Patent ID: 8500141

Claim:
A portable shooting rail for use with a tree stand comprising: a rear frame assembly for engaging a tree, the rear frame assembly having a pair of spaced rear arms for engaging a tree and a pair of spaced forward arms and a vertical support portion that extends upwardly from the arms for placement against the tree, the forward arms extending outwardly from the vertical support portion such that an obtuse angle is formed between the forward arms since a transverse distance between the forward arms continuously increases in a direction towards distal ends of the forward arms; and a rail structure that is detachably coupled to the rear frame, the rail structure including a first rigid arcuate rail part and a separate second rigid arcuate rail part that is detachably fit on the first arcuate rail part, the first rail part having a first end that is detachably coupled at a first point to the distal end of one forward arm and an opposing second end, the second rail part having a first end detachably coupled at a second point to the distal end of the other forward arm and an opposing second end that is coupled to the second end of the first rail part so are to form a complete rail structure that defines a shooting rail and defines an area in which the user can stand, wherein each of the first and second arcuate rail parts includes a fixed linear portion that terminates in the second end thereof and defines a forwardmost portion of the rail structure and a fixed arcuate portion that terminates in the first end, each arcuate portion of the respective arcuate rail part is curved outwardly to a first point at which the arcuate portion curves inwardly to the respective linear portion, wherein within the arcuate portions of the arcuate rail parts, a width of the assembled rail structure continuously increases in a direction from the first ends thereof to the first points thereof, the rail structure having a maximum width along an axis between the first points of the arcuate portions of the first and second arcuate rail parts and has decreasing width in direction from the first points to the linear portions of the first and second arcuate rail parts which define a forwardmost section of the rail structure.