Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting Best boots to buy???

If that is the first rifle season, then you probably won't need your pack boots much, if at all. I hunted elk in that area and the guys that hunted there every year usually just wore hiking boots or tennis shoes. The reason was that they wanted a light weight boot that wouldn't feel like cement blocks after a couple of days of walking the mountains. For most people (including myself), I would recommend a light weight, Goretex boot that had about 200-400 grams of Thinsulate. I used a 600 gram Danner all leather, 10" boot. It was too hot for everything but early morning and way too heavy. I bought some Cabelas/Meindl Ibex boots for next time.

I've had good luck with Rocky BearClaws with the 800gram insulation. I've hunted outside of craig since 1998, either the 2nd or 3rd season, and the rockys have worked perfect.

Of course you don't you live too far east!!

To a person everyone I know personally from MT has either a pair of Schnee's, White's or both.

um.... "Whites"?

you got me again..

Thanks to all,

I ordered a pair of 13" Schnees yesterday. As for wool clothes I think I will pass. My outfitter says he would rather see me buy a set of Cabelas MT-050, or Sitka raingear.

Can't wait to go.

Coop.

I have worn out a lot of boots, worked outdoors and in the mountains most of my life. The best I have ever had are Wesco's I had custom made to fit my feet. Wore em working today and they make my Danner 18000's feel cheap, almost. Whites are good but Wesco's arch isn't quite as high, more to my liking. If I was going to spend much time in the snow pac's are the only way to go, those Schnee's sure look good. Nick's makes a awful good looking boot but I have never had a pair.

http://www.westcoastshoe.com/wesco/product_listing.asp


http://www.danner.com/p2p/searchRes...mp;sortby=price&asc=false&page=1

http://www.nicksboots.com/index.htm

http://www.whitesoutdoor.com/index.php

Cabela's Mtn. Hunter when there's no snow, Schnee's (with xtra liner) when there is. Add some gaitors for the deep stuff...really helps keep my lower end dry and comfy warm.

Wool by far out performs anything else I have. I've had it all over the years. What can I put on that will allow it to be hot or cold(ya know folks wear wool business suits....) I cover it with Marmot precip rain gear if needed.

I cut up a friends moose a while back, in wool pants. Started at 25 degrees or so, ended up totally skinned, gutted, quartered and loaded a few hours later in the sun and around 60-70 and though I was warm, I was not horrible....

YMMV. Plus my wool doesn't stink like my synthetics do.... Next buy is filson whipcords for my wife and I instead of cheap wool....

Good luck!!! Make sure those boots are broken in, scares me to see folks ordering boots just before a hunt... I usually make sure we have new ones a year out, broken in and checked for any flaws taht might pop up, middle of a hunt is a bad time to find a weak seam etc...

Jeff

Been wearing danner super rainforests in the wet stuff and danner elk hunters in the dry stuff for many years with never a complaint. My elk hunters finally were no recoverable so i bought lowa sheephunters andso far amvery happy. fit of the lowas is even better thenthe danners i love so much.

I have whites for wildland fire work when i did that and they are great still wear them alot and they still fit like a glove.

For snow nothing beats the schnee pacs.

Is it just me or are the best US boots all west coast companies?

you, being an Idahoian really ought to look at hoffmans. I have several pairs of whites, two pairs of nicks and now two pair of of hoffmans. I bought the hoffmans for less then 1/2 price of the whites/nicks and can say the build quality is at least 99% of the big two. their pack boots flat rock! I went to their store in kellogg and was able to buy a pair of custom built boots that were basicly a 10" whites smokejumper but with a gore-tex liner and a pair of 12" lace to toes with a double halfslip. I went in the store with $400, I left with half that and two pair of boots.....that was 1/2 of retail....good people and good stuff too. again as a whites packs owner, look at the hoffmans!

Shcnees are about as good as it gets for cold weather and loads of snow. In Colorado at that time of year seems it can be pretty warm, would go with 400gram insulation in a lighter boot and keep the Scnees for late season

NW CO is usually mild that time of year. But it can be wet and extremely muddy. Cool mornings, warm afternoons and cold nights. Any good leather boot with mud shedding sole would be a good choice.

Wool pants are never a bad idea. They shed water well, retain heat when wet, and dry quickly. If it's warm, don't use long underwear and you'll be fine. I especially like the German Army wool pants that you can find at good surplus stores. Lots of pockets for gear so that you can leave the fanny and backpacks in camp and extremely well built.

As others have already said, nothing beats a good pair of waterproof gaiters to keep snow/mud off your pants and the cold winds from blowing up your shorts!!! I like the Cabelas Goretex and camo models. Be careful to get the non nylon/polyester models. Otherwise, deaf deer and elk will hear you swishing through the county.

what current danner boot compares to the elk hunter??? It seems as if that boot is no longer in Danner's invetory

Elk Hunters are a Cabelas exclusive item....

I read so many good things here about the Danner Elk hunters I went to Cabela's web site and took a look. Now I have a question. Don't you guys miss not having a boot with a good heel like a logger type boot when your out in the woods? Owned boots with no or almost no heel and I found I missed it a lot, especially going down steep areas with loose or gooey wet material. A good heel will dig in and not slip like a flatter bottom shoe can. I know, I learned the hard way and I have been on my butt from boots with not enough heel.
I would like to try a boot that laced way down toward your toes like the elk hunter's do.

High Country,
I will be ordering a catalog from Hoffman's. Good looking boot at a very reasonable price if they are as good as they look. Thanks for the heads up I had not seen them before. Even at retail they are just over half what I paid for my Wesco's.
Last time I was in Kellogg is was so durn icy it was all I could do to get up the onramp in 4 wheel drive pulling a trailer. Wasn't sure if I was gonna make it or not.

One problem with the Schnees is that they do not come in wide. A few years ago I stopped in at the store in Bozeman and inquired as to whether they were available in wide because I have wide feet. The guy said, "don't worry", all you need to do is order 1 size larger and that will take care of it. DONT fall for that line. sure, it helps take care of the problem of them not being wide enough, but now when your walking you feet move back and forth in the boot without the support you need. I ended up selling the things for a loss.

I think what is needed is a process where a guy could dunk a pair of his favorite leather boots in a vat of rubber.

That sales man otta be fired.
If you want boots that fit perfect, have them custom made, at least mine do.
Wesco will still build you custom boot to fit your feet, I can personally tell ya how well they fit, look here.
http://www.westcoastshoe.com/wesco/about.asp

Whites used to but I couldn't find a link on their web site. I do know they will not just let you order a pair without your feet being measured, that includes pac's.

Nicks will also build a custom fit boot.
http://www.nicksboots.com/custom_fittings.htm

No one has mentioned Drews boots over in Namath Falls Or. They make a good boot also.

Good boots taken care of properly don't leak anyway. I have worked walking in and out of a creek a few inches deep all day every day for a couple of weeks at least, and I always went home with dry feet, or all day in a pouring Western Cascade's mountain rain. Same result, dry feet at the end of the day.

" No one has mentioned Drews boots over in Namath Falls Or. They make a good boot also."

Did you mean Klamath Falls?

"Did you mean Klamath Falls?"
yaath I did, thanks for the correction.

every man deserves at least one pair of custom boots.