Post by: cvandervort on June 22, 2013, 08:35:50 PM
Post by: Sawbuck on June 22, 2013, 09:03:32 PM
Post by: cvandervort on June 22, 2013, 09:15:11 PM
Post by: wilsongideon on June 23, 2013, 12:21:44 AM
Post by: Tim in Wa. on June 23, 2013, 05:35:12 AM
Post by: cvandervort on June 23, 2013, 08:20:49 AM
Post by: Tim in Wa. on June 23, 2013, 03:48:00 PM
Tim
Post by: Simcoe hunter on June 23, 2013, 04:13:56 PM
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.
Post by: clindsayrun on June 23, 2013, 04:31:57 PM
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.
Post by: cvandervort on June 23, 2013, 04:59:07 PM
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!
Post by: Simcoe hunter on June 23, 2013, 09:24:27 PM
Post by: ICEMAN on June 24, 2013, 06:31:13 AM
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. :chuckle:
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/ (http://www.snowshoemag.com/2012/01/10/building-a-pulk-sled/)
Post by: jackmaster on June 24, 2013, 06:57:09 AM
Post by: cvandervort on June 24, 2013, 07:34:39 AM
Post by: pshell on June 24, 2013, 10:15:28 AM
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.
Post by: pope on June 24, 2013, 11:51:27 AM
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 (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!
Post by: cvandervort on June 24, 2013, 12:46:07 PM
All of this talk is getting me pumped for my first hnt in the snow....avalanche danger and all!
Post by: fillthefreezer on June 24, 2013, 01:12:19 PM
Post by: ICEMAN on June 24, 2013, 06:34:00 PM
Be careful, you will get hooked!
Post by: Simcoe hunter on June 25, 2013, 07:42:29 PM
Post by: KFhunter on June 25, 2013, 11:04:02 PM
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.
(https://hunting-washington.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fcascadedesigns.com%2Fimages%2Fproduct%2Fmedium%2FLightning_Ascent_13_.jpg&hash=498a86be14d6b9fdcaecbff538e936b7791c4cbb)
with the pack and gun and all the "stuff" hunters tend to carry get bigger ones than the chart reccomends.
Post by: acnewman55 on August 08, 2013, 09:19:06 PM
-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.
:yeah: 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 :tup:. 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.