elkhuntinut

I have been out west and spent many days hiking in my Danner Pronghorns, which is the same boot I wear around here working around the yard, hangin' stands and shooting 3D.....they have lasted about 4-5 years, and still provide plently of support and have no tears or signs of wear.

One thing I could recommend. Pack a roll of duct tape in the event you get blisters from a bad boot. Wrapping you feet in duct tape will provide comfort from making the blisters appear or get worse and keep u out of the camp trying to heal.

Alsatian

Looks like you have suggestions all over the map. I have been very happy with my Meindl Perfekt Hunters purchased from Cabela's. Igot my 2008 Fall Cabela's catalog recently and confirmed these boots are still offered by Cabela's.

These are moderatly heavy leather boots that are about 8" to 10" high with 400 grams of thinsulate. They have good ankle support and sturdy soles, good for walking over rocky ground, particularly when carrying a load on your back. I have used them backpacking and elk hunting as well as deer hunting. They don't seem to make my feet hot in warm weather, as I have encountered sometimes hunting deer in Oklahoma in Novemeber. Also, when I sit still for a long time in the cold my feet will still get cold, notwithstanding the thinsulate. One thing I found a little remarkable about this boot was that, at least in my case, the boot did not require any break in. I just went out backpacking in the boot and all was OK. Normally I expect to have to break in moderately heavy boots.

salukipv1

Hunted elk with a guy last fall who went out in running shoes, we all were kinda like what are you doing? he said I have my wool socks underneath, they may get wet, but they'll stay warm, said he picked up that trick from Randy Ulmer I believe, or something to the effect that I read Randy does it too. I believe it rained that day, but he was fine, even took an elk that morning!

So who knows, maybe just get yourself some nice wool socks and grab those Nike's, anyone else ever heard of wearing the running shoes instead of boots?

Pretty soon you'll see a camoflauged Jordan's haha.

gselkhunter

Dwight Schuh used to wear tenny burners also. My legs won't take it, I need much more support. Meindls Canada boot is the one I use. Good for upland bird all the way up to mountain goat or bighorn sheep. Been wearing these boots for over 15 years. The older I get the more I like them.
Gselkhunter

spuddog

I live in CO and have always used uninsulated boots, but it's a matter of preference. My friend hunts same place and time and uses 400 grm and is fine. I have done the tennis shoes w/ wool socks and it works but I prefer boots. I just bought new boots. Was using Cabelas Outfitter series (great boots) but was hoping for a better fit (something I could try on). I finally went with Irish Setter Elk Trackers. Got the 200 grm for 158.00, w/ 3 pair of athletic socks, a bottle of boot conditioner and free shipping from (http://www.rwss.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=ELKTRACK ERS). They are a redwing boot store in Flint Mich. They sell Red Wing, Irish Setter and Vasque. I tried them on at the local store and then odered them. I saved 40 bucks over the local store.

I have never heard anything bad about the Danner Pronghorns and they were my 2nd choice but I the sole didn't seem agressive enough for the loose dirt, rocks, etc that I hunt in.

Whatever you get make sure it is comfortable and fits your foot.

Spud

SouthDakotaHunter

I've got a pair of Danner's, love em.... Best advice I could give is spend as much as you can on your boots, you don't want your feet hurting! And don't forget to break them in.

Had a buddy last year that bought some boots at Cabelas that he thought they were going to be pretty good. After spending some time bird hunting breaking them in he realized they weren't going to work for his feet...

BareBack Jack

Danner Elk hunters,these boots are what I wear when packing or just plain hunting.I bought a pair of Merrells last year for bow season,these were called the switchback.179.99 at spotsmans whearhouse in Missoula Montana(wich is a 4 hrdrive from my house).I wore these boots for 7 days straight and they were ruined,the soles fell off,the leather got holes,stiching came apart.Mailed them back to Sportsmans whearhouse and they sent me back the Danners.
I have had danners befor and they just plain one of the best boots on the market.
BBJ

skb2706

I elk hunt 30 minutes from the cabin so I can wear about any shoe thats comfortable. I wore steel toed,blueSketchers atheletic shoeslast year...it was 65 degrees by midday, cotton socks. If its going to be colder I wear Irishsetter 400 gr. Thinsulate boots. They feel like tenny shoes, don't need to be broke in, reasonably priced, very comfortableand they last forever.

glob3006

Bailsuk,
You will traveling a long way for your hunt and spendind alot of $$$$.So having the right boot is important! Most of the choices mentioned will work.
I have a couple of tips that might help?

1st .......Keep the weight of the boot in mind.You will probably be putting in some miles( Kilometers).I try to keep my boots under 3.5 (1.59 kilograms)max.AND........Buy a 1/2 size bigger than normal!!!!You will need the extra room for thicker socks/liners/toe warmers.

2nd....... How are yor feet when it's cold?? do they get cold quikly or is is not that big of a deal??Mine get cold easily so I am comfortable with 600-800 grms of insulation even when it's warm. What part of Sept will you be hunting??? We usually get snow around the 2nd week up high.Temps don't get terribly cold and the sun will be out shortly. But with no insulation,your toe's could get a might uncomfortable for a day or two. I ALWAYS keep a couple of Toasty Toes(heatmax.com) footwarmers in my pack just in case I'm going to be imobile for a while.

3rd.............Goretex!!! I don't care what the advertisments for other waterproof fabrics say. If it's not Goretex don't but it!

Be Safe!
Bill

ironranger

Dave, there have been some good suggestions thus far so I'll just comment on one option you mentioned. i ordered a pair of Cabelas Speed Hunters a few years ago and although I liked the boot, they had a zipper and both of them broke the first trip I wore them. I had them replaced and the zippers broke again. Then they came out with the Speed Hunter II and I picked up a pair last fall before heading west. I hunted some steep territory from 9 to over 11000 feet and I was pretty satisfied with them considering that I hadn't broken them in enough prior to the hunt. Got one blister on the top of my big toe but duct tape took care of that issue. They are really light and it was more like wearing a hiking boot. As for dryness, I'm not a good test case for that as my feet sweat so bad it's tough to tell if it's a water issue or me just sweating in them!! I hunted hard for 10 days and finally arroweda bull and they worked pretty good. The tread was pretty meaty and I had no trouble climbing nor having to worry about losing my footing on steep slopes.