I have always been a boot minimalist. I do a lot of stalking, so I can't stand a stiff boot, they are just too loud. I also don't like taking off my boots unless there is a good reason (bedded animal that's not going anywhere)
I have sissy feet, so stalking in socks isn't ideal to me. my main footwear in sept is the asolo shiver and gaiters. they keep me dry in morning dew, breath much better than a traditional boot, and I can feel the ground beneath me.... good compromise for me.
with that being said, I finally found a boot I love, the crispi summit gtx… they are legit, and are nice if i'm doing a lot of steep side hilling, or steep soft ground walking. I carry moccasins with me when I wear them usually, but not always.
if i'm covering ground hunting with the bugle tube, I wear my crispis, generally don't need to be too quiet when bugling. if i'm ambushing with a plan to stalk into killing range, I wear my shivers with gaiters.
at this point, if I had to get by with one boot, it would be the crispi. they are quiet enough for most stuff, even on a stalk. they were comfortable from day 1, and I have put some serious mileage on them so far, and they are still waterproof.
after wearing them a few months, it's crazy I used to like Danner pronghorns.... crispis are so much better. even if they start leaking tomorrow, they outlast any pronghorns in staying waterproof.
I can't wear most "elk hunting boots" they hurt my feet and are clumsy when trying to be quiet, and can't feel anything through them. the one time I tried on kenetreks I wanted right back out of them.... no way in hell!
It's a personal thing from fit to what you wear them for. I know many love kenetreks, I don't.... i'm no more right, they are no more wrong, just different tastes and applications.
during blacktail rifle season walking logging roads and glassing, I often wear xtra tufs, they are great when it's really wet, they are comfortable, quiet, and have the best traction of any boot I have put on (just the sole material, obviously a stiff boot will grab better in certain scenarios)
walking through buck skin blow down they have great traction.... anything slick they handle well.... obviously niche footwear in the woods, but they have a place.
I would like to try some la sportivas, but likely won't unless something changes with crispi. I have blown a lot of money on boots I ended up not liking.... the crispis fit me really well, so i'm sticking to them.