Anybody near Craig, CO have snowshoes or a sled I can borrow tomorrow (8 Jan 2020)?

[COEngineer]

My son drew an RFW tag for a "guided hunt." We met the guide this afternoon...it's the same guide for all 33 hunters. He pointed to a spot on the map and said, "Good luck." "Do you have snowshoes?" No. Shrug.
We haven't been out there yet, so I'm not sure how critical snowshoes will be, but he made it sound like we might need them.

 

[elkduds]

Good luck. I took my nephew on one of those RFW youth hunts some years ago north and west of Craig. Wide open sagebrush hills, big herds, 200 yd was closest he got. Many elk expired that day, including nephew's first taken w the same Remington model 721 30-06 my dad, his Grandpa, used for his 1st elk, 30 years earlier. I got my 1st elk w it as well, 15 years before my nephew's hunt pictured.

Watch for deer on the roads! The white truck below, driven by our guide w nephew and I inside, killed deer on Hwy 40 in 2 separate locations and barely missed several others on the ride back to town from the hunting area after dark.


I'd be happy to loan you a sled, 2 pair of snowshoes and ski poles, but they are in my shed in CO Springs.

 

[wytex]

You should be able to rent some in Steamboat. A sled would not be terribly expensive either, maybe look at a fishing shop- ice fishing. Even a cheap sledding type would work- Walmart.

 

[COEngineer]

You should be able to rent some in Steamboat. A sled would not be terribly expensive either, maybe look at a fishing shop- ice fishing. Even a cheap sledding type would work- Walmart.

Yea, we tried Walmart - we walked the entire store and then asked an employee. The only sleds they have are the heavy-duty ($70) sled that could be pulled by an ATV. They look nice, but for single use, that's pretty steep. Murdoch's has the same brand in different sizes, smallest one being $90.

 

[Sandbrew]

Which RFW? I was at Bord Gulch NW of Craig and the snow was snowshoe deep in places for sure if you planned to get off the roads. Saw lots of elk but my nephew wasn't quick enough.

Amazon Prime a sled to yourself in Craig might be an option? This sled is GREAT hauled out tons of elk on it over the years. ESP 66" Family Fun Toboggan - Four Rider Sled $45

Rentals here for showshoes- https://skihaussteamboat.com/winter-rental-rates/

Sandbrew

 

[COEngineer]

Even with 2 day delivery, it will be too late. We only have 2 days to hunt - son has to head back to school this weekend and I can't miss too much work. I made the bad assumption that at a fair number of the tag holders wouldn't even get here until Fri or Sat, but seems like quite a few of them showed up even earlier than we did.

We went out this morning and the snow is calf to knee deep. Pretty slow going w/o snowshoes, but no one has seen any elk yet, so I'm pretty sure the end result would be the same so far. Heading back out soon to keep after it.

 

[Muskeez]

Keep at it! Hope it ends with a good overall experience for the youngster whether he shoots one or not.

 

[elkduds]

Postholing is misery and can be bad for knees. It is half as hard if the stronger person breaks the trail and the other follows in his footsteps. The leader should take the same size steps as the follower normally takes, or even a little shorter steps. If you and son are equal in strength and stamina, take turns as trailbreaker. Good luck!

 

[Bigjay73]

Most ski places rent them as does REI. Nothing close to where you are?

 

[Deleted member 28227]

Snowshoeing

Snowshoes allow you to get to areas even the most experienced skier cannot reach. Enjoy the outdoors Steamboat Springs has to offer on snowshoe.

www.steamboat.com

 

[wytex]

Postholing is misery and can be bad for knees. It is half as hard if the stronger person breaks the trail and the other follows in his footsteps. The leader should take the same size steps as the follower normally takes, or even a little shorter steps. If you and son are equal in strength and stamina, take turns as trailbreaker. Good luck!

That's the truth. Did it for miles on my cow bison hunt. Next 2 days walking was an issue,hip flexors didn't respond well. Snowshoes were a game changer in getting my cow. Even in our dry snow they really help.

Hoping for a successful update.