hunting boots for elk and deer season

[shorthair15]

i went and tried some kennetrek mountian extremes today and the hardscraber's. they both felt good. but im going to try the lowa tibet gtx's today as well. im leaning towards purchaseing these and they will save me about 50 bucks from the kennetrek's. i live in a small town in roosvelt elk country so good boots are hard to find and i learned the hard way not to skimp on gear like this. this is my first post here.  ive done alot of deer hunting but did not get into elk hunting until about the last 5 years as i was in the miltary the last 10 years. use to rifle hunt. me and my son did pretty well and got into elk several times and harvested a nice 4 point rosie 2 years ago. did not hunt last year as i had surgery on my left hand. started bow hunting for deer about 6 years ago. just started practicing with diaphragm's last year. getting better but still have some stuff to learn to fine tune my calling. met corey jacobson at the sportsman show in portland,oregon. i talked to him about calling when i signed up for elk extreme magazine and purchased a hat. he talked to me about useing 3 calls for elk a locator bugle simple cow call and a challenge bugle.

 

[northwesthunter84]

shorthair- I'm in the same boat, I had been looking at a high quality pair of boots for a while.  I went with Kennetrek ME's because of the height of the boot and the added stability that it offered, I end up doing a lot of side hilling. Both the Lowa's and the Hardscrables are really nice so I don't think you can go wrong with any of them.  You definitely wont be disappointed with the subscription to Extreme Elk, I can't find anything that even compares.

 

[ElkManDan]

There are a lot of good boots out there now.  Just got to find the pair that fits your foot the best.  I have the Miendl Denalis and have 2 hard seasons of elk hunting and some mule deer hunts on them.  I figure I still have a few more with them.  They still keep the water out, have never been able to get a pair of Danners to keep my feet dry for more than a season and they are typically worn out after a couple.

 

[northwesthunter84]

SPOTnSTALK, I added some pics of the Kenetrek Mountain Extremes (400gr) and the Hardscrabbles.
Pros- The tongue is integrated so the boot is fully waterproof to the top. 
        They offer the Mountain Extremes in Non-Insulated
        The boots are solid and stiff for climbing, side hilling and packing out
        I find the boots to be as light if not lighter than other hunting boots/work boots
        I felt like the ME were made for my feet.
        They offer wide sizes and ran true to size so getting on a pair of heavy socks is
          no big deal.

Cons- Honestly so far I have no complaints.  Some would complain about the price but IMHO you get what you pay for.  And I don't know about everyone else but my comfort and health matter.  I don't want to twist or break an ankle, tear up my feet, or eat it on a steep incline.  My boots, bow and pack are where I spend my money.  You can look fancy and spend a bunch on other gear but if you cant get there it will never matter.  As a side note I read posts about people who buy brand X and they are so great, and they have bought a new pair 3 out of the last 5 years at $150-200 a pop.  When they could have bought one pair in 4.  I know I like to tweak my setups and I have a budget.  So shoot to get more bang for your buck.  Also look for sales, they are out there just be patient. Finally test them with the heaviest set of socks you will wear for hunting, this matters.

 

[KBar70]

Do not buy boots which have a sloping angle to the heel, no matter how much 'grip' it appears to have; 'dead men boots' as they do not cut in to the slope when walking downhill