Hey Guys,
I just got a question for ya'll, Im kind of new to hunting and I was looking for some advice on a good pair of hunting boots. I do most of my hunting in Texas, and it requires lots of walking most of the time. There are not many times where im just sitting in very cold weather or anything. I am also looking for a lightweight boot with failry good ankle support. I am also looking to spend only about $150-$200 if possible. That being said, the 2 boots I have been looking at are the:

Cabela's Kagaroo GTX Pinnacle Series,.....and
Danner Pronghorn GTX

I would greatly appreciate any suggestions as to which boot I should go with, or if there are ANY other boots that ya'll think might be good for what I am going to be doing.

Thanks a lot,
Ian

Also take a look at Cabela's outfitter series. I can't say enough good things about mine, and my Danners leak like a sieve. HTH, Dutch.

NBW, I don't have any experience with the Danner boots, I have been told they make good quality products, and our County SWAT team members all wear them, my friend who is the sniper for the team likes his very much, they wear a tactical model from Danner. I DO have a pair of the Cabela's Kangaroo and like them very much. I wear a 'd' size boot, and a lot of boots seem wide to me despite them being a medium size which is supposed to correlate with a 'd', having said that if other boots you wear seem snug as far as width goes these might be a hair snug in that regard--the kangaroo leather does seem very flexible, i.e. having an ability to conform to your feet. In short I really like mine



Good Luck--Don.

Welcome to AR.

Both boots you mentioned are good for what you are looking for.

Consider looking at Rocky. I bought some years ago when I was in AZ and they are made more for what you are looking for. I recall they were about $90 back then. They are camel/kaki colored and are very light wt.

Ian,

First welcome to the board!

With regards the choice of hunting boots, it tends to be a very personal thing.

For instance I dislike Vibram soles..I do a lot of still hunting/stalking and I find they generally too hard/heavy/noisy...in fact they are just plain "clumpy"...Also I am not impressed with the grip they offer in wet conditions on some surfaces either.

I would look for a boot with a softer sole and I particularly liked a mates Rockies with the bear claw sole...it seemed a good alround compromise and a lot quieter than vibram too.

Also be warned about buying boots mail order. I believe if your spending $150 you really need to try them on in the appropriate socks and make sure they fit properly and also you can then examine the quality too...very often one company's size 10 is more like somebody elses size 9 and the difference can be crippling after a long days walking..

regards,

Pete

I have had very good luck with Cabela's Outfitter Series. I have tried other boots, but I keep going back to the Outfitters. I tried a pair of the kangaroo boots, but they were junk by the third day of hunting; they leaked the first time I walked in wet grass. I have heard good things about the Danner Pronghorns, and I will probably buy a pair to compare them with the Outfitters.

I wear Red Wing and Chippewa (both American Made). Irish Setter is marketed by Red Wing, but are MADE IN CHINA!!

I dislike Rockies as the ones I have owned all fell apart in relatively short order. Perhaps it is that I am not wearing them in the desert Southwest, who knows. I do know that Rockies are made in China, it that matters to you or not I don't know. For me it matters, particularly when price tags routinely exceed $150!

Danners are either made in the USA or China, one must be careful, the price tag doesn't necessarily tell the tale! Again, it may not mean a damned thing to you.

ASS_CLOWN

I hunted in Danner Pronghorn's this year in the snow and they worked great. I have had very good luck with Danner hunting boots. your milage may vary. The pronghorns are lightweight, warm enough, and mine dont leak.

I gave up on "hunting" boots years ago. For hunting here in the mountains of CO, I use light weight gore-tex backpacking boots. They are very comfortable and supportive.

I like LOWA hiking boots as that is what I do most when hunting. they are comfortable(for me) and provide lots of support in all types of terrain. I dont require gore-tex, but do use an after market water-proofing treatment.
Cheers
Allan

Danners are great boots. I tried a pair of Pronghorn GTX and they hurt my calf at the top of the boot. My heel slipped and blistered and I never could break them in. They went to the Salvation Army drop off.

My previous Danners were great.

For your application I would look at a Vasque. I finally gave in and thought the tree huggers may have something as they walk a long way to hug a tree. So I went to the tree hugger outfitting store and bought a pair of Vasque. They have been awesome for my pronghorn hunts this year. Great fit and feel. Gortex liner and cool for the hotter prarie hunts.

My favorite rough country, mountain boots are the Canadian Hunter by Meindl, sold by Cabela's. I am on my second pair. They have the best ankle support I have found. Good thinsulate, but not too much (200 grams). Haven't leaked and have treated my poor flat feet well over hundreds of rough miles.

My 2 cents.

I'm with Pepper and cobrad on this one. The Vasque boots are awesome. I'm currently on my second pair, they last me about 3 years of very hard use. I don't think I'll buy another brand again. Mine are the leather maroon colored ones, they might be called the skywalkers. Waterproof, tough, light, good traction. I think they are generally in the $175-$200 range.

I have a pair Irish Setter Big game trackers and love them. Very soft and took no time at all to break in!!

As a fellow Texan, I understand your quandry with boots. I used to wear Rocky Eliminators and loved them. They had Vibram soles, so were reasonably quiet, were waterproof and warm. Two years ago I bought a pair of Danners for elk hunting. They are warm, but heavy and clunky and riding in a saddle with them is out of the question.
A couple of years ago a quail hunting buddy of mine turned me on L.L. Bean boots. I have been wearing them ever since. They come in varying heights from shoe height to 16", insulated and uninsulated. They have leather tops and rubber bottoms. I now have two pair. I just returned from a NM elk hunt where I wore them for eight days. They are indescribeably comfortable for walking. Though mine are uninsulated, as long as I wear wool socks, my feet stay warm.
For quail hunting or any kind of mobile hunting I have found they have no match.
Good luck!

Danners are usually very good but I've tried on some that didn't fit my feet well at all so definitly try before you buy.
The best and most comfortable by far boots that I've ever tried are Schnee's. I just got through climbing up and down lots of snowy hills in my Hunter II's and couldn't be happier. They are warm, waterproof give excellent traction and good support. I strongly suggest that you consider a pair they are of the highest quality and not as expensive as some others.........DJ

NBW,

Welcome to AR.

I strongly suggest that you don't even consider buying ANY boots online. Even quality boots these days seem to be made in sweat shops and the right one is often a half size or more larger or smaller than the left.

If you must buy hunting boots then take the time and expense to go to a Bass Pro or Cabelas and plan to spend a half day trying on shoes and/or boots.

Sizes used to be standardized much more than they are now. Fit is way more important than anything else in a boot or shoe.

I own about 10 pairs of quality hunting/hiking boots and more and more find myself wearing my New Balance running shoes (Cross Trainers) for hunting. Unless I'm in snow that is over the top of my shoes or climbing around on rocks they offer me a lot of protection, they are incredibly light, and are very quiet.

I hunt from Colorado to Illinois to the Swamps and Piney Woods of the Deep South and usually have a good pair of appropriate hunting boots in the pickup but often just wear my running shoes for the whole hunt.

Carry several pairs of quality clean socks with you and change them often.

... Just one mans opinion that walks 5-20 miles mosts days he hunts. (Too high strung for a treestand)...

$bob$

LDHunter, I think you make an excellent point. I've ordered a couple pairs of shoes/boots without trying them on and the only pairs that ever fit right were Schnees. I even bought a pair of identical shoes to replace a pair that was getting worn and for whatever reason they don't fit the same. If at all possible try on whatever shoes/boots that you are buying first. Even within brands some styles of the same size will fit and some won't.........DJ

dont walk alot now, and have lots of boots.. the best boots ive ever had i bought at rei in seattle.. they werent rieckle but started with a v from austria or someplace like that. they were low top climbing boots.just over the ankle extreemly hard bottom of the foot didnt bend hardly much.. some of the first vibrum soles out.. they were for putting in the creves of a rock, or standing on a point.. could walk miles and miles with full pack..longest hike i made in one day was 10 miles with full pack and feet and me were tired but went out the next day.. ive owned many many boots and nothing hold a candle to boots like those.. you need two pairs of socks so the sock dont slide on thefoot but between each other.nylon inside and wool outside if i remembver right. winter/ summer the same.. not good for cold cold.. . they were about 150 dollars 25 years ago.. yhou needed gaiters for snow.. they worked good in all weather, all conditions.. the tops wore off i have them around here somewhere.. tennis shoes, for summer redwings, and packs for winter are all i need now, but then the game i shoot now days shows it. they keep getting smaller and smaller and more space inbetween.. but i can pretend im the big bad hunter, and thats what counts.. we ran into a yong man last sunday going in to my favorite spot to hunt elk.. i said where is your car? he said 5 miles down the road.. i said id give him a ride when we came out.. he must have gone at least 10 miles in RUGGED stuff. and was down and out when we went out.. these young guys need snow, then they get on tracks and can get up on them if your in shape.. as they spend alot of time feeding. it could be a bad year for thtat this year. well see.. helena montana. dave.

NBW, Unfortunately, I don't have any experience w/ the aforementioned boots, but I'd like to make a suggestions, nevertheless. I'd recommend you check out http://www.russellmoccasin.com/. These are hand-made boots made to fit a tracing of your foot that you supply. When I bought mine approx 4-5 years ago, I was considering a lightweight Browning uninsulated kangaroo boot; the Russell boot was not much more expensive. Before that, I had a pair of Rocky uninsulated boots that proved to have a defective sole. The next pair of Rocky's I bought ALSO had a defective sole. To Cabela's credit, they did give me a pro-rated rebate on the first pair; I was so frustrated w/ the second pair that I never even contacted Cabela's. Doubt I'll buy another pair of Rocky's anytime soon. Sometimes it can be difficult finding a pair of good quality uniinsulated hunting boots.

With Russell, you have a wide choice of insuation/noninsulation, leathers, and soles. Living in Louisiana, I find that I wear these non-insulated boot most every PM hunt. They are very comfortable. Haven't checked their prices lately, but I bet you can find a pair in your price range. Gary T.

Depends on what you are hunting. If you are walking to a treestand after whitetails, I would wear rubber boots and spray them down to keep your scent low. In Texas, I would buy noninsulated boots, especially if you are walking a lot, take a look at some of the Meindl boots that Cabelas sells, they are good boots. Also, remember that expensive overprice boots will not make you a better hunter and you may be able to find some that are not that expensive that are equivalent in performance and function. Look around, I have a pair of old red wings that I bought new in 1989 and have resoled five times, they are excellent and comfortable.

You didn't say where you were hunting in Texas. I hunt the humid, and often soggy, East Texas. My two hunting boots are Rocky Cornstalkers (insulated for cold weather - got them on sale at Academy) and a pair of green LaCrosse 17" ankle-fit (unisulated for warmer weather and wetter conditions). That is the deal with Texas - one week it is seventy degrees and the next it'll be in the 30's.

I will say that I am never without a pair of the LaCrosse boots, you may just want a change of socks about midday. They may not be the best in South, Central, or West Texas though because of all the cactus any other thorny plants. If you area hunting out there, all leather boots are pretty much a necessity.

Hiking or hunting versions of SmartWool socks are a must regardless.

All that said, I've got two friends that would not take anything for their Russel Moccasin Co. South 40 Birdshooters and those are on my "to buy" list. They are high, but I think it must be a matter of "you get what you pay for". One of these friends also uses the Maine Hunting boot from LL Bean when grouse hunting in Wisconsin (wet conditions).