Cross Country Ski/Snowshoe Hunting - Experience & Thoughts?

[millerwheeler]

I have a buddy who runs “snowglides “ I think there called snow feet . He loves them he seams to move along a lot better than my Alaskan guide snow shoes

[kselkhunter]

I prefer snow shoes.  I've done back county hunts in deep snow, and snow shoes are just more maneuverable for most back country areas.  But it depends on the type of terrain you will be in.

[Okanagan]

Have done quite a bit of hunting on snowshoes and cross country skis.  Generally enjoyable, generally not as efficient as imagined and always harder work than expected.  My preference is for a wide, hybrid ski with traction ability, like aggressive skins. I’m too out of date to recommend a current model.

I’m assuming off trail, ungroomed, deep snow in steep forest and brush, which calls for BIG snowshoes and wide skis with BIG flotation rather than the cutesy little shoes designed for groomed trails.  Post-holing is exhausting but post-holing in snowshoes or skis is torture. Err on the side of getting bigger ski/shoes with more floatation. 

Snowshoes are generally HARD work, and so are skis but skis are faster when conditions favor them.  I’ve called and killed or been in on several lynx, on snowshoes.  Hunted moose on skis and snowshoes, elk and deer on snowshoes, plus done a lot of predator calling on snowshoes.  Did 14 miles on cross-country skis after moose one day following semi-packed snow mobile tracks.  It was faster and farther than I expected, but could not get off the packed tracks on the skinny skis.

The problem is that there is NO ski or snowshoe that is ideal for all conditions.   Deep powder calls for different tools than crusted coastal snow, and cruising packed snowmobile tracks on logging roads is vastly different from off trail travel in thick brush or steep ground. Ten yards of travel in sun and shadow can change condtions a lot. 

Some 30 years ago I designed in my mind a wide ski/snowshoe hybrid on a long day spent hunting elk on steep low ridges with gullies filled with deep powder and windswept bare ground in places on the ridges, with crusted five foot deep drifts in places.  I wanted to slide on the downhill and flats and have big flotation with climbing grip on the deep drifts and uphill. Now we can buy such gear.

As much as possible, try different gear in different conditions. My first ski moose hunt was on rented skis.  Maybe buy or borrow some 30 inch snowshoes and try them on ungroomed ground.  A quarter mile will inform you about features you want.  I would sometimes ski with snowshoes on my pack and switch when conditions changed.   I have 3 pairs of snowshoes,. The biggest are GV Wide 42” snowshoes and I wish they were 48.”

One anecdote:  I remember falling head down on my back, in steep, rib deep crusted snow, with medium heavy day pack and rifle, snowshoes tangled in under-snow brush.  Pushing down on the snow crust to try to get upright merely inserted my arm to the armpit.

[boneaddict]

One anecdote:  I remember falling head down on my back, in steep, rib deep crusted snow, with medium heavy day pack and rifle, legs tangled in under-snow brush.  Pushing down on the snow crust to try to get upright merely inserted my arm to the armpit

     I’m only laughing because I know. 

Good post, pretty much says it all. 

[KFhunter]

 

been there myself, more times than I can count

[boneaddict]

all dignity goes out the window

[luvmystang67]

Just did this in a non-motorized area for elk in Idaho with a cross country setup I just bought.

Cross country skis were much better than post holing or snowshoes, but still a ton of work.  I basically did 3+ miles of lunges with a pack and a muzzleloader on my back.  That night my quads and calves were so sore I could hardly sleep, and the next day I thought my legs were going to fall off.  I'm not in the BEST shape, but I had just come off of doing a lot of hiking for fall hunting, these were just very different muscles.

The boot makes it somewhat challenging, but in deep snow I think this is about as easy as it gets.  Problem that I had was that I was not going to be getting off the logging road for anything as moving was just too difficult.  And, if I had gotten an elk down, it would NOT have been easy to get out on my own.  3 miles in a foot of fresh snow was about all I could take physically, and I'm not afraid of a physical challenge.  The way back to the truck in my own tracks was significantly easier than on the way in.

I did fall hard once, going over a downed log.  On the backside of the log my skis went down it like a mini-hill and pulled my legs out from under me.

Otherwise, i was hot the entire time (and it was 17 degrees out), and I ended my hunting season after that outing.

It was a good idea only when compared to other horrible ideas.  I would try it again, but it wasn't exactly "fun".

BTW my whole cross country setup cost me like $200.  I bought a lot of it used.  I'm 5'10" and 175lbs and have 195cm skis.

[pianoman9701]

Hope for the best, plan for the worst. Think Survival when sorting out your equipment. Fire starters, first aid, extra socks, emergency food, plenty of water, tarp or tube shelter, something to melt snow in - cup, pan, etc., obvious other items like rope, knife, ice axe maybe, signaling device. Have fun, be smart. Winter is unforgiving.

[KFhunter]

Anyone else thinking of Iceman as they read this tbread?

[Okanagan]

all dignity goes out the window

   

[KFhunter]

all dignity goes out the window

Last time I heard that my wife was in labor lol

[JimmyHoffa]

I was going to try the cougar biathlon a few years back.  The plan was to ski along the road after a fresh snowfall, cut tracks and then follow them until they still had paws.  Turned out the mountains were steeper and with more trees than in my plans.  Also, back then, as soon as there was fresh snow; about ten trucks were cruising along also looking for tracks.

[Okanagan]

 Problem that I had was that I was not going to be getting off the logging road for anything as moving was just too difficult. And, if I had gotten an elk down, it would NOT have been easy to get out on my own.  3 miles in a foot of fresh snow was about all I could take physically, and I'm not afraid of a physical challenge. The way back to the truck in my own tracks was significantly easier than on the way in.

I did fall hard once, going over a downed log.  On the backside of the log my skis went down it like a mini-hill and pulled my legs out from under me.

Good on you for trying it and reporting on it! In a "that reminds me" mode of old man stories:

I was not going to be getting off the logging road for anything as moving was just too difficult.

Ditto. Travelling logging roads on skis or snowshoes was easier for me than off road in brush and tougher slope angles.  The transition zone from road to open timber usually goes through brush, down trees, logging debris and steep road cuts, and is usually the toughest going of all. 

The way back to the truck in my own tracks was significantly easier than on the way in.
Ditto again! Once a trail is broken, whether by foot or snow mobile, it is WAY easier to travel on skis or snowshoes.  A friend and I took all day to cover 3 miles in powder snow 3 feet deep.  We walked back to our vehicle that evening on our broken trail in 55 minutes.  We walked in the next morning before dawn just as fast, carrying our snowshoes till we got to the end of the broken trail.  If you find game on a trail you have broken, you can return to it fairly quickly and easily until the next heavy snowfall.  On this specific hunt, we found a moose at sundown.  I wanted to build a fire and overnight close to the moose.  My wiser partner agreed that we could do it safely in the still air.  "But if the wind comes up we are dead," he said.  At -30 and dropping fast, with no tent nor sleeping bags etc. he was right. It got -42 that night.

Re falling when stepping over a log in snowshoes:  if one shoe jams into the void under a down log, and the other one is already over the log... I got hung up almost upside down with the top shoe snagged on a broken limb on the back side of the log and the bottom shoe locked under the log in toggle fashion. 

It can be stunningly beautiful and silent with nobody in your snow world but you.

[dwtraut7]

I went out for cougar last season a handful of times on snowshoes. It was fun, but I think I probably made way too much noise each time with the way conditions were. I've bought some basic cross-country equipment recently and plan to get comfortable on that and then ultimately buy a backcountry setup with wider skis for the future.

I think there is a lot of potential for a fun hunt in the winter doing something like this.

[Rob]

Two safety considerations.
1.  Beware of tree wells.  If you go in one headfirst you may not make it out.   Very easy for thigs to go pear shaped fast on skis.

2.  Read the avy reports if they exist for your area.  Lots of backcountry skiers get in trouble with avalanche.   Slightly safer in trees but beware of terrain traps.  https://nwac.us/ or there is an app called "avalanche forecast" that consolidates many reporting sites to cover more areas.

Might be wise to carry an inreach or spot if you have one.