Generic question here, and mind you we are from TX so not used to cold basically.

Wife and I have never hunted in snow, but where thinking of high top Schnees of some kind. Insulated of course, but using a 16-18 inch tall boot would preclude having to wear gaiters also...

Any thoughts along this line.... How much insulation would someone from our climate want? I"m betting generally talking zero and up but walking through snow...

Don't want a pack boot so much due to weight as we do take on backpack type jaunts here and there.

Thanks for input.

Jeff

Jeff,

Not sure what your budget is.......I hunt the Adirondack Mountains in Meindl's Perfekt Hunters. We hunt in snow quite a bit, took them on an elk hunt to Montana as well. The outfitter in Montana was impressed that a "flatlander" had such good boots! Although the Meindl's are a leather boot my feet are never cold, or wet. My shoes size is a 12, I ordered the Meindl's in 13 for the thicker socks. They are a great mountain boot as well. Hope this helps!

All of my boots are the standard mountaineering/back packing boots that come over the ankle with protective cups. None of them are any higher than that.
I've used all of them in the snow. After all, I live just a few miles from mountains that are covered with snow much of the year.
I've used higher topped boots in the past. No more for me. Gaitors are far more practical in many ways. Much lighter and more flexible, keeps the lower legs warm, keeps snow out of the boot tops, etc.
When I hunt elk, I have done so for the whole season and usually the extended season. In Montana, that can mean temperatures down to -20 or more and a daytime high in the 20's. That has meant lots of climbing at 6500 to over 9000 ft., often every day I hunt. It can means a couple of hours of sitting while glassing. It can mean moving very slowly in very dense cold forests.
The one thing I haven't seen much of is deep, soft snow that requires the use of snowshoes. But that's on the east side of the Rocky's for the most part. It can happen from what the locals tell me. So i make sure I have mine.
One thing I have found so useful I will not leave camp w/o them are light weight Kahtoola Crampons. They have short teeth and all of them point down. Which means they aren't designed for climbing very steep slopes of ice. E

In 40+ years I have never found a pair of leather boots that were water proof.Even the so called gore tex lined.So first throw that idea out.I assume you are talking about a goodly amount of snow,and not a skiff.

I remember one year,I bought an expensive pair of Mendel boots ,gore tex lined for a goat hunt. The second day they were soaked through while packing my goat back down to the truck.I would have been miserable if I had to hunt several more days in those wet boots.

Next are the different kinds of packs.Schnees, sorels ,etc.Sorels keep my feet warmer than the Schnees I have but the Schnees a remore comfortable.The idea of buying them over sized in order to wear more socks gets you a boot that feels like a canoe on your foot. Buy them so a good wool sock with a poly liner will fit ,but not tightly.Then use the chemical toe warmers. When hiking ,lace them up tight.When sitting , loosen them up.

Anything more than 10" of snow,you won't be wlaking far anyhow.Anything less than say 6" about any boot will with do gaiters as long as it isn't wet wet snow.

Even with my packs ,I wear fleece gaiters as they come up to my knees and also keep the leather uppers of the packs dry

I really like my Schnees boots.
That being said I go out of my way to not wear pacs if I can avoid it...

I wear a 200 gram Danner super rainforest boot all winter, and unless its below 20 my feet stay warm as long as Im moving around.

A 400 gram boot would be a good compromise. Enough to keep your feet pretty warm when your glassing yet not too hot to make your feet sweat like crazy when your hiking.

If you find that you have "cold feet" maybe 600 gram...

+1 on gaitors , insulated, and 8" ankle high hiking boots ( 200-400 grams max) I loose to much mobility with 16" pac boots. Schnees are great boots if I was jut sitting all day, but for covering a lot of ground they slow me down.

Good info, not what I thought, but good so far.

I have good boots now, just wanted something better. Can't think of the name right now, but some German boot. WIfe wears Danner Pronghorns and likes them.

Maybe its just wear what we have but get the best gaiters we can then.

Thanks, Jeff

I carry a pair of toe warmers if it gets real cold (-15/20) they are good for 6 to 8 hours, and a heck of a lot lighter than pac boots.

For the past 35 or so years, my favorite boot for elk, or any other hunting in deep snow has been a pair of insulated LaCrosse pacs with 10" leather uppers and "air bob" soles. They're like Schnees but half the price. I'll also wear a quiet gaitor over them.

They're small enough to fit in a stirrup and not too bulky for walking. I've worn them on many November deer and elk hunts and was wearing them when I shot my first Bighorn ram and when I shot my Mountain goat when it was -15* F with 2-3' of snow.

saddlesore,

I'm surprised at your bad luck with gore tex lined leather boots. I've had a couple pair of Rocky's that are not an expensive boot and I have never had wet feet unless water ran over the top. For a few hours in the snow they work fine.

For extended trips in the snow, I like pacs, especially if it gets really cold. I carry an extra set of liners, so I can change them each day. It allows accumulated perspiration to dry so you can start each day with a completely dry liner.