Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Hunting Boots: your preferences

I've been watching the Rose Avil channel on YouTube, and have learned a lot about boot constuction. To me, it's very interesting. It's made me rethink some of my notions about boots.

https://www.youtube.com/@RoseAnvil/videos

So, I'm curious. What's your ideal hunting boot? Brand and style. And especially, why.

I've got a lot of boots. Original Army spike protected jungle-boots, rubber-bottom LL Bean styles, calf-high Lacrosse style, low end Wolverine hiking/work boots, middle-priced Danners, high-end Danners, and some Thorogoods that could do work-boot/hunting double duty.

I tend to gravitate towards insulated, gore-tex lined boots for hunting. But sometimes I think that a really well constructed pair of non-insulated leather boots, that can be repaired, that I can waterproof myself, that is just large enough to accomodate an separate insulated liner, and which can dry properly if they do get wet inside, may be the best way to go. Other times, when I look at some cracks in the second soles I have on a pair of Danners, maybe it's best to buy a relatively inexpensive pair of boots, like my Wolverines, and just replace them when they start to fail, which is sometimes fairly soon. (The liner at the heel inside my Wolverines wore through in well under 50 wears and I've fixed it with adhesive leather heel-counter liner - so far, so good. And now they have a squeak.)

So, just wondering what your boot preference/philosophy is. Please tell me what has workd well for you, and what hasn't.

For me..


I hunt flat muddy ground. Fuggin gumbo mud.

So its rubber boots.

I wear dryshod brand ( muck style ).

I have watched some of Rose Anvil's stuff and like it, but I don't find his analysis all that applicable to hunting boots. For me those are pretty much disposable and Rose Anvil's concerns are more about long term durability and wear in a boot that gets regular care. Going through several wet/dry cycles and staying covered in mud for many days at a time with no care at all would be a regular thing for a hunting boot of mine but I don't think that is something he considers.

If Nick's gets his ND3s to me in a timely fashion maybe I will hunt in them to see how "indestructible" they really are.

I wore Naglevs on my most recent hunt and they did ok, but more drop in the heel than is really comfortable for me. They do seem like they will last longer than most but time will tell. I think Rose Anvil has cut those apart and said they were pretty well constructed.

To me it’s a lot about comfort and quality.

For a lot of travel I would go with Krispi boots. And get the one that fits your needs. This is the favorite, hands down.

Honorable mentions:

Schnees

For extremely cold weather or ice fishing, I pull out the military Mickey Mouse boots.


Two things to never go cheap on. Tires and boots.

No harsh, rocky terrain here in south Jersey. Just mud and sand. Muck boots work great for me. They are the most comfortable boots I've ever worn, even with my 14EEE feet!
I wear my pants legs outside of them to save the neoprene uppers in the brush and briars where I deer hunt.

For the pheasant fields, it's Red Wing Wingshooters.

I will wear Kenetrek or Zamberlan for hunts in the mountains or Schnees pacs when there’s snow on the ground.

Noit a lot of rocky terrain around here, either. So the unaggressive tread on LL Bean Maine Hunting shoes have been adequate. But there's been times I wihed I have a rubber bottomes boot with bettwe tread.

I like the Schnees. It looks like the boot liner is removable. Is that correct?

I wear Lacrosse Alphaburly’s more than anything else for hunting. My other hunting/hiking boots are Keen’s. My current ice fishing boots are Sorels but most any pac will do for that since I’m not walking far in them.

hunting swamps and creek beds here in North FL. I favor Rocky snake proof, water proof high boots

I have migrated to Danner's as my cheapy promo brand boots from places like Dick's have fallen apart. I'm not too rough on boots so even the cheap ones I've had would last me 4//5 years. I now have 3 pairs of Danners and I like them all. Certain models do run narrow though, but I have narrow feet so that has never been a big deal for me.

Nothing with over 400 grams of Thinsulate. My feet don't typically get cold where I hunt.

Schnees hunter pack boots.

Warm temps - Red Wing Flexforce waterproof work boot {my everyday warm weather boot}

Cool temps - Carolina 600 gr. insulated waterproof logger {my everyday cold weather boot}

Cold temps - Danner Pronghorn 800 gr. insulated waterproof hunting boot

Freeze your balls off - Irish Setter 1200 gr. insulated waterproof hunting boot

Lowa Hunter GTX EVO Extreme for me.

I am breaking a pair of Zamberlain Sawtooths in right now. They seem nice but have only a week or so in them.

I really like my Lowa boots. I tried Krispi and Kenetrek along with the Lowas and the Lowas fit my foot the best. Try to find a place where you can test them on your feet side by side. One mistake I made was using oil on them and caused the rand to separate some but I was able to fix it.

Loving mine. I think they are the Wasatch model. Very easy to break in, I wore them on a hunt right out of the box. The rand is starting to delam a little though. But pretty much all my leather boots do this eventually.

Liner is removable and the lowers can be rebuilt/replaced by Schnees when they start to age crack.

Schnees beartooths and packers

Most quick things around the farm, basic Muck Boots. When I really want to "get after it" Lowa high tops. 8-10 years old. Just got back from the "Mother Land" after being re-soled. $140 well spent. Like someone posted above, when you have Size 14/15 W-I-D-E feet, you take advantage of what you can get. These were broke in. I put a special request in the rebuild note to use the widest last possible when they did the rebuild. The rebuilt boots are still "stiff". But the width is not an issue.

Muck boots are actually something I don't mind hiking in as long as it isn't sheep kind of country. My feet don't sweat too much and maybe that is why.
I am talking about true muck boots from Muck Boot Company, not Grundens or Xtratufs. They have plenty of ankle support. I packed a moose about a mile through typical moose swampy habitat in them this year and a caribou nearly 3 miles on North Slope tussocks. I have put ~15 miles on them in a day before without issue.

Those are my favorites to wear, most comfortable.

I have many others I use depending on the weather and terrain.

I have used Danner since I was a Marine in the late 80s and several Lacrosse boots, but I bought a set of Crispis and love them. Worth every penny.

I don't own a pair of boots designed and sold as hunting boots. I've worn a decent quality uninsulated hiking boot for years. Even in snow and temps in single digits. I wear gaiters in snow and wet conditions.

I’m liking these new Croc cowboy boots . The spurs come in handy when I’m riding a fat chick and when I’m not I can take them off so they don’t snag stuff. The holes are perfect for custom jibbitz to commemorate my conquest, kinda a record book of sorts! 😉



Unless of course you mean hunting animals, then I just wear some old cowboy boots.

10Glocks: Danner "Elk Hunters" for much of my late season (cold but not much snow) Hunting.
I use Danner "Antelope Hunters" for early season archery Elk and then Rifle Antelope seasons.
Late season deeper snow calls for my Schnees Pack-Boots with "Thinsulate" liners and rubber "hob-nails".
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

Got some Danner Sharptails for this year’s pheasant hunt. They were outstanding!

I’ve always prided myself in what I thought were quality boots. But when I bought a pair of second hand Schnee’ s bear tooth off of a member here, it was blatantly obvious I have been wrong all those years. That’s all I’ll ever buy from now on.

Crispis are my favorite
Kenetrex are a close second

For the past week it’s been Schnee’s Hunters because I’m visiting “up home” where it’s cold, wet, rough ground, and we don’t have venomous reptiles. When I’m back “down home” in the South Carolina Low Country it’s Irish Setter lace up snake boots which have proven to be very comfortable and give good support.

My feet sweat in the Mucks if I wear them all day. Learned from 24HCF, hockey liner socks, under a pair of thick Darn Tuff over the calf socks. Swap out socks and insoles each day to let them dry. Have not done 15 miles in a day. But have done 5-7 miles between 10k-12k during Colorado second rifle. More secure footing with the Lowas. But no discomfort with the Mucks.

Han Wag and Crispi’s fit right and are very comfortable!

I wear 2 pairs of Russells. a light uninsulated birdshooter and an insulated mountain boot, or Lacrosse burleys

Meindl Vakuum (Cabelas Denali) from frequent upland game and deer on the dry and/or snowy prairie to elk or deer hunting in the mountains.

I rarely hunt stationary and adjust warmth with different socks. Non-insulated boots are just fine for me w/ambient temps @ zero when I'm ambling along through cover behind the dog.

About a month ago I bought a set of Schnees Timberline while they were on sale. I'm still breaking them in, I only have about 7-8Mi on them but I believe they're also going to fulfill my needs.

When it's deep and/or wet snow I wear 13" Schnees Hunter II's.

For Ice Fishing I wear Muck Arctics.

Boots and gloves are the 2 hardest things to take/give recommendations for IMO. "Comfort" is so subjective, especially warmth.

If I have creeks to cross, I wear dryshod boots. Belleville with the liner if it's not too cold. Lacrosse 2000 gram thinsulate boots for late season cold

I used to have a dedicated "hunting boots" but most of them are uncomfortable and make my feet sweat. Then they get cold. I've been using hiking boots. They've much more comfortable than any hunting boot I had and my feet stay warmer. Combination of better ventilation and better boots period. Crispi is probably my next pair.

Early season archery, I am wearing Danners (former USMC combat) boots, Alpha burlys, Schnees and Hoffman pacs in the cold.

I got a pair of Crispi's and they have been great. The most comfortable I have had over the years.

I have two pair of Kenetrek boots. Hardscrabble hikers and mountain extreme and a pair of zamberlan.

The comfort nod goes to the zamberlan only because they are a touch wider in the toe box

Where?

What's your foot width?

Steep terrain,side-hilling? Kenetreks, for my narrow foot.

Flat land bird hunting? Danner sharptails.

Dry field duck hunt or marshy pheasant? Muck boots

Wetland duck hunting? Breathable waders.

I like her boots! 😁

Where I used to hunt, it was steep and rocky, and good tough boots were a must. I have a pair of all leather Brownings with all the bells and whistles. They have served me well. They kept me from spraining and ankle or sliding down a draw many times.

I like what's in 'em.

Where I used to hunt, it was steep and rocky, and good tough boots were a must. I have a pair of all leather Brownings with all the bells and whistles. They have served me well. They kept me from spraining and ankle or sliding down a draw many times.

You and me both!!!

For where I hunt, I like Gore-Tex lined Rocky boots. Comfortable and waterproof.

My Whites Smokejumpers are the most comfortable boot I've ever owned but the full lug sole can be a little much for flatland/upland hunting so I had a pair of Russell bird shooters built and they are great as well...... rest of the time it's flip flops or some scketcher slip ons 🤘🏻

I haven't been completely pleased with any pair of boots I've had.

I have a relatively new pair of Danner Pronghorns. I like them but the toe box is tight. I have an old pair of Danner Grouse and they wear for comfortably in the toe, but the soles are still stiff as hell. Like having 2x4s for soles. I'm not completely pleased with either of those two lasts.

My Lacrosse Alpa Burlys are comfortable but even in the cold my feet sweat like crazy. Getting them off is a chore.

My LL Bean Maine Hunting shoes are my closest to ideal for where I hunt. They run about 1 size too big. I wear a 13E. I have a pair of size 12 insulated gore-tex Maine Hunting shoes from the late 80s that I still used and that fit well but but traction on slippery ground is minimal. I have a pair uninsulated Maine Hunting Shoes. I learned not buying them a size too small will get you a pair of boots that will literally walk your socks off you feet inside the boot. And still very little traction on slippery ground.

I think I may try a pair of Schnees Hunting Boots. Looks like the soles would provide better traction than the LL Beans.

wolverines last me 10 yrs,most comfortable boot i ever bought. very light weight

$800 schnee’s

Only the best for me, walking a grand total of 35 yards to a heated, enclosed, carpeted, elevated blind.

Uhhh, huh!!!

Oh yes, smoke my cherry pipe and mumble about Christopher Hitchens excerpts in a book.

This year has been La Sportiva. The karakorum and aequilibrium lt gtx.

I do have some Zamberlan 2090 Mountain Pro EVO GTX RR boots for late season cold, snowy, mountain hunts.

I prefer mountaineering style boots over hunting specific boots.

For bird hunting I usually wear some type of Salomon hiker.

Salomon something or other hikers with Gore-tex, vary sock weight to suit temps/activity level gets me through about 95% of my time out there.

LaCrosse Alphaburly Pro 800 when I'm strictly going to be in stand and not going to see day time highs out of the teens. Great for ice fishing though.

I got some -40 Arctic Mucks I mooched off of my last job a month before turning in my retarmint pappers

Waiting now 6 years for a day cold enough to test them out.

You mean to tell me you aren't out in them sumbitches chopping ice out of tanks with Jake in January?!

Last winter I actually bought a pair of the Arctic Pro Mucks to go along with the 3 pairs of various Schnee pac boots that I never wear.

Wore the Arctic's quite a few times last winter. They're warm enough for almost the coldest weather we get.


This time of year 99% of the time it's Muckmasters(for work).

The Hunter II are on their third set of bottoms, last set unused.

I can’t tell you how much I don’t like Muck Arctic Sports anymore. You can’t feel stuff underfoot when you are still hunting or tracking, they get way too hard when you are icefishing, and they seem to leak after 3-4 uses.

As some said, boots and gloves are subjective. I had a pair of Boggs that were fantastic for what I did. Wore them out in about 5-6 years and noticed that they changed the sole to a vibram style.

Long way of saying Lacrosse Granger, Alpha Burleys, or if it if really cold, Mucks-reluctantly.

I've got an ultra-inexpensive pair of Servus PVC boots that have held up well to working around the house and general wet-woods use. I think they were like $29 and are made in the USA. Suprisingly good boots, though as basic as they come.

I have a pair of the Servus as well, and a pair of Xtratufs and a pair of LaCrosse Grange.

The LaCrosse are my favorite non insulated waterproof boots.

I’ve been wearing Kenetrek Mtn Extreme for some rougher hunting conditions. They’re comfortable with good support.

Still like my old school Danner Canadians.

🦫

I have learned for the deer stand to carry along the insulated over boots to slip on keeps me warm and I don’t have to wear huge heavy clumsy boots around all day. I have a lot of keens for regular use. Redwings have served me well. I had a pair of high Kamik snow boots, which where good until it got to 25 below, they crumbled apart. They did not stand behind their product. I have had some LaCrosse boots also, made about 10 miles from here, till they sent manufacturing overseas awhile back.

The soles on my last pair of Rocky’s crumbled like a frozen chocolate bar.

I bought a pair of insulated Irish Setters last year. So far, I have really liked them.

Zams and I have tried them all.

Crispi’s and Meindl’s for the mountains and scrub hills.

Meindl Comfort Fit Hunters for me 400 grams.

Have an old pair of Browning leather/cordura w/goretex and 800gr thinsulate that I can't let go of.
No tread left so I only wear them when doing chores in winter.
20 years old or so and the most comfy boot I've ever owned.

Thinsulate

Shirley you can’t be serious 🤣

Pair of NIB Schnees 10” pacs recently sold in the classifieds for $180.

Sweet hope

Hope they’re size 14

Just the cheapest neoprene rubber boots I can find. A cold morning around here during hunting season will be in the 20s for a few hours, so I don’t need super warm boots. More mud and water to worry about than anything else. And the cheap ones are lighter and more flexible than the more expensive Muck boots I own. If I’m just messing around, I’ll wear a pair of Redwing Moc toe boots I have or some Army Desert boots.

Vintage 1990's Rocky Cornstalkers. Pre gummy soles, of course.

The vintage Corbstalker were fine boots. Noit sure how they are now. Back in the 90s, they were very good boots

Another vote for Crispi here. Wyomings and now Valdres work great for my wide feet & suspect ankles.

I shipped in several models from blackovis.com, and sent back the ones that didn’t work.

FC

Muck

I had a pair of those Cornstalkers that the sole rotted off of, just turn soft and fell all to pieces. Money down the drain. I have a pair of 8" high leather top Goretex Rockies now of some model that I can't remember that I'll wear rarely when it's cold and wet. Usually if I'm going to be walking much I use the Danner 452 GTX Hikers. Most comfortable that I've ever found. If I'm hunting on my little scope of woods I usually just wear some of my older sneakers unless it's really wet. I'm not a big game hunter and rough terrain guy, just a flatlander mild weather squirrel hunter. I like the stiff sole on the hiking boots when the ground is rocky or has lots of stubs and exposed roots.

Up in the sierras or in Nevada for chukar, I wear a pair of Crispi boots with a very stiff sole. Especially if I am wearing a pack.
Dinking around in lowlands or just carrying a shotgun for a few hrs. I wear a pear of Rocky lace up wedge boots. Same as I wear at work.
Duck hunting the flooded rice I wear knee high rubber boots. Obviously, depends on what you're doing.

Miss them 80s Browning Kangaroos I had.

^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ yeah

My first pair that self destructed came apart with
me way out in the middle of a large maize field
hunting. Very rough walk ( hobble) back to the truck.
They replaced those with a new identical pair
that self destructed after one bow season.
They wouldn't even talk about it after that.
Must have been a major problem to see all the
online postings about the identical problem in
very different regions

Had either 3 or 4 pairs total that crumbled

Have a pair of Rocky Deerstalkers from around 2000 that the soles fell apart just like the Cornstalkers. Called Rocky but the boots were no longer made, so they sent me a new pair of soles. Had a local cobbler put the soles on and still wear the boots today.

Mine were just sitting in the closet. Being insulated I would only wear them when it turned cold and time wise they saw little use. Soles just crumbled to pieces. I had some Timberlands before them, the leather tops fell apart. They were outlasted by a cheapo Lake of the Woods set with molded on soles. I wore those to work until the soles disintegrated but the nylon and gore tex top never leaked. A friend of mine gave me a pair of Timberland mock toe shoes that he bought that didn't fit him well. I had them a short time and they started coming apart. Timberland didn't impress me much.

I had a pair of Red Wings chukka boots that I wore to work; I came home one night with all cake with mud and gravel so I left them on the back porch to dry out so that I could bash the dirt off the next day. The next day one was gone. I don't know what got it but I had to buy new boots. I bet the neighbors across the woods heard me cussin'.

She look like she could help keep you warm in a cot in a cabin in the north during a blizzard. But judging by those knees, once the elastic, slimming under garments come off, she's going to have more creases and fold than an origami winged dragon.

Chick's that fat aught to have way bigger tits than that....just saying what everyone is thinking

I had a pair of the Rocky crumble soles. They wouldn’t warranty their latent defect. No more Rocky for me.

Just got back from far western KS pheasant hunting and wore a pair of Bass Pro corduro boots. Definitely going to be looking for something more comfortable for an all day bird hunting boot.

I still wear these Danners I got in 1981. On the third set of soles.

Tony Rumore
Tromix

On those Cornstalkers, what was coming apart? They used to be Goodyear welted, and maybe they still are. Unless the welt or stitching broke, that should keep the insole and mid sole together. Was the outsole/tread coming off?

I had a pair of Cabelas snake books made by Rocky from the 90s. The lowers were constructed like athletic shows with the soles glued on. One spring I put them on and, as if they were timed together, the soles started peel off both. The adhesive holding them on just completely dried out. And that sort of construction is not worth fixing.

Those are just getting broken in. Lots of life left in those boots.

You could "hunt " barefoot in most Whitetail stands .
Here out west things are definitely different .

I was thinking she could be attractive if she lost 50 lbs.

She’s perfect like she is, beautiful woman!

Meindls for me

FWIW, we just got a Kenetrek catalog in the mail and I browsed through, lots of 20% off stuff. If I needed boots I'd order something.


Prices are coming down.

You crack me up, LBP.

Post a pic of a woman you wouldn’t smash.

Lol

🦫

The rubber sole itself was complete garbage. Just sitting in the closet they would get gummy and crack open. If you walked across the driveway all the gravel came with you. I had a friend who did boot / shoe repair. He refused to sell or repair Rocky's after that.

Wife had a pair of the Cornstalkers.
Last pair of Rocky's either of us ever owned.
The problem now is that many brands fall under the 'Rocky' umbrella[Muck being one]

Another Cornstalker hater here. In no time, half my heel was overhanging the edge of the sole. No stability whatsoever------->trash. No more Rockys for me.

The Rockys that I have now have good soles. I think that they are called Rangers. The bad sole problem SHOULD be long past. I have not bought any of their boots in a while so I can't say for certain.

I don't know if those soles that disintegrated were Vibram or some other manufacturer but they deteriorated in no time with or without use. Just bad chemically.