Night sounds of the forest, cozy crackle of a fire and sparks flying up to the starry sky… Perhaps there is not a single person who will not be touched by such a picture. The romance of distant wanderings, h alts with overnight stays in the wilderness, hermits in the taiga, hunters, fishing huts, many in childhood read adventure novels that tell about this way of life. But there are many people for whom such romance is an integral part of their everyday life. Geologists, fishermen, commercial hunters. It is about such fishermen and how they live in the taiga that will be discussed further.
Life in the taiga
Of course, life and work in the taiga is not just about romantic moments. This is hard, daily work, and there is very little time left for romance. Nevertheless, a person needs rest from time to time. Eat, sleep, and if we are talking about the rainy season or winter, which is very severe in the Siberian taiga? You need somewhere to dry off, warm up, cook food. After all, you won’t clear the site every time for a fire.deep snow. Yes, and supplies need to be stored somewhere, and for this you need a dugout or a hut in the taiga, the photo of which is presented in this article.
Dugout
The easiest and fastest solution would be to build a dugout. Yes, the equipment of such a shelter does not require much time, any special skills and significant efforts. It is also warm enough. But there are many downsides as well. In such a shelter it is dark, damp and it is quite problematic to equip a normal stove for heating. The dugout is more suitable for a temporary shelter. After all, a fisherman bypassing his site will often need places to sleep. Moreover, the area of the site can be of such size that a complete detour will last not one day or two, but a week or more. In this case, temporary dugouts are arranged at a distance of a day's march. Well, as the main dwelling, a real taiga dweller will definitely build a log cabin in the taiga.
Taiga hut
There is no point in arguing about the advantages of a log cabin as a winter hut. It will perfectly protect from autumn slush and winter cold. It is dry, warm, light and definitely more comfortable and cozy than in a dugout. In addition, a wooden hut will serve not only as protection from weather conditions, but also from wild animals. In general, both a hunter-fisherman and an ordinary hermit who has chosen unity with nature as the main housing instead of human fuss, and any sane person will prefer a log building.
Before building a hut in the taiga
Before you start cutting trees and building a log house, you should not forget that any land has its own owner. And if you don’t want to find the ashes some time after returning to the hut, or even be detained and fined as a load, you first need to meet with this owner and get permission to cut down the forest and build a hut. It can be any hunting economy, forestry or similar organization. Better to be in trouble with the law.
Choosing a seat
So, permission has been received, and the next step is to choose a place for future construction. It is desirable that it be a small clearing near a reservoir or at least some source of water. If such a clearing could not be found, then you will have to independently clear a place for construction. Felled trees will immediately come in handy as building material, and knots and branches will be used for firewood. You will have to suffer a little with the stumps left after cutting down, but no one in their right mind will manually uproot the stumps. Better to burn them. You also need to take into account the fact that there are no tall and dry trees close to the hunting hut in the taiga, since they can fall from a strong wind and overwhelm the building. We must not forget that it is impossible to build a hut in a lowland due to dampness and possible flooding. It is not necessary to build a building on a bare hill, because due to its being blown by cold winds there will be a problem with heat saving. And in general, taiga housing, if it does not have to be carefully disguised, thenmore or less hide it from prying eyes is worth it. And you never know, different people can roam the taiga.
Selection of trees for construction
Usually the construction of huts in the taiga comes from coniferous trees. Of course, larch would be more suitable, since it rots much more slowly than conifers, but it still needs to be found in sufficient quantities. In extreme cases, lay out the first crown from deciduous trees, and then continue with conifers. Cedar is also perfect for this purpose, since in a hut with cedar walls the air has a healing effect. No need to choose very thick trees. It will be quite enough logs with a thickness of fifteen to twenty-five centimeters. Practice shows that a raw pine log up to 25 cm thick and up to 4 m long will weigh about 120 kg. And since you will not lift the whole log, but only one of its edges, then such a weight will be quite feasible for an adult and he althy man. If, nevertheless, such a weight seems heavy, you can choose thinner trees. Of course, in this case, you will need more of them.
Laying the log house
So, let's start laying the log cabin of the future hut in the taiga. The first crown can be placed immediately on the ground, but it will be much more reliable to dig a recess of about fifty centimeters around the perimeter, and fill it with medium-sized stones for two-thirds. The stones are to be rammed, and the first crown is already laid on top. For the first 2-3 crowns, it is better to use thicker logs. Before laying the log you needclear of bark. There are several ways to stack logs. The most famous are cutting in a paw, in a bowl and in half a tree. The easiest way to build a hut in the taiga is cutting down half a tree. In this case, the grooves in the logs are not made at the corners, but the floor of the log is simply removed, and the trunk treated in the same way is placed on top. Here you can also drill a hole in the logs and additionally secure them with a wooden spike. Cutting into a bowl looks a little more complicated. In this case, a transverse hollow is hollowed out in the upper log, with which it lies across the lower log. If desired, here you can also strengthen the logs with spikes, but this is not so necessary, since the crowns themselves turn out to be well fixed. Well, the last way is cutting in the paw. This is the most difficult method and without some carpentry training, a beginner will not be able to do it. By the way, in places where there will be windows and a door, despite the longitudinal hollow in the logs, it is imperative to strengthen the joints with wooden spikes. Since in most cases hunting lodges are built from raw wood, in order to avoid significant deformation of the walls after drying, it is desirable, despite the type of log house, to additionally strengthen the logs with spikes. Well, the walls are more or less clear. But there are also windows, doors, floor, ceiling and roof. Building a hut in the taiga without boards is possible, but it will no longer be quite a hut. And where in the forest can I get boards? Do not carry with you. I'll have to make them myself.
Making boards
Of course, count on even andrelatively smooth boards that are made at sawmills, we do not have to. Nevertheless, the product is quite similar to them and which is not ashamed to be called a board, we are quite capable of making it. All that is required for this is only a sharp ax, and for greater convenience, you can make a wooden sledgehammer. It is necessary to choose a tree that is straight, without large knots and twists of the trunk, cut a few wooden wedges, make a small notch at the base of the trunk and drive a wooden wedge there, gradually splitting the log along the fibers. A second incision is made nearby and a wedge is driven in again. Further, the whole deck is split into boards, or as they are called - shreds. By the way, these boards are much more durable than those made at the sawmill in the usual way, since the wood fibers are not damaged. In this way, you can provide yourself with the necessary number of boards for the construction of the roof, doors, floor and other necessary parts.
Roof
A hut in the taiga can have either a single or a double roof with an attic. Single - it is done faster and easier, but with an attic it is many times more convenient and practical. Firstly, in the hut it becomes many times warmer, and secondly, there is an additional place for storing various things, supplies. In the warm season, you can dry hay and all kinds of herbs there. The roof is made as follows. First, the ceiling is laid out from the shreds. The gaps between the boards are caulked with moss. From above, you can sprinkle it with earth or cover it with plastic wrap. Further, in front and behind the hut, two supports are attached from above, a skate is placed on them and on the sidestwo or three on each side. Then we cover the entire structure with shreds, we also caulk the cracks with moss, you don’t need to feel sorry for the moss, and on top everything is covered with plastic wrap. It is not heavy and you can take enough of it with you.
Oven
The stove is one of the most basic interior elements of a hunting hut in the taiga. It happens in two types, metal (potbelly stove) or brick. The stove can be heated both in black (without a chimney), which is extremely inconvenient, and in white - with a chimney. Installing a metal potbelly stove is quite simple and does not require any special skills. Building a brick oven is not a very simple matter, and besides, you first need to make a raw brick from clay, which can be found near the nearest reservoir. In terms of its qualities, a potbelly stove differs from a brick one in that it heats up very quickly. Accordingly, the room quickly warms up from it. But after the fire goes out, it cools down just as quickly. Therefore, you need to constantly monitor that the fire does not go out. But the brick oven, on the contrary, warms up the room not so quickly, but it also cools down much longer, as a result, the heat does not leave the room for a long time. The stove is best placed in the middle of the room. So it will warm up the hut faster and more evenly, plus it will be convenient to dry things around it. Yes, and in terms of fire protection, this accommodation option is safer. Photos of hunting huts in the taiga with and without a stove can be easily found and viewed in the article.
Mice andlarger animals
The hut should be equipped with a tightly closed door, locked from the inside to make it impossible for wild animals to freely enter. Also inside, hooks for hanging supplies should be equipped on the ceiling, since by placing them on shelves or hanging on the wall, you risk losing everything, because mice are excellent acrobats, and in this case they can easily get to the food. For catching mice, you can use one and a half liter plastic bottles. They need to be strengthened at an angle near the corner and the wall with the neck up. The mouse will certainly climb inside the bottle, but it will not be able to get out.
Unwritten rules of behavior in hunting huts
Unwritten rules have long been in effect for those who hunt in the taiga and hunting huts left unattended for a while, according to these rules, they must have a supply of firewood, s alt, matches and essentials. It is not customary to lock such houses. The door must be tightly closed, but not locked. Perhaps someday someone will be able to save their life thanks to this. Also, if you need to spend the night in such a hut, behave decently in it, as if visiting a good friend. Do not litter, be careful with other people's property. Before leaving, clean up after yourself, hang supplies from the ceiling, and if you have your own with you, do not take the master's. Refresh your wood supply. The hunter's hut in the taiga must be ready to meet the next wanderer. Also someday some traveler - taiga will take care of your house. In the taiga it is customary to help andhelp each other out.
