I hunt in the same boots I wear all day every day. In early 2012 I purchased a pair of Cabela's Meindel 5 inch light hikers. When elk season came, they got me through five days of horseback riding and hiking in thirteen inches of snow with temps ranging from near 0 to daytime highs in the low twenties.
They lasted about twenty months of 24/7 wear. This last summer I upgraded to the Cabela's Meindl 7 inch Perfekt Hiker. I have worn them about six months at work, play, and farm chores. They have excellent grip and traction on mud, snow, and ice. The waterproofing is excellent. I spent a couple hours last week at work in three inches of ice water clearing frozen roof drains. The boots did not leak a single drop of water and my feet stayed reasonably warm with a pair of standard boot socks.
The Perfect Hiker has a much thicker sole and is constructed of heavier material than was the Light Hiker. I find the arch support to be quite good and the boots are very comfortable after being broke in.
The Perfect Hiker actually took about two weeks of 16 hours daily wear to break in for me. I would not take a new pair on a hunt without wearing them continuously for a couple weeks.
I highly recommend the Perfekt Hiker. Mine show very few signs of wear. I work all day on concrete and the soles are handling it well. I expect to get at least two years of daily use from them.
