How to choose hunting skis: step by step instructions

Winter is a hot time for the hunter. Snow cover during the pursuit of a wild animal becomes a serious obstacle for a person. Therefore, winter hunting requires skis. They are different: a wide range discourages even a specialist. How to choose hunting skis and not regret buying - that's the dilemma facing the young hunter. The product must meet three fundamental requirements: to be strong, light 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 the expert, a copy is chosen depending on the purpose. The choice to be made of the following options: snowshoes, wooden golitsy, kamusnye or plastic skis. Each species is characterized by a specific purpose, stands out as pluses and minuses. This determines the choice of hunting skis. How to choose the right ski, you can learn from experienced hunters.

Skis called "golitsy"

Golitsy are distributed in countries where people hunt on snow-covered territory. They are made from a bare tree (hence the name) and are not covered by anything. You can step on them and easily slide down. The smaller the length of skis, the easier it is for them to make their way through the blockages in the forest more often, maneuver on the slopes and ups. The hunter determines how to choose hunting skis based on the territorial conditions and features of the hunting grounds.

Perfect material for making skis - birches. Its wood is light and viscous. Less common are skis from oak, spruce or aspen. In the Altai Mountains, masters make skis from cherry. Get strong and elastic golitsy. This pair has only one irreparable defect: in frosts over forty degrees they become brittle, like glass.

Camis skis

Experienced hunters choose exactly such skis. This is a Russian invention. The peculiarity of kamus skis is that on the running side there is attached a skin called kamus. The skin of not every beast is suitable for making a product. Only a certain piece of the elk (elk) elk, horse or reindeer is needed. The choice depends on the area where the skis are made: in the Far North - deer, in the Mountain Altai - horse, in Western Siberia and the Far East - moose. The heaviest kamus is horse, moose is lighter and stronger, deer is even lighter, but wears out quickly. The more time a person wears on such skis, the easier it is to move on them due to the leveling of the kamus.

You can meet skis, lined with the skin of other animals. In the Far East from the young wild boar, in the Baikal region - from the seal. There are exotic skis with a skins of otter skins. Such options are allowed, but their shortcoming becomes apparent at the first hike in the snow. Skins of any beast are hammered, which is a hindrance to skiing. Camus is always clean, snow does not stick to it. And this is his unsurpassed plus. Camouflage skis are designed for moving across rough terrain. Fur does not allow skis to roll back when climbing the hill.

Stopping the choice of ski boots, you need to be prepared for their careful storage. To do this, you need to know the existing means of combating the moth, when they need to use, how to choose correctly. Hunting skis without proper storage over the summer will turn into unnecessary trash: insects for a month will spoil all the fur on them. Protects the chosen product from moth kerosene, but its odor is difficult to get rid of. The latest invention is dichlorvos in polyethylene garbage bags. By means of processing bags, put them on skis. As a result, insects perish, and the odor after opening is eroded within a few hours.

Combined skis

When narrow strips of kamus are attached to ski-golits, combined skis are obtained. So-called insertions from the skin of a deer, moose or other animal in the width of 8-12 centimeters are attached exactly in the middle of the sliding side. They are attached by small carnations, furniture stapler or strong glue. Applied and artificial kamus. It is sold in the form of tapes with a special fastening. They can be removed immediately and hooked. An artificial kamus is made of a mohair and synthetics compound. Together with them, it is better to buy a water-repellent spray immediately .

Snowshoes

The main difference between snowshoes and skis is the ratio of their width and length. They are wide and short. Skating in them will not work, just walk. Their destination: not falling through, moving through deep loose snow. For terrain with uneven terrain and obstacles in the form of ravines and stumps, this is an ideal option. 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. Whole-cast specimens are made of plastic, durable and frost-resistant. Both types have metal teeth (cats) to overcome the nastiness or icy stones.

Plastic skis

The most durable and light plastic skis are considered. Especially good they help in the thaw. They do not stick melted snow, they allow you to maneuver on the rough terrain. But in frosty weather they interfere more than help. The plastic becomes too slippery, it is possible to fall with a rapid slope from the elevation. They are difficult to climb uphill, as they roll back down.

Their undoubted advantages: skis do not need to be further processed 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? It is important not to be mistaken here? Experts advise how to choose hunting skis, paying attention to the dimensions of a person: each kilogram of weight should support a support 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 must be multiplied by the norm (that is, by 50). The resulting product divided by the width of the liked skis. The final number and 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 more. There is another trick that answers the question of how to choose hunting skis for growth. It turns out that they should not be longer than a person. Although growth is not as important as weight.

Consider the example. If a person weighs 70 kilograms, then a support of 3500 square centimeters is required. Therefore, skis are suitable, for which the length is a meter seventy centimeters, width - twenty centimeters.

For the forest thicket or mountainous terrain, it will be convenient to ski shorter, for the plain - longer. Therefore, this must also be taken into account. For the ratio of length to width, the rules are followed: the longer the ski, the narrower they should be. There is another interesting criterion that influences the purchase. How to choose the size of skis? On one or another product stop, assessing the convenience 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 skis is no more than twenty centimeters. In Kamchatka, skis are even wider - up to thirty-five centimeters.

Step Three: Choose fasteners

Skis forest can not be imagined without fastenings - small, but necessary details. They are soft, semi-rigid, simple. The last option is a leather or tarpaulin strap that is attached to the sides of the skis. In the resulting loop is inserted a toe of shoes. If there is an extra strap on the skis that covers the leg behind just above the heel, it turns the simple mount into a soft one. It keeps the ski well. At the same time, the semi-rigid fastening consists of special metal plates. The footwear in them rests, from above it is fixed by a line. The spring-cable replaces the rear strap. He stretches and fastens at the nose of his shoe.

And again the question arises as to how to choose. Hunting skis with soft fastening are most often used by hunters. They are easy to put on, they are also easy to remove if necessary.

Step Four: we select a stick

To overcome deep snow cover, not only hunting skis are required. How to choose another necessary attribute for a successful campaign? For rough terrain requires a special stick. Unlike athletes, it is more convenient for hunters not to use two, but one stick. On the hunt, one hand must be free. Stability on the legs provides three support points: two legs on skis and one stick in the hand. If necessary, it is more convenient to lean on one support with both hands.

Called such a third prop - kayok. Its appearance is rather peculiar. One end is like a scapula or spoon, on the other is a loop. The length of the stick is selected according to the height of the person: from the ground to the end of the fingers of the up-raised arm. Kayok helps to set traps, to keep on descending from the mountain, gives the body a strong position when firing at distant targets from rifled weapons.

Step Five: Color

When making skis use a variety of palettes. Finished goods are painted in bright, dark and light colors. Once in the so-called multicolored, the person again asks about 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 sprinkled with snow, the beast is not visible, so their color is the 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 enter during a fast movement on a rough terrain or a swift descent from a mountain. In addition, in the old days, paint was scarce, so they learned how to do without it. Usually the skis were the colors of the tree from which they were made.

Step Six (final): shoes to skis

So, we picked up hunting skis. How to choose shoes for them? It should be comfortable (it is necessary to walk in it all day), warm (yet it is for the winter period), waterproof (when walking snow melts, a thaw is possible). Purchased shoes in the store, if it is convenient for walking on skis, it is inconvenient without them. And vice versa.

One of the options for perfect footwear is homemade of ordinary boots. They are cut along the sole, fastened to the shoe by the foot. The union made of the dressed leather is made. Inside felt boots are sewn on felt insole, outside - leather sole. The union should close the place on the foot where the ski belt passes, so that the snow that gets there does not wet the felt boots. The insole made of felt makes the felt boots softer, warmer, more comfortable when walking on skis and without them. It is quickly worn out, but it is easy to replace it with a new one. The union allows you to keep your foot dry even when walking through spring puddles.

To buy or to make?

Buy skis, suitable for the parameters, is not easy. Therefore, hunters try to make them on their own or order a specialist for making skis. This process is a time-consuming, laborious, tools and material. But everyone is free to decide for himself. Through 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 the person, his physical data.

Today even in remote places there are few real craftsmen left. Therefore, skis created decades ago are cherished as the apple of the eye, understanding that it is not possible to build a product, even closely resembling them, to very few people.

Factory skis

In specialized stores there is a wide range of similar goods. How to choose the right ski factory production? In this you will be helped by those who experienced them in the business. The most popular skiing Vologda factory and Novo-Vyatsky combine. Those and others make skis from glued wood.

Novo-Vyatskie skis are known as "Hunting". Their size is standard: width - fifteen centimeters, length - 165-175 cm. Two types of skis are made: plywood and plastic ghalitsy. The first retain functionality for many decades: if desired, they are converted into combined ones. Plastic skis are convenient for sticky snow, they slip without lubrication, even in 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 commodity, but they are almost identical in area. The choice is represented by three variations: golitsy, kamusnye and skis with plastic coating. The first do not cause any complaints. They are inferior in length, which has a positive effect on maneuverability. Plastic coating is alarming, as it is stiffer than nylon (which is bad) and quickly flakes off the wooden base. Camis skis are distinguished by the fact that in the location of the grooves on the strips are glued strips two centimeters wide. Camus for skis is used from deer or moose.

For hunters a fairly limited choice is provided. How to choose the right ski, everyone decides individually. It is advisable to listen to the advice of specialists. But here no one is immune from the wrong choice. What is good for one can not come at all to you personally.