SmallCaliberCentral

I realized that I needed to upgrade my gear for future cold weather hunts out west. I am set for clothes. The last piece of the puzzle is a pair of dedicated hunting boots. I keep seeing Irish Setter boot products (part of Red Wing Shoes) getting great reviews.

This is the one I was looking at.


Irish Setter Mountain Claw hunting boots

Any thoughts or brand reviews?

Probably not a bad boot, but if this is for elk hunting in the high country where snow, rain, mud may be encountered (like always during elk season....), you may want to consider all leather boots without any fabric panels that will let in moisture/water.

All leather boots can be treated with Snow-Seal and/or mink oil to soften them up and make them completely waterproof.

I learned my lesson on fabric panels in boots for cold weather hunting many years ago when I wore my Vietnam jungle boots for high country elk hunting....bad idea! Won't do that again.

There's boots designed for hunting around Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee for example, then there's boots designed for hunting at elevations above 5,000' in the west's rough terrain...... be sure to pick wisely long before your trip so you can break-in the boots properly at home, and NOT on the mountain.....

CVM.............I"ll second RIO's advice about break in befor your hunt. Check out Mendel boots thru Cabela's web site. They make a few differant heights to pick from.
Later and good luck.
Ray P

If you're busy, it's easy to stay warm. It's when you stop, and you're all sweaty that you get cold.

I grew up here in Minnesota wearing LaCrosse rubber boots, but even they leaked anywhere there was stitching, like around the laces in front. We would all put our feet in an empty bread bag before putting the boot on. That helped keep the moisture out for a while, but it also kept your sweat in, making your socks wet anyway, and making your feet freeze once they were wet. It was still a good idea to take the insulated liners out and dry them at night on the radiator or heat duct.

If I could afford all leather winter boots today, I'm not sure I would choose them. I think there may be something to the new materials about letting your perspiration wick away from your skin, keeping it dry, and thus warmer. Wool socks in a leather boot should also work, but I'm not sure as effectively as modern materials.

Nowdays, the liners don't even come out of most boots for drying. The Thinsulate is sewn right in. The nylon materials and waterproof layer material the manufacturers have at their disposal, is truly awesome. I too was skeptical of not being able to find a decent pair of warm boots that weren't fabric, but I hope some others here will attest. Many fabric boots that say 100% waterproof can be trusted to be waterproof today. I should point out that I probably won't buy any warm boots that don't use Gore-Tex as the waterproof membrane, until I hear of one being equal or better.

I have a couple pairs of Irish Setter boots myself, and they stay dry, keeping my feet warm up to 3 hours sitting still in sub zero weather.

My all leather, warm weather boots are Red Wing though, and if I lace them tight, I can walk through water up to my knees for a short stretch and they don't leak, although my feet sweat terribly in them. That makes them really cold when the temps drop.

One thing I'd keep in mind is if it's REALLY cold, like 10F or colder, it's not raining. Everything stays much drier, making it easier to stay warm. Frozen snow doesn't get anything wet. The worst enemy is your own sweat. If you have to walk through a stream or something, DON'T, unless you're pretty near to a place to get warm. You could fall in, and once you're so cold your limbs don't work, you're done. Obviously I've never been there, but felt way too close a couple times.

These are probably warm, but getting spendy.

Also, those disposable heat packs in the toe of your boot help immensely on those really cold days, or early in the season when you're not used to the cold...

I do a lot of hiking and backpacking in addition to my hunting. Year round here in Washington state. These very light and comfortable Vasque hiking boots do most of that work. They handle it well. Even snow. I just wore them on a four-day backpack hunt last month, and have worn them for the past three days hunting mule deer here in the Cascades.


Time to time I'll switch to a pair of Danners Acadias which also work quite well, and are higher. When it's really cold and snowy, I go for a set of Pac-boots, with removable felt liners. Very warm. Mine are actually made for hiking, many seem to be made for standing around an ice-fishing hole or something. Buy what's comfortable. Plan on wearing a pair of thin liner socks and a pair of heavier warm boot socks. Break them in well and do some hiking. Elk can be found at amazingly high altitude. I got mine up at about 10,000' ASL in Wyoming. Wore Danner Acadias that whole trip and they worked well. Hiked a lot of miles too.





Regards, Guy

The best that there is is Schnee's of Bozeman Montana. Rick's right about leather until the weather gets so cold that a pack type works better. Schnees are the boot of choice for Idaho Lion hunters. They hold your ankles in place like a leather boot but can be worn in extreem conditions. Dont leave home without them.

Their costomer service is similar to leopold's. It just dosent get any better.

800-922-1562 or schnees.com

I have worn Irish Setter work boots for over 25 years! They were tops at the kind of work I did as a young man......construction. However, when it came to elk hunting in the high country, I wanted a couple of pairs of boots that would stand up to the rugged terrain and conditions as well. I choose Danner Boots and also tried others like Rocky (leaked and soles came off while hunting) I also used a couple types of Cabela's boots but not as good as Danner. The Ironsides was not bad but I like a taller boot than 10 inches. You will also need a good pair of pack boots if those temps drop down and your walking in snow a foot or two deep.

My favorite boot is the La Sportiva "Glacier". It's a mountaineering boot, so is relatively stiff (it's only got a 1/2 length steel shank to give it flexibility and comfort) but once broken is is the most comfortable shoe or boot I've got. Excellent ankle support, waterproof, rugged and durable. (It's becoming the favorite boot for Wildland Fire crews if that's any indication...) I'm on my second pair, as I use mine as my daily walking shoe, work boot, and hiking/hunting shoe. I'm pretty tough on boots and shoes (tending to wear them out quickly) and these have lasted better than anything else. They tend to "break in" easier than other mountaineering style boots I've had, but you'll still want to give them some wear before bringing them out here on a hunt. Here's a link:
http://www.moosejaw.com/moosejaw/shop/p ... ProductAds