What should you look for in a mountain hunting tripod head? Is this a piece of gear you should ignore, or can it be a link in your hunting chain that improves your odds of success? The answer to this question is an emphatic “yes”. There is no point putting your expensive spotting scope or rifle on a wobbly tripod or lightweight head that can’t handle the weight and wear and tear.

I need a tripod head to allow smooth glassing with the spotting scope and binoculars and act as a linkage to my tripod that performs when it’s time to take that shot. I’ve been using the Anvil BH-30 ball head from Really Right Stuff. It ticks all my boxes, including some I didn’t know I had.
The Anvil-30 is lightweight and is designed and built with incredible machining in the USA. The craftsmanship and forethought that Really Right Stuff puts behind all their products, including this unit, are second-to-none.
The Anvil’s lever release allows me to quickly attach my optics or rifle, and I have complete confidence that my Gunwerks ClymR rifle will remain locked in there until I decide to unlock it. The pan/tilt locking lever allows me to control the swivel of the head with my non-shooting hand, adjusting to a moving animal or allowing me to bring my sights to bear.

The Anvil-30 allows the use of the standard Arca-Swiss plate on your optics or rifle, or even the Picatinny rail on your rifle. If you don’t have a rail, head over to your trusted gunsmith to have him install a Picatinny rail.
I have this head mounted on my Really Right Stuff Ascend-14 tripod, which is a superb and compact tripod that is perfectly suited for backpack hunting.