Thread: Whats your hunting footwear????

Morning Fellas since I cant sleep thanks to my brother in law F*&king work alarm going off and since Im not hunting till this arvo I figure I may as well start a thread.

So lets set the seen while out hunting the other day heading back to the hut I cross paths with another hunter... Now as I am a man of good character I assume everyone to be basically a good c&nt till I'm proven otherwise.... This Chap earned the nick name ABBO, as in Aboriginal (Now now all you PC Pricks put down your weapon and get those cross hairs off my forehead.)

For me in hunting terms been called an Abbo is a sign of high respect, I'll tip my hat to any bugger that can cross the out back wearing nothing but a loin cloth, barefeet a spear and boomarang and not die. I at times have manged to get myself geographically challeneged in the NZ bush with a compass!!

I personaly wear a pair of sturdy hiking boots with good ankle surport due to my ankles been F%$ked from playing rugby.

Other guys like those rubber gumboots with laces ,not enough ankle surport for me but each to ther own. I have heard of guys that like sneakers, others like my boss and Ewen McDonald like diving boots......

But never until 2 days ago did I think or imagine I would see a hunter wear nothing but a 3 of pairs of socks on his feet ( Winter atire) Summer its 2 pairs of socks.... Big Jessy!!! Hence why I gave this hunter the nickname ABBO!

So right at this point I was thinking this lad was a couple of cans short of a six pack..............

But he had a point, a part from been a good c%nt and sharing some good tips advive with me... his reasonoing was it allowed him to be quieter in the bush..... And as the only 1 of 4 hunters in the hut to knock over a great size hind... I cant argue with the guy.... But as Im a big girls blouse I will stick to my boots thanks.

Your thoughts Lads and Ladies.

If wearing just socks to be quieter works for some then good on them. Personally I dont try to be all that quiet. If game bolted at noise alone they wouldnt stop friggin running.
I wear muck boots for a quick hunt and Lowa Tibet boots the rest of the time.
I walk at a steady pace and may slow down a little in shitty areas but otherwise dont worry what noise my footwear makes as long is it is not too obvious. Red deer especially make a heap of noise moving thru cover and can sound just like a human cruising thru the bush/scrub. If you havnt alerted their other key senses they will nearly always hang around for a look and that, is generally too long for them.
I found japs pretty much the same. Stewart Island Whitetail are a different kettle of fish all together, very spooky animal due too hunter pressure I reckon.

I guess that my feet are the only part of me that is still in the army (the rest of me got out 36 years ago). For the last several years I have been wearing a range of 10" calf length boots that I have been bringing in from the states via the Cabelas wensite. They have good tread, keep my feet dry and warm and give plenty of support to the ankles. I can still do the 100 yards per hour discipline when needed so don't make much noise (even with the zimmer frame).

Thanks R93 thanks for your post and thoughts about stalking alwasy good to hear others tips ,.tricks,advice.

Originally Posted by 7mmwsm

The way you started this thread Mohawk I sensed that things were about to go bad for your brother inlaw. And I was going to suggest not to wear dive boots because the cops are onto that.
When I started hunting I was obsessed with trying to make no noise and hunted in shearers moccasins (I was a shearer). Made of felt or leather, they were very quiet but had no tread so were very slippery and quite dangerous to try carrying an animal with. Now days absolute quiet doesn't seem to be as important.

Cheers 7mmwsm I couldnt agree more, I think it is important to be quiet but not anal about it....AS long as you dont sound like an elephant u should be ok. I think getting winded or been in the wrong area is more important.

I used to go through a pair of leather boots every three months. I liked leather boots until I discovered Ashley gumboots 10 years ago, I find them the best boots I've ever worn.

I've owned several pairs of Scarpers, Island Pro's, Gri-Sports and Lowas in an attempt to replace the Ashley gumboots...but all of the leather boots now seem far too heavy and way to slippery in the bush or on alpine rock to hunt in for my comfort in comparison to gumboots.

FYI: I weighed an (one boot, not two) Island Pro and it was 1.2kg dry and it would probably be double that (2.4kg) when wet! An Ashley was only 0.8kg and there's no real different when wet! To me it just makes sense not to carry all that extra weight on each foot if doing a 30km alpine day hunt.

A couple years ago I did a Tahr trip wearing Mendle Island Pro's and I nearly fell to my death several times, they're like wearing ice-skates, so this May I wore my Ashley's against huge protest from fellow hunters who told me you can't wear gumboots in the Southern Alps & they were awesome, best decision I ever made...it was like they had glue on the bottom of them as they just stuck to the granite rock! I took a pair of Kovea cramp-ons just incase, but I never even thought about using them.

For some reason we get marketed all these boots that don't suit our needs in NZ? I spoke to a German hunter who told me that Island Pro translated into English from German means - ''Ice land Pro'' i.e they were made for volcanic rock and ice work with a cramp on fitted. Hence why the soles are so hard and slippery, the cramp-on is designed to give the grip and not the sole.

End of the day, boots like rain jackets are a personal choice and you'll struggle to find two people with the same opinion on the matter. But I've seen and worn a lot of boots to destruction in my time and for what its worth I'll be hitting the hills in Ashleys.

kj

Note: there was one exception to the above, Mendle made the Torrup boot a few years back and it was awesome...but it only lasted a month before totally falling apart! But the idea was great, it just needed to be made more robust.

But that's the thing, even Island Pro's will only last 3 months before the sole rounds off and they become too slippery and dangerous to wear...so I can no longer justify spending $700 on a pair of boots that will only last 3 months. Where as Ashleys only cost $110 and last 4-6 months and I can afford to replace them when I need to unlike the Mendles and the like.

kj

Thanks Kimjon, I have heard heaps of guys raving about the old ashleys , will have to give them ago when the hiking boots give out...

I wear Meindl Torrups and have had good milage. The stitching is starting to rot and I just replaced the laces. Have had them for three years. Hopefully they'll go another three.

Scarpa for me ,i used Bullers for years ,never liked the Ashleys there to high for me - tried a pair of Italian hikers cant rember the brand ,they were fuckin shit really hard on the toe nails on the big walks ,they let your feet move forward on the down hills and it often lead to a loss of the big nail - an Aussie mate would come over for a hunt when he could - recommended scarpa swore by them ,talked me into getting some a bit over 6 hundy bucks later and five years on they still going good no feet issues at all . They kick the rubber boots arse in every way no more drilling holes in the arch to let the water out haha ..

I have worn New Balance trail running shoes for the last two roars, nice an light, quiet and good enough grip. No ankle support but not been a problem so far. This is in the Kaimais mostly. Yes my feet are always wet but that is normally the case anyway wearing proper boots.

Currently using Sportiva Mountain, but jeez they took some breaking in.

Long distance, lots climbing or wearing a pack, I wear Haix K2's.
Round the farms for bunnies, I'm wearing a pair of columbia non leather boots.

Kimjon raises some some very valid, accurate points from experience that but should be listened too. The Lowa boot has the same sole as the meindel. They are terribly slippery in certain areas and cause me to spend more time looking where I am placing my feet instead of looking for animals. They are as he said very heavy when wet as well.
Some creeks and areas on the coast are just slimey shit holes but you need them for access. I look like its my first time on skates sometimes. And I get quite wound up about how shit my boots are in those situations. I like Kimjon believe they are just plain dangerous. My Lowas however have lasted almost 3 yrs. They are getting tired now.
I will be looking for another boot when they finally give out. If they made the Lowa with a replaceable soft sole I would reccommend them. They dont and I reckon they and similarly made boots are dangerous in certain areas. I have had some mean slips and falls. If you dont hurt yourself you will hurt your gear.
Cheers Kimjon for reminding me. I just put up with them thinking I was just clumsy.

Its a bit like tyres on ya dirt bike - they don't bite well in all situations you just learn how far to push ya luck at times . Ive used Bullers for round twenty years put plates an horse shoe nails in them time to time they have limitations in curtain conditions as well ,not sure what the answer is to an all round boot . I find the Scarpa,s are good boots for me suits were i hunt central N/I and there comfy as ..