Winter is a hot time for a hunter. Snow cover during the pursuit of a wild animal becomes a serious obstacle for a person. Therefore, skiing is required for winter hunting. They are different: a wide range discourages even a specialist. How to choose hunting skis and not regret the purchase - this is the dilemma facing the young hunter. The product must meet three fundamental requirements: be durable, lightweight and flexible.
Step One: Choose a View
The hunter gives a frank answer to the question of why he needs skis. First of all, according to a specialist, a copy is selected depending on the purpose. The choice has to be made from the following options: snowshoes, wooden shafts, kamusnye or plastic skis. Each species is characterized by a specific purpose, stands out for its pros and cons. The choice of hunting skis depends on this. How to choose the right ski, you can learn from experienced hunters.
Skis called "Drumsticks"
Golitsa are common in countries where people hunt in snowy territories. They are made of bare wood (hence the name) and are not covered by anything. They can be walked on, easily rolled. The shorter the length of the skis, the more handy it is for them to make their way through the rubble in the forest more often, to maneuver on the slopes and ascents. The hunter determines how to choose hunting skis based on the territorial conditions and characteristics of the hunting places.
The perfect material for creating skis is birch. Its wood is light and viscous. Less common are skis made of oak, spruce or aspen. In the Altai Mountains, craftsmen make skis from bird cherry. Strong and elastic shafts are obtained. Such a pair has only one incorrigible drawback: in frosts over forty degrees they become fragile, like glass.
Skiing
Experienced hunters choose these skis. This is a Russian invention. The peculiarity of kamus skiing is that on the running side they are attached a skin called kamus. The skin of not every beast is suitable for the manufacture of goods. Only a certain piece from the lower leg (from the lower leg) of an elk, horse or reindeer is needed. The choice depends on the area where the skis are made: in the Far North - deer, in Mountain Altai - horseback, in Western Siberia and the Far East - moose. The heaviest camus is horse-drawn, moose’s lighter and stronger, deer is even lighter, but wears out quickly. The more time a person walks on such skis, the easier it becomes to move on them due to the alignment of the camus.
You can find skis, lined with the skin of other animals. In the Far East from a young boar, in the Baikal region - from a seal. There are exotic skis with otter hide camus. Such options are allowed, but their disadvantage becomes apparent when you first hike in the snow. The skins of any animal are clogged, which is an obstacle to skiing. The camus always remains clean, the snow does not stick to it. And this is his unrivaled plus. Cross-country skiing designed for cross-country skiing. The fur does not allow skis to roll back when climbing a hill.
Having opted for skiing, you need to be prepared for their thorough storage. To do this, you need to know the existing means of fighting moths, when you need to use them, how to choose the right one. Hunting skis without proper storage during the summer will turn into unnecessary trash: insects in a month will ruin all the fur on them. Protects the selected product from kerosene moths, but its smell is difficult to get rid of. The latest invention is dichlorvos in plastic garbage bags. Means process the bags, put them on the skis. As a result, insects die, and the smell disappears after opening for several hours.
Combination ski
When narrow strips of camus are attached to ski-shafts, combined skis are obtained. The so-called inserts of the skin of a deer, elk or other animal with a width of 8-12 centimeters are mounted exactly in the middle of the sliding side. They are attached with small carnations, a furniture stapler or durable glue. Artificial camus is also used. It is sold in the form of tapes with a special mount. They can be removed and attached instantly. An artificial camus is made from a combination of mohair and synthetics. Together with them, it is better to immediately buy a water-repellent spray.
Snowshoes
The main difference between snowshoes and skis is the ratio of their width and length. They are wide and short. Riding in them will not work, just walking. Their purpose: without falling through, to move on deep loose snow. For terrain with uneven terrain and obstacles in the form of ravines and stumps, this is ideal. The wide base of the snowshoe allows you to steadily and confidently hold, furrowing the snow cover.
Snowshoes are of two types: solid and frame. The frame structure is a metal frame covered with a plastic membrane. Solid specimens are made of plastic, durable and frost-resistant. Both species have metal prongs (cats) for overcoming crust or icy stones.
Plastic Skis
The most durable and lightweight are plastic skis. They are especially good at thawing. Melted snow does not stick to them; they allow maneuvering on rough terrain. But in frosty weather they interfere more than help. Plastic becomes too slippery, you can fall with a quick slope from a hill. They are difficult to climb uphill, as they roll back down.
Their undoubted advantages: skis do not need to be further treated before going to the forest, they do not get wet, storage does not provide for special conditions.
Step two: determine the size
This parameter is also taken into account when buying hunting skis. How to choose the size? Is it important here not to be mistaken? Experts advise how to choose hunting skis, paying attention to the dimensions of a person: each kilogram of weight should be supported by a support with an area of about fifty square centimeters. If you do not know how to choose hunting skis by weight, you can make the necessary calculations. To determine the area of skis, the weight of the hunter is required to be multiplied by the norm (i.e. by 50). The resulting product is divided by the width of your favorite ski. The final number will be the desired length.
In a similar way, the width is calculated: the product must be divided by the width. It is important to take into account one more point: the hunter has additional luggage; accordingly, the mass will be greater. There is another trick that answers the question of how to choose hunting skis for height. It turns out they should not be longer than a person. Although height is not as important as weight.
Take an example. If the weight of a person is 70 kilograms, then a support with an area of 3500 square centimeters is required. Therefore, skis are suitable, in which the length is a meter of seventy centimeters, the width is twenty centimeters.
For a thicket or mountainous terrain, shorter skis will be convenient, for a plain - longer. Therefore, this also needs to be taken into account. For the ratio of length to width adhere to the rule: the longer the ski, the they should be narrower. There is another interesting criterion that affects the purchase. How to choose a ski size? They stop at a particular product, evaluating the ease of use. In Altai, their width is thirteen centimeters, and the length is equal to the height of a person. In Siberia, the width of the ski does not exceed twenty centimeters. In Kamchatka, skis are even wider - up to thirty-five centimeters.
Step Three: Choose Mounts
Forest skis cannot be imagined without anchorages - small but necessary parts. They are soft, semi-rigid, simple. The last option is a leather or canvas strap that attaches to the sides of the skis. The toe of the shoe is inserted into the resulting loop. If skiing has an additional strap that covers the back of the leg just above the heel, it turns a simple mount into a soft one. It holds the ski well. At the same time, the semi-rigid mount consists of special metal plates. Shoes rest on them, fixed on top with a sling. The spring cable replaces the rear strap. He stretches and fastens at the nose of the boot.
And again the question arises of how to choose. Soft-mounted hunting skis are most often used by hunters. They are easy to put on; they are also easy to remove if necessary.
Fourth step: pick a stick
To overcome the deep snow cover requires not only hunting skis. How to choose another necessary attribute for a successful trip? For rough terrain, a special stick is required. Unlike athletes, it is more convenient for hunters to use not one, but one stick. When hunting, you need one hand to be free. Stability on the legs is provided by three points of support: two legs on skis and one stick in the hand. If necessary, it is more convenient to lean on one support with two hands.
Such a third support is called - kayok. Her appearance is quite peculiar. One end is like a spatula or spoon, and the loop is on the other. The length of the stick is selected according to the height of the person: from the ground to the end of the fingers of a raised hand. The kayok helps set traps, hold on to the descent from the mountain, gives the body a strong position when firing at distant targets with rifled weapons.
Step Five: Color
In the manufacture of skis use a diverse palette. Finished goods are painted in bright, dark and light colors. Caught in the so-called colorfulness, the person again wonders how to choose. Hunting skis should be white - this is the opinion of most people. In fact, the color of the surface does not matter. In winter, skis are usually covered with snow, they are not visible to the beast, therefore their color is a whim of the hunter himself.
In the old days, masters were not supporters of painting skis, they said that this affects their quality. For example, a person can be brought in during fast movement over rough terrain or a rapid descent from a mountain. In addition, in ancient times, paint was in short supply, so they learned to do without it. Usually the skis were the color of the tree from which they were made.
Step Six (Final): Ski Shoes
So, we picked up hunting skis. How to choose shoes for them? It should be comfortable (you have to walk in it all day), warm (still it is for the winter period), waterproof (snow thaws when walking, thaw is possible). Shoes purchased in the store, if convenient for skiing, are inconvenient without them. And vice versa.
One of the options for an ideal shoe is considered a homemade of ordinary boots. They are cut along the sole, attached to the block on the foot. Made of made leather. A felt insole is sewn inside the felt boot, and a leather sole on the outside. The union should cover the place on the leg where the ski belt passes, so that the snow that gets there does not wet the felt boot. The felt insole makes felt boots softer, warmer, more comfortable when skiing and without them. It wears out quickly, but it is easy to replace with a new one. The union allows the foot to remain dry even when walking in spring puddles.
Buy or craft?
It’s not easy to buy skis that are suitable for the parameters shown. Therefore, hunters try to make them yourself or order a specialist in the manufacture of skis. This process is laborious, requiring skill, tools and material. But everyone is free to decide for himself. By trial and error, you can learn how to make good hunting skis. The choice, manufacture and features are individual depending on the purpose of use, the desires of a person, his physical data.
Today, even in remote places there are few real craftsmen left. Therefore, skies created decades ago are cherished like the apple of an eye, realizing that few people manage to build a product that even closely resembles them.
Factory skiing
In specialized stores there is a wide range of similar products. How to choose factory-made skis? This will help you those who have experienced them in business. The most popular are the skis of the Vologda factory and Novo-Vyatka combine. Those and others make skis from glued wood.
Novo-Vyatka skis are known as “Hunters”. Their size is standard: width - fifteen centimeters, length - 165-175 cm. Two types of skis are made: glitz from plywood and plastic. The former retain functionality for many decades: if desired, they are remade into combined ones. Plastic skis are convenient for sticky snow, they glide without lubrication even in the thaw.
Vologda skis are sold under the name Taiga. Their size is different: the width is sixteen centimeters, the length is 155-165 cm. They are wider and shorter than the Vyatka goods, but almost the same in area. The choice is represented by three variations: shingles, camouflage and plastic coated skis. The first do not cause any complaints. They are inferior in length, which positively affects maneuverability. The plastic coating is alarming, since it is harder than kapron (which is bad) and quickly peels off the wooden base. The kamus ski is distinguished by the fact that strips two centimeters wide in length are glued at the locations of the grooves on the shafts. Ski kamus is made of deer or elk.
For hunters given a fairly limited selection. How to choose the right ski, everyone decides individually. It is advisable to follow the advice of specialists. But here no one is safe from the wrong choice. What is good for one may not suit you personally at all.