Eric from Kentucky asks,
Hey Bill, have spent quite a bit of time watching all of your videos I could from MW and current. I really enjoy listening to your thought process and creativity in figuring out how to hunt and manage property for deer. I could go on but I hope you keep producing content! My question is in regards to hunting boots. I’m tired of wearing rubber boots hunting and want to switch to lace up. I’ve watched the older video where you recommend Cabela’s boots but like everything else they are discontinued. Can you recommend a uninsulated for early/mid season and a insulated brand/pair for late season? Thanks!
Bill responds,
Topic: Best Boots for Whitetail Hunting:
The boots you wear are not as important as where you walk and the amount of low vegetation that brushes up against your pants. You can’t keep the deer from smelling where you walk if your pants are touching low growth.
Eric,
I appreciate all the support you have given me over the years and the comments. Very kind of you. Now regarding boots: I have not found that you have to wear rubber boots to keep deer from picking up your ground scent, however, anything you can do to keep them from smelling where your pants touch low brush is really more important.
In other words, just any good clean boots that you only wear to hunt will keep your actual footprint from carrying scent, but that is not really what the deer are picking up. Generally, they are picking up where your pants brush against low vegetation. Even wearing lace up Nylon Cordura boots, they never pick my scent up on bare trails. So, the only real advantage of rubber boots, in my mind, is the fact that you tuck your pants into them and keep your pants from brushing on low growth.
Cabela’s Saskatchewan Pac Boots are the warmest boots I have used. Possibly there are warmer boots, but I have had great success with these.
If the vegetation you are walking through is taller than boot height, even the rubber boots won’t help. In situations where I have to cross areas with low vegetation near my stands I carry a pair of the old “Elimitrax” booties that I slip on over my boots. You can still find these on Ebay.
Otherwise, I just try very hard to avoid having my pants touch anything. If I can do that, I don’t have a problem with the lace up boots.
Any good Cordura Nylon boot will work. An example is the Silent Stalk from Cabela’s. Even leather boots for that matter will work after they get broken in and used a bit. Scout in them and wear them outside as much as possible and very quickly they will lose their scent.
The best boots I have ever worn when it got really cold was the Cabela’s Saskatchewan pac boots. They are super warm. A bit bulky and awkward to walk in so if you have to go far, just wear something else and carry them.
Good luck and have a great day. (7/31/22)
