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| one of us |
  sorry about the spelling, I missed that class. | ||
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| one of us |
THe above pictures are of the BEST foot wear for hunting possible, I have about 6-8 pairs. I wear them with no socks the soles are very thin and the rubber is soft, you can see that the right foot I favor because it shows the most wear, they need to be washed every 3rd day of hunting thus the need for so many pairs, I have some in worse condition and some new, On my first hunt I did what everyone does show up with these big boots on and I couldnt walk quitely I made more noise breaking twigs and such, that Alan gave me a pair of his tackies(the shoes above) I was worried about ankle support etc, its all BS, these shoes are light and you dont get tired carring heavy boots on your legs all day, Courtneys are good if you must have boots, but I like the light weight, they cost $ 4USD/pair. I remember when I first saw them I thought to myself what the hell are they wearing these shoes for? now I know, with over 130 days in the bush I've had 2 thorns come through the bottom, one I could have avoided, but its worth it. light weight, no noise, silp them on and your ready to hunt. Wearing the above pair I have used them for about 20-25 days hunting and shot at least one elephant wearing them and countless other game, if they get wet it dosent matter. I keep my other broke-in ones in Africa and bring the new ones back home to break in, sometimes you get callousis with new ones. I have tough feet anyways, i'll post a pic of them some day. I did get one bad batch where the soles were too stiff. sorry about the spelling, I missed that class. | |||
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I bet they match nicely with your safari outfit. LOL Eric, just kidding. I could'nt resist. Woody | |||
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Lots of African PHs will agree with you, but those same PHs went barefooted most of their life and the bottom of their feet are about an inch thick. For a soft footed cowboy like myself that spent his whole life in the saddle and has feet soft as velvet on the bottom it takes a bit more my lad.  I also would have about 1000 Tetsi fly bites on my ankles in those puppies. I do like high topped atheletic shoes best with socks I might add.. Ray Atkinson Atkinson Hunting Adventures 10 Ward Lane, Filer, Idaho, 83328 208-731-4120 rayatkinsonhunting@gmail.com | |||
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Where do you get them? | |||
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In the Bata store in Zim they have stores in every city, I have one batch the soles are too rigid and will never soften up and hunt right, they would be too noisy, and yea my feet are an inch thick, I work on them all yer to prepare my self for a month long hunt, its sorth it, mole skin, loud boots to scae awa game just screwes up a hunt, to hunt well one must be preparied and being in shape is more than an hour on the treadmill its about having tough feet too, being able to shoot etc, I'm not a tourist who just waits for the sticke to go up and have a PH point out what to shoot, thats a sniper not a hunter. I hunt. ankle support is the biggest scam since Don King was to boxing,your ankles are ment to bend roll etc not be ridge, look at the foor wear of a 20 season PH and see what he wears, courtneys are quite but walking in for 6-8 hours they get heavy. the balsk or light green tackies are awalys in stock, I wear the green ones on hot days, never with sovke, never had a problem with flys either. I smack them, or pop them if hey are full. sorry about the spelling, I missed that class. | |||
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sorry about the spelling, I missed that class. | |||
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Can't argue with you, my PH wore sandals, no socks, and short pants while we were chasing buffalo in the brush. He didn't have an ounce of body fat and it was plenty cool in the mornings. I couldn't do it. I'm wearing Rockies or the equivalent. I personally don't find my boots that noisy unless I'm walking in rocks and get careless. | |||
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LV Eric ----- I used my old well broke-in backpacking boots with Polypropylene liner socks and Wool outer socks. They have served me climbing some of the highest peaks in the US and Canada. They did their job in the cold of the morning and 95 degrees of the middle of the days. My feet could not take the wearing of the shoes you pictured, the blisters would have been on top of blisters had I tried to wear something like that. If they serve you then by all means wear them, to each his own.  Good shooting.phurley | |||
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The majority of PHs that I have hunted with wear Tivas. I have also worn them but broke a toe on one hunt while wearing them. I still do sometimes if it is really hot and we are walking across rivers or through swampy areas. Mostly I wear a pair of Rockports. The model I have are of short height, below my ankles and have a soft rubber sole and they are very quiet. Also they dry out fast when wet. I normally do not wear socks except in the Omay. I wear socks here because of the spine bone apple vine. It is an ankle height vine that has very sharp thorns on it. it will turn your ankles into Jello if you drag your feet through them. 465H&H | |||
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My own PH wore footwear identical to what Eric is showing. In some photos I took with him and the trackers around the buff, he is wearing them without socks. When I showed the pics around at home I had people asking in an incredulous voice: " He's wearing tennis shoes?". (I myself wore a low cut soft boot no higher than a chukka (made by Russell to order)that had crepe rubber soles. I always have suspected that most American hunters were pleasantly surprised by the easy walking in East Africa -and that even a 6-8" leather boot common to us is apparently unnecessary for the most part. (I hasten to say that I speak only of my own experience in Chirisa) | |||
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eric -shame on you - how is cabelas going to sell people $200 boots if you keep giving away secrets   | |||
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well considering that i'm in the mail-order catalog business, I dont feel bad for them. Actually they are geat people I never spoke to them the owners, richard? and nancy i belive are their names, I have Tom Jullian doing my office in Vegas at my home and The Cabellas are having Jullian and sons doing their house at the same time soooooo I want to be first in line so I figured knocking some of ther business might put me in a better spot,  I had a cameera man with Teva's once, he scared off more game because the soles are too stiff, the pictured shoes in this thread litterly feel better than a pair of cashmire slippers i've had for 7 years that cost me $425, Go figure a $4 pair of shoes are the BEST hunting shoes period, though I will admit the first time I saw them I thought Roy Vincent lost his mind. Converse allstars low top work but not as well-they last longer but the soles arnt as good, and yes you do have to have tought feet for these shoes but its worth it to get your feet tough to go to war in the bush, its as important as cardiovascular conditioning. Think about it where the rubber meets the road in car racing is key and it is in hunting, I have went hunting once out of shape and wow it was tough, I was sorted by the end of the hunt, but your feet dont get right over night-it takes prepration. sorry about the spelling, I missed that class. | |||
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Heavy boots in East Africa (Tanzania) are a poor choice as you will sometimes wade in knee deep water if you get out in the vugas and high grass, You need a shoe that will dry out quick, so I suggest a good atheletic shoe, unless you don't mind taking off your boots once or maybe twice a day and wading barefoot. That takes up time. Ray Atkinson Atkinson Hunting Adventures 10 Ward Lane, Filer, Idaho, 83328 208-731-4120 rayatkinsonhunting@gmail.com | |||
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Uuhhhh? And that would be according to..... which scientifically conducted outdoor survey? The one that says black velour jumpsuits are the way to travel incognito.  Look, I don't care what anybody else wears... Russells, Courtney's, Teva's, etc. it boils down to what each individual is comfortable with and what the conditions on their hunting grounds dictate. I get a chuckle out of a statement that what any one person wears is superior to what someone else chooses or that their choice is THE one answer for all African applications. Plain silliness. On the plains of hesitation lie the bleached bones of ten thousand, who on the dawn of victory lay down their weary heads resting, and there resting, died. If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue, Or walk with Kings - nor lose the common touch... Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it, And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son! - Rudyard Kipling Life grows grim without senseless indulgence. | |||
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The last several years I have only worn Tevas. I wish I had started that way. ------------------------------- Will / Once you've been amongst them, there is no such thing as too much gun. --------------------------------------- and, God Bless John Wayne. NRA Benefactor, GOA, NAGR _________________________ "Elephant and Elephant Guns" $99 shipped. “Hunting Africa's Dangerous Game" $20 shipped. red.dirt.elephant@gmail.com _________________________ If anything be of note, let it be he was once an elephant hunter, hoping to wind up where elephant hunters go. | |||
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Will - You there? Which Teva did you settle on? | |||
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Teva Spoiler. I'm test driving a pair of the new open-toe Keen Napali. We'll see how they do. The capped-toe Keen's accumulate too much crud. ------------------------------- Will / Once you've been amongst them, there is no such thing as too much gun. --------------------------------------- and, God Bless John Wayne. NRA Benefactor, GOA, NAGR _________________________ "Elephant and Elephant Guns" $99 shipped. “Hunting Africa's Dangerous Game" $20 shipped. red.dirt.elephant@gmail.com _________________________ If anything be of note, let it be he was once an elephant hunter, hoping to wind up where elephant hunters go. | |||
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Good info. Thanks. Keep me posted please. | |||
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I have a pair of Tevas, dunno which model. Very well made, but the footbed portion is way too grippy. It has a square waffle type pattern with an almost tacky finish. Fine for doing yardwork, lounging around camp, and mucking out ditches, but I found out the hard way that a two mile walk was a bad, bad idea. I normally don't get blisters, but I sure got them! | |||
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Sneakers and sandals? Not for me. Too many rocks and thorns. I have used my multi-tool at the end of the day to pull thorns out of my heavy boot soles that would have driven through the soles of LVEric's sneakers and into his feet like hot knives through butter. As for sandals, although the soles of Tevas are tougher than sneaker soles, and stand up well to rocks and thorns, too much foot is exposed on top and - as CouchTater says, unless your feet are leather they will blister. I have worn Tevas at home for years and can testify! When I hunt, I prefer to make the game do the bleeding, and keep all my blood inside me. Mike Wilderness is my cathedral, and hunting is my prayer. | |||
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Well I will  I think those shoes and the shorts thing is just about the stupidest thing you can do. Hey if you live every day there and your feet are caloused to the max maybe its ok.Wearing shorts and shoes like that you are asking to get cut up, thorned up, infected, bug bit. A pair of light weight ankle top leather boots and socks or high top hiking shoes. Some of you guys crack me up...You got to have a CRF becuase of the 1 in 10,000 chance that you might have that small extractor break but you wil go out into the bush in shorts and low cut shoes and risk get cut up and thorned up and ruin a days hunting. So if if you wear shorts and sneakers over there I gues the next time you go pheasant hunting in the midwest on an Indian Summer day you will wear shorts and low cut canvas sneakers. Mike Legistine actu quod scripsi? Never under estimate the internet community's ability to reply to your post with their personal rant about their tangentially related, single occurrence issue.  What I have learned on AR, since 2001: 1. The proper answer to: Where is the best place in town to get a steak dinner? is…You should go to Mel's Diner and get the fried chicken. 2. Big game animals can tell the difference between .015 of an inch in diameter, 15 grains of bullet weight, and 150 fps. 3. There is a difference in the performance of two identical projectiles launched at the same velocity if they came from different cartridges. 4. While a double rifle is the perfect DGR, every 375HH bolt gun needs to be modified to carry at least 5 down. 5. While a floor plate and detachable box magazine both use a mechanical latch, only the floor plate latch is reliable. Disregard the fact that every modern military rifle uses a detachable box magazine. 6. The Remington 700 is unreliable regardless of the fact it is the basis of the USMC M40 sniper rifle for 40+ years with no changes to the receiver or extractor and is the choice of more military and law enforcement sniper units than any other rifle. 7. PF actions are not suitable for a DGR and it is irrelevant that the M1, M14, M16, & AK47 which were designed for hunting men that can shoot back are all PF actions. 8. 95 deg F in Africa is different than 95 deg F in TX or CA and that is why you must worry about ammunition temperature in Africa (even though most safaris take place in winter) but not in TX or in CA. 9. The size of a ding in a gun's finish doesn't matter, what matters is whether it’s a safe ding or not. 10. 1 in a row is a trend, 2 in a row is statistically significant, and 3 in a row is an irrefutable fact. 11. Never buy a WSM or RCM cartridge for a safari rifle or your go to rifle in the USA because if they lose your ammo you can't find replacement ammo but don't worry 280 Rem, 338-06, 35 Whelen, and all Weatherby cartridges abound in Africa and back country stores. 12. A well hit animal can run 75 yds. in the open and suddenly drop with no initial blood trail, but the one I shot from 200 yds. away that ran 10 yds. and disappeared into a thicket and was not found was lost because the bullet penciled thru. I am 100% certain of this even though I have no physical evidence. 13. A 300 Win Mag is a 500 yard elk cartridge but a 308 Win is not a 300 yard elk cartridge even though the same bullet is travelling at the same velocity at those respective distances. | |||
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 8" leather 3.3 lb boots and long cotton pants in the real bush makes good common logic. Sandals, tennis shoes and shorts are for the beach and home BBQ. | |||
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We are "wimpy-footed" 'Mericans and should wear sturdy footewear and good leg covering...e.g. pants...all of the old photos I've seen of Selous, Taylor, Roosevelt, etc...show this method to be proven...I wore shorts on my last trip, but we didn't do much work in thorny underbrush either. Interestingly enough, my PH wore only shorts, but the trackers and game scouts always wore pants. JW | |||
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Actually Selous and John Taylor talked about going NATIVE, in the buff. Probably other did too but didn't want to admit it. ------------------------------- Will / Once you've been amongst them, there is no such thing as too much gun. --------------------------------------- and, God Bless John Wayne. NRA Benefactor, GOA, NAGR _________________________ "Elephant and Elephant Guns" $99 shipped. “Hunting Africa's Dangerous Game" $20 shipped. red.dirt.elephant@gmail.com _________________________ If anything be of note, let it be he was once an elephant hunter, hoping to wind up where elephant hunters go. | |||
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