Weight and boot height are important to me. I don't like tall, stiff boots and prefer mid-height boots. I have strong ankles so don't need the added support of tall boots.
I hunt Colorado, Wyoming, and Alaska on a regular basis. Everything from pronghorn in Wyo to dall sheep in Alaska. The lighter the boot the better for me. One reason I prefer mid-height boots is to keep cheatgrass and other stickers out of my socks and boots. They also protect against cactus. Although I have strong ankles mid-height boots offer a little more support on steep, rocky terrain. It's a lot easier to side-hill.
You will likely find that tall, stiff, heavy boots with thick soles are nearly impossible to stalk game quietly! I absolutely hate boots similar to Kennetrek Mtn Extremes!
I love Crispis! I have multiple styles and models. One of my favorites is the Thors. My guess is both Thors and Lapponas would be great in New Mexico for elk. One thing about elk hunting is that you need to cover lots and lots of country. To me, boot weight and flex is super important for covering miles of country.
It's also important for me to have super padding and support on the bottom of my boots in rocky terrain. I gut the insoles on my boots and replace them with padded insoles. I also wear socks with additional padding in the bottoms of the socks. There are actually thin socks for warm weather hunting that have additional padding in the soles.
