Always Within Reach

At last year’s Natura Viva expo, we noticed a modest device that has the potential to significantly enhance the comfort of long hours on the hunting stand. In this article, we bring you its profile and our findings gained through a detailed examination of the item in question.

Every hunter who spends long hours on a high seat or in a hide faces a certain dilemma: how and where to put down a bolt-action rifle—or whether to put it down at all. Everyone handles it differently, depending on their options, needs, and temperament. Some hold the rifle on their lap, others rest it somewhere nearby. Some stands include a shelf, others make do with a bungee cord or improvised supports of DIY origin. In any case, the goal should be that the firearm is quickly, quietly, and easily accessible, doesn’t snag while being shouldered, complies with safety principles, and doesn’t burden the shooter unnecessarily. Of course, many of us have a personal threshold for when convenience compromises the spirit of the hunt or "fair play"—but that’s a personal matter. We also can’t ignore the fact that none of us are getting younger, so the effort to ease the hunter’s burden with age and declining strength is both understandable and justified. While one can always improvise, there are also professional solutions on the market. One of them is the DeathGrip Elevation system (and its more complex variants, the 360 and TreePod) from the renowned BOG brand.

Title photo: DeathGrip Elevation in action.

A Helping Hand Within Reach

We’ve already featured the high-end tripods of the DeathGrip series on our pages, and they too can address the scenarios described above. But for permanent setups such as hunting towers or tree stands, the more suitable alternative is the Elevation system. It’s essentially an articulated arm that mounts on one side to a solid object and holds the firearm on the other. The whole system acts as a literal helping hand that securely supports your gun so it’s ready for quick use—without sacrificing comfort. The gun held in the Elevation bracket can be easily moved aside and brought back into shooting position as needed. The shooter handles the firearm as if it were weightless, and it stays in place wherever it’s left. This frees up the shooter's hands for binoculars, observation, or anything else, without compromising readiness. The arm attaches to the mounting module, which is then strapped to a tree or hunting stand using the included ratchet strap—similar to furniture-moving belts. Installation is simple and tool-free, and if mounted on a live tree, it causes no harm to the bark or wood.

Both the DeadShot ChairPod (in the photo) and DeathGrip 360 can be folded and carried on your back.

A Reliable Helper

The module includes an additional joint and allows for quick release and detachment of the arm. You can also purchase additional modules (sold under the name DeathGrip Elevation Bracket for CZK 1,909) and distribute them at your favorite hunting spots so that you can simply snap in the arm upon arrival (keeping it protected from theft) and be ready for the hunt. At the end of the arm is a special head—essentially a small DeathGrip-style vise lined with rubber, which clamps any shaped fore-end of a bolt-action rifle securely, safely, and without scratches. The dual-joint assembly below the clamp allows for a wide range of tilt and rotation.

At first glance, Elevation might look a bit delicate, but that’s deceiving—its high-quality materials and clever design can handle even heavier-than-average rifles. When properly anchored, firearm safety is fully ensured. Of course, there are limits—don’t expect the arm to support your full body weight—but under normal use, you’ll be surprised by its strength. The base version has four joints; the more specialized 360 and TreePod variants have three. In both cases, the reach is more than sufficient to cover a standard hunting stand. The arm is long enough to mount to a tree above a treestand and reach fully around the hunter. Each joint can be tightened without tools—even when wearing gloves. This lets you fine-tune movement resistance, from smooth and friction-free to locked in a rigid tripod-like stance. You can pre-aim toward your shooting lane, lock all joints except the one under the clamp, and you'll have a stable shooting setup ready to go. When game appears, simply shift slightly to brace against the stock, finalize your aim, release the safety, and fire.

Notably, movement in the joints is completely silent. While we can’t promise it’ll remain so after a decade of use without maintenance, the exposed parts withstood weather well, and based on our firsthand experience with BOG's model, everything operated smoothly and quietly.

Detail of the Elevation arm. Note the components that allow tool-free joint adjustment, and the classic DeathGrip-style clamp.

The arm used with chairs is slightly shorter than Elevation, but still sufficient for full manipulation.

DeadShot ChairPod combines the advantages of Elevation with a solid seat, foldable for transport.

Unlike ChairPod, the DeathGrip 360 version allows full chair rotation.

TreePod combines Elevation’s arm, a Deadshot rest, and an adjustable 78–120 cm stand that can be bolted to any surface.

DeathGrip 360 and TreePod

While the Elevation system consists of the articulated arm that must be mounted to something, BOG also offers a free-standing alternative, combined with their Nucleus Chair. A shorter version of the arm is mounted to a column connected to the chair’s base and can be rotated for right- or left-handed shooters. The chair itself is rotatable, height-adjustable, and rugged enough for long-term outdoor use. Still, it offers surprising comfort, is foldable, relatively lightweight, and easy to transport. The arm's stability is further enhanced by the shooter’s own body weight, and the chair’s load capacity is rated at 180 kg.

If you don’t need height adjustment and instead prefer extra stability and robust construction, there's a more affordable alternative called the DeadShot ChairPod (around CZK 1,600 cheaper than the DeathGrip 360). As the name suggests, it uses the Dead Shot rest instead of a vise—essentially functioning as a shooting bench, supporting the rifle in two height-adjustable yokes. No worries about knocking the rifle out of place, since it can be secured with a Velcro strap. The yokes are mounted on a sliding carriage so the balance point can be adjusted. They are also rubber-coated to ensure quiet handling, stability, and no damage to the stock. The chair used in this setup differs at the base from the 360 model. Altogether, the kit weighs about 10 kg, folds into a relatively compact bundle, and can be carried on your back. The arm mount can be detached from both setups, so you can also use these solid chairs independently.

Free-standing TreePod

If you don’t need a chair but still have no place to mount the Elevation arm—or if the form of Elevation doesn’t suit you—then the TreePod is a suitable alternative. Its base is a height-adjustable stand with a range of 78–120 cm. This allows you to shoot while kneeling or sitting. The stand can be firmly screwed into the floor of a hunting blind or treestand, or into a wooden platform, which makes it usable in virtually any location. As a result, you get outstanding rigidity and structural stability. The “dual yoke” DeadShot cradle closely approaches the stability of basic shooting benches. Like with Elevation, you can swing the stand out of the way, tilt it, and shoot in any direction and angle imaginable. The top shooting support section of the TreePod can be quickly detached and carried. It’s worth noting that this BOG product family is quite modular. You can swap heads depending on your preference, combine arms with different modules, and TreePod is even compatible with parts of the Caldwell Deadshot TreePod support system. BOG manufactures that as well; Caldwell only sells it under its brand. .

DeadShot interface detail – rifle supported in two height-adjustable forks.

Photo credits: Author's archive, manufacturer’s materials – boghunt.com

Author: Tomáš Ježek

Originally published in Lovec magazine by Extra Publishing.