Best Boots for highcountry hunting

[sp6x6]

I have had to use them as early as 1st. day rifle.It is a secret I have had in my close circle of hunting buds.We have real step terrain with lots of bear grass,those firtss snows before you have a good base or on your way up to deeper.The muleys and elk I hunt run some real step stuff,even more now with wolf pressure.you can go up or side hill just like a deer.But they are grabby and you need to be carefull and not hook you leg, they also catch the brush.I shot a 6x6 on last day one year and headed down a chute, my buddy without said "NO WAY'' see you over there.Took him an extra hour to catch me, just another tool for hunting.I have started seeing some tracks from them in the last few years.

[FEENIX]

I use http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=bl_sr_shoes?_encoding=UTF8&node=672123011&field-brandtextbin=32north STABILicers Lite Ice Cleats for safety on icy slick trails. IIRC, I paid $20 on sale 3 years ago.





Last year, I talk myself out of trying on Korkers Snow Jack Winter Boots http://www.winterfootwear.com/p3125-...ter_boots.html.

[jmden]

Yep, those stiff boots are great for steep stuff that you can kick into a bit for a purchase like in snow or accommodating soils. No boot 'does it all' and a super stiff boot with full shank (nylon or steel, etc.) is typically horrible for trail walking or even lower angle off trail work. Many alpine mountaineers will do the approach time on a trail or low angle off trail work in running shoes and then when they get to the snow and/or steeper (typically loose soils/scree slopes made up of small rocks...basically a soft walking surface, to put it another way) stuff, switch to stiff mountaineering boots. But a boot that has a full stiff shank just does not let your foot articulate as it is designed to do when you walk, so often is not appropriate.

The only place, again, I would want to wear a boot like the Kenetrek is on steep loose terrain or in snow (best in consolidated snow). Obviously many here disagree. To each his own. But you cannot argue the basic principles of normal foot articulation and a boot that allows that while still providing support as needed. I've worn enough stiff boots (mostly on mountaineering trips) in all kinds of varied terrain to very clearly know exactly where they are helpful and when (most of the time) they are not. Most of these boots are built for a specific purpose and as such suffered from fulfilling a relatively small niche in the overall spectrum of what you need a boot to do. They did great at fulfilling that small niche, but were not much fun in the rest of the 'boot spectrum'.

If stiff boots work for you in what you do, more power to you.