My pair of hunting boots are Danner pronghorn 400 gram. I bought them when I lived in Alaska and have been using them for hunting for ahout 8 years now. They are my dedicated hunting boots and that is the only time I wear them. So far I've hunted with them in tempatures from single digits to 70 degrees. I use medium weight merino wool socks and when when it gets cold I'll add a pair of sock liners.

So far these have worked out well in all the conditions that I've hunted in. Wet, cold, rain, light snow - everything. The one absolute most important feature is that they fit "my" feet perfectly. I trimmed the footbed inserts with my dremel tool to get rid of a couple of tight points when they were new and have never had a problem since. I can lace them up tight and my feet don't move around in them and I've never gotten a blister. I typically walk four, five or six miles a day when hunting and my feet have never bothered me.

With all that being said I too have been thinking about a more appropriate pair of boots for real cold weather and snow. One thing that was mentioned earlier that I agree with is when the snow starts getting more than a foot or so deep, walking becomes rather limited unless you are extrodinary physical person. I spent enough time in Alaska snowmobiling to have found this out from experience.

The features I'll be looking for in a cold snowy weather hunting boot are as follows. An eight inch hunting boot with a codura exterior and maybe 600 grams of insulation. A sole that provides good traction. Gore tex liner. And absolutely the most important thing is a pair that fits my feet from the get go. Which brand they will be is secondary to the features and fit.

I agree with the prior posts about leather gore tex boots and waterproofness. My boots are waterproof but when it's soaking wet all day my feet stay damp. Not wet - just damp. The wet leather does not allow the gore tex to breath and that is why I will look for something with a cordura exterior. It's also like gore tex rainwear. They only stay absolutely dry for so long and after awhile you just feel kinda moist. Not wet - just damp. The wool socks make this tolerable though.

I've had too many so-so boots to get stuck with something that may be a good boot but just doesn't fit my feet right. I'll try on boots until I find the perfect pair for me.

fish head

My experience very much mirrors Saddlesore's. I hunt back in the Adirondacks and it is not uncommon to have to hunt in pretty deep snow without coming back out for a couple days.
I wear Mendel Alaskans and my boy usually wears Kennebec Shnee type boot and we both usually suffer wet feet to some degreee if the snow is deep and wet. If it stays cold it is not so much an issue.
The only truly waterproof boots,IME, when you are talking the waterproofness being tested every second of the day, are rubber.

I haven't found a pair that works well for the hiking,pack carrying, and steep hills so do not use them for back country hunts.
Gaitors are a great aid though I am still searching for the right pair. Seems every pair I get are too small.

The big thing to me is wearing a good liner sock and high quality wool on top and having extra pairs or two.
Rost is right that keeping up the waterproof on leather boots/tops makes for a big difference in how quick and much they soak through.

All of my serious mountain boots have Gore-Tex linings. I treat them once a year with Nikwax, and I'm good for the whole year. No wet feet problems here. Haven't had those problems since I went to Dahlgren socks.
That includes crossing lots of streams, wet meadows and lots of time in snow that's well over my boot tops. Even over the tops of my gaitors. E

I must have differnt snow where I hunt

In that pic the snow was about 24" with day time temps in the mid 40's. I think the way it gets by the gortex is the stitching in such.

Another way moisture gets by Gore-tex is if your toenails rub the top of the toe cavity in your boot, over a long time it abrades it enough to cause a leak there in the Gore-tex bootie. BTDT.
I used to wear Danner Gore-tex boots every day at work in all kinds of mud and water, and I mention them by name because they were excellent boots --- even climbed in them--- but after a while even those that looked to be in good shape would start leaking in the toe. If I remember correctly Danner went to a shorter warranty back then (as far as leaking)because the condensed use alot of their boots got caused leaks.
We bought them anyway because they were the best thing out there.

Another vote for Schnees Hunter II, 13". They see a lot more action after the season ends than during it, but I find them as comfortable (and warm) as any boot I've got. Just a little heavy if there isn't enough snow to make them worthwhile. I also am a true "10" and bought these (against the admonitions of the salesman in Bozeman) in a 10. He recommended 11's since it would keep my feet warmer, but I didn't want to be sliding around in them in the steep and deep. No worries with a liner sock and a heavy pair of wool socks, either.

good 8 inch lightly or even unisulated boots with a goretex liner. You either need goretex pants or gaiters over that. I wear the high seal skinz socks with a thin polypro liner.

We'll have low top hanwags and those are maybe 8 inches or so... and the Danner Pronghorns.... so maybe I"ll just buy the best gaiters..

we keep sealskinz in the packs just in case of a leak. I won't wear them unless I have to though, feet sweat way to much in them.

We buy larger boots though, sized to a pair of liner socks and big thermal ones. And a bit of slippage on top of that, generally a size larger than normal. The extra room allows the insulation to work like its supposed to.

I continue to read though.

And may well buy a pair of Schnees and use our regular boots plus gaiters for normal but have the Schees as backups.

Jeff

That might be one reason why I have no leaks in my GT boots. Mine get worn out rather quickly. None last much longer than 2 years. I replace them rather than resole them. E