I have the hunting itch already. Mailed out my doe tag application earlier in the week, ordered a new stormy kormer cap and now I'm looking at boots. I usually wear surplus "mickey" boots but with the amount of stand hunting I did last year they aren't the best for climbing tree stand ladders and I can't drive in them. So I'm looking for a nice pair of boots that are warm and waterproof to use both in the stand and hiking. Budgeting about $200 max. Any recommendations or warnings?
I really like my Muck Artctic Sport boots. I have a pair of very warm Rocky PAC boots, but the Muck's have retired them. I wouldn't want to walk 3 or 4 mila in them, but there are comfortable for 1 mile hikes to a stand- much more comfy than any rubber boots I have owned.
^×2. They can't be beat for warmth, comfort, scent control, and waterproofing. Like he said...don't hike 10 miles in them.
I have gone to the Muck boot as well. TSC and many others sell them. I went to Cabelas site and looked at the options for Mucks and their line has heavily expanded. I just used the plain black Muck work boot, lightly insulated. High boot for wet conditions, rubber bottom for scent limitation, easy on/off and light for walking. Can't go wrong with them. I have tried others without satisfaction, like the Pinnacle from Cabelas (smelled like cat p*ss after a couple wears), and the Bucktracker from Irish Setter (leaked on the top of the instep when flexed under water) but the Mucks have stood the test in the field.
I use a pair of tall Muck chore boots for about 90% of my hunting as I don't have to walk very far (just out on the "back 25"). They are very warm and exceptionally comfortable, although too loose for serious walking. They are also taller than normal snow we get around here. When it really gets nasty cold out there though, I have a pair of 2000g camo Thinsulate boots I bought from Cabelas. The carry the Cabelas name, but are made in China of course!
I like Danner's too- I have 3 pair, including a pair of 1000 gram insulated still in the box-I bought them on sale 5 years ago! I truly love them for work and walking, but I'll take my Mucks for 20 degree tree stand sitting.
Biggest thing with winter boots/shoes- insulation between your foot and the ground what is wrapped around the top is of lessor importance, more than 80% of the boots out there lack proper thermal insulation between the sole and the foot bed- hence cold feet. Pac boots help some when not active but are extremely cumbersome and tend to hang up on everything making it a very tiring chore when moving through the brush/fields . Look for a boot that has several layers of insulation in foot bed area - I have had several different gortex lined boots never been happy with them- and they are pricy. I have a pair now That I got somewhere that have the insulated foot bed and are just leather and man made combo up top fairly light warm enough and I can move all day with them. I just follow the mfg recomendation for waterproofing works out fine. Problem with rubber boots - feet sweat moisture trapped inside- cold feet in short time.
It's tough to get a pair of boots that will stay cool and dry while hiking yet stay warm while sitting. Here are a couple of options if you already have a good hiking boot that you just want to add heat to. I wear a decent pair of 800 gram gore-tex boots for walking then in the late season slip on a pair of these boot insulators when I'm going to sit for any length of time. Keeps the heat in that you built up while walking. Easy to slip on after you are in your stand. http://reviews.cabelas.com/8815/830...eviews/reviews.htm?page=2&sort=rating&dir=asc Another option that a few of my buddies here in Canada use and are happy with is heated insoles from Thermocell. A little pricier but I have seen them on sale a few times http://heat.thermacell.com/heated-insoles-foot-warmers Edit: I bought my wife some battery heated insoles like the Thermocell for her downhill ski boots and she just loves them. Makes for a much more enjoyable day on the slopes....for both of us
I've got a pair of Baffins that are pretty darn warm. They've got the rubber lowers and leather uppers. I typically drive in slip-on shoes and change once I reach the field, but I've driven in them before when I was too lazy to change them out and they did ok. They're also heavy to hike in, but I'm not usually going much further than 1/2 mile anyway. They're by far warmer than any boot I've had that's 100% leather, and better to walk/drive in than boots I've had that were 100% rubber.
Been Muck boots for me for the last 8-12 years now. All I do is tree stand bowhunting with a short walk across my fields to the stands. We don't get the cold early season weather here like we use to but with a good pair of socks I find them warm enough even for late season. I also NEVER wear my hunting boots in the truck they stay in a sent free locker in the back as do my hunting clothes.
I have to agree with the Muck artic sports also. They are plenty warm and you can move well in them. When it's terrible cold and I'm stand hunting, I've been known to wash my 1600 gram neoprene waders in no-scent soap and wear them! I've never claimed to be an "arctic blast" lover!!
Been wearing lacrosse alphaburlys for a while now. 1000g is too much for the south most of the time, but I got them for South Dakota deer/pheasant. They are the most cofortable shoe is have ever had.
Whatever you get, get then 1-2 full sizes larger than you normally wear. The WORST thing you can have in cold weather is constriction of blood flow. Much beater to have loose fitting boots that you can always add more socks to, than to have tight-fitting boots that will always be cold no matter what. FWIW, I like Muck boots, but in the real world, anything will do. Just don't get them too small.
I like everything about the Mickey except the oversized toe. They just work. Wouldn't wear them while driving the wife's jetta. For me it's Mickey's or Red Wing King Toe
"Red Wing King Toes" !!!!!! That's the only protective toe I can wear. Even so, They give my callouses on my big toes due to constriction.
