I'll be going on my first plains game hunt to the Eastern Cape, RSA in September, 2011. I'm wanting to get some new boots for the trip now so they are broken in by hunt time. What height boots do you experienced safari goers wear? I was thinking something along the lines of 7" high uninsulated hiking boot with a gore-tex lining. let me know if I am on the right track with my thinking.

Craig

Something with a "soft" walk ie quiet. If you need ankle support the higher boot will do fine but if support is not necessary a good walking shoe a/k/a tennis show etc. will do fine.

It probably depends on where in the E. Cape you are going, but when I went some years ago, the landowner advised we bring boots with heavy soles, as the terrain was, in her words, "quite stony." And it was.

Wear what the PH wears, sneakers, sandals, flip flops, bare foot.

At the risk of contradicting previous posts, parts of the EC can be quite mountainous, in which case you'll need a fairly aggressive tread pattern and good ankle support.

I'd suggest you consult your outfitter (NOT the agent) and ask for details of the terrain in the area you'll be hunting and his suggestions for style of boot.

You might also like to go to the hunt reports forum and do a search on the EC and look at the pics to give you an idea of what you might possibly expect.

I'm not suggesting you'll be climbing the Himalayas but some areas can be a bit steep and sometimes with a surface of loose shale etc.

Soft/quiet soles are obviously to be recommended.

East Cape covers a lot of area. If you are hunting the Karoo, it can get wet and Gortex boots are an obvious choice. Otherwise Gortex is not usually recommended for most Africa hunting as it will retain heat - no matter what the adverts say. The Karoo is high desert and can also be quite cold, so plan accordingly, and remember the seasons are reversed so Sept is their Winter. Best to ask your PH/outfitter to describe the weather conditions and terrain where you will be hunting.

Good luck and take some of the animals only found in the Eastern Cape.

We hunted the Easern Cape in August. Where we hunted it was quite mountainous; therefore, an agressive boat was required. I have a pair of Rocky boots that have no insulation and very soft soled, so they served me well.

He is a picture to give you an idea of some of the areas we hunted for mountain reedbuck. If it is steep like this, do yourself a favor and be in good shape!



Good luck on your hunt!!!

No Gortex or Thinsulate. Buy a size larger and use extra sox for warmth / absorption. Inner light sox to wick away like for hiking. Take along something to pull thorns out (jumping cactus is HORRID!) Cordura makes noise but resists the stickers. Try some runners/takkies/cross-trainers for afternoon hunts when it isn't chilly. I wore out a cheap pair in 2005. Danner hikers in 2007 were MUCH better. (High tops in both cases.)

2 cents

Hunted there in 2004. The terrain can be very rocky with large loose stones everywhere. I was advised to bring a sturdy boot with good heavy sole with agressive tread. I did. It was the best advise I got. I used an ankle high boot with light insulation and thin merino woool socks. Worked well in dew in mornings and kept feet cool during the hot day. On many stalks following a PH about half my age I thought I might twist an ankle. Good boots are a must & will add much comfort to a hunt there.

Check out the Ecco TrackIV

Their sole is much less noisy than a Vibram sole.

They are uninsulated but are Gortex lined.

I can not fathom why anyone would get a non Gortex boot for hunting in the Eastern Cape, or anywhere else for that matter.

Les

Yeah, my GoreTex boots and clothes "breathe"...but they seem to get pretty short of breath pretty easily. For light exertion they seem fine, but for me the sweat produced by any serious physical activity far exceeds the capability of the membrane to evaporate the moisture. For the temperatures that you'll be encountering, give me a nice uninsulated ankle-high leather boot any day.

John

I hunted on six different properties or concessions from Kimberley to Port Elizabeth in 2007. We did a lot of walking in every kind of country from thick brush, Rocky hills, to mountain tops for Vaal Rhebuck.

My shoes for that trip was a pair of 5" lightweight hiking shoes that I bought for about $20 at Wally World. I also wore a pair of Boyt ankle gaiters to keep all the grass seeds, etc out of my boots.

The tread has just about worn off now, as I also use them for hiking in the mountains in SW Montana, central Wyoming, and in the hills west of Denver. I have also worn them every year since 2007 while antelope hunting in SE Montana.


Incidentally, the 270 gr TSX from my .375 Ultra mag WAY over penetrated that Jackal.

quote:

Originally posted by LionHunter:
East Cape covers a lot of area. If you are hunting the Karoo, it can get wet and Gortex boots are an obvious choice. Otherwise Gortex is not usually recommended for most Africa hunting as it will retain heat - no matter what the adverts say. The Karoo is high desert and can also be quite cold, so plan accordingly, and remember the seasons are reversed so Sept is their Winter. Best to ask your PH/outfitter to describe the weather conditions and terrain where you will be hunting.

Good luck and take some of the animals only found in the Eastern Cape.

Mike, I dont know what part of the Karoo you were in, but the Karoo that I know is one of the driest places in South Africa. September is the start of spring in SA, but you are right, it can get chilly in the evenings.
A good pair of leather boots with soft soles and some ancle support will stand you in good stead. Ancle gaiters as buffybr said, is a must. I never hunt anywhere in South Africa without them.
My 2 ps in a pot.

If you are hunting in an area that the damn import "jointed cactus" is around, choose a good leather boot. Those damn spines penetrate canvas tops. BTW carry a multi-tool, they are difficult to pull and your fingers are not proofed against them. A lot of times victims impale their own calf muscles by standing on the stuff and then as they walk the foot going forward deposites the cactus on the opposite calf. Oh happy hunters.

Thanks for all the responses. I just kicked an e-mail off to my PH and will see what he says.

Craig

Looks like I am the only hold out for just above the ankle Courtney Tyre Tracks...mine, Ele skin, have been on 10 safaris, two elk hunts, an Oscillated and Gould turkey hunt and a few chickie hunts....wet in the Bangweuleu,dry in South Natron, rock climbing in East Cape and everything in between....good boots....funny thing is I bought two pair at the same time at the Indian's place in Bulawayo----the second pair to replace the first pair when they wear out is still in the wood box....I am apparently going to wear out first!

I wore "Tenny Runners" (tennis shoes) on the way over, around camp and on the way back. Listen to what your PH tells you for the hunting boot. I wear a gortex hiking boot (by Danner) with vibran type soles. Same boot here in the states until it get's too cold.

quote:

Originally posted by Scriptus:
If you are hunting in an area that the damn import "jointed cactus" is around, choose a good leather boot. Those damn spines penetrate canvas tops. BTW carry a multi-tool, they are difficult to pull and your fingers are not proofed against them. A lot of times victims impale their own calf muscles by standing on the stuff and then as they walk the foot going forward deposites the cactus on the opposite calf. Oh happy hunters.

+1

I normally like light bush shoes - trail runners, day hikers or 'approach shoes'. Apart from really steep rocky places I think most visitors wear overly heavy boots.
However if the area has a lot of Opuntiacactus as scriptus says then leather boots are great - that stuff is the shits!!!!

My first safari, I wore my Danner Pronghorns, uninsulated. Worked great. PH never said I made too much noise. Will wear them on my next trip, which I am in the process of choosing.

Hi Guys
Get light boots that support the ankle,something that breathes we can get hot in the middle of the day esp in Sept. make sure its waterproof Sept Oct is a rainy season for the Karoo which rains most of the time but mainly never.(Only on Safri)
Dont forget light rain gear Ive had snow in Sept before.
Get good soles we got some serious prickers "accacia karroo" an "pen thorns" are not for sissies a tennis shoe will be impaled to your foot if you step on one of these 2 and if the sucker breaks off youre gonna have fun getting your shoe off
As has been mentioned some area have the jointed cactus especially near the coast. these buggers tend to jump on you if you touch them and get you mainly on the calf or behind the knee, and they sting like a S.O.B.
dave
Hunting the Eastern Cape is like New mexico wyoming and the texas hill country have fun

DANG!! So Sharp can take his Courtney ad and stick it, I guess....

I dunno, I'm wearing my Courteneys now, and they fit and work well. They also went hunting with me this year.

Rich

I suppose it's a "when in Rome" or keeping up with the Jones type of a thing.

Courtneys, I just visited the website....really ugly shoes!!!

dont go expensive, just comfortable. wolverine boots are very widely used here by P.Hs etc light good sole and supports the ankle.