Backcountry hunting in the snow

[cvandervort]

I drew a tag that's going to put me pretty far out, and in snow...anybody have any experience hunting the backcountry with decent amounts of snow? Some things that come to mind are snowshoes and a pull sled, but I'd rather hear from you!

[Sawbuck]

Deer or elk? Snowshoes are a must, and not cheap ones. I would pick up a pair rated for your weight plus the weight of your gear/pack. Good pair of gators will also make life a little more enjoyable. Friends, very handy in the snow especially packing an animal out. I've packed a few elk out in some pretty deep snow and a buddy to share the work or even to just go along and break trail goes a long ways

[cvandervort]

Thanks sawbuck. I drew the quality deer tag for 426 (diablo). At this point, I am doing a lot of my hunting solo, and I am not planning on that changing for this one! Any other pointers? I've snowshoed and hiked in the snow a bunch, just haven't had a lot of experience hunting in it!

[wilsongideon]

awesome tag! I have considered that tag before but I dont know anything, except snowshoes and hiking poles are definitly worth it in deep snow. they take some figuring out as far as getting them on and off and manuvering with them.

[Tim in Wa.]

If you are hauling out over a decent trail get a sled

[cvandervort]

Good call. I was debating between a rigid toboggan/marsh sled type of thing or something made out of rollable hdpe (easily packable)...thoughts?

[Tim in Wa.]

Pelican makes a variety of utilitarian sleds and a friend of mine got a decent one at Cabellas(not a pelican) last year.You can make decent traces with pvc pipe connect it to your pack belt with carabiners .Cross the traces in an X for improved control.You can also put a skeg on the bottom made from alum angle so that it will track better on side slopes
Tim

[Simcoe hunter]

C.,

Get your snowshoes now if you can find them.  Practice getting in and out of them.  Wear them around the yard.  Stay off of anything that isn't grass as it will chew them up.  The first time you have snow within a four hour drive get to it and start practicing.  Realize that they operate differently on snow than they will on compacted snow and ice.  Here is an example- I work for a PUD.  A couple of winters ago we had a big storm with lots of down lines and trees across lines, etc...

I had experience on snow shoes so I got to be one of the mules who carried parts in to the linemen.  I could carry a cross-arm and parts for quite a ways when I was done.  We had the Cabela's models with the vinyl in place of the rawhide lacing.  They worked fairly well.  And I don't have many complaints about them, if you follow some basic guidelines.

If the snow is deep or powdery they tend to "carry" snow on top.  I know.  You would think that all of the snow would stay underneath and compact.   Not necessarily.  By kind of exaggerating how high you lift your knee while stepping you can get a lot to slide of the tail end of the snowshoe.  This is where rawhide laced models have an advantage.  The pair I had as a kid let a lot of the snow fall back through.

The biggest problem I had was at the end of the outage.  It was warming up and had gotten a pretty good crust on the snow with rain and sun(occasional).  The snow shoes were still necessary due to the depth of the snow, but in some areas the snow wasn't as deep but still icy.  This is where I learned that those Cabela's snow shoes can turn into an excellent sled.  Even with the cleat under the ball of your foot they want to slip.  So watch out for that.  It would have been nice to have had an extra hand to carry them in at times like that.  So some of your experience will be determined by the terrain you hunt in.  Good luck.  You should have a lot of fun.  I would like to know what you end up with and hear your escapades from the hunt when you are done.

[clindsayrun]

-MSR snowshoes with the detachable floats are the way to go! They have the best bindings, are the most durable, and are absolutely PROVEN.
Stay away from ANY tubular snowshoes. You'd only hate your life, if they even make it through the hunt.

-Get a quality pair of trekking/ski poles, in hill country it will make your life way easier. It may not appear ideal to use trekking poles but they'll help you get up when you fall down (and you will), and they'll add tremendous assistance when climbing and descending. Trekking poles can also be utilized as shooting sticks, when getting prone or kneeling (in deep snow) just will not work out. I carry my rifle slung across my chest.

-Buy the OR Crocodile gators. 
-Quality scope cover.

-Practice hiking/snowshoeing with your pack and gun slung in a fashion that you'll be able to get to it.

[cvandervort]

Thanks for the pointers guys! I think I will be going he sled route as well. I have done a fair amount of snowshoeing, but I think that having the ability to carry my backpack/game ought to make my snowshoes perform better. This of course is assuming that there is decent snowfall this year where I'm headed....
I am planning on taking a few weekends to check out a couple of spots. Then I should hav a better idea of what tools ill need. Keep the tips coming, and I'll report back! Thanks again!

[Simcoe hunter]

Yes, gaiters are a must!

[ICEMAN]

I have not hunted in the backcountry over snow with snowshoe.... but....have done a lot of backcountry snowshoe overnight camping/treking.

Normal all plastic elcheapo' sleds can work for back country. Used them for years. Recently converted one of our sleds to a Cabelas gear tote after breaking a 5 year old sled when jumping some hills around camp.

If you are going to be pulling a sled down hill, this creates a problem. You need a way to hold your sled back behind you and not hitting you in the back of the legs, and keeping your sled from rolling and on the trail.

The sled pulled behind a snowshoer is referred to as as "pulk". Check them out online: http://www.snowshoemag.com/2012/01/10/building-a-pulk-sled/

[jackmaster]

if your going down hill then you follow the sled, let your weight be your drag, if its real bad rig up a rope and a grapple, go to the army surplus store and buy an etool, if your over nighting get up under a tree and dig the snow down to the ground, you can use the snow for insulation around your tent to especially if its really cold. one of the biggest things i think is no matter how good or proud you are try to leave a detailed map of your hunts with a buddy and a return time as close as posible. anything can happen in that kind of country and that kind of weather....other than that have a friggin blast and take lots of pics, there is gonna be some awesome stories come this winter 

[cvandervort]

Ice, thanks for the link: I have seen something like this before, but they were selling the kit for around $100! I might have to give the DIY route a try.

[pshell]

cvandervort, I spend lot's of time snowshoing and skiing in the backcountry.  I've never hunted in snow deep enough for snow shoes, but if I did I would bring a Skedco litter or something similiar.  I don't know what they cost, but it would do a pretty good job hauling out an animal. 
If your not familiar with it, they are a roll-up, plastic sheet litter system that one man can drag another man with.  They are made from the same material as the roll-up sleds I remember seeing growing up, jsut a little thicker.  I think if you Google it, you'll see what I'm talking about. 

[pope]

The last thing you want is cold feet/hands when you're too far out to do anything about it. For boots, I'd go overkill and research plastic mountaineering boots, such as http://www.rei.com/product/780182/scarpa-inverno-mountaineering-boots-mens. They can be very expensive new, but hit one of the REI garage sales and you're likely to find a returned pair for a fraction of the price.

For your hands, there's nothing out there that compares to these:

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://static-dev-climbing.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Dachstein-Mittens_29982.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.climbing.com/?archive%3Dwarm-when-wet-dachstein-uber-mitts&h=410&w=700&sz=31&tbnid=k8lxoSn7NTz_rM:&tbnh=62&tbnw=105&zoom=1&usg=__jWLLbJED5Zdvoq7beKVng2FJopQ=&docid=_1pL1j1m5Rht8M&sa=X&ei=NoTIUfqQJMTgiAKYwYH4AQ&sqi=2&ved=0CEEQ9QEwBQ&dur=6240

Mittens aren't functional for working your rifle or bow, but I'd want a pair of these in the pack.

And then there's so much to say about camping in the snow. One mistake you won't make twice is not bringing adequate ground insulation to go under your sleeping bag. I like a minimum of two closed-cell full-length foam pads. They are much warmer than inflating pads but not quite as comfortable. As mentioned above, ski poles are practically a necessity when traveling on snow shoes.

Dragging a load down a mountain on a sled can be incredibly difficult work (the steeper the terrain the easier the job should be). I haven't pulled out game, but I've pulled several 15-ft Christmas trees more than seven miles and found it surprisingly difficult. I would plan to bone that animal out and start eating it on the way down!

[cvandervort]

Great stuff guys! I like the idea of a rollable sled/litter...the skedco one is 600bucks, but I'm sure a visit to TAP plastics might do the trick! I plan on boning out (if I'm lucky), but I was hoping to use it to drag game bags and /or give my back a break from my backpack.
All of this talk is getting me pumped for my first hnt in the snow....avalanche danger and all!

[fillthefreezer]

also think about at least some micro-spikes if you plan to be in the steep, they make you much more efficient

[ICEMAN]

I would go cheap. Here is a cheap Cabelas sled, and another kids snow sled...(blue).

Be careful, you will get hooked!

[Simcoe hunter]

Dig those uber mitts Pope.  Most excellent.  That's what we used to wear taking eggs during the fall at the hatchery.  Keep your hands in 55 degree water all day grabbing big fish y the tail and you will love these.

[KFhunter]

I've went through several sets of snowshoes this winter and now I'm running MSR lightning accent 30" with tails (if needed)

I really like them because I can step right on a log/tree downfall and not slide off.  I don't ski downhill in them nor to I slide sideways off a hill.  They are a huge difference over a tube framed shoe.





with the pack and gun and all the "stuff" hunters tend to carry get bigger ones than the chart reccomends.

[acnewman55]

-MSR snowshoes with the detachable floats are the way to go! They have the best bindings, are the most durable, and are absolutely PROVEN.
Stay away from ANY tubular snowshoes. You'd only hate your life, if they even make it through the hunt.

-Get a quality pair of trekking/ski poles, in hill country it will make your life way easier. It may not appear ideal to use trekking poles but they'll help you get up when you fall down (and you will), and they'll add tremendous assistance when climbing and descending. Trekking poles can also be utilized as shooting sticks, when getting prone or kneeling (in deep snow) just will not work out. I carry my rifle slung across my chest.

-Buy the OR Crocodile gators. 
-Quality scope cover.

   All of it.  Especially the MSR snowshoes.  They are the best on the market, and MSR does a lot of it's mfg here in Seattle so you're buying local  .  You'll pay for it though.

Whatever you get, make sure they have a hinged toe-plate so your shoes dump loaded snow with each step instead of carrying it along with you.

I do a lot of snowshoeing with heavy loads up steep terrain.  Secure bindings are the most important factor imo.