whats the best elk hunting boot

Matthoek21

Veteran member
Mar 18, 2011
1,904
0
Peachtree City, GA.
I have tried Danner's before along with three of my buddies. They are good for hunting back east for whitetails but at least for us they are not the right boot for hiking mountains. We all had bad blisters. Bought a pair of Asolo's after that and they have been awesome. No Blisters! Have had these boots for about 8 years now. The soles are worn but they are still good boots. The guys at REI showed me different ways to lace them and I think that helped as well. May try that with whatever you buy.
 

Colorado Cowboy

Super Moderator
Jun 8, 2011
8,352
4,742
83
Dolores, Colorado
I wear Danners and Brownings. Use them all over the west. Best advice I have is get boots that FIT and break them in. When I bought my new Danners a year ago, I put my stretchers to work and then started wearing them on my daily walks of 4 to 5 miles. After a couple of weeks they are fine, and never had a blister. (my size is 9 1/2 EEE). I bought a good set of stretchers that I use on all my footwear (except workout shoes) before I wear them. Really helps.

My Brownings are about 20 years old and I have resoled them 3 times. Still comfortable, but not as waterproof as they once were.
 
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NorthT

Member
Jul 24, 2012
82
0
Have had good luck with Vasque breeze if dry. Danner 453 if looking at any wet conditions. The vasque are waterproof for like the first 10-15 miles. I have had 3 sets and all about the same, perfect boot if hot though.
 

Bughalli

Member
Jan 15, 2012
139
1
I bought a pair of the Kenetrek mountain extremes. I like the design and was surprised to see how much I like the taller tops. They make side-hill hiking easier and offer better support. On flat ground they feel great, but do some climbing and they destroy my heels. Massive blisters. They're stiff boots and I paid a lot for them, so I've been committed to breaking them in. I feel like there's no heel cup in the back. It's just flat. I've done probably 10-15 hikes with them this summer, often going double or triple layer thin socks. This last hike i covered my heel in moleskin and that helped. At first I would only last a mile or two with some steep climbing before the blisters started. Now I'm getting up to 5-6 miles, but certainly not without pain. I bought their weather sealer hoping that would soften them up, which it did a little. Still not good enough, especially if i expect to wear them for a full week of hunting. I read one review where someone said it took about 50 miles before they broke in. He wasn't kidding! I'm probably in that range so far. I'm now hoping they break in before elk hunting in Sept. Starting to consider getting a different brand as backup.

Now I know why when someone finds a brand that works for their feet they stick with it.
 

xtreme

Very Active Member
Feb 25, 2011
859
4
Searcy, Arkansas 72143
Cabelas Danner ELk Hunter non GTX are very well made but pretty heavy, 5lbs , Cabelas claims 4lbs.They have removable Airthotic in soles. Pronghorns weigh about 4lbs. Elk Ridge boots have Air-bob soles and lace all the way to the toe. They look good with jeans while grocery shopping in Chama
 

Huntinguy0120

Member
May 29, 2012
85
0
Northern CA
I have Danner Pronghorns and the Cabela Outfitters, the pronghorns are the better of the two IMO.. If you want to stay under the 150 range they are comfortable, durable, and keep my feet dry. I also have the Danner Hood Winter Lights ($199 range) and I feel the pronghorns are the best boot I own..
 

HuntPrep365

New Member
Aug 9, 2012
11
0
Auburn, AL
elkprep.blogspot.com
My opinions on boots are a little different from what you'll hear from most hunting folks, but I hate Goretex in an early season-type boot (you don't wear your raingear all day, why wear it on your feet all day?). I think it makes your feet sweat more, and then keeps your boots from ever drying out. Skin is waterproof, after all.

My other tip is to at least consider the weight of your boots. A few more ounces on your boots add up fast - and can increase your fatigue factor and reduce your efficiency. My chosen boots this year (Ahnu Moraga Mesh Mid) weigh 18 ounces apiece, which I feel like is enough for stability/support yet still fairly light.
 

mnhunter

Active Member
Aug 23, 2011
226
0
Andover, Minnesota
For the most part I concur with HuntPrep365. In AFG, I wore a pair of ASOLO mid hiking boots on patrol with a much heavier load and on rougher terrain that most places I have hunted elk. The only thing to watch out for is a flimsy shank in the sole, it seams like this can lead to much quicker foot fatigue.

I am a pretty novice elk hunter, but on one trip to Colorado the first few days got close to 80 at 9500ft. Then one morning we woke up to 65 degree temps, by 5pm it was clouding up and by the next morning we had 24 inches of snow. I had uninsulated goretex Danner Pronghorns. I was able to keep hunting, had I been wearing my Asolos I would have been walking out 5 miles to get other boots.

Later in the season I like my Meindl Denalis.
 

jenbickel

Veteran member
Feb 22, 2011
1,064
1
37
Sheridan, Wyoming
www.facebook.com
I bought a pair of the Kenetrek mountain extremes. I like the design and was surprised to see how much I like the taller tops. They make side-hill hiking easier and offer better support. On flat ground they feel great, but do some climbing and they destroy my heels. Massive blisters. They're stiff boots and I paid a lot for them, so I've been committed to breaking them in. I feel like there's no heel cup in the back. It's just flat. I've done probably 10-15 hikes with them this summer, often going double or triple layer thin socks. This last hike i covered my heel in moleskin and that helped. At first I would only last a mile or two with some steep climbing before the blisters started. Now I'm getting up to 5-6 miles, but certainly not without pain. I bought their weather sealer hoping that would soften them up, which it did a little. Still not good enough, especially if i expect to wear them for a full week of hunting. I read one review where someone said it took about 50 miles before they broke in. He wasn't kidding! I'm probably in that range so far. I'm now hoping they break in before elk hunting in Sept. Starting to consider getting a different brand as backup.

Now I know why when someone finds a brand that works for their feet they stick with it.
It took me a long time to break my Kenetreks in as well. They make an insole that you put in the microwave and then stuff in your boot and walk around for awhile and it conforms to your foot. It helps tremendously! Mine fit like a glove and I love them.
 

gator7275

New Member
Mar 12, 2012
41
0
Pittsburg il
well thanks for all the input guys I really appreciate it , Iended up buying a pair of hanwag moutain gtx boots from lathrops those guys are great to deal with and a lot of help after telling him i had some falling arch issues he recommended the hanwags due to the stiff sole and shank than the pronghorns so far i love them . Ive been wearing to the gym in the mornings for my 2 miles of cardio on the tread mill and weight training trying to get them broke in .
 

JimP

Administrator
Mar 28, 2016
7,317
8,697
72
Gypsum, Co
I saw a picture of a young lady a couple weeks ago that had shot real nice 6x6 in Utah while she was wearing low top canvas sneakers. They were red by the way.
 

rammont

Active Member
Oct 31, 2016
228
4
Montana
I always have to chuckle when somebody complains about something not working and then we find out that they didn't follow directions.

From Kenetrek's web site
The Kenetrek Mountain Boots can take up to 50 miles of normal walking before a comfort flex will form in the midsole. These miles can be on flat ground. You just don't want to take any brand new boot and climb straight uphill prior to the midsole breaking in. It will put too much pressure on the back of your heels and can cause blisters.
The Kenetrek Pac Boots require very little break in time as the rubber bottoms are already flexible when new. The Kenetrek Light Hikers also require very little break in time.
I wore mine as my everyday boot, it took a while to break them in but now I can spend all day going up and down the mountains without a problem. I also noticed that when new they were so noisy that I was concerned about being able to stalk in the woods, now that they are broken-in they are just as quiet as any other boot I've had.
 
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ScottR

Eastmans' Staff / Moderator
Staff member
Feb 3, 2014
7,925
2,828
www.eastmans.com
Based on this thread, I am thinking we may need to write an article on proper boot selection. Is this something you guys would read on the blog?