Much of my late season bowhunting involves deep snow. Even when only a foot deep, still hunting or tracking becomes very hard. I am a big fan of trad snowshoes as they are quiet and repairable. I put a lot of miles on them between bowhunting deer and hare and trapping. I finally found a binding that is very quiet and easily taken off should I fall through the ice water trapping.

I use snowshoes as well; both the traditional design and the smaller aluminum pair in the picture, after reaching the blind in black powder season. They sure can make travel easier in deep snow.

I own a couple pairs of Atlas myself... but they’re out in CO....

Tell ya, though - I put a TON of miles on a pair of old-school shoes one year while doing a beaver census and a coyote diet study up nort’ dere in MN... I think they were 46”. PERFECT

Sure wish we had some deepish snow out here.... best way to get the woods to yourself....

If ya got photos post 'em. I have a thing for the old wooden trad snowshoes!

Here's one of two of mine. The wife likes to hang them on the wall with a bow during the Christmas season and I usually leave them there until spring. These have some family history and I'll relate it although it may not be of interest to most.

During the '30's and the depression period many men were out of work and that included my dad. Roosevelt had created a government make work program called the WPA which my dad got himself into. This was in the UP and he was working during the winter on a road project on highway 28 between Marquette and Munising. Due to poor nutrition and constant exposure he became weakened and was losing his eyesight.

There was an additional WPA project going on to make work and pay for people who were pretty much disabled. He was assigned to that project which was designated a recreation project. One of the things they did was make snowshoes which were often presented to visiting politicians to generate goodwill for the program.

So, many pairs of snowshoes were made and my dad kept two pairs for himself. The pair that is not pictured has never had the varnish applied to them but are exactly the same as those in this picture.

I want to do the varnish on them but I'm not sure exactly what to use and I don't want to screw them up. If you have any thoughts on the varnish selection I'd love to hear them.

Cool history. I logged many a day around Iron Mnt. MI. BTW, I don't know squat about snowshoes, but I know what I like when I see it. And, man I like yours. Very artistic designs these older shoes. I use mine often (two pairs) and when I tried modern shoes I was NOT impressed. Heavy. Too little causing them to sink deeper in snow. UGLY...oh yeah, and too pricey for my tastes.

Longcruise--I have one pair I bought as a kid in the early 1960s that are heavily worn while live trapping bobcats, and on the ranch, and still often used. They are the long Alaskan trail model, like Cobra's picture above. In the powdered snow in Idaho, I like them the longer the better and as much upturn in the nose as I can get. I have used spar varnish on mine since day one. After a rough winter it often took three coats spread out over several days to varnish them up, especially the rawhide. Hard crusted spring snow is pretty tough on them, but my oldest pair still looks darn near new.

There may be better stuff out there than spar varnish, especially now, and a second or third opinion would be good for your webs with a great history with personal attachment.

My family has used the aluminum snowshoes that are quite a fad right now, but only my wife and a daughter like them. My sons and grandsons and I believe they are too small for most deep snow conditions, but then we run towards the XL body size. Also, google Ben's Backwoods and look in his menu for "snowshoes"; under it will be lamp wick used for making simple bindings that work. The simpler the binding, the better I like them. Snow Seal has been the go-to for my leather bindings over the years and helps keep them from stretching, and remain pliable. I also weave a pair 72" heavy leather boot laces through the outside webbing for emergency repairs/bindings. I've had to use them a couple of times and it was good insurance. You guys/gals have fun in the snow this winter!

My Ojibwa S shoes that were recommended by RL above. I use the Bob Maki binding. TLM

BearPaws...err BearClaw Chris Lapp??

I use to play tennis in my younger years. We got an early winter snow dump one year, I turned matching tennis rackets into snow shoes. That was the longest hike to the farmer's junk pile that i ever took. I bet those tennis rackets are still in there. I have had both the big traditional ones and now a smaller aluminum frame version. Most of the time the smaller modern ones worked better for me so I sold the traditional. The I live out east i found that cross country skis would cover more distance even easier, then changed to the ultra light snow shoes when I got to where I wanted to hunt. Not a fan of the snowmobile short cut, on Iowa state land they are not allowed.

These shoes are a couple of years-old. They were the pair I flipped off of a beaver dam with. Had a brutal time getting the rubber bindings off so I could get out of the water. Between hunting, trapping, and surveying deer yards, I put a lot of rough miles on my shoes. I tried the modern shoes but never got more than a few weeks out of them. The plastic would snap when it got subzero. Took a pair back 3 times before they refused to replace them. They were squeaky too.

These are my new shoes I picked up for mainly bowhunting. Very quiet and maneuverable, and made by disabled vets in Maine. My 12 year old granddaughter traps with me and is eyeballing them, so I may have to buy another pair.

lawdy,

Those bindings look like Marc's Snowshoe Harness, Marc Deschene, 16 Summer Ave. Fort Kent, Me 0474, 207-834-6643, [email protected]

As a user I can agree that they are the finest bindings I own. The stiffness of the UHMW polyethylene hoop provides an exceptional control of turning the shoes.

I used them as a model for my granddaughters snowshoe bindings. I used PVC instead and they work as well for her.

When we have at least six inches of snow, I break trail around our 3D course. Then if the snow deepens, I am one of three at the club enjoying winter outdoor shooting.

There are also Primitive Snowshoe Biathlons, where muzzle loaders are used at stations on the course. Each good target hit deducts five minutes of the shooters time to traverse the course. https://www.svtpb.org/

Here are some old Lunds (stamped 1943) old mountain division snowshoes. I picked up a few summers back at a garage sale ( super cheap--$35), I put some super A bindings on them. Couple of coats of fresh varnish. Valspar Poly, Spar varnish and the like will work just fine.....old leather in good condition will still soak up a lot of varnish, several coats, wear off the varnish not the materials. Also have some Iverson's, Ojibwa from a kit, couple of aluminum with decking snowshoes...just wish we would have a little better snow in my location these last few years....I don't get out like I used to....

Wild Bill, you are right, they are Marc’s bindings. I talked with him a while back and they have a ton of lynx up there. Heard of him and his bindings through a buddy I went to school with who lives in Fort Kent.

I have a question for you guys in Northern climates? Are they hard to walk in? Do you have to adapt to a special gait to walk in them? Not much call for them down here.

In my neck-of-the-woods -Interior Alaska - most of the time I'm up high when in need of snowshoes, and that means windblown snow. Forced to use aluminum with cleats.

76Aggie, the narrow shoes, like my granddaughter’s Green Mountain style are easy to walk in, very natural. The bear paws I use are easy fo me as I have long legs. The binding is important as the shoe tip should lift as you lift your leg to take a step. You develop a gait but I think it pretty much turns into your normal walking gait with a slightly higher knee lift. Deep wet snow can be tough, but it beats trying to walk without them. I let an arrow go on a buck years ago. No blood, found my arrow, and headed back to the house. I got home, took the arrow out of the quiver in order to resharpen it and found a thin red streak on the head. It was dark with 2 feet of snow and I put my shoes on and went back with a daypack and a headlamp. About 100 yards from where I stopped following the deer I found a drop of blood. It was clear and very cold so I decided to wait until dawn. The next morning I took the track, and after a half mile or so, found the deer’s bed with blood. It was a leg muscle hit. I pushed on and jumped the buck out of his bed. Very close but no shot. That opened the wound and I stayed on him jumping him 4 more times. At 4 in the afternoon I was just about spent when I looked up and he rose slowly, 30 feet away, and I got another arrow into him. He slumped back into his bed, dead. I took a compass reading and dragged him out almost to a woods road, hitched a ride, and went back to get him. I was 5 miles from my house. My legs wouldn’t take that now I fear. Snow took its toll on that buck, and being pushed kept the leg hit bleeding, but I had the advantage with my snowshoes, Without snow to track, that deer would have been coyote bait. That is why I mainly wait and hunt late season even though I have to compete with rifle season.

I think the best blend of Old and New technology that I am seeing in snow shoes is the kits (I think they were Iverson’s) which include the traditional Ash frames but use the outer sheathing of some white paracord in place of the rawhide.

I’m kind of curious if Ron’s Shrew shoes might be done the same way…. Mouse-proof, rod-proof, but they still look real good. And it really IS hard to beat a long pair of snowshoes for float.

XC skis have their up-sides, but shoes are easier without poles...

Kind of a moot point around here though… We’ve only had measurable snowfall once so far this year here in “chilly old New England“...

No snow in Conn. GF? Wow, come up here and take some of ours, though you, and us too, could get hammered Sunday. We have very little frost in the ground with the deep snow cover, while my brother in Southern, NH, has 3-4 feet of frost, but little snow.

Frost?? What’s that??

I celebrated New Year’s Day by planting 2 spruces and a coupla blueberry bushes out in the yard!

We did have some pretty cool ice formations in the low spots at the club over the weekend, though....

I've used my Iverson Trail 10x56" snowshoes to hike the 13 miles to access my cabin in the U.P.

Sorry, but I don't know how to turn that around.

The kit I have came from snowshoe dot com.

I've made the Ojibwa for me and some green mountain bearpaw for my brother.

If you get the kit don't sand the frames...my wife and mother in law sanded the frames supper smooth, their snowshoes glide and slip too much, no bottom edge to help bite the snow.

I put a a cleat on the bottom of the green mountains. Don't know if my brother has ever used them or still has them? He lost vision in one eye and has a tore up ankle so snowshoeing isn't too high on his weekend list anymore.

Maybe the picture is right side up now?

mjh, I've seen people wrap some cord around the frame along the left and right sides to increase grip. I'd varnish or polyurethane it when the weather allows to keep out moisture.

GF, Paracord webbing on ash frames? That's like hooking a worm on a fly rod... just teasing friend. Neoprene works well because snow does not stick to it and it stays flexible. There is a shop in Maine that uses 1/8" nylon tubing, when it is coated it looks like rawhide.

I contacted GV Snowshoes in Canada once to get some rawhide for a repair but they were out. They said they receive one shipment a year from China and it was gone. I soaked a rawhide dog chew (from China) and was able to cut it with scissors. I wrapped it snugly around the tails of a pair and let it dry. It worked well to prevent abrasion.

Nice 'shoe pictures.

Thanks Lawdy.

Thanks Gray Goose Shaft

Bindings. That's the Achilles heel of older trad snowshoes. I have the rubber bindings on one pair and they are a B*tch to get on/off. Falling into water with those- forget it. Better have your affairs in order. I have some ideas from Youtube but haven't gotten around to making a change. Many years ago I was swept under wearing chest waders (river fishing) and barely escaped. The thought of that sends a chill.

“There is a shop in Maine that uses 1/8" nylon tubing, when it is coated it looks like rawhide.”

That’s the stuff I was talking about.

Cobra is correct (IMO) with respect to bindings - not many options with a quick- release, but that seems to apply to the modern versions as well....

But it’s as John Geirach once said of bunny-hunting the long, cold season... there’s something satisfying about taking care of yourself under circumstances in which some care must be taken.

JMO, snowshoes and moving water don’t mix. I’ve gone through a bunch of times, and there’s nothing for it but to dive for high ground and something to hang onto. Fortunately, I never went in past my knees, because that was the year I learned to tell the temperature by how quickly ice would form in the beard/moustache/eyelashes....

It was “invigorating” 30+ years ago, but sounds dumb as hell to me now!! You might be moving along what you think of as a slow-moving stream, but wherever you fall through will just happen to be the fastest-flowing stretch that it has to offer.

Dear Ron, Is that Bearclaw flanking ya?

Dear Ron, Is that Bearclaw flanking ya?

I'm going to check out those bindings as well, need replacements on my old traditional shoes. Any other suggestions or words of wisdom from more experienced users?

Not the best picture but here is a pair I made and used in the Selfbow class in our Club's annual Snowshoe Shoot last year.

Another picture

These surplus shoes are one of my favorites. not pretty but they work very well

A few more

These originally belonged to my Mentor who got me into Traditional Archery. He has since passed on but every time I use them I think of him

I like those bear paws Two Fletch. Very maneuverable in our woods.

We are going to get a predicted 18” tomorrow. I just uncovered and reset my traps yesterday and pulled most of them. Managed to get snapped by a #2. That wakes you up. Looks like I will be repacking my trails. Will take the longbow and see if I can catch a hare waiting out the storm. No better time to be in the woods than in a snow storm.

Yeah, I kinda wish we’d gotten some last night. I had half a mind to go scour some public land for small game....

lawdy, wish I could experience this one just to your west but we're expecting up to 12" here at home so have to stay and take care of it. My grandson and friend are at the cabin this w/e for a little ice fishing and I hope a lot of shoveling.

I have aluminum frame shoes up there but this thread has me thinking about traditional ones that will look nice hanging by the old oak cross country skis when not being used. Would bear paws be the best all around style for our area?

I use bear paws because trapping and hare hunting, I am in a lot of blowdowns and brush. The biologists up here use Green Mountain shoes. Longer and narrower. Those are a great all-around shoe. My brother loves his. If you google Coos Canoe ands Snowshoe in Lancaster, NH, telephone-603-788-2019, he makes a great trad snowshoe and is a wealth of knowledge. He uses rawhide for webbing. My wife has a pair he rewebbed. A lifetime shoe for a moderate user. His furniture and canoes are works of art.

TwoFletch that is a great collection and it looks as though they are still all in service. I use my Huron style with the old leather bindings because they are still very supple.

These Alaskan style snowshoes are on the wall of my shop. I got them from Bob Munger who wore them when he accompanied Fred Bear on his Polar Bear hunt.

He told me the story that Fred wounded the bear with his first shot and it charged them. Bob was behind Fred with a camera. He told me he literally craped his pants while Fred stood his ground and shot another arrow at the charging bear. The guide dropped the bear with a rifle within feet of them.

The last time I talked to Fred which was the summer before he died, I relayed the story that Munger had told me and Fred confirmed it was true. Then with a far away look in his eyes he said, "Boy I remember that day"

I used the shoes for many years on my winter trapline and once on a Bobcat hunt with hounds in northern Michigan. Now they're retired on my wall.

Definitely needing snowshoes today. 14 inches and still snowing

My beagle’s dog house. Nothing is moving as the highway is totally snow covered. Time to grab the bow and go check the traps I didn’t pull yesterday. They are predicting heavy winds this afternoon and temps below zero, so I will hold off plowing.

Two Fletch I see you are using lamp wicking on several of your pairs. I like the lamp wicking with traditional mukluks but for other footwear not so much. Do you use mukluks much or other kinds of boots?

I was taught abought lamp wick for snowshoe bindings almost 50 years ago from an old trapping partner that used it in the 30's

He said it was used because it held your feey snuggly and didn't freeze

Ron; that's a fantastic story and a real bit of history.

That still shot of Fred drawn down on that polar bear is unreal! Thanks for sharing a cool story Ron.

I remember seeing Fred shoot a polar bear on American Sportsman. It was probably this one. He used an aluminum arrow and when he retrieved it there was more bend in it than his bow. Don't think aluminum was popular yet so that was unusual to see an arrow from a kill looking like that.

I tried snowshoeing last week up at our club's 3d course. What a pain in the ass!

‘Tis not for the Faint of Heart!

When I was doing it all day, every day in sub-zero temps… I was also eating a family pack of chicken quarters for dinner every night, with about a half a bottle of barbecue sauce drizzled over the top.... and a dozen biscuits.... and a can of corn or something like that... washed down with what clearly qualifies (in retrospect!) as an unhealthy quantity of cheap beer....

Backcountry, you're not supposed to pick the back end of the shoes up that high!

Been really sick for two weeks, so hunting was out of the question. Went out today with my beagle and it was hell. Six feet of snow in the swamps and every step was a drop of 2-3 feet on snowshoes. My beagle ran but really struggled with the crust and deep snow. The hare ran up to me and stopped but I let him go. After taking three flops in that deep snow, no way I was going to haul him out along with a leashed dog plus my longbow. He is pretty tired in this photo. We have a foot coming Wednesday, Whoopi.

So thaaaat's what my problem was! There was about 3 feet of snow and I was sinking in a foot deep if I got off the trail. Guess I need bigger shoes?

Depends if the snow has settled. Bigger shoes do help, but in a hare swamp with thick brush and alders, maneuverability helps. I use 30”x14” bear paws. To break trail on my trap line, I use a modified Alaskan shoe.

Yes, settled snow--wet and heavy. I was post-holing. Which, in case anyone wants to know, isn't as much fun as it sounds!

For really deep snow my special ordered Iverson shoes are 13" X 65"

Mine aren't real traditional I guess by do the job. They're military surplus and have a titanium frame. You can find them cheap and they work well.

Kodiak, we have those exact shoes for my fire department. They do work well. We got them for $5 a pair. Ron’s Iversons are what I needed yesterday.

Man $5. ???!!!

I think I paid $30 but replaced the original crap bindings. Worthless.

The Sportsmens Guide has U.S. Military issue magnesium snowshoes for $60

Life is too short to use cheap snowshoes.... 8>)

My wooden shoes cost $185 for each pair. I buy a pair in the Spring. Both pairs were $235 but the store took fifty bucks off. I hit yard sales too. Right now we have 9 pairs.

Dec late archery deer in VT. It had rained on the weekend and then the top froze by the time I got up there. Snow was too deep up high so I checked out a lower parcel. A guy had snowshoed in when it was wet and then it froze. I walked in on top of his trail. A deer decided to do the same. Of course the hare had his own shoes.

I have lead on a pair of Viking Green Mountains 35x10 I'm considering. I saw there was a Viking Snowshoes in Cadillac MI but these are marked Viking Chicago and made in Canada. Anyone know of this company?

Yeah I now older thread . Had a set I used on an off for 30 years plus . The name escapes me however I do remember they said on them " Made in Canada imported to Colorado " on them . The where long classic designs. A gent gave me good money for them , he wanted them for His restaurant in Colorado. Anyhow I now own and here and there use a pair of 36 inch Tubbs Mountaineer. I got them new for a super price . I ordered the 36 inches also because some people by like the higher end MSR which are awesome but then buy the 65 dollar rear tail hook on for them . So they end up having near 450 in them . I 'am not a trapper . So @ 196 out the door the Mountaineer been a good quality set for me . I do miss looking @ my old TRAD snowshoes, but dang it was too good an offer to pass up.

You can buy kits from a number of outfits; I think I’d go for the Risdon Rigs 9”x46” Alaskan, as that’s what I used back in my heyday. Most of the kits use basically the sheath from paracord instead of rawhide, so they won’t get gnawed on and they can’t rot. Other wood-framed shoes use strips of “leather”-colored neoprene, which tends to get scraggly-looking with use as the fibers in the neoprene start to fray, like woven fabric when it starts coming apart…

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