Hunting Boots vs. Hking Boots

[Stagg412]

My friends and I drew our combo tags in MT, so I guess it's time to really get serious about some important purchases. The first of which is boots. I know weight is a huge consideration, and we're planning on putting on the miles. You folks with more experience out West (of which I have zero), do you think it's better to stick with hunting style boots or are hiking boots a better bet when there's going to be a lot of walking?

My main concerns besides weight of the boot itself is how the boot will handle under the weight of a pack w/ meat and ankle support.

I'm not looking for discussion over which brand is better, but which style of boot you think would be better suited for an active Oct. rifle hunt in SW MT. My head is already swimming with brands.

Thanks!

 

[Trial153]

I think if we knew more about were your hunting it would make a recommendation easier. Montana is a big state and there are parts you can hunt in sneakers and other places were you might want a full blown boot. Also it depends what or how your hunting...day hunting from the truck or carting your ass back in for a few days.


Anyway ...now that I said all that you can get a pair boots like Crispi WY or Idaho’s...Zamberlan guides or lynx ect ect or an number of quality brand boot with mid hight and stiffness and do 99% of what you need.

 

[Stagg412]

I think if we knew more about were your hunting it would make a recommendation easier. Montana is a big state and there are parts you can hunt in sneakers and other places were you might want a full blown boot. Also it depends what or how your hunting...day hunting from the truck or carting your ass back in for a few days.


Anyway ...now that I said all that you can get a pair boots like Crispi WY or Idaho’s...Zamberlan guides or lynx ect ect or an number of quality brand boot with mid hight and stiffness and do 99% of what you need.

We're still deciding on a specific unit, but we have it narrowed down to the public lands around Bozeman and/or Helena. We'll be doing day hunts from the truck and heading back to the cabin or hotel or whatever each night, so def not packing in ton of stuff, at least on this trip. Hope that helps, albeit still pretty vague. Thanks for the recs, Trial.

 

[Grady.J]

I would be looking at the backpacking category of boots, or if you want a stiffer boot, look at mountaineering boots. Backpacking boots would definitley be where I'd start.

 

[Stingray]

I agree with backpacking boot. I’ve done elk hunts like you describe - albeit in Colorado - and wore Salomon Quest 4D successfully. Day pack was probably 20-25lbs with food, water, kill kit, extra clothes, etc. Steep terrain but worked really well with an average of 8-10 miles per day.

I also have more robust hunting boots for when I’m gone longer carrying much heavier weights. I recently decided to upgrade to a slightly more robust boot and swapped the Salomons (and my similar Asolo Fugitives) for Crispi Wyoming’s. You might want to try them.

 

[Lowke01]

I would say start with a robust back packing boot or light mountaineering boot. With the possibility of carrying heavy meat on your back I prefer the mountaineering boot. Gives a little better ankle support for side hill and is a little easier to go up steep grades. I have a Scarpa boot with full leather and rubber rand. It looks and feels very similar to "hunting" boots by Kenetrek or Crispi. I say that only to say the label doesn't need to say "hunting boot" in order to hunt in it. I also emphasize the need for a little more room in the toe box because your feet will swell and with weight on your back your feet will push forward, especially on a decline. You don't want your toes banging into the end of your boot for a week of hunting.