Boots for November POW Deer Hunt

[Justin Crossley]

Regular boots and gaiters or rubber boots? Which do you guys prefer for Prince of Wales deer hunting in November?

 

[skipper907]

I haven't hunting pow but spent a lot of time all over kodiak. I really like crispy guide with gators and haven't had wet feet.
I would think this would be a good system if you are hunting off the roads on pow
When I have hunted pws I prefer breathable waders because Everything is very wet and marshy
I know the alot of times the go to for locals in southeast is extra tuff (all some people wear all the time ) and many people just wear long johns with rain gear and extra tuffs

 

[blackveltbowhunter]

Lots of hiking and moving all day or still hunting? Rubber boots cant be beat if your not moving fast enough to build sweat or your feet are spending alot of time in standing water. Other wise any high quality hunting boot with a good gaiter will keep your feet dry enough and be more comfortable if putting miles on. I am split probably 70/30 leather over rubber for my preferred style and terrain.

 

[roosiebull]

Regular boots and gaiters or rubber boots? Which do you guys prefer for Prince of Wales deer hunting in November?

Xtratuffs with felt insoles are not a bad option, I have a lot of boot options but when it’s really wet, I wear xtra tuffs a lot, and am not afraid to put on a lot of miles with them, or pack a lot of weight in them.

I killed my buck and elk in xtratuffs this past season, and obviously packed them out in them too.

My only caveat is, I have worked in and worn them a lot since I was a wee lad, and they have zero ankle support, so if you aren’t used to zero ankle support, they could be problematic, but I have hunted in them, walked tons of miles in them, and packed a bunch of heavy loads in them. You need to make sure they fit well, it’s very important in rubber boots, so your feet aren’t moving around in them. Xtratuffs have the best traction of any boots I’ve worn in varying terrain, especially like slick rocks, buckskin wood, no other rubber boots compare there (the felt insoles mold to your foot to minimize foot movement inside the boot)

If you have weak ankles/used to lots of ankle support, I would go a different route. My favorite bad weather normal boots are crispi lapponia, they have stayed waterproof longer than any boots I’ve had, they still have a shelf life, but both pairs have stayed dry at least 1.5yrs, which is as good as it gets on the coast, but when it’s really wet out, even with gaiters, you will get some moisture wicking and they will get damp and take longer to dry, so the days that it’s going to be dumping all day, I just wear Xtratuf, and at the end of the day pull out the insoles to air dry and they dry pretty quickly

 

[rocky IV]

Interested in this as well. Hope some more experienced hunters can chime in

 

[Graham82]

I have hunted POW for years and only do it in xtra tuffs or grundens boots in the late season if you go the extra tuff route I always buy the grey felt insert there less the 10$ it helps in the snow. Feel free to to PM me

 

[Ecampbell25]

I have used xtra toughs road hunting and low land stuff. They have worked the best. I tried them in the alpine but I got blisters. But this was extreme use think I hiked 8-9 miles in one day. I probably would have been ok if I didn’t hike so much in them.

I’ve used Simms waders and Orvis guide boots with studs they worked great for keeping me dry but I did end up sweating a bunch in them. ( I would only bring if you don’t have any way of drying out)

The last two years I brought a set of Schnees pac boots that worked well. I was using an Arctic oven for Basecamp so I was able to dry the inserts out overnight. One of the gas stations had Viking logs which saved the day. Pretty much everything is super wet there and it’s hard to find dry wood.

This last time I was there, I used the Schnees pac boots with peax gaiters and brought two different sets of liners and just swapped them out. The combo worked pretty well. I brought micro spikes too which helped a bunch. But wore my extra toughs on the ferry over. So I had a back up if needed!

 

[Elkman17]

Xtra tuffs. Surprisingly comfortable rubber boot

 

[Mangata]

Boots and gaiters.
Better support, less likely to blisters, warmer, better moisture management.
I like and wear xtratuffs just not for my black tail hunting

 

[wowzers]

If you’re wearing rubber boots the bama socks are a game changer for your feet.

 

[hamkyl16]

You’ll want both leather boots with gaiters and xtratuffs probably. The ground will be mucky every step through the muskegs no matter the weather. If you wake up and it’s clear and nice you’ll want the leather boots. You’ll probably punch through a bottomless mud hole at some point and need dry backups. Use bama socks with the xtratuffs.