The Claw: First time test Impressive.

[LuckyLevi]

I bought the Claw this year at the Expo and it is a revolutionary hunting device. This past weekend I was hammering coyotes down in unit 33 over 1,000 yards with my .257 Mag. All you guys that want talk before you try, suite your selves.

[coues7]

I don't have "the claw" yet but am currently in the process of working with Cade/Jay to do some testing and get some reviews out onto some of the other forums I frequent....AND I already know by just judging comments and the "practicality" of "the claw" that this thing is going to be a gift to long range hunters and short range hunters alike. With that said EVERYONE needs to still let making ethical shots and ethical kills the guiding factor when using "the claw" for hunting....END OF STORY.

 

NO ONE should be under the impression that "now that I have the claw that I can take hail mary shots that will actually connect". I can't speak for Cade or Jay but I'm sure they would agree. Anyone that is going to be taking any long range shots on animals should practice those shots on paper MANY MANY times before applying those same shots in the field on a game animal. We owe that animal at least that much.

 

Scott

[June]

Ok, I have seen the light... And from reading the last post. I do owe it to the animals (prairie dogs included)to refine my hunting skills. That way I will be able to take an ethical shot. Why do I need to take a shot over 200 yards anyways? I guess your right. Wouldn't be very sporty. Good bye, claw. But I will still keep in my will. That they unload me from the truck... So I can at least enjoy the campfire...Peace

[The Claw]

Scott,

 

You are correct. This is the best way I can explain the use of The Claw.......The greatest attribute of The Claw is that it affords the user the opportunity to make a shot under ALL shooting/hunting situations! With almost all other shooting rests out there you are limited in one or more ways in trying to make a shot. You have to choose whether to shoot prone or sitting or standing and even then if the terrain is too unstable or the animal is moving locations a lot then you have a hard time adjusting for the shot. The Claw eliminates all these unfortunate issues.

 

Having said that, it DOES NOT make the shot for you. If you have an inaccurate rifle before using The Claw......You will have an inaccurate rifle while using The Claw. If you do not have the caliber and load to make an accurate, terminal shot out to 1000 yds before using The Claw........you will not all of a sudden be able to make those shots with the same set up just because you shoot off The Claw, obviously.

 

Now, it can extend your comfortable, effective maximum shooting distance. If you feel real comfortable shooting out to a certain distance off a bench but then in the field you can never feel comfortable shooting that distance because of not being able to get a comfortable rest......well that's where The Claw steps in. It is like a fully adjustable bench rest.

 

Also, if you have never shot off of The Claw....it does not hold the cross-hairs at absolute rest. There is still what I call micro- movement (The Claw) instead of macro-movement (other supports). The exciting thing to think about is that the cross-hairs are at absolute rest when the unit is just sitting there and only the shooter can move the cross-hairs so if the user can practice and get efficient at learning to shoot a little different then you will never be limited by the shooting support, only by the rifle itself. So for those, like June, who are afraid of making shooting too easy I would be hesitant to jump to that conclusion. In fact, if anything people have that assumption that it won't move and then come to the realization that it still takes proper shooting techniques to be accurate with The Claw. Again, it's huge benefits are being able to always have a solid shooting support with you in the field that can be adjusted to shoot under ANY circumstance! That is why we feel so strongly in the benefits of The Claw.

 

I am happy to hear all the positive comments on customer experiences, especially those here on Coues Whitetail.com because of the class of hunters that are found here. Please remember, Jim White and The Outdoorsman's currently have units and we would encourage you to contact them and support them with your business.

[COUESAZ]

Who has used the fork in a tree, hiking staff, shooting sticks, bipod, heck even a knee to shoot off of. The claw is the same thing in my mind. I have made shots over 400 yards off of a few of the items i said above. I think it is more ethical to make a well placed steady shot then one that is not so. I think the guys at the claw have a tool to help in droping deer dead and not wounding so many deer with that shot in the legg. or high body missin vitals but killing a deer slowly. I know ethics may mean more than one thing in the eye of the beholder. But i think we can all agree on is the fact that a one shot fast kill is the most ethical way to go. I say cade and jay have a good thing for those that like to shoot from something steady.

 

Jade.

[coues7]

I couldn't agree more with Cade (The Claw). The claw extends the comfort level of shooters.....BUT having inaccurate equipment and calibers that don't have enough terminal energy to do their job at long distances shouldn't all the sudden be used just because a person can not take a steady shot in a variety of "in the field" situations. That was my point. I don't think the claw will all of the sudden make things so easy that everyone is just out waking animals.....it is an AWESOME compliment to anyones hunting gear. It is a piece of gear that can aid in ethically harvesting game. Like COUESAZ said using a tree/walking stick or other support all aid in steadying a rifle to make a good shot. I think the claw will greatly enhance that.

[catclaw]

I spent most of the day yesterday shooting prairie dogs- when it wasn't raining and blowing too hard. I had different claws set up on 3 different tripods. We used 4 different heads to see how it reacted. We used a bogen ball head, a 3031 fluid head (big) a 701 HDV fluid head and a Velbon fluid head. We shot standing, sitting in lawn chairs, sitting on the ground and prone. Only the Velbon tripods would go low enough to shoot prone.

 

With the 701 HDV head, the Claw was very stable, with any of the other heads, there was just too much movement for my liking. It sure is nice to have the 15s set up on a tripod and the rifle set up on one next to it and switch back and forth with the rifle still pointed down range. The Claw worked better with sporter weight rifles than it did with a 13 lb BR rifle. I think with an even heavy head it would be fine. To eliminate the movement more, one could simple bed a plate to the bottom of the rifle and snap it in and out of the head. I'm not sure I want this plate permanently mounted to my rifle though.

 

It was fun to watch my son blowing rodents up at 300 yds with a Rem 600 in .222 while STANDING next to the truck. He could instantly switch to a mound in a different direction in a second or two. It was quite a handy gadget all in all. I want to get it out and shoot a little further with bigger rifles without trying to accomplish so much in a short time. The weather was terrible so we shot like crazy when the rain stopped long enough to bring the towns back to life.

 

The 40 grain Vmaxs were impressive!

 

Bottom line- The Claw is a much better tool when used in conjunction wtih the 501 or 701HDV head as the long dovetailed plates are far more stable than the little plates on the other heads. I wouldn't want to have to use it without one, now that I have tried it with.

[Redman]

Anybody use the claw with a Slik Sprint Pros EZ? I recently pickup a Claw and shot with it today, it was steady, but wonder if the tripod being used lead to it not being as steady as I had thought?

 

Thanks Andy

[muskrat]

For those interested, I haven't yet met Cade in person, but I did a pretty extensive e-mail with him via e-mail.

 

http://arizonahuntingtoday.com/desertrat/2...about-the-claw/