I’m still trying to figure it out myself. I’ve been shooting enough PRS and NRL22 matches that I’m feeling pretty good about my ability to range targets and shoot from all kinds of positions. I practice a fair amount shooting off a tripod. Initially it was off a bag but more recently I’ve been clipping into the arca rail on my rifle. For me, the most stable is using bipod and rear bag. Next most stable is extending my bipod (double pull Cyke-pod) and using the tripod for rear support. Next is resting the front of the rifle on a bag if there is a big rock or fork in a tree and using the tripod for rear support. Then last is shooting off the tripod itself. Since the last position is the most unstable I’ve been practicing it the most, either daily dry-fire or live fire at the range. Some stages lure you into shooting prone on the first target/position, but then when you move you realize that you need to shoot off a tripod to clear veg or terrain in front of you.
My weak point is finding the targets and it’s harder to practice that. I mainly look for shapes since the targets are rarely freshly painted and the greyed out steel often blends in with the background. One thing I was told was to make sure I’m glassing directly above the sighting pin and use the left and right indicators to help me narrow down the search. One of my stages at my last match I was having difficulty finding my last target. I glanced down at the right indicator flag and realized that I wasn’t looking far enough to the right. I lined up on that flag and it led me right to the last target. Go figure.
At my last match in Idaho the slope where the majority of the targets were on was fairly open, a few scattered trees, some clumps of brush, and a lot of scree slopes. So not as much vegetation for the targets to hide in. But the rock screes were damn near the same color as greyed out steel, and a number of them were hiding in the rocks.
My next match (in central Oregon) is in the junipers and reputed to be hard to find targets, so I’m a little apprehensive about that. Good news is, the rules say the first target is supposed to be within 10 yds of the stage placard, so generally the first target shouldn’t be too hard to find.