Sorry to get a little off topic here, but with hunting season coming up real quick here, I'm afraid I'm gonna need a set of good footwear. Probably an "all-around" hunting boot for deer, elk, bear and cougar-basically any season. But, they MUST be waterproof, and MUST be comfortable for those many miles of walking during elk hunting, in about the nastiest terrain imaginable. What would be the best sole choice-the old standby "waffle stomper" style, or the "nubbins" that seem to be popular these days? A thick sole is fairly important as well, to keep warmer in the snow, probably a fair amount of thinsulate as well, but not full on snow boots like sorrels.

Been looking through the hunting catalogs and such, the Cabelas line has a few choices, then there's Danners, Rocky and LaCrosse. Anybody have a preference to what they hunt with, or maybe what NOT to buy? Basically I'm tired of using my "work boots" to hunt in, so does anybody have any suggestions? Also, any thoughts on the new "scent lock" series of "Whitetail stalker" boots?

Thanks for the suggestions, and Happy Hunting!

Mike

 

I have had good luck with Rocky 'cornstalkers'. Had to try them, as I am a 'cornHUSKER' LOL
Anyway, I got mine at Cabelas, if they have a retail store anywhere near you, they sell returned goods for about half price (how I got mine).
They are light, and surprisingly warm for how light & thin they are (not clumsy like clown shoes).
The other boots you mentioned should all be good, but I have no experience with them.

About the only other advice I can give: The 'waffle stomper' soles are better in mud, grass, and general off-road walking, where the 'nubby' soles are better in snow, and are much easier to clean out if you only go through mud every once in a while.

 

Farmr-
Thanks for the tip! Yeah, I think those might have been another I was looking at-I know I've seen them anyway. I have too damn many Cabela's catlogs laying around here, have to go through each one to find the most amount of boots! No, out here in Washington, I think the closest Cabelas dealer is a few miles away over there in Nebraska! heh heh heh-hey, wait! That's just over yonder down the road a piece from your place isn't it? heh heh heh. Yeah, I have to order all my stuff over the internet. I would LOVE to see one of their stores in person, I hear it's just awesome, an outdoorsmans paradise!

Do the Rocky's offer enough ankle support for you? I hate to skimp on a pair of boots, but the price of the Rocky's is sure hard to beat. They look like a great boot overall, just worried about spending less money and ending up with a "lesser product". That "get what you pay for" phrase is tricky with boots-I've had a couple $90 pair of boots last a couple years longer than my more expensive $300-400 pairs! If this is the case with Rocky, the choice will be easy, I'll have them in a couple weeks!

Oh, one more thing-don't your "cornstalkers" use a 'nubbin' tread? How do they do in the rocks? I'll be in a lot of rocky terrain as well. I can avoid a lot of the mud, as it's mostly on the logging roads, and I usually never walk down them anyway-maybe skirt along side, but not down the middle. Just curious, I found a couple boots out here where you can choose what style tread you want-again, don't want to make the wrong decision.

Thanks again,

Mike

 

The cornstalkers come 2 ways (or did) some have a leather 'foot' and cordura uppers, others are all cordura. I had the all-cordura ones. They have plenty of support, and are very wear resistant, but I think the leather would hold up better in briars and rocks. We don't have rocks, but we have briars and barb wire, and snagging on either seemed to make a deeper 'sore' than it would have on good leather. On the other side of the coin, Cordura stretches just a little (to allow for fit) but doesn't loosen over time like leather does. The 'nubbins' tread on the sole has good traction on the sidewalk (closest we have to rocks here, sorry I couldn't be more help) and is good on hard dirt. rocks, no idea.

The most very durable boots I EVER had were made by Georgia Boot, Cabela's was clearing them out for $60. They were lined, thinly insulated, and were made with BOAR leather. Far and away the toughest leather boots I ever had. I actually couldn't wear the leather out. I walked right through the soles, and wore through the lining & insulation to the bare leather, and it took almost 2 years to do it. Usually 1 year's use is all I can get out of a pair of work boots, and that is if I get the good ones. 2 things about boarhide though. It is NOT waterproof. Where the boar's bristles were are little holes that go way through, letting sweat out, and air in, but if you step in a puddle, your foot is wet before the sole hits bottom. Waterproofing doesn't last long either, as the holes are just too big to seal for long. Also, when they get wet, you want to wear them until they dry, because if you take them off wet, they will be stiff as iron when you put them back on, and be that way most of the day.

Also, check the Cabela's website (cabelas.com), they sell discontinued stuff there at a nice discount, with their usual award winning customer satisfaction guarantee. The only problem is they usually have my size sold out.

 

I prefer boots wtih rubber bottoms and leather or cordura nylon uppers to keep my feet dry. And for extreme cold I like those with removable liners. As for brand, I always be happy with the quality and fit of LaCrosse.

I also like to use a thin sock underneath a much thicker sock to wisk away moisture from my feet which sweat a lot when walking. In fact, I sometimes what until I get to the stand on cold mornings to put on my heavy sock to help keep them dry.

 

I've had the corn stalkers and they were a good tough, comfortable boot. So I ordered a pair of Rocky pro hunters, big disapointment. They are so uncomfortable, they have leaked from day one and the seams are tearing now and they are only 1 year old with very little wear. I had a pair of Matterhorns when I was in Germany and they were the best shoes I have ever had but they fell apart after 3 years in the Army and 1 winter of using them as work boots I was a timber cutter. I was in Wisconsin last Jan. and run across another pair just like them. Yes I bought them, I hope to get just as much wear & tear out of them. I also hear Danner is a good boot. I think they are made in Washington too.

 

I do a fair amount of outdoor work as a wetland delineator, as well as hunting in Western PA. I have had several pair of Rocky boots, and have never had a complaint. I easily can spend 6+ hours a day standing in 6 inches of water, and never once got wet (at least when I was able to stay on my feet! ha ha.) Currently, I hunt in winter with the Rocky DeerStalker. It has 1000 g Thinsulate, but is still fairly light. The ankle support is good, and the upper is mostly leather, so it holds up well (only few patches of canvas). There is a model a few bucks cheaper that doesn't have the scent-lock like the DeerStalker, but I could not find it in my size. Hope this helps.

 

Wow, thanks to everybody for the replies-great info here.

JBurgland-
So you like your Deer Stalkers pretty well? I think I've narrowed my choices down to one of the three: A) Cabela's Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation endorsed full leather, waterproof hunting boot- B)Cabelas "Iron Ridge" series,- or C)the Deer Stalker II (whatever it's called) with the scent lok. I think from the descriptions of the boots, and for what I do, these three choices should be pretty good-I hope anyway.

I guess the only question I have is with the 1,000 gram thinsulate-do you wear the boots outside of winter at all? Are they too hot, or do they stay fairly comfortable in warmer weather? I'd use these for both deer and elk hunting as well as for bear and cougar earlier in the year when it's warmer out. Not sure how much thinsulate to go for-I have poor circulation, so they get cold extremely easy, but at the same time, don't want to be sweating to death in them during the day, then "freeze" at night when it cools off because of the sweat.

Again, thanks for all the help guys, Best of Luck and Happy Hunting!

Mike

 

I pretty much wear my 1000 g DeerStalkers year-round. The only thing I recommend is 100% wool socks. I know it sounds silly, but even in 80+ degree weather, the wool just feels better than a wet, slimy cottom sock. It does get a bit warm, but then my whole body is warm in the heat, so what does it matter? The wool socks just seem to work better, and generally keep things bearable. If I could find a boot with less thinsulate that was nearly as comfortable I would buy them as a warm weather boot. Problem is, I can't find them for under $200 - and thats my limit for boots. The DeerStalkers were only about $125 - and have performed great. I had a pair of Trask hiking boots, that were low cut with gortex - great boot, but not for hunting. This was a trail hiker only. If I could find a Trask high-top like the DeerStalker, I would certainly try them.

Hope this is helpful.

 

Thanks for the info. Man, $125 was all for the Deer Stalkers??? Damn, they're up to $189 in Cabela's for the Deerstalker II with Supprescent (Scent control system), and $209 from Bass Pro Shops (who claims to have the cheapest prices around on Rocky brand boots!) Looks like Cabela's has an additional $15 coupon on ANY Rocky boot, so that would bring it down to $174-still spendy but that discount would at least pay for shipping and part of tax.

I know exactly what you mean about a $200 limit on boots-I've worn everything from cheapo $80-90 boots, clear up to a couple in the $300-400 range, they all seem to last or wear about the same. So, I can't really justify spending more than $200 when cheaper boots have lasted just as long. Hell, I had one pair of boots I had re-soled about 8-9 different times, worn holes through the sides, and toe, had a cap put on the toe, patches on the sides, the color of the patches eventually faded so they were kind of a multi-colored boot. Everybody hated those boots, then one night my girlfriend at the time, burned my boots after I went to bed, while on a camping trip. We broke up quite a while after that for different reasons, and you know what-I really missed those boots. "those are the ugliest, nastiest things I've ever seen" I say they're just getting broke in!

Anyway, one of my hunting buddies bought a pair of the deerstalker's a few months back, says he loves them, so I think that's what I'll end up with. Seems the majority on here has had good luck with Rocky's, so I don't think I can go wrong.

Thanks again to everybody for all the help!

Mike