Boots for September elk hunting

[Phaseolus]

I wore Danner's for the longest time and 2 years ago I splurged on a pair of Lowa's and do not regret that decision. I have the Lowa Renegade GTX and it fits my foot extremely well, is very light weight, and felt great right out of the box. Highly recommend trying Lowa if you never have before.

And you can order them in a narrow width For those of us with narrow feet, I am on my third pair.

 

[Gumbo Hunter]

I live in MT and have 400 and uninsulated Mountain Extremes, Hardscrabbles, and Corries. I'm actually on my second pair of uninsulated MEs (after about 8 seasons with the first pair). I wear the uninsulated MEs about 95% of the time for hunting because my feet sweat too much in the insulated MEs and then get cold, even when it isn't all that cold out. I'd go with the uninsulated in September for sure, I'd rather have my feet slightly chilly if it got cold than be hot and sweaty in average temps.

 

[Johnny Bravo]

Another vote for Crispi's, love my Thor GTX's. Zero break in....like you have to do with other boots.

 

[Gila]

Hummm...no one has snakes where they hunt. I do, I hunt in the Southern half of NM. Down here the snakes are active up to 8000 ft in September. Depending on where it starts to freeze at night, then they will den up and no a problem. There is a lot of elk hunting going on down here below 8500 ft though. Besides the snakes, I want protection to the knees against rocks, thorns, and cactus. And of course waterproof. The last thing I am worried about is cold feet in Sept. I have been wearing Irish setter lace-ups for over 30 years now and works for me.

We don’t get very many western diamondbacks but they are here. Mostly, Hopi’s and an occasional Mojave. The corals are rare and very small, but there is no anti-venin for the bite.

 

[mottlet]

I like Lowas, for whatever that's worth. As others have pointed out, brand recs on the internet are worth what you pay for em.

Re: insulated vs not...
For a while, I was between my last pair of uninsulated boots and the Renegades I've got now and just ran my Tibet Superwarms for everything from Sept elk in Colorado to April turkeys in Virginia. Hot take: it was fine. I think they breathe well enough that my foot didn't sweat enough to really get cold. I did typically wear a silk liner to expedite the movement of moisture away from my skin. I love em in cold deer stands in November and December.

 

[Zootownelk]

It was a pain, but I don't have any stores locally that had the boots I wanted to try, so I had I picked the ones I thought I wanted and then returned them if they didn't fit. I had to do this 3 times with 3 different brands. I wanted Crispi Guides to work, and seemed like great boots and were the most comfortable to me, but I was getting too much heel slippage with one of my feet. Schnee's Beartooth 2's fit me the best, so that what I have and have been very happy.

So yeah, try them on first. Boots fit differently. Uninsulated for sept would be fine I'd think. I have insulated and wear year around, but I've never complained about my feet being too warm.

 

[WVmike]

Find what works for your feet, what one person might like, you might not like at all. I use zamberlan saguaro boots and I've had them for 3 years with well over 100 miles of hiking, hunting and rucking on them and they are holding up well with no tread wear and they are probably the most comfortable boots I've worn. They are uninsulated and even use them in november and december with good wool socks. I've used danners in the military and rocky boots as well.

 

[WhitetailHillbilly]

I can't speak to the Lowa or Kenetrek I've heard they are very stiff. I have some Crispi Idaho that I absolutely love. There is really no or little break in. I if you want to save some money the Salomon Quest 4 is a really good choice for September elk if there is no snow. I have not had water issues but a lot of people say they are not very waterproof they are shorter lower than the Crispi Idaho. The best advise for boots is try them on take a pack with weight in it, you can't take anyone opinion as gospel since all our feet are different.

 

[Andrewlonghi]

I ended up purchasing the kenetrek Mountain guide NI...going wear them while scouting around in Florida a few times to get them broke in and make sure I'm going to like then

 

[Pucky Freak]

I've hunted for over 40 years and never once did I ever think..."I really wish my feet could be colder!"

I’ve only been at it 30 years, but the exact opposite is true of me, my feet sweat profusely, even in flip-flops. Perhaps a testament to how different feet can be person to person.

When I was 21 I went barefoot Jan-Apr as an experiment. Snow and cold didn’t bother me, ice fishing my feet got cold on solid ice after about a half hour.

I tried on Kennetreks MG at the store and they were far too stiff for me. It reminded me of the iron boots in Zelda Ocarina of Time. OP, if they work out for you, great. If not, don’t be discouraged. There are very different fit and feel boots out there to try out.

 

[bisblue]

Definitely go non-insulated.

Also buy boots from somewhere where you can try them on where I'm around the house and send them back if they don't fit your feet.

I hunt solo and before I had pack llamas I would often leave a heavier duty set of boots in my truck and backpack and or day hunt with lighter footwear and then switch to my heavy boots for packing the rest of the loads of meat.

 

[Thegreatwapiti]

Anyone who says "definitely" do this or "definitely" do that is pretty (over)confident IMO. One thing I've learned on this site is that everyone has different needs, for different climates, and it different situations. Take what you like and leave the rest....definitely.

 

[bignest]

This thread is a bit old I guess, but I had a pair of Lowas that were awesome to wear in flatlands, but zero traction on wet hill sides. I have a pair of schnees beartooth now and they are like glue on the slick vegetated mountains. They were a little tight at first and I had some buyers remorse, but they broke in fine. I always go insulated myself.

Two years ago I ran into a hunter coming out of a pretty steep area. We were both suprised that someone else would come up there and kind of hit it off. Anyways, coming back down the hill he was sliding all over. I jokingly commented “ looks like you’re wearing lowas” based on his traction. Turns out he was lol. Anyways, their both great boots. Just my experience.

 

[Andrewlonghi]

This thread is a bit old I guess, but I had a pair of Lowas that were awesome to wear in flatlands, but zero traction on wet hill sides. I have a pair of schnees beartooth now and they are like glue on the slick vegetated mountains. They were a little tight at first and I had some buyers remorse, but they broke in fine. I always go insulated myself.

Two years ago I ran into a hunter coming out of a pretty steep area. We were both suprised that someone else would come up there and kind of hit it off. Anyways, coming back down the hill he was sliding all over. I jokingly commented “ looks like you’re wearing lowas” based on his traction. Turns out he was lol. Anyways, their both great boots. Just my experience.

I got the kenetrek 400 non insulated. I have worn them 4 times to the woods here in Florida while scouting around for the up coming season. Been threw a little bit of every kind of terrain down here and so far so good with no complaints about them. Now I know colorado is way different and there no comparison in the terrains but I think I made a good choice

 

[CTELK83]

I had danners for. 8 or so years, switched to kenetrek... Danners were good, i had an oppurtunity to buy Ktreks in an auction for under $200. Have had them for 2 or 3 years now and they are awesome

 

[Flatbrimmer]

I’ve only been at it 30 years, but the exact opposite is true of me, my feet sweat profusely, even in flip-flops. Perhaps a testament to how different feet can be person to person.

When I was 21 I went barefoot Jan-Apr as an experiment. Snow and cold didn’t bother me, ice fishing my feet got cold on solid ice after about a half hour.

I tried on Kennetreks MG at the store and they were far too stiff for me. It reminded me of the iron boots in Zelda Ocarina of Time. OP, if they work out for you, great. If not, don’t be discouraged. There are very different fit and feel boots out there to try out.

I love that game haha

 

[MtnElk]

My feet run wicked hot, so I went with Kenerred 400 NI. very comfortable

 

[utah400elk]

JMO,

I have been elk hunting for over 30 years and I think people over think their boot selection. Again, JMO, people see the Kentrek type boot as the gold standard. You couldn’t talk me into wearing them. Bigger heavy boots are way too loud and hot for me. My standard go to boot is a simple Merrell. I have both a water proof and non water proof. If I had to pick one it would be a waterproof mid. I don’t carry a crazy heavy pack and try and keep as mobile as possible.

I have gone on one guided hunt in my life and the guide mentioned that a lot of guys show up with huge packs and Kentrek type boots with gators. He said it was an overkill and made way too muck noise.

95% of my elk hunts are day hunts. I hike from truck in morning and return and then repeat in the afternoon. I would simply find the boot that fits you best that you can comfortably hike 4-5 miles. I have been wearing an Apple Watch/Fitbit for the last couple years and have figured out that I average 8-10 miles a day elk hunting. Comfort is key for me.

Good luck on you hunt.

 

[kwyeewyk]

JMO,

I have been elk hunting for over 30 years and I think people over think their boot selection. Again, JMO, people see the Kentrek type boot as the gold standard. You couldn’t talk me into wearing them. Bigger heavy boots are way too loud and hot for me. My standard go to boot is a simple Merrell. I have both a water proof and non water proof. If I had to pick one it would be a waterproof mid. I don’t carry a crazy heavy pack and try and keep as mobile as possible.

I have gone on one guided hunt in my life and the guide mentioned that a lot of guys show up with huge packs and Kentrek type boots with gators. He said it was an overkill and made way too muck noise.

95% of my elk hunts are day hunts. I hike from truck in morning and return and then repeat in the afternoon. I would simply find the boot that fits you best that you can comfortably hike 4-5 miles. I have been wearing an Apple Watch/Fitbit for the last couple years and have figured out that I average 8-10 miles a day elk hunting. Comfort is key for me.

Good luck on you hunt.

I'm same way, I prefer mid height lighter boots for hunting and light packing, save the tall stiff ones for packing meat, or deep snow.

 

[Scott85]

I’m waiting for crispi lapponia 2 become available online.