Bowhunting blacktails on south Kodiak next Fall and need some help on boots. Hunt is in November (rut) so we plan on a good bit of walking. I have hot weather and very cold weather boots but nothing good for hiking in moderately chilly wet conditions. I'm thinking something with 200 or 400 grams of insulation. Any thoughts on this?

Additionally, I'm open to brand recommendations. I'm upgrading my hot weather boots to Crispi Guides, because they'll get a ton of use. I'm looking to spend less on these Kodiak boots because outside of this trip, they'll only be used maybe one week per year. Any thoughts on this?

Thanks in advance.

I’ve done this hunt twice, once with Meindel Denali boots and once with Crispi Colorado and Grubb boots.

I find Grubb Dri-Shod or Muck boots to be about right for the task so long as you don’t have any ankle problems requiring ankle support.

If I go again I’ll likely just take Grubb, Dri-Shod or Muck Frogleg boots (coon hunting boots with nylon chaps attached) and camp shoes.

A good deal of us Alaskans wear X-tra Tuff's or hipboots if crossing are on the menu. Kodiak is a real wet place,,leather get wet fast there.

Thanks for the replies. I've found that rubber boots (the Muck-or Grubb-type) tend not to work well for me when hiking a lot. I wear them for treestand whitetail hunting for scent control, but any time I've tried hiking in them I've gotten bad blisters.

That said, would you still say hiking-oriented boots from Crispi, Kenetrek or other reputable makes would still be an automatic no-go for Kodiak in November?

Bring your go to mountain boot and take 5 minutes in Kodiak to grab a pair of X-Tra Tuffs and see which you wear more often.

I keep a pair of X-Tra Tuffs at my daughter's house in Eagle River and know exactly what you are talking about.

On my Kodiak Blacktail hunt a couple of years ago I wore my 10" Danners with GorTex gaiters and was completely comfortable, and dry.

I have done that hunt both guided and unguided 3-4 times. I used a well broken in and waterproofed pair of German Meindl mtn. Hunters 10", not the Cabela's ones those are junk. They served me well. Good luck.

I love rubber boots but they're just not made for long hikes.....absolutely perfect for short distances in wet, cold conditions though. I doubt anybody is covering 10 miles in xtra tuffs.....although natives the world over climb mountains in sandals strung together with twine so what do I know.

Thanks for all the feedback, fellas. It's good to hear opinions on both ends of the spectrum - rubber boots vs. hiking boots. Generally I don't think there's a hiking boot in the world that is as dry as a rubber X-Tra Tuff type boot. But the latter is much less comfortable to hike in. At least they have been, in my experience.

Guess I'll need to determine how much hiking we'll be doing, and then decide accordingly.

Take both.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by HuntingOutWest:
Thanks for the replies. I've found that rubber boots (the Muck-or Grubb-type) tend not to work well for me when hiking a lot. I wear them for treestand whitetail hunting for scent control, but any time I've tried hiking in them I've gotten bad blisters.

The problem with muck and other similar types is top is tight and traps all the moisture, I like boots like Lacrosse's ankle fit that are loose on the top uninsulated and use chemical heat warmers for hands and boots if I get cold.

One in a shirt pocket works well, saw a picture on the web where chemical boot warmers were used on the top of the foot inside the boot and had extreme burns, so put them under the foot. I only use them when glassing or sitting.

You can roll the Extra Tuffs into a pretty tight little bundle. Maybe 4-5 pounds? Cheap insurance.

I've never been to Kodiak, so you can take this for what it is worth....

I just got back tonight from chasing blacktails on Prince of Wales Island. My daughter and I hunted together. We encountered colder weather and more snow than we have in past years.

She wore a pair of Muck Boots, I wore uninsulated leather boots. She was much happier and more comfortable with her footwear than I was...

I hunted black tails on Kodiak at least a dozen times. All trips except one we stayed in a tent. The issues we had with leather boots in the tent is they would never dry out inside. It took me about 7-8 trips before I switched to ankle fit rubber boots that were a size to big. Liner socks and a pair of thicker socks on top of them is the key. Most hunting on Kodiak is spot and stalk so you are constantly moving and your feet will not get that cold. You will be crossing many streams and swampy areas during a days hunt.

Cabela"s use to have what was called Tundra Boots. they were well insulated, light weight, and had hip high water proof legging incorporated into the boot. Unfortunately they are no longer being sold or produced. It was a great product. Wore them many times on Kodiak.
Because of my feet now I use Kennetrek boots and gaiter.

I used 800gr. Lacrosse tall rubber boots, a different insole (SOLE or Superfeet) and two pair of socks. No blisters, lots of walking.

On My next hunt I used hip height boots - way better for all the stream crossings.