Patent Publication Number: US-2007094911-A1

Title: Shooting stick and sling combination

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED AAPLICATIONS  
      Benefit is claimed of the filing date of Nov. 1, 2005 of applicant&#39;s co-pending expressly incorporated herein in its entirety. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
      The present invention relates to shooting supports and more particularly, but not exclusively, to shooting sticks for use to steady a firearm for accurate shooting.  
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      Shooting supports, known as shooting sticks, are well known in the art. Present shooting sticks are used with a weapon to support and hold steady the firearm, such as an elongated rifle, or other form of firearm, during firing. Known shooting sticks come in a variety of different configurations. For example, a shooting support can be in the form of a monopod, bipod or tripod configuration for example. These are either directly attached to a rifle by a variety of devices, or comprise separate support devices on which the rifle is rested. By placing the rifle on top of the shooting stick, the rifle fore end can be held relatively still. This allows the weapon to be steadied more than can be achieved with the user&#39;s own arm and hand without support. Body movements or other forces, such as pressing the trigger, are less likely to move the weapon during firing, improving its accuracy for each shot and from shot-to-shot.  
      Shooting sticks are made out of a variety of materials and come in a variety of designs. For example, in one common format, two sticks or rods are simply tied together to form a cross pattern. The end of the rifle is laid on and supported above intersection of the sticks. Shooting sticks may be collapsible for ease in transportation. These collapsible shooting sticks can be carried in a backpack or in a pocket of the user. Other designs allow the shooting sticks to be attached to a belt or to the user in other ways for easy access.  
      One drawback of using these collapsible shooting sticks is that the shooting sticks are easily lost. For example, when they are kept in a backpack or on the user&#39;s body they can fall out of the backpack or off of the user while traveling through a hunting area or the like. In addition, they can be misplaced during transport or simply laid down and forgotten. Furthermore, some shooting sticks take a substantial amount of time to assemble. By the time the shooting stick is assembled and deployed with the rifle, the hunted game, moving targets, or other opportunity may have passed.  
      In other formats, various shooting sticks, such as bipods, can be attached at the fore end or barrel of the rifle. These are typically pivoted to a storage position extending forwardly or to a deployed position extending downwardly for use in shooting. Such devices are provided primarily in bipod configurations, and tend to be relatively heavy and somewhat unwieldy, making the weapon harder to carry and to handle.  
      Accordingly, it is one objective of the invention to provide an improved shooting support for a firearm which is more easily carried and deployed than known weapon-mounted or separately carried shooting sticks.  
      Another objective of the invention is to provide an improved shooting support for a firearm which accommodates firearm movement without loss of support.  
      A further objective of the invention has been to minimize loss of shooting supports for firearms, yet which supports are lightweight and easily and quickly deployed for use.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      To these ends and in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, a shooting support of monopod, bipod, or other configuration, including collapsible legs, is mounted directly to a sling used for carrying the weapon. The legs are quickly and easily erected to deployed configurations, and the weapon can be rested on the sling proximate the mounting structure for the legs for support. The sling includes a cover, sleeve, or pouch for housing the collapsed legs in stored or non-deployed condition on the sling. The sling is operatively coupled to the weapon for enabling conventional transport of the weapon by a user and the shooting support is operatively coupled to the sling, in stored condition but is quickly deployed for use.  
      The shooting support is preferably constructed with a base secured to the sling and having one or more concave sockets receiving the respective movable ends of one or more collapsible legs or sticks so that, when deployed, the rifle can be moved to follow a target without loss of support from the stick or sticks.  
      Alternate forms of legs or sticks can be used, together with alternate forms of engagement with the slings for particular uses.  
      In use, the cover is opened or removed, the legs or sticks are erected, the rifle is supported on the sling and the stick or sticks indirectly, and the rifle sighted and fired. For storage, the legs or sticks are collapsible, oriented along the sling and the cover closed or slid over the sticks for storage and carrying of the rifle by the sling. The rifle can be carried with support stored or deployed.  
      In another embodiment, upper ends of two shooting sticks are attached to the sling via a base with upper ends of the sticks defining projecting ears or support members. When deployed, these ears engage the sling and form a trough therein for receiving a weapon portion, such as the forearm of a rifle.  
      In another aspect of the invention a support base and leg combination includes a surface, a recess in the surface, a support leg having an end and an elastic member extending through the end, the elastic member extending from the leg end into the recess and beyond the surface, said elastic member resiliently biasing said leg end into said recess. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
      These and other objectives and embodiments will become readily apparent from the following detailed written description and from the drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, and of which:  
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a shooting stick and sling combination in deployed position supporting a weapon according to one embodiment of the invention;  
       FIG. 2  is an exploded view of portions of the shooting stick and sling combination of  FIG. 1 ;  
       FIG. 2A  is an exploded view of an alternate embodiment having an attachment plate to fix a support base to the sling;  
       FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the assembled shooting stick and sling combination of  FIG. 2  illustrated in  FIG. 1 ;  
       FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view along line  4 - 4  of  FIG. 3  illustrating a cross section of the support base illustrated in  FIG. 3 ;  
       FIG. 4A  is a perspective view of the support base of  FIG. 4 ;  
       FIG. 5  is a cross-sectional view of an alternate embodiment of a support base having an attachment plate as in  FIG. 2A  for use with the shooting stick of  FIG. 1 ;  
       FIG. 5A  is a perspective view of the support base of  FIG. 5 ;  
       FIG. 6  is a top plan view of the sling containing the shooting stick;  
       FIG. 7  is a cross sectional view of the sling of  FIG. 6  illustrating the shooting stick contained therein;  
       FIG. 8A  is a cross sectional view of one embodiment of a leg for use with the shooting stick and sling combination of  FIG. 1 ;  
       FIG. 8B  is a cross sectional view of an alternative embodiment of one of the legs of the shooting stick and sling combination of  FIG. 1 ;  
       FIG. 9  is a perspective view of the endpiece used to capture the elastic member of the leg illustrated in  FIG. 8A ;  
       FIG. 10A  is a cross sectional view of an alternative embodiment of the shooting stick and sling combination folded up during the carrying mode;  
       FIG. 10B  is a cross sectional view of the deployed alternative shooting stick and sling combination embodiment of  FIG. 10A ;  
       FIG. 11  is an end view of the alternate embodiment of the shooting stick and sling combination of  FIG. 10A ; and  
       FIG. 12  is a cross sectional view of an alternative embodiment of a sling cover.  
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
      In all of the illustrations of the application, identical numeral reference characters are used to denote identical parts. In addition, for some of the embodiments the same numeric reference character with a prime (′) symbol added identifies parts that are very similar in structure and function, but not identical to parts of other embodiments.  
      As used herein, and unless otherwise defined, the terms “shooting stick” refers to a shooting support or support apparatus as described herein of monopod, bipod, tripod or other leg configurations.  
      While the invention finds particular use with elongated firearms such as rifles, it could be used with other forms of weapons or firearms, or other forms of user-manipulated elements or devices where steadiness is desired. These could range from optics, cameras, tools and many other devices.  
       FIG. 1  illustrates a support apparatus preferably comprising a shooting stick apparatus in a shooting stick and sling combination  30  according to one embodiment of the invention. The shooting stick and sling apparatus  30  is particularly suitable for supporting a firearm or a weapon  32  for firing a projectile. In the illustrated embodiment, the weapon  32  is a long firearm such as a rifle, however, this embodiment encompasses use of the invention for other weapons such as shotguns, cross-bows, or other projectile launching weapons. In addition, the shooting stick and sling combination  30  can be used to support a camera, range finders, binoculars, telescope or other optical instruments or tools.  
      The weapon  32  includes a front end  34  or forearm supported by shooting stick apparatus  30 . The shooting stick apparatus  30  of the illustrated embodiment is in a bipod configuration, having two legs  40 A,  40 B operatively coupled to a sling  38 .  
      Sling  38  is operatively coupled to the weapon  32  for carrying the weapon  32  during transport on the shoulder of a user. The sling  38  can be any device for carrying the weapon  32 , such as strap or other structure. Slings may include single or multiple straps, padding and attachments, such as cartridge carriers. The slings used herein generally include two ends,  38   a ,  38   b , defined by the position of the attachment to weapon  32 . In the illustrated embodiment, the sling  38  comprises strap  46  connected to the weapon  32  through the use of front and rear attachments known as sling swivels of the fixed or quick detachable variety, however, those skilled in the art recognize that alternate methods of connecting the sling  38  or its ends  38   a ,  38   b  to the weapon  32  can be used in other embodiments.  
      As noted, the shooting stick apparatus  30  includes two preferably collapsible legs  40   a ,  40   b  in a bipod configuration. The legs  40  can vary in height depending upon the preferences of the user. For example, a shooter would want legs  40  that are shorter or longer than  FIG. 1  shows in order to position the front end  34  of the weapon  32  to his eye level. Similarly, if stealth is important to the user, shorter legs  40  will enable the weapon  32  to be brought down to the eye level of a user who is kneeling or prone.  
      Legs  40  preferably rest upon a ground surface  42  and can be splayed in any number of directions. In alternate uses, the legs can be supported on a tree stand, the body of a user such as his legs or torso, or on other support surfaces.  
      The shooting stick apparatus  30  also includes a support base  44  that is operatively coupled to the sling  38 . The support base  44  of the illustrated embodiment serves to couple the legs  40  to the sling  38  and allows the deployed legs  40  to move in a variety of rotational directions, directed at angles away from the sling. In addition, the support base  44  enables cooperation with legs  40  the weapon  32  to be moved to follow a moving target without repositioning the shooting stick apparatus  30  and without loss of support. Other embodiments, however, contemplate different types of structures to connect the shooting stick apparatus  30  to the sling  38 , as will be described.  
      A cover  48  is disposed on sling  38 . The cover  48  both conceals and contains the collapsible shooting stick apparatus  30  during transport. Cover  48  is moveable or slidable along the strap  46  between a first position securing the collapsed and stored legs alongside the sling  38  ( FIG. 7  for example) and a second position on the sling  38  spaced from legs  40  so they can be deployed. Other embodiments contemplate a cover  48  that is fixed permanently into place and cannot slide along the length of the strap  46 , but could be opened through the use of any suitable fastener, such as a snaps, hook and loop or quiet magnetic closures  90  ( FIG. 12 ).  
      Referring now particularly to  FIG. 2 , an exploded view of the shooting stick and sling apparatus  30  of  FIG. 1  is illustrated. Support base  44  is operatively coupled to the strap  46  using fasteners  50 . The fasteners  50  can be screws, nails, rivets, or any other fastener readily apparent to those skilled in the art. In addition, the support base  44  can be coupled to the strap  46  using adhesive or other methods. Referring now to  FIG. 2A , in an alternative embodiment, the fasteners  50  secure the support base  44  to the strap  46  by use of an attachment plate  54  on the other side of the sling. As illustrated by  FIG. 2A , plate  54  is optional, screws or other fasteners alone can be used to secure base  44  to sling  38 . Moreover, the attachment plate  54  could be additionally secured to the strap  46  by being sewn between different layers of a multiple layer sling strap  46 . The fasteners  50  are received inside hollow pegs or bosses  56  of the support base  44  and its hemispherical shape defined by surface  52 . The embodiment illustrated in  FIG. 2A  has the attachment plate  54  with columns  110  that can be inserted into the hollow pegs  56  of the support base  44 . In the illustrated embodiment, the insides of the hollow pegs  56  are designed to threadably engage the fasteners  50  to enable a firm attachment. In addition, the fasteners  50  pass through first apertures  58  formed in the attachment plate  54  and second apertures  60  formed in the sling strap  46 . Other embodiments, could have the attachment plate with first apertures  58  and the fasteners  50  passing through the support base  44  and into columns  110  on the attachment plate  54 . The attachment plate  54  provides a rigid surface to bear against the fasteners  50  when they are passed through the first and second apertures  58 ,  60  and through the hollow pegs  56 . In addition, the attachment plate  54  also provides a level surface to support the weapon  32  when the shooting stick apparatus  30  is deployed.  
       FIG. 2  also illustrates that legs  40  are made up of a plurality of sections  62 , joined elastically by an elastic cord  64  extending through sections  62 . In the illustrated embodiment, the sections  62  are substantially equal in length, however, in other embodiments the sections  62  can vary in length and/or configuration. Cord  64  is preferably a stretchable or elastic material such as a bungee cord or a shock cord, however, other materials can be used. Cord  64  allows the sections  62  to be disassembled and reassembled by biasing them close together, in end-to-end fashion, each section having an end cooperating with an adjacent section.  
      The end of the cord  64  includes a knot or enlargement  66  ( FIGS. 8A, 9B ) received inside of the end cap  68 . The end cap  68  of the illustrated embodiment includes two cap halves  70 . Other embodiments can use other types of configurations for the end cap  68  and may have a one-piece end cap  68  or other type of design. The cap halves  70  close around cord  64  and end knot  66 . The assembled end cap  68  is then inserted into one of the sections  62  to provide a surface for the legs  40  to contact the ground surface  42  ( FIG. 1 ).  
      More particularly, and referring to  FIG. 2 , a single elastic member or cord  64  can be used for a bipod shooting stick configuration  30 . For example, one end of cord  64  can be captured in one end cap  68 . The member is then threaded through the section  62  making up one leg, through the support base  44 , then through the sections  62  defining the other bipod leg and captured by its end cap  68 .  
      In other embodiments, two cords  64  can be used, one extending between the end cap  68  in each leg and through the recess  92  and  94  (as will be described) past the surfaces defining the recess and into the support base where it can be captured by a knot or other suitable enlargement operably associated with the cord. In any event, the cord  64  is operably connected at one end, to the leg to bias it into the socket, and effectively operably connected with respect to the support base so the bias is applied to the leg toward the socket.  
      In use, the concept of a collapsible leg with one end biased into an enlarged socket by the same elastic member or cord  64  biasing the leg sections together provides a solid support but with high flexibility of freedom of movement so the supported weapon, tool, optic or the like can be moved to track a moving object.  
      Cover  48  preferably includes a pull-tab  72  ( FIG. 2 ) for enabling the user to pull the cover  48  along the length of the strap  46  to respectively uncover the legs  40   a ,  40   b  for deployment, and to secure them for storage.  
      Referring now to  FIG. 3 , an assembled bipod shooting stick configuration is illustrated. A bipod configuration has two collapsible legs  40   a ,  40   b  connected with the support base  44  which is attached to the strap  46 . The two legs  40  each have sections  62  that are selectively combined erected to form a rigid leg. In addition, the cord  64  biases the upper sections  62  of each leg into or toward the support base  44  together. Each section  62  includes a receiving end  74  that is designed to receive the insertion end  76  of an adjacent section  62 . The insertion end  76  is slightly smaller than the receiving end  74 . Receiving end  74  is tapered to fit around the insertion end  76  and allow the insertion end  76  to be captured and optionally frictionally held in receiving end  74 . The cooperation of these surfaces and the tension applied by cord  64  holds the sections  62  together to provide a stable leg  40 .  
      Referring to  FIGS. 4, 4A ,  5 , and  5 A, multiple features of the support base  44  are illustrated. The support base  44  is usually formed of a synthetic material such as ABS polycarbonate blend, however, other embodiments use other types of materials. Support base  44  has a first conical or concave recess or socket  92  and a second conical or concave recess or socket  94  receiving the upper ends of legs  40  of the shooting stick apparatus  30 . In addition, the support base  44  includes a pair of fastening recesses  96  for receiving fasteners  50  for extension into the support base  44  and through the strap  46 . Extending from each socket  92 ,  94  is a slot  102 . These accommodate upper sections of the legs when in folded, stowed condition, allowing them to be positional flatly along the sling.  
       FIG. 4A  illustrates that the support base  44  for a bipod configuration. It comprises an outer shell  98  of material with an outer hemispherical surface  52 . Referring to  FIG. 4A , the first socket  92  and the second socket  94  include a plurality of surfaces  100  defining the concave shape. This design allows the upper ends of legs  40  to rotate freely through a variety of positions when the ends of the legs  40  are resident in the sockets. Moreover, those skilled in the art recognize that other types of designs for the sockets  92 ,  94  can be used in other embodiments. To illustrate, a spherical recess, or other shaped recess can be used in alternate embodiments.  
      In addition, some embodiments could use a support base  44  that fixes the legs  40  rigidly into place. In other embodiments the support base  44  is a different shaped piece for coupling the legs  40  to the sling.  
      Referring now to  FIG. 5 , alternative embodiments of the support base  44 ′ are illustrated for use with the monopodal design. In such alternative embodiments, the shooting stick and sling combination  30  have a monopod configuration having only one leg  40 . The monopod configuration has an advantage in simplicity. In addition, the monopod configuration requires less manufacturing and parts, while still providing a stable support. In such a configuration, support base  44  can be supplied with only one recess in socket and receiving the upper end of a leg  40 .  FIG. 5  illustrates a support base  44 ′ designed to be used with a shooting stick apparatus  30  having only one leg  40 , or in other words a monopodal shooting stick apparatus  30 . These fastening recesses  96  hold the head of the screws  50  away from the outer shell  98  for preventing the fasteners  50  from catching the cover  48  when the support base  44  is covered by it. In addition, the comfort of the user is increased because the fasteners  50  will not poke into the user&#39;s body during transport if the cover  48  comes into contact with the body.  
      Referring now to  FIG. 5A , the support base  44 ′ also includes a groove  102 ′. This groove allows the leg  40  to be moved from a generally transverse position to the weapon  32  when deployed to a generally parallel position the sling  38  for easy storage. Thus, when stored, the leg  40  lies in the respective groove  102 ′. In this regard, sling bulk is reduced when the leg  40  is stored.  
      Referring now to  FIG. 6 , a top plan view of the strap  46  with cover  48  is illustrated. The strap  46  is made up of different sections and includes a shoulder pad  80 . The shoulder pad  80  is wider in length than a connection portion  82  that is used to connect the strap  46  to the weapon  32 . The shoulder pad  80  is usually padded in order to provide extra comfort to the user. In addition, the wide section of the shoulder pad  80  helps distribute the weight of the weapon  32  across the body of the user and assists with the ease of carrying. Cover  48  is of a dimension to conceal and completely enclose the legs  40  and support base  44  of shooting stick apparatus  30  ( FIG. 7 ). The cover  48  has a stretch band  84  on one end. The stretch band  84  can be expanded outwardly from the shoulder pad  80  in order to open and wrap around the shooting stick apparatus  30  when it is collapsed and stored. In some embodiments, this stretch band  84  is made of any suitable stretchable or elastic material such as spandex. Some other embodiments include elastic garters or magnets to secure the ends.  
      Cover  48  is moveable or slidable along strap  46  in two directions as illustrated by the arrows. This allows the cover  48  to slide back along and even off the shoulder pad  80  to reveal and deploy the shooting stick apparatus  30  when needed. After the shooting stick apparatus  30  is no longer needed, it can be stored. Storage is accomplished by collapsing the sections  62  by pulling them apart, aligning them alongside one another, placing them along the sling strap  46  and sliding cover  48  over them.  
       FIG. 7 , is a cross-section showing the collapsed legs  40 . The different sections  62  of the shooting stick apparatus  30  are disassembled, aligned and positioned inside the cover  48  with the elastic cord  64  stretched, permitting all the sections  62  fitting inside of the cover  48 . The strap  46 , when used to carry a rifle, rests against the user&#39;s body on the side opposite to the portion of the cover  48  covering the shooting stick. The cover  48  keeps the sections  62  in relatively stable position after they have been enclosed. The sections  62  are able to move into this position because of the design of the support base  44  wherein the cord  64  or the upper ends of the legs  40  are accommodated in slots  102 .  
      Referring now to  FIG. 8A , a cross-sectional view of one lower end of the sections  62  is illustrated, together with a disassembled adjacent leg section. The sections  62  are usually formed from ABS polycarbonate blend, polypropylene, or other plastics or suitable material. In addition, metals, wood, and other types of materials can be used. The section  62  illustrated here in  FIG. 8A  will be referred to as the section  62  and is only intended to refer to the lower one of the sections  62 , but not intended to confer a different meaning from the already established meaning of a plurality; it is simply referencing one single lower end section  62  of the leg  40 . The illustrated embodiments have sections  62  that are identical. Other embodiments, however, can have sections  62  that are different in construction.  
      Cord  64  passes through the sections  62 . The cord  64  also includes the end knot or enlargement  66 . In addition, the shoulder  119  separates the lumen of the section  62  into two interior spaces, a first interior space  116  along the portion of the section  62  having a smaller diameter and a larger second interior tapered space  118  for the portion of the section  62  having a larger diameter. The first interior space  116  and the second interior space  118  are separated by the shoulder  119 . The portion of the section  62  including along the first interior space  116  can be received into the second interior tapered space  118  of another section  62 . In addition, the portion of the section  62  having the first interior space  116  can be received by the conical recesses  92 ,  94 , and  98  of either type of the support base  44 ,  44 ′ that is used for coupling the mounting stick  36  to the sling  38 . The second interior space  118  is designed to either receive another section  62  or to receive the end cap  68 .  
      The end cap  68  includes two cap halves  70   a ,  70   b  that define an elongated space  120  and a rounded interior space  122 . The rounded interior space  122  is designed to receive the knot or enlargement  66  on or in the cord  64  and restrain it therein. The elongated interior space  120  is designed to simply surround the cord  64  and allow cord stretching for the insertion or removal of end cap  68 . The cap halves  70   a ,  70   b  also include either a nub  124  and a nub recess  126  that allow the cap halves  70  to be snapped together around the knot  66  and the cord  64 . Then, the end cap  68  can be inserted into the second interior space  118  as illustrated in  FIG. 8A . Accordingly, the end cap  68  the lower end of the cord  64  in order to keep the sections  62  together when the shooting stick is deployed as described.  
      Referring now to  FIGS. 8B and 9 , an additional embodiment of the end caps  68  is presented.  FIG. 8B  illustrates a lower portion of an assembled leg  40  positioned where the end cap  68  positioned with the lower section  62 . The end cap  68  is usually composed of plastic or rubber, however, other materials can be used in other embodiments.  
      Referring now to  FIG. 9 , end cap  68  may include two cap halves  70   a ,  70   b  with at least one nub  124  more cap half and one nub recess  126 , in another. Thus, combining the two cap halves  70  together enables each corresponding nub  124  to be received by each corresponding nub recess  126  for securing the cap halves  70  together to form the end cap  68 .  
      In operation, the cover  48  hides the legs  40  and support base  44  during transportation. The cover  48  completely surrounds and contains the legs  40  and support base  44  inside and appears to be simply part of the sling  38 . Thus, the shooting stick apparatus  30  is conveniently and easily stored, but easily and quickly accessed for deployment by sliding the cover  48  away and erecting the telescoping sections of each leg then resting the rifle on the sling above the support base. In addition, the design assures that the shooting stick apparatus  30  never becomes lost by laying it aside because it is always attached to the weapon  32 .  
      Referring now to  FIGS. 10A, 10B ,  11 , an alternative embodiment is illustrated. In this embodiment, a pair of pivoted butterfly supports  130  define the upper ends of legs  40  and are used to create a cradle in shoulder pad  80  to hold the weapon  32 . Each one of the butterfly supports  130  rotate around a dedicated pivot pin  132  connected to a bracket  134 . Bracket  134  is fixed to both the shoulder pad  8 o and the connection portion  82  thereof using fasteners  136 . Accordingly, the legs  40  can rotate around the axis of the pivot pins  132  throughout the arc created by such rotation. The bracket  134  includes tabs (not shown) that limit the rotation of the butterfly supports  130 . The legs  40  are received inside of the butterfly supports  130  or are coupled thereto in any manner readily apparent to those skilled in the art.  
      In an alternate embodiment, the legs  40 , also of collapsible sections and elastic cords  64  are removable from the butterfly supports  130 , however, in the illustrated embodiment they are permanently affixed to one another to ensure proper rotation.  
      The butterfly supports  130  include projections or ears  138  which create the cradle-type shape in pad  80  so that the weapon  32  is well supported therein. Such embodiment includes collapsible legs  40  attached to the sling to provide similar storage and deployment advantages as described above.  
      Referring now to  FIG. 12 , an alternative embodiment is illustrated. The strap  46 ′ illustrated in  FIG. 12  is generally identical to the strap  46  illustrated in  FIG. 4A  except that the cover  48 ′ does not move along the length of the shoulder pad  80 . In addition, the stretch band  84 ′ is sewn through to fix the cover  48  to the shoulder pad  80 . Cover  48 ′ has two edges comprising a first flap  86  and a second flap  88  defining a seam there between. The first flap  86  and the second flap  88  are operatively coupled together by overlapping a plurality of magnets go located in the edges of each of the flaps  86 ,  88 . Using the magnets go to combine the first flap  86  and the second flap  88  together is advantageous because pulling the first flap  86  and the second flap  88  apart can be done silently, an advantage in a hunting environment. In addition, those skilled in the art recognize that other methods of securing the first flap  86  and the second flap  88  can be used. For example, velcro fasteners such as a hook and latch mechanism, zippers, buttons, or any other type of device to combine the flaps  86 ,  88  can be used.  
      Other embodiments use alternate methods to release the shooting stick apparatus  30  for deployment. For example, a trapdoor consisting of a single flap that could be pulled away from the remainder of the cover  48  can be used. In addition, the cover  48  could be one-piece with simply a zipper along the center.  
      While the present invention has been illustrated by description of various embodiments and while these embodiments have been described in considerable detail, it is not the intention of the applicant to restrict or in any way limit the scope of the claims to such detail. Additional advantages and modifications will readily appear to those skilled in the art. The invention in its broader aspect is, therefore, not limited to the specific details, representative system, apparatus, and method, and illustrative example shown and described. Accordingly, departures may be made from such details without departing from the spirit or scope of the applicant&#39;s general inventive concept and the following claims.