footwear for WY. elk

[Woolywag]

looking for suggestions for boots for elk hunting last weak of Sept. to the first weak of Oct.we will be hunting in Lander area bow and rifle. Also have app. for antelope , this is my first trip out west ,I've hunted deer all over the east and ont.and moose in Vt. I have know idea what to wear in "real" mountains,any suggestions would be cool.

[HuntElk4Fun]

Boots should be one of your most important purchases IMO. Taking care of your feet in the high country, or any country for that matter, is a huge deal.

First off, keep in mind in Wyo. it can be 70 degrees one day, snow the next and back to 70 the next again. No matter what you buy, I wouldn't go cheap. Plan on spending around $100 or more. First, Goretex, one of the best things invented. Hot or cold, keeping your feet dry is huge.

Next think insulation. If you have the option, you might look into 2 pairs. I'm in this boat, but also didn't buy them both the same year. That might hurt the pocket book. I have a pair of Cabela's outfitter, goretex, uninsulated, 7" hiking boots with aggressive tread. Great for the bowhunt. I also have a pair of 1000 gram thinsulate, goretex, 12" boots for when the snow flies.

Finally, socks. Get good socks! Cabela's has a wonderful sock out that mixes wool with other fibers to breath with Goretex boots. They are awesome! They make lightweight to heavy ones, again have both for the changing weather.

I'm sure some will help with brands. I personally like Merrell, Lowa, Danner and a few of Cabela's Outfitter series stuff. Good luck on your hunts!

[stubblejumper]

Istartedwearing meindlsin 1990and except in very cold weather,I will wear no other boot.My favorite modelis the Canada which is very comfortable and offers great support.My pair is 12 years old and they are still waterproof.

[wyotimberghost]

Danner makes some great boots. I'd recomment getting a pair of leather danners (or cabelas or meindl) with vibram soles. The stiffer vibram soles will help a lot when you're hiking over rocks in the mountains, and as long as you treat them from time to time the leather will last a longer and be very durable. Also, do not get boots that have too much insulation.

Here are some boots you might want to look at.

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/te...amp;hasJS=true
http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/te...amp;hasJS=true
http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/te...amp;hasJS=true
http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/te...amp;hasJS=true
http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/te...amp;hasJS=true

By the way, I'm sure you'll have a great time hunting above Lander. I grew up/sometimes live less than an hour away and have made occasional trips into the mountains above Lander since I was baby. I've never hunted elk there myself (we go to Dubois or Jeffrey City), but I have gone along on elk hunts with my uncle over there and its always a blast. Assuming you know what you're doing, you have a decent chance at sticking a 6x6. Good luck!

[AlaskaMagnum]

Meindls, Meindls, and then Meindls.

[ShatoDavis]

These have servede me well on two trips to the mountains of BC:
http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/pod/horizontal-pod.jsp?_DARGS=/cabelas/en/common/catalog/pod-link.jsp_A&_DAV=MainCatcat20564&rid=&i ndexId=cat550012&navAction=push&navCount=3 &parentType=index&parentId=cat550012&i d=0005212

[reddog132]

I have two pairs of Danners. One insulated with 600 grams for cold weather and the other without when it's warm. When there's deep snow on the ground I go with Schnees Pac boots. Best boot for harsh weather I ever bought. As HuntElk4Fun stated, I didn't buy my boots all in the same year. My Danner Canadians are 10 years old and have held up well over the years.

http://www.danner.com/products.asp?catid=10&prodid=1973

http://www.danner.com/products.asp?catid=10&prodid=1800

http://www.schnees.com/catalog/schnee-pac-boots/p_s5sc-09133.html

[MThunter]

i was gung hoe about boots for a long time until i picked up a pair of gore tex trail running shoes just to hike in. Now thats what I hunt elk in for most of bow season until in snows. Not saying its for every one, but they're definatley lighter, and unless your scaling mountains, the support hasn't been an issue. Just an idea to kick around

[fillae]

I'll echo others sentiments that footwear is very important, and should not be skimped. I also have two (actually about 4) pairs, but I really use just two. I have a pair of Rocky's with 800 grams of insulation for the cold stuff, and a pair of Asolo hiking boots for the warmer stuff. Both are leather and have goretex. The comment above on socks should not be taken lightly. The new synthetic socks are great. I wear Smartwool socks for everything. They're a bit pricy, but worth every penny. Whatever you do, do not wear cotton socks. The problem with cotton socks is that when your feet sweat, your feet get wet and that is when blisters form. The first rule of comfort is to keep your feet dry (and thus warm).

[wyomingtrapper]

What ever you decide on, get them a few months in advance and wear the heck out of them. You want them well broken in before hunting.