doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Boots for Upland Hunting

I am in the same boat as George Newbern. I've just about given up on lace up boots, no matter how many pair I still own. Pull on Muck or other inexpensive Wellies are my favorites now. I don't believe I have ever spent more than $30 for a pair and I never get wet.

I agree 100%, they are what I wear hunting a lot, along with L. L. Bean boots, but ........ they are just not traditional enough for a lot of this crowd.

I wear Courtenay boots six days a week when working on the farm, made of Cape Buffalo and lined with Impala. Same pair, everyday, for 10-12 hours, year round. They last for years.

SRH

Depends on the terrain and the elements. Hard to find 1 boot that meets all criteria.

I do some hunting in ECCO Track II boots. The ECCO are water proof/Gore Tex and very nimble. That said, as elements demand or dictate I go with something a little hardier like a pair of 10 inch Filson boots.

I bought my 10" Filson Uplanders for about $65.00 under the "Employee Program", a well kept secret in the trade. I think they retail for about $380.00. I have had them for about 12 years and they're almost broken in.

I think my Filson's were broken in the first weekend I took them to Kansas chasing pheasants. Pretty much fit like a glove right out of the box. The Irish Setters I tried pealed the skin off my heels like an onion skin. Thank goodness I bought them from Bean....no questions asked, just a full refund on the Irish Setters.

I often hunt in N. Michigan in tennis/running shoes.

If they get wet, they dry out pretty fast.

Never understood why some guys feel they need mountain/sheep hunting boots for the rolling uplands of N.Mich...

For the real wet stuff, I use pull on rubber knee boots.

I've had a pair of Irish Setter Goretex 8" Upland boots for about 8 years now. They are perfect for fairly flat terrain but not so hot on really steep slopes because of the mild tread on the soles. Had my local shoe repair guy repair guy resole them with Vibram and have used them for limited hiking. A very good make, and mine were made in USA, although I'm not sure that's still the case.

They're made of kangaroo leather with really tough dark green fabric inserts, and are now illegal to sell in CA because of the source of leather....I imported mine by car from NYS. CA weird....

I used to go through a pair of Muck Boots every year chasing grouse and WC in the Northeast but am now using Aigle Parcours 2 rubber boots.

These boots will be on their third season this fall. The natural rubber is still supple and they are holding together well. Muck boots rubber gets dry and hard after a while. When I got my Aigle boots I had to order from the UK but you can now order them directly in the states. They are also quite comfy for rubber boots and are a bit lighter than the Muck boots.

I absolutely love my Russell Boots for upland work, but I made the mistake of wearing them for an elk hunt last year in fairly rugged terrain. Going in, it was warm and dry and they were absolutely great for the long climb and then walk. Coming out, it was snowing hard and they were poorly matched for the steep cliff face I had to come down. I could (but won't) show you an ugly picture of a badly sprained ankle (just short of broken) that ended my elk hunt and left my partner with the prospects of a long, lonely haul to get an animal out. Pick your equipment very carefully (& deliberately). Pick smarter partners too.

I wear boots every day.
I'd recommend that if one is uncertain about their boot height, go higher.
Smooth toes are less likely to allow water to enter.
Most of the time the inside linings of boots disintegrate before the soles, or the outsides.
If you only wear them a few days per year, a molded foot bed boot will be just about perfect, and lightweight. Armorall the exterior rubber bits and store them between wearings in their box. UV light disintegrates synthetic boots.
Most brands have their pluses and minuses. Since I don't blouse my hunting boots, I don't care if the cordura is camo or not. I do care if the toes have a hard shell cap or not.
If you kneel a lot, or walk in dry grass, it acts like sandpaper on the toes of uncapped boots. Think kneeling down to measure things dozens of times per day.

Having worn most of the brands and models mentioned, I kind of chuckle at some of the pronouncements.

I will say that the one brand mentioned will get many comments at the club.