Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game Boot Recommendations for Wyoming

Best boot for Wyoming - Lucchese bullhide, medium round toe, walking heal.

I needed a size 14 and went with the Lowas. Best boot I have ever owned, certainly the most expensive. After one season, I bought a second, lighter weight pair of Lowas for the early seasons, and have never looked back. I had worn Danners for about 25 years, but the Lowas just fit and feel better. They are worth the price. The gloves and kneepads are essential gear also. Good Luck in Wyoming.

A good kangaroo upland boot works well.

I just wear my White's Smoke jumpers, if the country requires a tough boots. They will make any size you want. There not cheap, but worth every penny! White's boots Spokane Washington!

The last 4 pair of Danner "grouse" boots I wore had the gortex liner come loose. The were replaced at a discounted cost to me. The last NEW pair sent to me from Danner I checked before even putting them on and had the same problem in the same spot at the toes. The lady on the phone at the help desk was a complete ditz and most likely never wore a pair of boots. Danner did credit my account, but I'll never buy Danner again. Look for boots made in Germany or Italy. Please understand I can wear out a pair of $400 boots in one season! I hunt over 100 days a year chasing my GSP's. BTW I have been hunting Wyoming Elk, deer and antelope every year for more than 30 years.

Giving up on Danner's Grouse boots was sad because I loved the bob style soles in certain terrain.

I used those Cabela's Kangaroo hide Upland boots for years! Used them in South Africa, Namibia, Texas...just a great lightweight boot for about 90% of my hunting!

I use a trail shoe. Enjoy the light weight.

I have the Danner Pronghorn Snake proof version. They have held up well. The gore tex is just starting to leak after almost 10 years of use. Usually boot grease will fix it for all but serious stream crossing. I would not get the gore-tex ones for hot weather. Just about any rough terrain upland boot will work well. Check as not all Danners are American made and the imports are no where as good. Same for the Cabelas version in my experience.

I also carry trail shoes too in case of blister or if it is hot. I like the Carhardt carpenter pants with double knees that can take a pad when needed. Not as much protection as the hard pads but more comfortable and I usually leave the pads in place so no fumbling around before a stalk.

Your favorite bird shooting boots should work fine. A heavier pair is only needed if your hunting a volcanic malpais area which tears up boots fast.

+1 on the Danner Pronghorns... Over the years I've had several pair. Have worn them on two Wyoming Pronghorn hunts and for one Muley. Last 8 years before I retired my "semi-retirement" job was a contractor meter reader for a local utility. On my feet and walking all day 5 days a week. The Danner Pronghorns were superb for all that also; at least for my size ten feet.

I got a pair of vasque erikksons, uninsulated and really good tread. Gore text and solid boot, I really like them.

MM

I bought these Redhead Upland Bird all leather boots for pdog hunting. I took them with me to WY on a Antelope hunt. Good decision. They are super comfortable and the terrain in Wyoming chasing Antelope didn’t require anything more aggressive.😎

I'm gonna' recommend a boot that's a bit different than the standard hunting/hiking boot. I would highly recommend the Red Wing 608. Made in USA, no Goretex or any other such "modern miracle" fabric to fail, supremely comfortable and highly durable - available in size 15 as well. I have used these boots for hiking, hunting and general outdoor work and activities. I've never had them leak either. Be aware that they do require break-in, but once break-in has been achieved, the comfort and protection is hard to beat. They are also rebuildable. An awesome boot IMHO.

Red Wing 608

Edit: Some reviews of this boot have mentioned that the SuperSole® 2.0 is not long-lasting. While this is a fairly accurate statement, the SuperSole® 2.0 is part of what makes this boot so danged comfortable. I wear my 608s quite a bit, though not every day, and the soles lasted ~7 years before a rebuild was required. I'm now ~3 years in on the rebuild and they're holding strong.

I love mine. Have had mine for three years and with daily use, they are still in great shape. Work great out west chasing elk. Lightweight, zero break in required.

Great boots, love mine....

For Wyoming a leather upland boot is super comfortable to me. Love wearing those but not for steep rugged terrain.

Hope you can go to a boot store and try several on. Each maker uses a slightly different last to shape the boot on and some simply fit your feet better than others, no matter how highly recommended or dissed by other people. Find a boot that fits YOU. Wyoming antelope do not require uber boots and I'd major on comfort more than extreme performance.

I'm coming to the conclusions that if a boot does not feel good at the first, it never will become ideal.

The most comfortable boot I've ever worn is my current pair, Salewa Rapace GTX. They are a modern light weight ugly mix of leather and fabric that I NEVER thought I'd consider buying. I like seamless leather. But these felt better than a custom loafer right from the first and I love them. They can take crampons but are so comfortable (on my feet) that I'd wear them to church and weddings if appropriate and often wear them to town. I'm starting into my fourth season with them and would wear them every day except that I try to save them for hunting and berry picking, etc.

Ditto to knee pads. Somebody here at the 'Fire recommended them to me on my last antelope hunt. Such a good idea that I now use them for some predator calling and most of my wild berry picking.

I wear size 15 too. Some stores won’t carry over size 12.
I gave up on Cabela’s! Total waste of time. They don’t carry size 8 hats either. In general most of their clothes are for little people.
Danner is good. Depending on time of year you’re going to be in WY the type of sole is important. It sounds like it won’t be in Winter since you’re not concerned with insulation. If you’re hunting in wet weather, nothing like gumbo being built up under your military style soles / boots. Normally wet isn’t an issue, it may be this year. It’s wet.

Main thing is break them in.

Whatever you decide get them soon and get some serious miles in them over the summer.
Socks have to be as good as, or better than the boots also!

Look at some Keen boots. They carry big sizes and widths are great too for wider feet. Not terribly expensive and would be comfortable for an antelope hunt.
They make some leather versions that look just fine for an antelope hunt.
Might want to apply a line of KGS Boot Guard on the bottom inch or so of the leather above the sole.

I would get some lightweight merino socks, they make some nice thin ones now.

For hunting on relatively level ground (whether for antelope or birds) I tend to buy work boots, since they're easy to find in plain leather without Gore-Tex or other liners, have rugged soles, cost a lot less than many of the "hunting" boots made these days, and often last longer. Have two pairs of Red Wings that are slightly different in sole and height, and have worn both for many years with perfect satisfaction, and I hunt the high plains a lot every year.

The advice about knee-pads and thick gloves is good too. I use carpet-layers pads, which are thick rubber and can be easily put on over your pants for a long crawl. The rubber is much more comfortable on gravel and other rocks than harder, thinner pads, and very thorn resistant as well. I also buy gemsbok-hide work gloves from my local ranch supply store, as its tougher and thicker than cowhide or elkhide.

I use Danner Marine RAT boots and as MD says the best knee pads you can find. The ones that work best for me are the ones built for Motocross. Having a bunch of prickly pear thorns in your knees is something that will FU your hunt. Been there