precise shot; especially at extended yardages. Every good hunter knows her comfort zone and her gun’s range and shot pattern with the combination of its choke and shell/shot size – but most hunters do not compensate for minor gun movement, which can really make a difference between a hit or miss at extended ranges on something as small as a turkey head and neck.
I have used several gun rests/shooting sticks since my first turkey season in 2007 – some really great and some that were not practical in the field. The BOGgear products are by far superior to those I have ever tried. Not only do I use the shooting stick as a shooting rest, I also use it as a still camera and/or video camera tripod. Let me explain just how this is possible.
BOGgear has thought of everything when it comes to their shooting sticks. There are three available styles: the Red Legged Devil (RLD), the Camo Legged Devil (CLD) and the Tactical Series (TAC). All three systems are made of lightweight, high-strength aluminum with a non-glare anodized finish. The telescoping legs have tear-resistance cushioned grips, inch scale makers for accuracy, professional grade lever locks for quick adjustments in the field and feet with carbide tips for secure footing on hard ground or slippery footing. Each model comes with its own weather-resistant travel bag with a handy shoulder strap, small pocket and an Allen wrench. A true 360-degree swivel tripod head tops all three models with a receiver plate incorporated to switch to different style accessories to customize to your specific use.
The Red Legged Devil is available in three styles: a monopod, a bipod and a tripod. All three models are topped with a rubber-coated v-rest that swivels 360 degrees, a Velcro strap on the bipod and tripod to secure legs. The three different RLD styles extend from 22” to 68” making it perfect to use sitting, kneeling or standing.
The Camo Legged Devil has a glare-free, scratch resistant camouflage finish and all-terrain foot system. The CLD is topped with the exclusive BOGgear Universal Shooting Rest that accommodates all gun stocks; including pistols.
The Tactical Shooting Stick is available in two sizes: The TAC-3 which ranges from 22” to 68” and the TAC-3S which ranges from 6” to 40” ideal for prone positions. Both models feature a non-glare, Vel-Coat finish that is noise dampening. The legs have tear-resistant black grips and an all-terrain foot system.
The interchangeable accessories that are available from BOGgear are the Switcheroo, the Xtreme Shooting Rest (XSR), Universal Shooting Rest (USR) and Adapt2 kit. The Switcheroo includes a quick change v-bracket, an accessory attachment plate with one standard ¼”-20 camera screw, one 3/9”-16 adapter screw, and an adjustable ball-head mount. The Switcheroo features a quick change connection that easily snaps in and out of any of the Bog-Pod shooting sticks converting it to a handy attachment platform for a camera, camcorder or spotting scope.
The Xtreme Shooting Rest is the newest accessory in the BOGgear line. The XSR is a lightweight aluminum gun rest that allows the gun to remain ready to shoot while the hunter is glassing the field or using game calls. The entire rest spins 360 degrees, making it perfect for any shooting situation; including long range shooting. The unit is totally customizable to accommodate any length firearm. The XSR makes a great shooting rest for novice or youth hunters.
You can see the entire line of BOGgear products and find your nearest retailer at www.boggear.com. The construction and materials used in the BOGgear product are far superior to any other shooting rest/stick I have used. I always have two with me: one for my shotgun in the field and another for the video/DSLR camera. The harvest picture above shows the RLD that I used in the field and the DSLR camera that took that picture was mounted on the CLD tripod; just a press of the camera remote – Voila!! I didn’t need a second person to help me take pictures. ~Nancy Jo Adams
Read about Nancy Jo’s adventures afield at her blog: http://njadams1.wordpress.com/
Endorsement Disclosure: Per the guidelines of the Federal Trade Commission, this product review is an endorsement and the writer was compensated by “in-kind” payment to review the product.
The Women's Outdoor News, aka The WON, features news, reviews and stories about women who are shooting, hunting, fishing and actively engaging in outdoor adventure. This publication is for women, by women. View all posts by The WON
Perfect for the kids to use while being patient as well!!!
And, we’ll be looking forward to reading your review about the monopod, Nancy Jo.
Thanks!
I am looking forward to trying the monopod version. I hear they are perfect for fishing trips on boats. This summer we are planning a deep sea fishing trip and there is also a gator hunt in the works which I think will be idea situations for the monopod.
Thank you for taking the time to stop by and read my product review this week. This product is definitely one of my favorites, regardless what game I am hunting.
Nancy Jo
Great review, Nancy Jo! I LOVE BOGGEAR sticks…I am a huge fan of the monopod as it gives a great ease of movement for hunts when you are on the run. They are lightweight and so easy to adjust. Great company- Great review…as usual!
Tim Flanigan, one of the contributors to Shoot To Thrill department, uses BOGgear and really, really likes the tripod for his cameras. Thanks for commenting, Wendy and Pat.
I have been looking for a good one…def gonna have to try this! Thank you!!!
Nothing like being steady and ready for that trophy gobbler when it’s time to shoot. Like the 3 legs to the BOGear.
Nancy Jo, you have an incredible way of explaining the how-to’s and how-come’s of your product reviews. Thanks for the useful information.