Boots for Elk Hunting?

[DIDIHITIT?]

I've had good luck with Lowa. Danners are junk. Keens are junk. Gore tex or nothing. Kennetreks are great!

 

[amyjune]

+1 for Salomon...

 

[mewaters2002]

Sorel Caribou with 1/2 inch wool liners (and a second pair of liners). Never a blister hunting the mountains of Idaho and feet always warm. I trade liners each day while the others dry. If you are in snow or hiking steep mountainous terrain the Sorel boots are hard to beat. Apply SnoSeal to the leather to waterproof.

 

[Backcountry sports]

I've had good luck with Lowa. Danners are junk. Keens are junk. Gore tex or nothing. Kennetreks are great!

Dangers are great boots just use kennatrec socks used 10 years no issues

 

[Rhino Hunter]

I've had good luck with Lowa. Danners are junk. Keens are junk. Gore tex or nothing. Kennetreks are great!

I agree to a point. Lowa's I like! The "old" Danners were great, but the quality has deteriorated over time while trying to lower cost. Lowa's, Kennetrek's and Crispi's are on my radar for my next boot purchase.

 

[pahuntnut]

I am going elk hunting later this year out west, and I need some good boots for walking that are comfortable and waterproof. Also, they probably need to be 700 to 1,000 thinsulate. Thanks for all the info!

One thing to remember is the more insulation thats packed into a boot the stiffer it is. If your not going to be stationary then you wont need that kind of insulation.

 

[DJ Morrison]

I am a Kennetreks fan. Had Danner hiking boots for early hunts including archery, Were not too bad until i had a load on hiking side hills, and ripped out the whole side of the boot. They were 3 weeks old. Returned to Danner and replaced, but turned to Kennetreks, and never looked back!! The same pair has been, sheep, goat, elk, and moose hunting...Not so good for pheasant, though...

 

[Rick Richard]

One thing to remember is the more insulation thats packed into a boot the stiffer it is. If your not going to be stationary then you wont need that kind of insulation.

I agree. My Kenetreks are uninsulated and I find them VERY warm while elk hunting during the fall/early winter.

 

[7magcreedmoor]

I worked and played in Danners for years. Then I found Kenetrek and don't wear anything else. Mountain Extreme 400 as my main hunting boot, pacs for extreme cold.

 

[org57]

I have a pair of "ITASCA" camo boots, size 11, with 800 thinsulate rating. used twice, that I will sell for $40, and other hunting clother and universal orange vest (new).

 

[Braunschweiger]

I went with Crispi Titan GTX boots and I'm very happy with them. I bought exact matching pair of un-insulated and 400gr insulation. Wore the 400gr boots this past week coyote hunting here in Missouri. Up and down hills, rocks, creeks, mud... feet felt warm, dry, and most of all... comfortable. Would've expected there to be some blisters after walking probably about 5 miles over the course of the day but there wasn't. I was wearing First Lite wool socks this trip.

 

[Bingoc]

We all have different opinions regarding our experience with boots as with everything else we use especially for our outdoor activities. And all our feet are different as is how we walk and how much load we can carry. I have had many of the above mentioned boots for the decades that I have been hunting and backpacking the mountains of Idaho, Washington, Montana etc. The one brand of boot that I prefer for the extended hunting trips in mountain terrain that has not failed me for the past 6 years is the 10 inch Crispi. The next brand that I like are the Kennetreks, but I have found that they are a little stiff and have taken a lot of time to break-in for me. I have Danners that separated at the sole.
Since I also hunt coyotes and upland gave, I use different boots for that. I always use a liner with a good wool sock. I don' t like too much insulation, if any. This is all a personal preference that comes with experience. I always carry an extra pair of both socks even on day hikes. Whatever it takes, try the boots out in the store with your socks for as long as you can before you buy and go up and down stairs. When that is not possible, get a written authorization or discuss the return policy so that you have a trial period and walk daily everywhere you can to insure your feet are comfortable. At times I walked so much in the house because I did not wan to show wear on the soles that my wife though I would wear out the carpet. I have spent a lot of time on this because if there is one piece of equipment that can ruin a hunt it's a pair of boots that gives you blisters. Good luck!

 

[lancetkenyon]

Late season AZ high country elk (-4° to 50°), I wear my Solomon Quest 4D GTX with medium weight wool socks. They are plenty warm for all but the longest snowy glassing hours. Anything over a 2 hour sit, I switch to my Irish Setter 400g Elk Trackers.

 

[WahooYahoo]

I tried several of the middle tier boots. I could give lots of opinions but as someone previously said, every time I put my feet in my Kenetrek Mountain Extremes, I smile. They're expensive but they're worth it. That said, I haven't tried Lathrop & Sons, or some others in the top tier.