First squirrel with the aid of a shooting stick

Just recently modified an old LLBean treking pole into a shooting stick and have been practicing for several days. Wow, what a difference especially beyond 25 yards. Nailed a squirrel from 20 yards for my first kill using the stick. He just keeled right over and that was it. I'm confident out to 50 yards now using a Diana 34 .22 and JSB 15.9gr pellets.

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"JohnL57"Nice shot! I'll warn you, your offhand skills may atrophy once you get used to sticks.
I think you might be right as I'm having a blast using my stick. I'm blasting 1 1/4" lollipops from 25 yards no problem and blasting small bottles at 60. Unbelievable, should have thought of this a long time ago. I was too stuck on off hand shooting. My stick is just an old LLBean treking pole that I made a little bit longer and I'm shooting by gripping the stock to the side of the stick versus using a V or U shaped cradle. I found that I can shoot more accurately that way. A bi-pod would be even better but that would be too heavy and cumbersome in the field. My stick only weighs 11oz. Here's two shots I took today from 60 yards at a couple small bottles and a video of my stick. And oh by the way, the new butt pad I put on my gun has also helped with the accuracy. That thing sticks to your shoulder like glue.

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"intenseaty22"Wow! Nice shot, perfect placement. 
@JohnL57 what do you recommend to improve those off hand skills. Every time I pick up a gun I shake like a leaf in a tornado. And I’m only 48.
Well, I'm definitely no expert or shooting coach, but here's what seems to work for me. I find that there is a period as I hold the rifle where things go still. Some days it's easier to get there and some days it seem impossible. The challenge for me is not to flinch into the trigger pull when I get to the still place and to follow through holding on target. 
I support my off elbow against my rib cage for most shots.
Hope that made some kind of sense, LOL! I think it helps to practice a lot, but keep it fun and gradually increase the challenge as you improve. If you're having a bad day maybe give it a rest?