Bird Hunting Boots - What do you all Like and Why

[bhennessy]

Bought the Irish Setter Wing Shooters and hunted this season with them. Between Nebraska in December and Louisiana for the rest of the season I can say they are good boots. Waterproof, warm and durable. My only complaint is that my feet are narrow and they are not, nor do they make a narrow boot. I’ve been wearing thick socks, and I am going to by an aftermarket insole which hopefully should take up some volume inside the boot.

I was wrong about the Irish Setter Wingshooter not being available in narrow width. They are, but as far as I can tell, only in the light brown color for some reason.

[stubblejumper]

Bought the Irish Setter Wing Shooters and hunted this season with them. Between Nebraska in December and Louisiana for the rest of the season I can say they are good boots. Waterproof, warm and durable. My only complaint is that my feet are narrow and they are not, nor do they make a narrow boot. I’ve been wearing thick socks, and I am going to by an aftermarket insole which hopefully should take up some volume inside the boot.

I was wrong about the Irish Setter Wingshooter not being available in narrow width. They are, but as far as I can tell, only in the light brown color for some reason.

And I could not find them in any local stores. I ended up with the EE width, but they have been fine for the terrain I hunt.

[JONOV]

Not sure on weight, but I'd look at Red Wing work boots. Mine don't have thinsulate but I love them, and they have sizes for about any width you'd need. For me, it's the best. I'm on my second pair. The first pair lasted me over 10 years with minimal age deterioration. I only retired them because I stepped on a nail that went through the sole so they would get me wet in the slightest bit of wet.

[AverageGuy]

No one pair of boots is going to be optimal for all the hunting I do.

I have a couple pair of Schnees Upland boots in a 10 inch height. They are very comfortable and light, tall enough to give excellent ankle support and excellent for dry warm weather hunts e.g. doves and some bobwhite, pheasant and prairie grouse hunts. They need additional protection on the toe to prevent premature wear from walking heavy grass and are not remotely waterproof no matter what you treat them with is my experience.

My Kenetrek uninsulated mountain boots are excellent in late season winter, wet conditions, deep snow, hunting cattail sloughs. I wear Kenetrek Gaiters with them and can hunt in deep snow with my feet remaining dry always. They are as wear resistant as they come (far above the rest due to the rubber band design all around the bottom where wear occurs), and as waterproof as any all leather boot can be. But the sole is hard and inflexible for its intended Mountain terrain design and purpose and they are not as comfortable because of it. They are too heavy and stiff for warm weather prairie grouse hunts vs better alternatives to be called optimal for that.

I also have a pair of Mucks that are the right boot when it is is obvious I will be walking in water all day e.g. hunting marshes for pheasants when they are not froze up. While they have decent ankle support for a knee high rubber boot they are not remotely the equivalent of a lace up boot and they do not breathe at all and are hot unless it is cold out. The Mucks are also wonderful for airing dogs in the dark around the motel before and after hunts where there is a high risk of stepping in something you sure do not want to track into your motel room and a quick on and off boot at the motel room door is far better than lace up boots.

I recently asked a pretty knowledgeable and diverse group of hunters about their choice in boots. I prefaced it with if I had a boot with the softer flexible sole of the Schnees with the Uppers of the Kenetreks sewn on them I would have the perfect leather boot.

I was pointed to Crispi GTXs, so I bought a pair of 10 inch Crispi GTX Guide boots about a month ago and wore them non-stop for a couple weeks prior to hunting in them. I just returned from hunting Chukars and Huns in the extra tough terrain where they live and those Crispis performed wonderfully. The sole is a little lighter and more flexible than the Kenetreks and the uppers are near identical to the Kenetreks that have held up so well and been waterproof always.

I am optimistic these Crispis are going to be a heck of boot for me, but more time in the field is needed before that conclusion can be supported. So far so good.

I travel with all of them in the truck and a boot dryer as well. A bird hunter and a bird dog are only as good as their feet.

[jlw034]

No one pair of boots is going to be optimal for all the hunting I do.

I have a couple pair of Schnees Upland boots in a 10 inch height. They are very comfortable and light, tall enough to give excellent ankle support and excellent for dry warm weather hunts e.g. doves and some bobwhite, pheasant and prairie grouse hunts. They need additional protection on the toe to prevent premature wear from walking heavy grass and are not remotely waterproof no matter what you treat them with is my experience.

My Kenetrek uninsulated mountain boots are excellent in late season winter, wet conditions, deep snow, hunting cattail sloughs. I wear Kenetrek Gaiters with them and can hunt in deep snow with my feet remaining dry always. They are as wear resistant as they come (far above the rest due to the rubber band design all around the bottom where wear occurs), and as waterproof as any all leather boot can be. But the sole is hard and inflexible for its intended Mountain terrain design and purpose and they are not as comfortable because of it. They are too heavy and stiff for warm weather prairie grouse hunts vs better alternatives to be called optimal for that.

I also have a pair of Mucks that are the right boot when it is is obvious I will be walking in water all day e.g. hunting marshes for pheasants when they are not froze up. While they have decent ankle support for a knee high rubber boot they are not remotely the equivalent of a lace up boot and they do not breathe at all and are hot unless it is cold out. The Mucks are also wonderful for airing dogs in the dark around the motel before and after hunts where there is a high risk of stepping in something you sure do not want to track into your motel room and a quick on and off boot at the motel room door is far better than lace up boots.

I recently asked a pretty knowledgeable and diverse group of hunters about their choice in boots. I prefaced it with if I had a boot with the softer flexible sole of the Schnees with the Uppers of the Kenetreks sewn on them I would have the perfect leather boot.

I was pointed to Crispi GTXs, so I bought a pair of 10 inch Crispi GTX Guide boots about a month ago and wore them non-stop for a couple weeks prior to hunting in them. I just returned from hunting Chukars and Huns in the extra tough terrain where they live and those Crispis performed wonderfully. The sole is a little lighter and more flexible than the Kenetreks and the uppers are near identical to the Kenetreks that have held up so well and been waterproof always.

I am optimistic these Crispis are going to be a heck of boot for me, but more time in the field is needed before that conclusion can be supported. So far so good.

I travel with all of them in the truck and a boot dryer as well. A bird hunter and a bird dog are only as good as their feet.

Looking forward to the long term review of the crispi's .

I have Kennetreks. Like you say, great boot but heavy duty. Wore them hunting in a driving rain, and my right foot got wet. Can be sure if boot leaked or water ran down leg.

A lighter training/early season boot might be on the docket for next year.

[AverageGuy]

Looking forward to the long term review of the crispi's .

I have Kennetreks. Like you say, great boot but heavy duty. Wore them hunting in a driving rain, and my right foot got wet. Can be sure if boot leaked or water ran down leg.

A lighter training/early season boot might be on the docket for next year.

It will be awhile before I can report on the longevity of the Crispis although I hope to give them a thorough workout this season. They performed well in the lava rock of Chukar country and the soles are lighter and less stiff than the Kenetreks, which is what I was looking for when I bought them. Wore them a couple days hunting pheasants including some time in a Marsh yesterday and they remained bone dry.

I think any leather boot will reach a point of saturation and that is where the Mucks come in for me.

I have hunted extensively in the Kenetreks in deep snow, marshes, cattails submerging them in the process and mine have remained dry. One thing I believe helps greatly is I wear a pair of Kenetrek gaiters in those conditions which pretty much assures nothing runs down from the top and covers most of the boot except for the rubber band around the base. I like the Kenetrek gaiters because they are a quiet fabric which is part of my overall approach to remaining as silent as I can be in all forms of my hunting.

[J D Patrick]

I have a pair of Pronghorns,,don't like them much but mostly becuase they broke down fast
I have the opposite issue of AG - my feet are big and wide
used Meindl's Perfekt hikers and their Alaskan for years, still have some wear left in the Alaskans but the last pair of hikers were "off"
jungle boots (still like them for some aspects - McCrae's makes a decent representation of the old style)
Schnee's pac boots get worn in snow, walked all over northern Quebec in a pair of them - they handled rocks, hills etc well - they are ankle fit and what I wear when wet, cold and sloppy

but my absolute favorite anymore is Russell Moccasin co boots - well worth saving to get - on my second pair (elk hunters and now the Wyman - I wear it as a snake/cactus boot) - and saving up for a another pair - repair warranty can't be beat, fit is AWESOME, and so far the durability is good to great

[AverageGuy]

Can't say enough good about the 10 inch Guide GTX Crispis I have been wearing.

Bought them last year and have been wearing them on all my bird hunts since. Wore them hunting elk this September as well. I bought the Uninsulated model and would again. I don't need insulation in my boots when moving. Built like a Kenetrek but with a lighter more flexible sole. Have put them to the test a bunch for waterproof and they are so far. Not cheap but I accept that if I get the quality performance. Excellent boot.

[J D Patrick]

Can't say enough good about the 10 inch Guide GTX Crispis I have been wearing.

Bought them last year and have been wearing them on all my bird hunts since. Wore them hunting elk this September as well. I bought the Uninsulated model and would again. I don't need insulation in my boots when moving. Built like a Kenetrek but with a lighter more flexible sole. Have put them to the test a bunch for waterproof and they are so far. Not cheap but I accept that if I get the quality performance. Excellent boot.

they are a great boot

[jlw034]

I ran Crispi Thor II boots all summer and early season. LOVE them. Only an 8 inch boot, so now that we have snow I'll go to the taller kennetreks, but Crispi has my vote. Will replace Kenetreks with Crispi when the time comes.

[AverageGuy]

The Model I am wearing is extremely similar to my Kenetreks but with a sole more suited for bird hunting. Most of the time I do not need the extra stiffness of the kenetreks.

[carramrod]

Figured I should add to this since Danner Pronghorns were mentioned. I just submitted a warranty claim on my Danner's i bought not quite a year ago because the sole is already pealing off the leather. I only wear them hunting and sometimes at the farm in the summer.

Regardless if they honor the warranty or not, I doubt I'll spend my money on them in the future. Rather spend $400-500 on a pair that will last 4 or 5 years than $200 on one year.

[Dmog]

I am currently running 1 year old Danner Pronghorns as the previous Danner's served me 10+ years, used only when I needed light insulated boots which is not that often. These current ones are not wearing as well as the previous Danner's did. Granted, I could do better taking care of my boots but I will be changing brands next boot so this thread was of interest to me.

[AverageGuy]

I wore Danner boots for a few decades. The Sierra model (4 pairs) (which is the same as the grouse model but with a different lug on the sole) and Pronghorns (6 pairs).

Until recently I kept a pair of Pronghorns dedicated to my September archery hunts in the most often arid NM. A few years back that hunt experienced unprecedented never seen before monsoons and I spent an absolutely miserable week hunting in those Pronghorns as they stretched and fell apart in that rain.

The Kenetreks and Crispis I have worn since are in an entirely different league of quality and performance. No Comparison.

Like our dogs, we are only as good as our running gear and at this stage of life I am extremely willing to pay what it takes to wear high quality boots that keep me in the field.

[orhunter]

Having some of the oldest Kenetreks still in use, I gave 'em test to see if they're still waterproof last week on a pheasant hunt. Pretty swampy in some spots and had to do some wading all the way to the tops. Feet stayed as dry as the day the boots were new.