Hunting on skis

Something a little different for you Southerners (living at 67N I usually rightfully call names :P ...)

This kind of hunting can be a bastard due very invasive weather, but the enjoyment/fullfilment/satisfaction more than makes up for it. I am under legal restraint to use only shotgun (useless in these conditions) or rifle calibres 17 hmr, 22lr, 22 mag, 22 hornet or 221 Fireball. The rimfires can be sensitive to temperature (giving POI changes) so I am currently building a 221 Fireball in order to make it a little more predictable. I can freeze and miss for free at home....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8b8CD9HRIlE

You Norwegians are tough buggers, no wonder you lot were the bests snipers in WWII.
Looking at those Reindeer, can they be ridden or only good for pulling a sleigh ??

Great Vid.

That looks cold! They must be hard to see against the snow.

Hell that looks cold alright. Are you allowed to hunt the Reindeer?

Nothing wrong with 34 south mate lol

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Originally Posted by Moa Hunter

You Norwegians are tough buggers, no wonder you lot were the bests snipers in WWII.
Looking at those Reindeer, can they be ridden or only good for pulling a sleigh ??

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It's actually the Finnish who has that reputation. The norwegians got their reputation in more recent conflicts.
Reindeer racing is "popular" in the north. I write "populer" as it is done only by reindeer herders and they are very few.

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Originally Posted by stug

That looks cold! They must be hard to see against the snow.

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Tell me about it. Aging eyes doesn't help either. I need direct sunlight or walking past a rock to see them.

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Originally Posted by Mooseman

Hell that looks cold alright. Are you allowed to hunt the Reindeer?

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Not in the north, these are domesticated animals. In the wilderness areas down south you have a wild population that can be hunted if you draw a tag.

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Originally Posted by HILLBILLYHUNTERS

Nothing wrong with 34 south mate lol

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I know. But a vital part of being up north is living in denial to avoid the slippery slope of weather depression :thumbsup:

@Norway have you ever used the Siberian and or Russian hunter ski's?

Lar's has a heap of videos on them, they certainly look awesome for snow hunting.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=relAtVJfN0E

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3PuYDeZTkX0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAW1ZigYVQU

Those skis are the older version of the hunting skis (design is in the hundreds of years old). They later developed into longer skis which will make you faster in the deep snow forest hunting as they don't dig as much into the snow. Both variations evolved in the arctic borealis nomad cultures. You can see the newer hunting skis here, currently they are only produced one place (Østergren) and only about 100-200 pairs per year so waiting lists can be years and years (I borrow mine):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IlBKCQoFWRk

Neither of the above skis are suited for the mountains. You need more control, strenght and grip there.

Those short skis are the older version of the hunting skis (design is in the hundreds of years old). They later developed into longer skis which will make you faster in the deep snow forest hunting as they don't dig as much into the snow. Both variations evolved in the arctic borealis nomad cultures. You can see the newer hunting skis here, currently they are only produced one place (Østergren) and only about 100-200 pairs per year so waiting lists can be years and years (I borrow mine):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IlBKCQoFWRk

Neither of the above skis are suited for the mountains. You need more control, strenght and grip there.

Those short skis are the older version of the hunting skis, it's basic design dates back 3000 years. They later developed into longer skis which will make you faster in the deep snow forest hunting as they don't dig as much into the snow. Both variations evolved in the arctic borealis nomad cultures.

Here is a comparison
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6M4ygt4cIs

You can see the newer hunting skis here, currently they are only produced one place (Østergren) and only about 100-200 pairs per year so waiting lists can be years and years (I borrow mine):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IlBKCQoFWRk

Neither of the above skis are suited for the mountains. You need more control, strenght and grip there.

Great vids.

We started hunting on skis in the 1960's. One year the snow was exceptionally deep up to our waists and made going into the forests to hunt rabbits near impossible. We found some surplus military skis and tried them but had trouble with them breaking, so we took the bindings off and put them on long Head downhill skis made of metal and fiberglass, the worked pretty good. Cross Country skiing was in it's infancy at the time and imported equipment was too expensive for a couple of high school kids. We did get a reputation as the hunting fools on skis though. That spring we had a real problem with packs of feral dogs killing deer that couldn't escape them do to the tick crust on deep snow(the deer would break through and the dogs could run on top). The local game warden asked us if we would hunt the dogs for him, it was an exciting spring for us. We did this for him during years of these conditions until snowmobiles were more available to him.

Through the last 50+ years I've run traplines , hunted big game and fur on skis. My equipment has improved, and I've spent time learning to ski downhill on XC skis. When I go on hunting trips in the winter there is two sets of skis in the van, one shorter with metal edges for steeper crusty conditions and one longer set for open country and softer snow. I'm 72 now and still love getting out on the skis hunting.

Remember also, folk, that this means of hunting is akin to the Winter Olympic sport of Biathlon and the more recently introduced Summer Biathlon.
Much as it is anathema to some political persuasions, the shooting disciplines have been a part of every Modern (Summer) Olympic Games since their inception (a founding sport), excepting 1904 St. Louis and 1928 Amsterdam.
If you are lucky enough to live in a jurisdiction where television broadcasters actually include coverage of the sport, you will see that it is tough. They truly are athletes.