Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Backpack Hunting Back to AK for Dall Sheep - Boots question

I did 4 glacier hunts on a pair of Alico Guide boots. The older version had one more eyelet above the ankle and didn't have the goofy bulky padded ankle collar. These are thick 3mm+ roughout leather on a norwegian welt, and I melted pure beeswax into the welt and the parts of the upper that don't need to flex.

After trip 3, which was rather epic, they needed a resole because the rock chewed through the outsole and part of the midsole at the arch.

They're now retired...trip 4 chewed its way to the midsole again, and some heel strap stitching is starting to go.

The rock didn't eat the upper to any great extent (where a rubber rand would be), and I credit the pure beeswax for that. Lots of hard marks, that slid over the leather. Pretty remarkable boots, but really heavy, and break in was a serious commitment. I miss their ironclad, unfailing ankle support. Flex was just right.

For a single guided trip, any of a number of full-rand leather as identified above would be fine. Whatever fits and works.

Thanks for the responses - a couple of quick questions:

Would you go with non-insulated or "lightly" insulated boots?

Leather upper only? Is it a durability question?

I prefer lightly insulated as temps can drop fast in the mountains on top of just sitting and glassing for hours on end not moving. To combat any issues of hot feet, I always have an extra pair of socks in my bag which I swap out as needed. I also take off my boots and pull my insoles any time I will be stationary.

Material is a matter of preference. I’ve had better luck with leather as far as durability and I also like that it stretches better and shapes to your foot.

For me, no insulation for an August hunt. 'Twas a bit nippy in early Sept but no big deal.

I think it was mentioned above somewhere, but I like the idea of an all leather upper as it can be waterproofed independent of gore-tex, if the goretex membrane stays in tact- all good, but if it does go, you’re still covered- not so with a syn upper

My feet generally stay pretty warm, so I’m planning on non-insulated for my August hunt.

Non insulated for sheep for me, generally.
That being said, the Brooks can have snow in any month.

I am going to try some Salewa Hawks this summer hopefully. I think they could work for sheep, but never tried them.

La Sportiva Glacier's, have been my go to boot for a number of years. They are a climbing boot that is crampon compatible. I have not sheep hunted but have covered some very nasty terrain. Water resistant, and grip like a goat. They take some break in time. I put on over a 100 miles a year on these, and I am on my second pair.

Fit is everything. Go to a store that has dozens of hiking boots and buy the ones that fit well.

I do a lot of summer hiking and I've settled on Lowa boots, good durability and comfort. As others have said, fit over brand would be my recommendation as well. I'd also suggest having custom insoles made then find a boot and size that fits the insoles well. I have high arches and insole fit is the difference between tolerable comfort and discomfort causing pain and fatigue. I've typically found that if my feet are good, the rest of my body follows. Good luck!

tag

Ihave used Hanwag alaksa gtx for sheep and mtn goats, worked great! Bring some Leukotape for hot spots, have a great hunt!

Never been but going this August to the Wrangells and will be wearing Crispi Briksdals. Done some western ish hunts and hiked a fair amount with them a very pleased.

Those going this fall prepare for major hikes. The sheep over most of the state have taken a hit. We dropped 3 hunts this fall since we just don't feel we have the rams or sheep left to hunt them that much.

It will mean the possibility of many more miles than normal hoping to find a legal ram.

Just an FYI if your outfitters have not told you going into this fall.

Break em in good. Prepare to possibly have to do lots of miles.

When you get your top choices, you need to try them all on for fit.

Everyone's foot is shaped different.

I have used Meindl on 3 Sheep hunts, one Goat hunt and a bunch of other hunts. The boots are also rebuildable in the factory in Germany or now by Dave Page for about $150. The soles are hand stitched on. Very little break in. I never got one blister from their boots.

Meindl Extreme Comfort Fit $375 on their web site.

Full Leather upper is the only way to go IMHO if hiking.
Leather breaths, while plastic / even goretex never seems to allow enough ventilation. Leather gets wet, but dries quickly unless in boggy areas. I picked a size and fit that allows a range of sock thickness. I can wear thick wool and a sock liner in temps like 11° the other morning. I can also wear my normal daily socks without too much space and slop like warmer weather we have now. Everything is a tradeoff, but I like the versatility of my full wrap leather and sturdy lug vibrant soles.

One more thing. I was carrying a 35# pack in the last snow and ice we had. I wore the boots that I mentioned in the previous post. I compared those after hiking around two miles with a lightweight pair of boots with a less aggressive sole.
Guess which was easier?

I expended less energy in the heavier full lugged " knobby tires."
All else was equal from my other clothing to my pack. What I found was that despite the extra weight on feet, I was stable and able to relax my legs, and core muscles while briskly hiking. With the lighter ones I had to be uber aware of the ground, and keep readjusting my balance. That gets tiring fast on snow or rocky terrain.
Stability wins with weight and on trails that aren't predictable.

Happy, have you ever been sheep hunting in Alaska?

I've only been once and I used leather boots. But all the guides had plastic boots and they seemed to work better than leather in the terrain we were in.

Mink oil

https://www.crispius.com/hunter-htg-gtx-insulated-hunting-boot

Love mine could wear them to bed.

Don't hunt sheep but see them often while hunting/hiking/shed hunting in Hells Canyon.

Lots of good boots mentioned so far. I have used Meindl perfect hikers and hunters ALOT here in CO and love them. Have a pair of extremes as well that I considered for my sheep hunt last year in AK, but they were just too tall for my taste. I ended up using the crispi Briskdal SF for my hunt in the south Wrangells. Spend a lot of time in glacier country similar to the chugach, and 2nd half of the hunt in a different spot was long approach, bushwacking, and forest marching to get to rams. About a varied terrain as you can probably get on a sheep hunt. Boots performed great through all terrains. Worth a shot if they fit your feet. Slightly more technical fit than the Meindl comfort fit, but wider than lowa tibets(which even in a wide, we’re too narrow for me).

I will say that all the guides with the outfit used plastics. But they need boots to hold up for 2 months of continuous use, and ideally multiple seasons worth of abuse. I view boots as a consumable product. If I get 2 solid sheep hunts out of a pair of boots, that fine with me. With leather boots and the amount of scree you traverse in glacier type country, they definitely take some abuse. The Briskdal do show some wear, but easily have several more hunts left in them. I usually wear through a set of Meindl perfect hikers every year. They fit my feet to a T, but are not the most durable when traversing screw fields in CO high country all summer. But a years worth of use is worth the $300 in my view.