The new Trek Pod marketed by Swarovski is a unique wrinkle on shooting sticks. The bottom opens into a tripod while the adjustable-height top has different heads for use as a walking staff, rifle rest or tripod for camera or spotting scope.

So here's the way it works. It was last light when we spotted a small herd of blue wildebeest. There was no time for finesse; the wind was fine, and all we could manage was a direct approach, keeping one thick bush between them and us. At about 250 yards we were out of cover. Dirk eased a step to the right and set up the sticks, and I slid the rifle into place. I tend to have a slight left-to-right waver, and for me this is extreme range for the sticks. Dirk knows both things, so he grabbed two legs of the sticks and offered a shoulder for an elbow rest. The bull was facing me--not an easy target--but the 225-grain Swift A-Frame from my .338 centered his chest, and that was that.

Here's the way it doesn't work sometimes. A couple of days later we got onto a very fine kudu bull, the kind we were looking for. He was in heavy cover at about the same distance--no time for rangefinding or anything else other than putting up the sticks. He stopped in heavy cover, his shoulder obscured by some thick branches. No shot there. I was on the sticks, waiting. He was ascending a slight ridge, everything covered by dense black hook thorn, but when he came up the ridge his shoulder should open. He did, and it did, but only for a second. In that second I simply wasn't steady enough to shoot, not in thick bush like that. The moment passed, and we never saw that bull again.

So no solution is perfect all the time, but I sure do like shooting sticks, not only in many hunting applications but for good range practice. In fact, the sticks are my standard range regimen for my daughter or any other new shooters who come my way. You won't shoot the tiny groups that are possible off the bench, but, standing up, you won't deal with nearly as much recoil. And while I can carry shooting sticks in the field, I can't carry a bench rest.

After a long search I finally found some synthetic grape stakes and made a perfectly usable set, but any good, straight sticks will work if they grow in your area. Or there are several commercial options. For "genuine" African shooting sticks check out Long Grass Outfitters (www.long-grass.com) or Sporting Wood (www.sportwc.com). The Long Grass version has wooden legs that break down, so you can slip them in your guncase--or use them at half-height for sitting. The tops of the Sporting Wood version are padded with zebra skin.

There are other options as well. Versatile and effective is the new Trek Pod from Swarovski (www.swarovskioptik.com). The bottom part of the legs folds out into a tripod, and the interchangeable head can be a walking stick, gunrest or can hold a camera or spotting scope. I used the Trek Pod quite a lot on this recent safari. Another great source for shooting sticks is Stoney Point, offering several models (www.stoneypoint.com).

Nothing works all the time, and I'd never suggest that sticks replace either solid rests or the good old unsupported shooting positions. But you might give them a try. If you hunt in cover where it's difficult to get close to Mother Earth and still see game, you might borrow a trick from several generations of African professional hunters. They can't all be wrong.