Boots for the McKenzie's, South Nahanni?

[TheWhitetailNut]

I thought I was all set..

In 2021 I drew a Chugach Goat tag and hunted with Alaska Trophy Adventuress. The boots I picked were Crispi Summit GTX and they worked really well. In the offseason I can peak midwinter around 280# but got <250 for the goat hunt. Foot pain showed up on an elk hunt in 2016 and never left, these boots are so comfortable I've worn out a pair every 9 months since in daily use.

This season I was solo backpack hunting NW of Yellowstone in Montana with about 55# of pack weight. My legs and wind were fine but the ground repeatedly broke out under me rolling my ankles when side hilling . I had never experienced this before. Even in Alaska, the most vertical ground was composed of mushy silt. I could easily plant my foot even on terrifying sidehills and stabilize with one stick.

What are the mountains like in the NWT? I don't want to say the country is gentile, but it doesn't look as severe. Can you get a good foothold? Should I find a taller boot to protect my ankles? My goal is to get under 225# but it's a 12 day multi species hunt with tags for everything, so I need not waste any time recovering.

 

[medvedyt]

hello, i can talk on the yukon side of the southern nahanni and it is way nicer and more hilly than mountaineous than the richardsons or the pelly or the cassiar. but i will check with the outfitter on his own recommendations and support as we are getting a lot of issues with the permafrost and you can be in the same situation that you encountered in alaska. it should not be too technical but again the outfitter will have most of the answer and should now better and the southern nahanni is pretty vague and the range is huge.

 

[Scottf270]

Never hunted sheep but when it comes to boots, I like a 9 or 10" tall boot. I have good mobility even now at 64 but have small ankles and have rolled one on occasion. I like the taller support.

 

[Spiral Horn]

Hunted quite a bit of mountain game including Dalls in South Nahanni, Fannin in the Yukon, etc. In general I prefer a bit stiffer boot than the Crispi Summit for those environments. I’ve had good luck with the Lathrop’s, Kenetrek, and on this year’s Fannin Hunt had very good luck with Crispi Briksdal EFX. All of those offer good to excellent ankle support.

To me, boots are an absolutely critical gear choice for mountain hunting. The Lathrop’s are semi-custom, mid-height and very supportive - a bit stiff with longer break-in; Kenetreks are taller, also well made and supportive - a good fit, with good flex, although a bit more heel volume than I prefer; Briksdal’s fit me the best, with good support and nearly perfect flex - just not as well constructed/durable than the other two. But that’s on my feet - recommend a stiffer boot than the Summit that fits your feet the best.