Help Me Pick New Hunting Footwear!!

[b.ashforth]

Hey Guys,

Hoping that some one can help me find some new hunting boots for the next season. I will be spending lots of time on a quad and then hop off and hike into a blind. I will be spending lots of time on region 8 and region 3 with some occasional trips up to the Dawson Creek and Prince George.

I was looking at the Rutmaster 2.0 from Irish Setter but my main questions is, would you rather have a 17" boot or your regular 8" hunting boot?

Right now I have a 8" pair but I always seem to worry if I have to hike through a creek or what not I could soak them. (They are a garbage pair that I had to pick up to get me through this season)

All opinions welcome!

Thanks,
BA

[ACE]

Welcome to the forums BA .....
Hoping these folks here are 'easy' on you ..... there may be suggestions of going with a Region 5 boot, or possibly a Region 4 ....
Have fun here ...... especially if you're a Canuck fan !! :mrgreen:
Again welcome ....

[RackStar]

Elk trackers

[Kopper]

For your uses I would get a taller pair although 17" seems a bit overkill. Both of my current boots (Lowa and Scarpa) have a shorter shaft made for the intention of hiking. I find shorter shafts suck late season as snow likes to work its way in over the top quite easy. I feel like this may be a problem with your intended hunting style if you have to walk a ways from the quad to the blind.

[Weatherby Fan]

Welcome to the forums BA .....
Hoping these folks here are 'easy' on you ..... there may be suggestions of going with a Region 5 boot, or possibly a Region 4 ....
Have fun here ...... especially if you're a Canuck fan !! :mrgreen:
Again welcome ....

b.ashforth.......Welcome to HBC, you will soon realize there are Canuck Fans and then the other Aceholes on HBC.........:wink:

I'm looking for some new boots also so will be good to hear what some good HBC members have for advice ! my boots will need to work in regions 3-4 and 8 !

I was looking at the Under Armour Brow Tine boots with 1200 grams of thinsulate ? I know two guys using them and are very happy with them, I think you can get them with 400,800 or 1200 grams of thinsulate.

[Fred1]

Meindl... Been in them since 1999. (not the same pair) Construction Forestry Hunting Dancing.... they work for me!

[DarekG]

I love my Irish Setter Elk Trackers - I got 1000g insulation on them and they are great in the winter, and just fine in the summer too. Hiked all over the Rockies for 4 days this past summer and they were awesome.


If you're in Kelowna, Wholesale Sports has 40% off hunting footwear right now, my friend picked up Irish Setter Deer Tracker's for $140!

[Stresd]

Both of my current boots (Lowa and Scarpa) have a shorter shaft made for the intention of hiking. I find shorter shafts suck late season as snow likes to work its way in over the top quite easy. I feel like this may be a problem with your intended hunting style if you have to walk a ways from the quad to the blind.


Gaiters will solve that problem of snow in your boots. Gaiters also work well for short quick trips through water up to the top of the gaiter. I upgraded from my old MEC gaiters to Kuiu gaiters and just love them.

[GEF]

Best boots I have ever owned hands down is Meindl .Not sure where to find them these days .I had the Canadian hunters,lasted me over 20 years hard use hunting,the tanic acid in the muskeg swamp finally did them in .The pair I have now are 10 years and going strong.

[Eva_Hunts]

Going to agree with Darek and others on the Elk Trackers x Irish Setter, watch this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOvF21G85Ws


I love my Irish Setter Elk Trackers - I got 1000g insulation on them and they are great in the winter, and just fine in the summer too. Hiked all over the Rockies for 4 days this past summer and they were awesome.


If you're in Kelowna, Wholesale Sports has 40% off hunting footwear right now, my friend picked up Irish Setter Deer Tracker's for $140!

[Sharpish]

Meindl is awesome, I have Danner Fort Lewis that have a million miles on them, not much ankle support though, right now I am having a pair of Viberg Hunters custom made for me in Victoria that are 12" instead of 10".

[SPEYMAN]

Why is this posted on the BCWF thread?

[RackStar]

I have the plane Jane non insulated elk trackers with some nice wool socks I didn't get cold once in -20.
And great early season

[Daybreak]

Meindl is awesome, I have Danner Fort Lewis that have a million miles on them, not much ankle support though, right now I am having a pair of Viberg Hunters custom made for me in Victoria that are 12" instead of 10".

If you don't mind me asking... did Viberg give you an estimate of time of delivery from the day you ordered them? I know custom built takes quite a while from them but is well worth the wait it in my opinion.

Never owned the Hunter model but I have 2 other pairs and they are a good boot. Here's a link to the Hunter model,

http://workboot.com/collections/hunting/products/viberg-44-insulated-hunter

[Elkhound]

Why is this posted on the BCWF thread?

Just moved it.

[bcsteve]

I love my Meindl Perfekt.

[Sofa King]

i went with the irish setter treeline.
they were absolutely awesome in every way this season.

http://www.blackovis.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/i/r/irishsetter_treeline-400-right.jpg (http://www.google.ca/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwiessqRipnKAhWJLmMKHVbcDXAQjRwIBw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.blackovis.com%2Firish-setter-treeline-hunting-boot&psig=AFQjCNHp8c4HAhoz2VVow-dS9TA5dr2tCg&ust=1452303447843817)

[Sofa King]

and once you are used to a higher boot, those low ones feel terrible.
i've always preferred a higher boot.

[luckofthedraw]

I just ordered today. Cabelas, Alaska Hunter made by Meindl. From what I could tell it's their highest priced boot, on sale, so saved me 130$ or so. It has a guard similar to the boot listed above, that is why I like it's rugged-ness. It is a 10' boot. It's only 200gr insulation...not sure about that, I'd prefer 400...but the price was right. Can't wait for these to arrive. I also got new muck boots for christmas, so my feet have never been happier!

[Sofa King]

my last pair were 800 grams, and were awesome late season especially, actually way warm for early.
these are 400 gram and i had no issues.
yours are 200 gram, i'd be definitely making sure there is some wiggle room for good sox.

[Sofa King]

boots are something i would never order without first trying them on personally.

[Remington721]

Im going to give the nod to elk trackers as well, have a pair for the last few seasons and they are awesome. Completely waterproof and feel great on the feet and keep them warm, all season long.

[scallywag]

My last scarp as we're the most comfortable but my new hanwags are pretty awesome two years in. The hanwags are standing up better. They are much stiffer but I wouldn't say as comfortable.

[Sofa King]

get a pair of these.
then your tracks will blend in with the ungulates.

http://onyourownadventures.com/hunttalk/attachment.php?attachmentid=29914&d=1335921445 (http://onyourownadventures.com/hunttalk/showthread.php?t=250672)

[Drillbit]

I just ordered today. Cabelas, Alaska Hunter made by Meindl. From what I could tell it's their highest priced boot, on sale, so saved me 130$ or so. It has a guard similar to the boot listed above, that is why I like it's rugged-ness. It is a 10' boot. It's only 200gr insulation...not sure about that, I'd prefer 400...but the price was right. Can't wait for these to arrive. I also got new muck boots for christmas, so my feet have never been happier!

I use those same Meindl's with smartwool socks from marks. They've been great for me for several years now. Took a bit to break them in tho.
I use them for my cold weather hunts where I'm active and walking. I even wear them on the snowmachine all winter. I wear OR gaiters with them all the time too.
For sitting around I think they'd be cold.

[adriaticum]

make sure they fit

[Sofa King]

shoes/boots these days are all over the map with sizing.
i'm size 12 in one pair, then size 10 in another.

[Wentrot]

shoes/boots these days are all over the map with sizing.
i'm size 12 in one pair, then size 10 in another.

Ain't that the truth.

[Islanderr]

Going to agree with Darek and others on the Elk Trackers x Irish Setter, watch this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOvF21G85Ws

i tried the same boots on, they looked great and had a nice high top on them but when I tried them on there was almost zero ankle support at the upper part of the boot its totally soft leather and not stiff. Ankle boots have more ankle support then those Irish setters, but the ones I tried one were dirt cheap and felt like I was walking on pillows and you could clearly see the extra material for warmth.

i like a bit of stiff ankle support in a winter hunting boot, walking around on icy stuff and what not it helps not to twist an ankle when walking over logs and other objects.

kenetrek or schnees are stiff, water proof and quality made

[Sofa King]

i tried the same boots on, they looked great and had a nice high top on them but when I tried them on there was almost zero ankle support at the upper part of the boot its totally soft leather and not stiff. Ankle boots have more ankle support then those Irish setters, but the ones I tried one were dirt cheap and felt like I was walking on pillows and you could clearly see the extra material for warmth.

i like a bit of stiff ankle support in a winter hunting boot, walking around on icy stuff and what not it helps not to twist an ankle when walking over logs and other objects.

kenetrek or schnees are stiff, water proof and quality made

that's why i went with the irish setter treeline and not the elk tracker.
the treeline is one good boot.
i've only got one season on them, so we'll see how they do, if they soften up with lots of use.

[Islanderr]

that's why i went with the irish setter treeline and not the elk tracker.
the treeline is one good boot.
i've only got one season on them, so we'll see how they do, if they soften up with lots of use.

Yeah I seen the photo you posted.

those look much stiffer and come up above the ankle but not too far, some nice support in there.

i feel there's always an occasion for high low boot stiff soft support, at work I use low cut ankle steel toe as I'm walking all the time and a high stiff boot would tire you out trying to force your natural movement. But in icy snowy conditions where it's easy to step wrong, it's nice to have that extra support when crossing icy logs hopping out of the truck possibly on to icy ground lots of big rock culverts with big boulders where I hunt

[Luongo64]

is it bad that I love my work boots? Insulated dakotas. Water resistant up to the top of the tongue, comfortable enough to work in all day, and warm enough for sitting in all day. Extra pair of wooly socks for those extra cold days.

[GOLDEN TOP SNIPER]

Here we go . lol

[hardcore69]

Get either a pair of LA sportiva or scarpa boots nothing else comes close for comfort and durability answer most important stability for your ankles. Not even Iowa hands down the 2 I listed are the best. In commercials you will notice iwoa boots around ankles the leather is soft and wrinkles lmao. Stick the the company's who have built boots for decades. Just makes sense

[Sharpish]

If you don't mind me asking... did Viberg give you an estimate of time of delivery from the day you ordered them? I know custom built takes quite a while from them but is well worth the wait it in my opinion.

Never owned the Hunter model but I have 2 other pairs and they are a good boot. Here's a link to the Hunter model,

http://workboot.com/collections/hunting/products/viberg-44-insulated-hunter


Hey daybreak, sorry didn't see your question until now. Viberg told me 6 months but that didn't matter to me since I ordered them in August and didn't need them until May the next year. I was surprised when they got ahold of me about 8 weeks later and said they were ready.

the ones I ordered were Viberg 45 non insulated hunters. They charge an extra $10 an inch to increase the height from 10" and you can choose smooth or pebbled cowhide or water buffalo. And you can customize the brass hardware however you want.