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Speaker 1: As a guide an hunter, I've spent thousands of days

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Speaker 1: in the field. This show is about translating my hard

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Speaker 1: won experiences into tips and tactics they'll get you closer

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Speaker 1: to your ultimate goal success in the field. I'm Remy Warren.

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Speaker 1: This is cutting the Distance. Welcome back to the podcast. Everyone. Now,

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Speaker 1: when it comes to Western hunting gear, there's really no

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Speaker 1: more integral piece of kit to get you to where

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Speaker 1: you're going than boots. They're an essential piece of gear

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Speaker 1: because you constantly use them in a way that's inherently

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Speaker 1: uncomfortable hiking up mountains. It's the gear that, if not right,

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Speaker 1: can literally stop a hunt in its tracks. As a guide,

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Speaker 1: I've seen more blistered, tour up feet slow down those

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Speaker 1: once in a lifetime opportunities or those really good chances

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Speaker 1: on a hunt more than I care to think about.

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Speaker 1: So on this week's gear Rundown, I want to go

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Speaker 1: over the fundamentals and features for different boots and help

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Speaker 1: you find the best option for your application and give

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Speaker 1: you an idea of what to look for when it

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Speaker 1: comes to boots for mountain or Western big game hunting.

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Speaker 1: But before we go there, I want to share a

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Speaker 1: funny story of a not so trusty pair of boots.

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Speaker 1: This story takes place early in my guide years. I

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Speaker 1: was guiding elk and deer hunters. This particular week had

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Speaker 1: some guys from Texas and they were on their first

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Speaker 1: elk hunt, so pretty much just like any other week

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Speaker 1: back then, I really kind of I mean, the boots

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Speaker 1: you could get were whatever standard sporting goods sold for boots.

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Speaker 1: There wasn't a lot of really good mountain boots back then,

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Speaker 1: and if there was, I mean I didn't know about them,

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Speaker 1: or there were maybe just more than I could afford

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Speaker 1: at the time. But as far as I can remember,

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Speaker 1: I would always buy pretty much the best boots I

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Speaker 1: could get from one of the major your boot companies

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Speaker 1: that were, you know, something you can find in any Cabella's,

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Speaker 1: big box store, whatever, and I'd pretty much burned through

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Speaker 1: about two or three pairs of those a season. From

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Speaker 1: the beginning of August through the end of December. I

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Speaker 1: just wear through my boots because I was using them

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Speaker 1: every day. They really weren't designed for heavy lots of

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Speaker 1: use in the mountains, and so I kind of ran

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Speaker 1: into this problem where I would have a good pair

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Speaker 1: of boots and i'd like wear them guiding through archery,

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Speaker 1: but then it'd be like mid rifle season and it's

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Speaker 1: like crap, they're pretty much starting to wear out. But

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Speaker 1: I don't really have the time to break in another

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Speaker 1: pair because I'm in the middle of guiding. So if

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Speaker 1: I really want to put another pair on and be

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Speaker 1: uncomfortable for a few days, or just kind of wear

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Speaker 1: these ones and see how much more I can get

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Speaker 1: out of it, and let me wear them around on

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Speaker 1: a weekend or something on my own hunt when I'm

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Speaker 1: not guiding to get that like in between time to

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Speaker 1: swap the boots out. So I'm taking these guys out.

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Speaker 1: It's like the second week of the rifle season. My

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Speaker 1: boots by this point are getting pretty hammered. It's like

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Speaker 1: I probably should swap them out, but hey, they work

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Speaker 1: like darren't really waterproof anymore. They're getting cold and wet,

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Speaker 1: but that's okay. I can I can bear five more

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Speaker 1: days with them and maybe throw on this new pair

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Speaker 1: and break those in over the weekend on a personal hunt.

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Speaker 1: So I've got these guys and we go out and

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Speaker 1: we decided we weren't really seeing very many elk, like

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Speaker 1: some weathered kind of moved in and my normal spots

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Speaker 1: weren't very like being very productive. So I thought, oh,

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Speaker 1: there's this one, this one place that I used to

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Speaker 1: hunt with my dad as a kid, and we would

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Speaker 1: just kind of like start hiking up the super steep mountain.

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Speaker 1: It was just this really thick timbered face and just

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Speaker 1: super steep, pretty timbered, but there was a few ridges

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Speaker 1: that the elk would travel on that like little finger ridges.

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Speaker 1: We looked for signing other things and then just kind

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Speaker 1: of still hunt it. So I thought about it. I

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Speaker 1: was kind of just you know, in my mind, I

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Speaker 1: like to go over spots, potential spots, and I just

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Speaker 1: kind of got this wild hair, let's go there. But

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Speaker 1: when I got there, I thought, man, I want to

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Speaker 1: hunt this different. It had been a while since I've

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Speaker 1: been in there. I was a kid the last time

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Speaker 1: I was there, just following my dad around. So I thought,

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Speaker 1: let's go across the canyon up the other side and

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Speaker 1: look into where we used to we used to hike

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Speaker 1: and maybe we can glass in some of this stuff.

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Speaker 1: So that other side was just as steep to get up,

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Speaker 1: but we climb up and get to a good little

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Speaker 1: glassing vantage, and I'm glassing, and I can actually see

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Speaker 1: kind of it's like big pinion pines, a few little openings,

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Speaker 1: fairly timbered, but there is some openings that I can see.

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Speaker 1: And I remember we used to walk up this one

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Speaker 1: steep ridge and then go into this little opening and

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Speaker 1: we would always see some sign and stuff there. So

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Speaker 1: I thought, okay, that's pretty much where we would kind

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Speaker 1: of see sign of elk started glassing in there. So

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Speaker 1: started to get closer to the evening and sure enough

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Speaker 1: I'm looking. I'm like, oh, bowl, nice, big five by

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Speaker 1: five bull steps out in that opening. I'm like, sweet,

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Speaker 1: let's go get him. So he's at this point, maybe

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Speaker 1: six hundred yards from us, and the ridge were on

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Speaker 1: glassing kind of fingers down toward that ridge where the elks,

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Speaker 1: so I try to keep him in sight. We move

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Speaker 1: hustle down and get to about three hundred yards, but

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Speaker 1: the bull had moved behind some pines and I knew

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Speaker 1: he was still there, but he just wasn't out in

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Speaker 1: the open. So we get set up. He gets ready

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Speaker 1: on the pack and I'm like, all right, we're just

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Speaker 1: gonna sit here and wait till he comes out. Waiting, waiting, waiting.

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Speaker 1: It's getting closer and closer. Toward the end of the day.

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Speaker 1: We still have maybe fifteen minutes or maybe twenty minutes

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Speaker 1: of shooting light left, and then all of a sudden,

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Speaker 1: the bull steps out, like bull, he's out, give it

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Speaker 1: a call. The bull kind of stops one hundred, puts

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Speaker 1: the crossers on him. Boom. I hear the slap, and

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Speaker 1: then the bull runs into the trees down low. I'm like, cool,

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Speaker 1: there's a pretty good little creeked thing in between us.

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Speaker 1: It's a really steep mountain on the other side. So

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Speaker 1: I'm like, well, I don't know where you hit it.

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Speaker 1: Because I just was between looking and calling and all that,

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Speaker 1: I couldn't tell where he hit it, but I could

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Speaker 1: hear the thump. It sounded good. But I just to

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Speaker 1: be safe. I didn't want to push that bull in

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Speaker 1: the dark into some really gnarly country. So I said,

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Speaker 1: let's pull out tonight. We'll come back first thing in

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Speaker 1: the morning. We'll try to find that bull. Cool, So

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Speaker 1: we go back to camp, go back the next morning,

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Speaker 1: and because it was so timbered, my thought was, we'll

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Speaker 1: go back to the exact spot where we shot from,

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Speaker 1: and then I can guide him in with hand signals

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Speaker 1: to where the bull was. So we get set up

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Speaker 1: on that point and I'm like, all right, cool, we

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Speaker 1: can see where the bull was standing, I pointed out.

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Speaker 1: I'm like, all right, I'm gonna just guide you over

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Speaker 1: with some hand signals and then see if you can

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Speaker 1: kind of find the bull just below. I'll kind of

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Speaker 1: guide you where it looked like he went. So I

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Speaker 1: guide him over there, and then all of a sudden,

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Speaker 1: it's kind of like it was a really foggy, kind

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Speaker 1: of cloudy day, so we can see guide him into

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Speaker 1: the spot and then can't see and now it starts

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Speaker 1: to snow. I'm like, crap, so he can't find it.

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Speaker 1: So I'm like, all right, just stay over there. And

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Speaker 1: now it's like snowing and it's getting colder, and I'm like,

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Speaker 1: jeez man, this sucks. But I definitely want to be

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Speaker 1: able to guide him to where I think that bull

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Speaker 1: ran into because it's going to be from there, you know,

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Speaker 1: once it clears up, I should be able to glass

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Speaker 1: into some of these spots and kind of ping around

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Speaker 1: and see if I can find the bull before we

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Speaker 1: like push him out, because I just wasn't sure based

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Speaker 1: on the sound where he hit and if the bull

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Speaker 1: is going to be dead or not. So, So we're

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Speaker 1: sitting there, we're like waiting and storms moving in, and

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Speaker 1: I'm like, all right, well, let's just build a little

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Speaker 1: fire here while we wait this storm out and then

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Speaker 1: we'll go in and try to figure out where the

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Speaker 1: bull is. So build a little bit of a fire

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Speaker 1: just to wait out the cold. I'm freezing my boots

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Speaker 1: at this point, just feel soaked because the waterproofing and

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Speaker 1: the stitching is not that great on him. And so

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Speaker 1: we're just all standing around the campfire, warming up our feet,

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Speaker 1: warming up our gloves, trying to stay warm and dry.

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Speaker 1: The storm thing kind of moves through, probably, I don't know,

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Speaker 1: maybe an hour or two. I'm like, sweet, so it

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Speaker 1: didn't dump a lot of snow, but it dumped, you know,

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Speaker 1: maybe a good inch or whatever. I start glassing in there,

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Speaker 1: and sure enough, just pick up that yellow of the

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Speaker 1: bull actually really stood out after it snow. It was

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Speaker 1: under kind of a in this little thick spot where

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Speaker 1: I started moving around. Glassed in there, and I just

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Speaker 1: saw the bull laying dead right pretty much right below

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Speaker 1: where I had guided the guy into. But he just

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Speaker 1: must he actually walked right past it. I don't know

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Speaker 1: how he missed it but didn't see it. So we're like, sweet,

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Speaker 1: there's the bull. Go over, cut up the bull, do

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Speaker 1: all the stuff, pack the ball out. Awesome bull as

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Speaker 1: a great mature animal. We were pretty stoked. So now

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Speaker 1: it was time for the other guy to hunt, and

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Speaker 1: I think he had a deer tag or whatever. So

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Speaker 1: we go back. By the time we get they'll packed out.

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Speaker 1: It's now dark. And the next day we decided to

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Speaker 1: go back out, so load up the pack, start heading

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Speaker 1: in and the trail, same boots that I was wearing

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Speaker 1: the day before, did the pack out, everything like that.

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Speaker 1: But now that night it just snowed a lot. There's

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Speaker 1: a lot of fresh snow, probably I don't even know,

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Speaker 1: maybe between your ankle and your knee deep, you know,

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Speaker 1: just a good amount of snow. So trudging up the trail,

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Speaker 1: walking along, and I just remember it was like this

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Speaker 1: slow motion plant. I mean, it wasn't slow motion, but

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Speaker 1: in my mind, it just felt slow motion plant. My

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Speaker 1: right foot lift off like as I'm hiking up, and

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Speaker 1: then just hear this and then step and I'm like it.

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Speaker 1: It didn't even register at the point, and I'm like,

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Speaker 1: what that happened, and I stopped and just everything felt

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Speaker 1: really weird, really cold, and I look and the heel

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Speaker 1: from my boot had completely removed from the boot itself.

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Speaker 1: So I think with a combination of the fire before

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Speaker 1: and now getting like wet and cold and planting in

197
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Speaker 1: that snow, it was just enough that that whole heel

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Speaker 1: just popped off the boot at once in one fail swoop,

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Speaker 1: just one step, boom, heel off. My next plant was

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Speaker 1: just boot on me with no heel attached. I'm like, oh, geez,

201
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Speaker 1: I take a couple more steps and the other heel

202
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Speaker 1: comes off the other bo Now I've got two boots

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Speaker 1: with no heels on them, and we're still like maybe

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Speaker 1: a couple of miles from the truck in quite a

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Speaker 1: bit of snow. Oh great. So fortunately I didn't know this.

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Speaker 1: I figured, oh, the hee would come off and then

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Speaker 1: it would just be my sock. These boots somehow have

208
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Speaker 1: like a maybe it was like the liner of some

209
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Speaker 1: kind whatever. It was almost like a thicker sock mesh

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Speaker 1: booty that was held on with the insole between the

211
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Speaker 1: leather part of the boot and where the heel would

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Speaker 1: have been. I'm like, well, what do we do? Now

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Speaker 1: do I just like try to duct tape these boots

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Speaker 1: back together or what. So I tried that for a

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Speaker 1: little bit, but that didn't really work. It was fairly uncomfortable.

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Speaker 1: So I ended up just hiking back the whole way

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Speaker 1: with my boots in the snow that were no longer boots.

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Speaker 1: Snow was just stuffing up around this whole thing. Scott,

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Speaker 1: super wet, super cool. I just decided to keep moving

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Speaker 1: hand made it back to the truck, and that evening

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Speaker 1: I decided tomorrow will be the day I break in

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Speaker 1: that new pair of boots. I'm not gonna lie. There

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Speaker 1: have been many home improvement projects where I have tried

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Speaker 1: to hammer in a nail with a wrench because I

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Speaker 1: can't find my hammer and it does not work that well.

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Speaker 1: Even like a large pipe wrench is not ideal for

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Speaker 1: precision nailing. And as soon as you get that hammerback,

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Speaker 1: the task just becomes that much easier, that much more comfortable,

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Speaker 1: It goes that much smoother. It's just that old adage,

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Speaker 1: the right tool for the right job. And I think

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Speaker 1: that this is the approach that you really need to

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Speaker 1: take when thinking about hunting boots, And it's an approach

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Speaker 1: that probably most people don't think about. It's kind of

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Speaker 1: matching your hunting style, the job, and the task at

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Speaker 1: hand with the right type of boot that fits you.

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Speaker 1: Boots are super important because they're one of those two

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Speaker 1: touch points in the field that are gonna be on

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Speaker 1: the uncomfortable action scale. You're doing something uncomfortable, you're hiking,

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Speaker 1: you're climbing, your backpacking, and your feet or that mode

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Speaker 1: of transportation. They're what you're using to hit the ground

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Speaker 1: with as you move along. So that touch point needs

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Speaker 1: to be comfortable in many ways, but also assist in

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Speaker 1: the hunt for the terrain that you're in. So it

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Speaker 1: really needs to fit your style of hunting. So what

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Speaker 1: I want to do is I'm going to go over

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Speaker 1: and compare various boot features for different applications to kind

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Speaker 1: of help you build out mentally the type of hunting

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Speaker 1: boot that will work for you. Everybody's a little bit different.

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Speaker 1: I'll give you along the way, I'll kind of throwing

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Speaker 1: the things that I like and other people may be

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Speaker 1: completely opposite of that. So I kind of want to

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Speaker 1: build it out where you could kind of understand the

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Speaker 1: things to look for for what your application is, and

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Speaker 1: then you'll find the boot that fits for you for

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Speaker 1: most applications. Now, first and foremost, if we're going to

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Speaker 1: talk about boots, they just app resolutely need to be comfortable.

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Speaker 1: And I say that every time it's like what boots

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Speaker 1: should I get? Well, the first thing is they need

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Speaker 1: to be comfortable, they need to fit you well, and

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Speaker 1: then you know, then you need to match it to

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Speaker 1: the types of features and the things that you're looking for.

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Speaker 1: There's so many boots out there, but just like anything,

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Speaker 1: the better gear often has that higher price point, but

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Speaker 1: that price point does come I think with boots in

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Speaker 1: that better quality, it's something that's gonna last longer, it's

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Speaker 1: gonna work in more scenarios, and you're gonna have it

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Speaker 1: for a longer amount of time. I personally use and

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Speaker 1: work with Schnai's boots out of Montana, so a lot

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Speaker 1: of my experiences with their boots because they really fit

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Speaker 1: me well and then they do a great job for

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Speaker 1: what I want. And I've tried it pretty much almost

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Speaker 1: every boot, different brands, model styles, whatever. But I want

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Speaker 1: to just break down features that will help you find

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Speaker 1: your right fit for me personally, when I like to

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Speaker 1: kind of first think of, like what do I look

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Speaker 1: for inner pair of boots and does it hit all

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Speaker 1: these checkpoints. So the things that I need is something

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Speaker 1: that's tough, supportive, and durable. And then I look for

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Speaker 1: a boot that excels in steep and rugged terrain because

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Speaker 1: that's kind of the country that I'm hunting in. I

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Speaker 1: want something that's not going to eat my feet up

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Speaker 1: where I don't get those hot spots. I don't I

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Speaker 1: don't get maybe something that will wear down or pinch

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Speaker 1: me in a in a spot that's gonna wear down

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Speaker 1: over time over the course of a season or of

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Speaker 1: a hunt. And then I want something that is going

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Speaker 1: to make it easier to hike further, hike longer, hunt harder.

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Speaker 1: So a lot of these comparisons in this breakdown are

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Speaker 1: just gonna come down to your hunt style and personal choice.

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Speaker 1: But I'm just gonna go through the list of things

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Speaker 1: and then give you like something is always sacrificed by

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Speaker 1: something else. So, for example, the first category we're going

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Speaker 1: to talk about is the light first heavy. So boots

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Speaker 1: are one of those things. You know, there's two different

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Speaker 1: camps on this. You've got your light boot, let's go

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Speaker 1: on the extreme side. You're like Solomon type, ultra runners,

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Speaker 1: trail runners, whatever, some kind of like lightweight trail shoe.

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Speaker 1: And then on the other end, you've got something heavier,

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Speaker 1: like a full on mountaineering boot. Maybe it's full leather,

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Speaker 1: maybe it's got a full shank shoot. There's even plastics

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Speaker 1: out there for that, like high end expedition mountaineering. The

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Speaker 1: mountaineering one's going to be super heavy, and the trail

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Speaker 1: runner is going to be super light. You know, there

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Speaker 1: is a lot of studies of weight on your feet

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Speaker 1: translating that to weight on your back, So say like

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Speaker 1: a pound on your feet is kind of equivalent to

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Speaker 1: eight pounds on your back. So you go, okay, well,

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Speaker 1: obviously I want the light boot. But there's give and

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Speaker 1: take with everything. There's that's why there's not one perfect

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Speaker 1: thing for one perfect type or one perfect type of hunt.

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Speaker 1: What I like to do is I like to kind

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Speaker 1: of build the idea of like this is what I'm

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Speaker 1: looking for, and then I find one that fits the

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Speaker 1: largest category in the largest range of application. So when

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Speaker 1: you go light verse heavy, there's a lot of guys.

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Speaker 1: I've got friends that they just hunt in the lightest

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Speaker 1: boot possible, and that's a great way to go. On

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Speaker 1: the flip side, you're like, well, why are mountaineering boots heavy,

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Speaker 1: and why are the guys that are climbing the most

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Speaker 1: serious mountains in heavy boots. Why wouldn't they just take

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Speaker 1: light boots. It's because that there's that give and take.

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Speaker 1: The light boot is really good for more flat terrain,

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Speaker 1: longer miles, but really not aggressive rocky type stuff. They

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00:16:13,760 --> 00:16:17,080
Speaker 1: get eaten away faster, they break down faster. They also

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Speaker 1: you would think, well, a pound on your feet as

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Speaker 1: a pound on your back, so I would feel less

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00:16:21,240 --> 00:16:23,720
Speaker 1: felt weight and get tired less with the light boot,

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Speaker 1: which is true in flat ground, more mile ground, but

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Speaker 1: when you turn that into a mountain, when you turn

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Speaker 1: that into an incline, you actually feel less fatigue, footwear,

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Speaker 1: fatigue from your feet when you've got a heavy pack on,

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Speaker 1: when you're hiking something steep, with a boot that has

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00:16:39,080 --> 00:16:42,560
Speaker 1: more support is stiffer, can dig in a little more,

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00:16:42,680 --> 00:16:45,720
Speaker 1: and you have to like use less balance, you have

335
00:16:45,760 --> 00:16:49,240
Speaker 1: to your bodies, using less small muscles, your fear feeling

336
00:16:49,320 --> 00:16:52,520
Speaker 1: impact less, and actually over time you feel less fatigue.

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00:16:53,040 --> 00:16:55,960
Speaker 1: So for me personally, I kind of like that mid

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00:16:56,000 --> 00:16:58,720
Speaker 1: that mid range where I'm finding something that's not super light,

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Speaker 1: but also something that's not heavy, where it's got the

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00:17:01,720 --> 00:17:06,080
Speaker 1: mix of the durability, the ruggedness. But also when I

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Speaker 1: hit those mountains, I can really go in any type

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Speaker 1: of terrain. Now, there are certain hunts like antelope, pronghorn

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00:17:11,320 --> 00:17:13,359
Speaker 1: hunts or whatever. I'm like, hey, i'm gonna be running

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Speaker 1: a gunn and I'm gonna be putting a lot of

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Speaker 1: miles on. Maybe light's good for me. There's a lot

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00:17:18,119 --> 00:17:20,399
Speaker 1: of people that like that type of style of shoe,

347
00:17:20,480 --> 00:17:23,040
Speaker 1: that type of style of boot. So finding something that's

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00:17:23,119 --> 00:17:26,200
Speaker 1: light is a great way to go. Now, if you're

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Speaker 1: in real steep mountains, real rocky terrain, sometimes heavier is better.

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Speaker 1: It might be a heavier boot, but there's features of

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00:17:33,480 --> 00:17:35,520
Speaker 1: that heavy boot that are actually going to make you

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00:17:35,560 --> 00:17:38,520
Speaker 1: be able to hike further, longer, and hunt harder. So

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00:17:38,560 --> 00:17:42,439
Speaker 1: that's the first comparison. Now we'll just go with a

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Speaker 1: stiff verse flexible. There's so many type types of boots

355
00:17:48,800 --> 00:17:53,400
Speaker 1: out there. I think one that's really kind of made

356
00:17:53,400 --> 00:17:57,000
Speaker 1: its way into standard Western hunting is that more mountain

357
00:17:57,040 --> 00:17:59,439
Speaker 1: style boot. And what that is is when I talk

358
00:17:59,440 --> 00:18:01,400
Speaker 1: about a mountain boot, a mountain boot has a really

359
00:18:01,400 --> 00:18:03,639
Speaker 1: stiff soul. They might have a shank in it. Summer

360
00:18:03,680 --> 00:18:06,159
Speaker 1: made of metal, summer made of cardboard, summer made of

361
00:18:06,160 --> 00:18:09,440
Speaker 1: carbon fiber. What it does is it just creates less

362
00:18:09,480 --> 00:18:11,960
Speaker 1: flex in the boot. And you're like, well, why would

363
00:18:12,000 --> 00:18:15,199
Speaker 1: I want less flex? What the less flex does is

364
00:18:15,680 --> 00:18:18,760
Speaker 1: by moving less, especially in steep terrain, you're able to

365
00:18:18,800 --> 00:18:21,240
Speaker 1: dig that foot in and you just feel it's like

366
00:18:21,280 --> 00:18:23,800
Speaker 1: your foot's working less for each one of those steps. Now,

367
00:18:23,800 --> 00:18:26,439
Speaker 1: on flat terrain, it's the exact opposite. It can be

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00:18:26,480 --> 00:18:28,679
Speaker 1: hard to walk on, it can feel uncomfortable, it can

369
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Speaker 1: be a little bit clunky. Stiff boots last longer the

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00:18:32,640 --> 00:18:36,119
Speaker 1: stiff souls wear down less, but they're also a lot

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Speaker 1: harder to break in. If we went on a scale

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00:18:38,960 --> 00:18:43,960
Speaker 1: of one zero to five, I think Schnas does a

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00:18:44,000 --> 00:18:47,360
Speaker 1: really good job with their boots of like labeling there

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00:18:47,760 --> 00:18:49,679
Speaker 1: the flex of the soul, so like zero's like a

375
00:18:49,720 --> 00:18:52,640
Speaker 1: real flexible soul, more like a trail runner. In fives

376
00:18:52,680 --> 00:18:57,320
Speaker 1: like a hard mountaineering boot that barely moves, good shank

377
00:18:57,400 --> 00:19:00,159
Speaker 1: in it. So if you're going on that scale of

378
00:19:00,200 --> 00:19:03,720
Speaker 1: like super stiff to super flexible, super flexible boots are

379
00:19:03,720 --> 00:19:06,480
Speaker 1: going to break in faster. That's a bonus, especially if

380
00:19:06,520 --> 00:19:07,919
Speaker 1: you don't have a lot of time, and they'll probably

381
00:19:08,320 --> 00:19:11,040
Speaker 1: feel better on your foot, less potential for hot spots,

382
00:19:11,040 --> 00:19:13,960
Speaker 1: and a shorter amount of time. Now those boots will

383
00:19:14,000 --> 00:19:16,720
Speaker 1: break down faster over time, they'll probably be a little

384
00:19:16,720 --> 00:19:19,280
Speaker 1: bit less durable because they're moving more. All that movement

385
00:19:19,320 --> 00:19:21,680
Speaker 1: creates where whether it's in the leather or the boot

386
00:19:21,680 --> 00:19:25,520
Speaker 1: itself and the soul itself whatever. Now the stiffer boot, though,

387
00:19:25,600 --> 00:19:27,280
Speaker 1: is going to take a lot longer to break in.

388
00:19:27,520 --> 00:19:29,640
Speaker 1: A flexible boot you might be able to break in

389
00:19:29,640 --> 00:19:32,160
Speaker 1: in a mile or two, and a real stiff boot

390
00:19:32,200 --> 00:19:34,720
Speaker 1: you might have to take up to fifty miles to

391
00:19:34,760 --> 00:19:37,480
Speaker 1: actually break that boot into where your foot starts to

392
00:19:37,520 --> 00:19:40,600
Speaker 1: feel right in it. So that's something to consider. How

393
00:19:40,640 --> 00:19:43,520
Speaker 1: much time do you have and kind of like that

394
00:19:42,800 --> 00:19:46,240
Speaker 1: suffer that suffer chart of like breaking in your boots

395
00:19:46,480 --> 00:19:49,160
Speaker 1: for most people, if you don't live somewhere that has

396
00:19:49,200 --> 00:19:51,080
Speaker 1: that same type of terrain that you're going to be

397
00:19:51,200 --> 00:19:54,480
Speaker 1: hunting in, is very very difficult. Breaking them in in

398
00:19:54,560 --> 00:19:57,680
Speaker 1: flat ground is one thing. Breaking them in in inclined terrain.

399
00:19:58,080 --> 00:19:59,760
Speaker 1: I know so many people are like I put fifty

400
00:19:59,800 --> 00:20:02,000
Speaker 1: mile I was on these boots at work. I tracked

401
00:20:02,040 --> 00:20:06,160
Speaker 1: it on my whatever, my pedometer. I definitely I wore

402
00:20:06,200 --> 00:20:08,560
Speaker 1: them every day. And then they get in the mountains

403
00:20:08,560 --> 00:20:10,399
Speaker 1: and the first day out they've got hot spots in

404
00:20:10,440 --> 00:20:13,040
Speaker 1: places they didn't know because they're using that boot and

405
00:20:13,040 --> 00:20:15,359
Speaker 1: flexing it in a different way. It's very stiff. Their

406
00:20:15,359 --> 00:20:17,880
Speaker 1: foot doesn't move with it, and then they end up

407
00:20:17,920 --> 00:20:21,879
Speaker 1: with blisters or something else. Me personally, I tend and

408
00:20:21,920 --> 00:20:25,439
Speaker 1: this is a personal preference, I tend to air on

409
00:20:25,480 --> 00:20:28,080
Speaker 1: the side of more flexible. Now. I used to go

410
00:20:28,200 --> 00:20:31,760
Speaker 1: always really stiff, really stiff, but that breaking period was

411
00:20:31,840 --> 00:20:34,679
Speaker 1: so long, and I found that my foot does not

412
00:20:34,840 --> 00:20:38,439
Speaker 1: really get that tired. Maybe that's just the way that

413
00:20:38,520 --> 00:20:40,400
Speaker 1: I am. But I like being able to just throw

414
00:20:40,440 --> 00:20:42,720
Speaker 1: on a pair of boots, start hunting with them, start

415
00:20:42,760 --> 00:20:46,000
Speaker 1: going out and feeling comfortable and being like, Okay, I

416
00:20:46,040 --> 00:20:47,520
Speaker 1: can move with these. I also like to be able

417
00:20:47,520 --> 00:20:49,560
Speaker 1: to feel the ground a little bit more, so I

418
00:20:49,680 --> 00:20:52,680
Speaker 1: kind of go with the side of more flexible soul,

419
00:20:53,119 --> 00:20:56,000
Speaker 1: But I also like a lot of support. So we're

420
00:20:56,000 --> 00:20:58,959
Speaker 1: gonna go with the next one, which is ankle support

421
00:20:59,119 --> 00:21:02,280
Speaker 1: versus no ankles. No ankle support would be more a

422
00:21:02,320 --> 00:21:05,119
Speaker 1: low top tennis shoe below the ankle, and then you

423
00:21:05,119 --> 00:21:08,159
Speaker 1: can go up like above the ankle, short boot and

424
00:21:08,200 --> 00:21:12,280
Speaker 1: then a full on, you know, six or eight inch boot.

425
00:21:12,880 --> 00:21:15,280
Speaker 1: I like that. I don't like the boot up to

426
00:21:15,320 --> 00:21:17,240
Speaker 1: my knee, but I do like it a little bit

427
00:21:17,320 --> 00:21:19,840
Speaker 1: higher than the ankle. Me personally, I don't necessarily like

428
00:21:19,920 --> 00:21:23,000
Speaker 1: the lower boots. I've tried them. They are lighter, but

429
00:21:23,119 --> 00:21:25,480
Speaker 1: I feel like there's that give take where I like

430
00:21:25,520 --> 00:21:27,520
Speaker 1: to be able to lace that boot up tight up

431
00:21:27,560 --> 00:21:29,240
Speaker 1: a little higher and I don't have to look at

432
00:21:29,280 --> 00:21:31,000
Speaker 1: the ground as much. I don't have to worry about

433
00:21:31,080 --> 00:21:33,360
Speaker 1: rolling my ankle. I know a lot of people worry

434
00:21:33,400 --> 00:21:36,520
Speaker 1: about that. I do actually have really strong ankles. Because

435
00:21:36,560 --> 00:21:38,600
Speaker 1: there are some hunks where I will wear a lower

436
00:21:38,840 --> 00:21:41,920
Speaker 1: top boot. My ankles are really strong. I've only rolled

437
00:21:41,920 --> 00:21:44,359
Speaker 1: an ankle once and it was kind of like off

438
00:21:44,359 --> 00:21:47,120
Speaker 1: a rock into between two other rocks and my body

439
00:21:47,160 --> 00:21:50,879
Speaker 1: weight going over it, and that was a bummer. It

440
00:21:51,000 --> 00:21:53,800
Speaker 1: was pretty bad. But for the most part, I actually

441
00:21:53,840 --> 00:21:57,560
Speaker 1: have really strong ankles and don't mind not having that support.

442
00:21:57,640 --> 00:22:00,600
Speaker 1: But for most the season, I like that extra because

443
00:22:00,760 --> 00:22:02,600
Speaker 1: I don't necessarily have to pay as much attention. I

444
00:22:02,640 --> 00:22:06,359
Speaker 1: can let just kind of use my legs as walking sticks.

445
00:22:06,400 --> 00:22:08,880
Speaker 1: They hit, they plant, I can put a lot more

446
00:22:08,920 --> 00:22:11,840
Speaker 1: weight on my back and have that support and stability,

447
00:22:11,840 --> 00:22:13,760
Speaker 1: because I think that it really provides a lot of

448
00:22:13,760 --> 00:22:16,760
Speaker 1: stability up my trunk when I've got a lot of weight,

449
00:22:16,880 --> 00:22:20,600
Speaker 1: or I'm in that like steep mountain terrain, really slippery

450
00:22:20,680 --> 00:22:24,280
Speaker 1: rock and shale type country sidehilling up, going up, straight up,

451
00:22:24,320 --> 00:22:27,600
Speaker 1: and straight down. I like that extra support. I also

452
00:22:27,680 --> 00:22:30,800
Speaker 1: find that that extra support is really nice for like

453
00:22:31,520 --> 00:22:35,960
Speaker 1: super steep downhill declines or in that like really kind

454
00:22:35,960 --> 00:22:37,560
Speaker 1: of terrain that moves a lot, because I can just

455
00:22:37,640 --> 00:22:39,439
Speaker 1: dig the heel in, dig the healing, or if I'm

456
00:22:39,480 --> 00:22:41,200
Speaker 1: going up, kick the toe in, kick the toe in,

457
00:22:41,760 --> 00:22:45,159
Speaker 1: and it keeps everything straight aligned and really kind of

458
00:22:45,160 --> 00:22:48,760
Speaker 1: supports me from swinging back and forth side to side,

459
00:22:49,720 --> 00:22:53,000
Speaker 1: which I find over the long period of time really

460
00:22:53,040 --> 00:22:56,240
Speaker 1: actually kind of increases your ability to just stay out

461
00:22:56,240 --> 00:23:00,159
Speaker 1: there longer and get less tired. So ankle support is

462
00:23:00,200 --> 00:23:02,240
Speaker 1: one thing that you want to think about. Really that

463
00:23:02,480 --> 00:23:05,040
Speaker 1: is a lot of personal preference. My brother, he likes

464
00:23:05,080 --> 00:23:07,240
Speaker 1: the short boots. They're a little bit lighter. He likes

465
00:23:07,280 --> 00:23:10,280
Speaker 1: the feel of them. It's more closely kind of like

466
00:23:10,320 --> 00:23:12,239
Speaker 1: what he wears to work all the time. I just

467
00:23:12,320 --> 00:23:14,480
Speaker 1: over the years got used to a little bit taller boot.

468
00:23:14,840 --> 00:23:18,040
Speaker 1: If you took ten hunters. You know, it comes down

469
00:23:18,080 --> 00:23:21,000
Speaker 1: to personal preference and comfort. What's the kind of boot

470
00:23:21,040 --> 00:23:23,159
Speaker 1: that you like. Are you guy that likes that more

471
00:23:23,200 --> 00:23:25,240
Speaker 1: ankle support, that likes to be able to lace it

472
00:23:25,359 --> 00:23:27,480
Speaker 1: up tight, have it a little bit taller. I also

473
00:23:27,520 --> 00:23:29,600
Speaker 1: like it a little bit taller boot. If I was

474
00:23:29,640 --> 00:23:31,639
Speaker 1: just to pick my perfect hunting boot, it'd be a

475
00:23:31,680 --> 00:23:34,080
Speaker 1: little bit taller boot, you know, for crossing water and

476
00:23:34,119 --> 00:23:36,600
Speaker 1: creeks and streams and other things. It's just something that's

477
00:23:36,720 --> 00:23:38,320
Speaker 1: not even that deep. You don't have to worry about

478
00:23:38,359 --> 00:23:46,600
Speaker 1: water running over the top, especially if it's waterproof, which

479
00:23:46,640 --> 00:23:49,719
Speaker 1: brings us to our next one. Waterproof or not waterproof.

480
00:23:50,600 --> 00:23:55,320
Speaker 1: I would always for hunting boots, say waterproof side, what

481
00:23:55,400 --> 00:23:58,760
Speaker 1: are the pros and cons? There's very few boots out there.

482
00:23:58,960 --> 00:24:01,840
Speaker 1: There's like a quality boot that's not waterproof. I wouldn't

483
00:24:01,840 --> 00:24:04,680
Speaker 1: even suggest it, to be honest. That's probably the only

484
00:24:04,720 --> 00:24:07,359
Speaker 1: one that I'm like, yeah, you want this, whether it's

485
00:24:07,359 --> 00:24:11,560
Speaker 1: a gortex liner, whether it's an event or other fabric

486
00:24:11,680 --> 00:24:14,400
Speaker 1: even just like I mean, you can go full green

487
00:24:14,520 --> 00:24:17,119
Speaker 1: leather and just put some kind of wax sealer on

488
00:24:17,200 --> 00:24:20,720
Speaker 1: it if it doesn't have that gortex type liner. But

489
00:24:20,840 --> 00:24:22,919
Speaker 1: anything that kind of keeps that water out keeps your

490
00:24:22,960 --> 00:24:25,960
Speaker 1: foot dry, because a dry foot ends up being a

491
00:24:26,000 --> 00:24:30,080
Speaker 1: foot that doesn't get blisters, is often stays warm, stays

492
00:24:30,119 --> 00:24:33,440
Speaker 1: more comfortable. So when it comes to a boot, waterproof

493
00:24:33,520 --> 00:24:36,720
Speaker 1: is pretty much standard, gold standard, especially on high end boots.

494
00:24:37,040 --> 00:24:39,680
Speaker 1: But something to think about now you're thinking, well, when

495
00:24:39,720 --> 00:24:42,480
Speaker 1: would I not want a waterproof boot. If you hunt

496
00:24:42,600 --> 00:24:45,240
Speaker 1: primarily desert, if it's hot all the time, your feet

497
00:24:45,240 --> 00:24:48,320
Speaker 1: are always hot, that waterproof barrier, even though a lot

498
00:24:48,400 --> 00:24:51,760
Speaker 1: of them are breathable, does create a lot more sweat

499
00:24:51,800 --> 00:24:53,679
Speaker 1: build up and a little bit more heat. So if

500
00:24:53,680 --> 00:24:56,719
Speaker 1: you're looking for something super lightweight, maybe something that breathes

501
00:24:56,760 --> 00:24:59,439
Speaker 1: a lot better, then that's the time that you could say, Okay,

502
00:24:59,520 --> 00:25:02,280
Speaker 1: waterproof isn't really a factor for me, I'm just looking

503
00:25:02,320 --> 00:25:05,920
Speaker 1: for something super light. Another factor comes down to thinking

504
00:25:05,960 --> 00:25:11,160
Speaker 1: of leather verse synthetic. I personally prefer leather in my boots.

505
00:25:11,200 --> 00:25:13,840
Speaker 1: I like leather with kind of a rubber rand around

506
00:25:14,040 --> 00:25:17,440
Speaker 1: above the or released in the tow part of the boot,

507
00:25:17,720 --> 00:25:20,680
Speaker 1: something that comes up above the soul. What that does

508
00:25:20,760 --> 00:25:24,080
Speaker 1: is that actually protects the leather from damage from kicking

509
00:25:24,080 --> 00:25:27,119
Speaker 1: in the dirt, rocks, really rough country. That rand can

510
00:25:27,160 --> 00:25:30,200
Speaker 1: get eaten away before it's actually eating away the boot itself.

511
00:25:31,119 --> 00:25:33,520
Speaker 1: I found that they last longer that way. I really

512
00:25:33,520 --> 00:25:37,040
Speaker 1: like leather because they tend to stay waterproof longer if

513
00:25:37,040 --> 00:25:38,560
Speaker 1: you take care of them right, and they tend to

514
00:25:38,640 --> 00:25:41,879
Speaker 1: last longer, in my opinion, once that synthetic starts to

515
00:25:41,920 --> 00:25:45,439
Speaker 1: break in, it almost starts to break down. Also, catching

516
00:25:45,440 --> 00:25:47,720
Speaker 1: it on really sharp rocks and other types of things

517
00:25:48,119 --> 00:25:49,960
Speaker 1: tends to eat it away a little bit faster. I

518
00:25:50,040 --> 00:25:51,800
Speaker 1: never get the same amount of life out of my

519
00:25:51,800 --> 00:25:54,560
Speaker 1: synthetic boots as I do leather. Now I'm not talking

520
00:25:54,560 --> 00:25:58,520
Speaker 1: about plastic boots. Plastics are for like real rugged, real

521
00:25:58,680 --> 00:26:02,600
Speaker 1: rough country to use plastic boots and like in serious

522
00:26:02,640 --> 00:26:08,439
Speaker 1: mountaineering type hunts New Zealand, Southern Alps, Alaska, some like

523
00:26:08,520 --> 00:26:10,960
Speaker 1: really gnarly rock type stuff, and they're really good for

524
00:26:11,000 --> 00:26:13,560
Speaker 1: like crossing streams and rivers because you can actually pull

525
00:26:13,600 --> 00:26:15,560
Speaker 1: your the warm part of the boot pulls out of

526
00:26:15,560 --> 00:26:17,800
Speaker 1: like the ski boot, and then you can put like

527
00:26:17,800 --> 00:26:19,840
Speaker 1: these glacier socks over it and make a set of

528
00:26:19,840 --> 00:26:22,639
Speaker 1: waiters and cross the stream, which is pretty awesome. The

529
00:26:22,760 --> 00:26:25,280
Speaker 1: downside to those things is it's like hiking around in

530
00:26:25,320 --> 00:26:28,520
Speaker 1: a ski boot, and over the years, I've just decided

531
00:26:28,600 --> 00:26:30,800
Speaker 1: it's not worth it for me. I'd rather just go

532
00:26:30,840 --> 00:26:34,240
Speaker 1: with the leather boot. I keep mine. I like to

533
00:26:34,280 --> 00:26:37,399
Speaker 1: like even before trips, I'll use some kind of snow

534
00:26:37,440 --> 00:26:43,399
Speaker 1: seal or other leather waterproof boot condition or whatever, something

535
00:26:43,400 --> 00:26:45,760
Speaker 1: that kind of protects the leather itself and keeps it

536
00:26:45,800 --> 00:26:48,320
Speaker 1: water resistant. I know they say you're supposed to use

537
00:26:48,440 --> 00:26:50,919
Speaker 1: like wax with gortex membranes and other things because it

538
00:26:50,920 --> 00:26:53,840
Speaker 1: makes it not breathable. I personally don't really get super

539
00:26:53,840 --> 00:26:57,080
Speaker 1: sweaty feet. My feet are always cold. I've just actually

540
00:26:57,080 --> 00:26:59,280
Speaker 1: got frostbite in the past a long time ago, and

541
00:26:59,359 --> 00:27:01,520
Speaker 1: because of it, it just seems like my circulation and

542
00:27:01,640 --> 00:27:03,639
Speaker 1: my feet is never that good. My feet are always

543
00:27:03,720 --> 00:27:06,000
Speaker 1: kind of cold. I think that that's kind of the

544
00:27:06,400 --> 00:27:10,199
Speaker 1: unnorm So I'm gonna go with insulation versus uninsulated. And

545
00:27:10,200 --> 00:27:12,280
Speaker 1: I get this question all the time, like should I

546
00:27:12,280 --> 00:27:14,560
Speaker 1: get the insulated ones? Should I get the uninsulated ones? Me,

547
00:27:15,280 --> 00:27:18,040
Speaker 1: I like at least two hundred grams of insulation. But

548
00:27:18,160 --> 00:27:20,000
Speaker 1: I'm the type of person I could wear two hundred

549
00:27:20,000 --> 00:27:23,080
Speaker 1: grams of insulation in the summer. That's pretty rare. There's

550
00:27:23,119 --> 00:27:25,800
Speaker 1: a lot of people that have to have uninsulated like

551
00:27:25,840 --> 00:27:27,960
Speaker 1: their feet are always hot. I see dudes that walk

552
00:27:28,000 --> 00:27:31,040
Speaker 1: around all winter long and uninsulated boots. I don't know

553
00:27:31,080 --> 00:27:33,280
Speaker 1: how you do it. They just get a little bit

554
00:27:33,359 --> 00:27:36,639
Speaker 1: thicker sock. As the season progresses on. I like to

555
00:27:36,720 --> 00:27:38,760
Speaker 1: kind of tailor my boots to where it's like, hey,

556
00:27:38,760 --> 00:27:41,280
Speaker 1: it works really good for me from September through the

557
00:27:41,400 --> 00:27:44,680
Speaker 1: end of December. Even with the insulated boots, I would

558
00:27:44,720 --> 00:27:47,560
Speaker 1: say that I'm like pretty comfortable for most of the season,

559
00:27:47,920 --> 00:27:49,760
Speaker 1: and then as it gets later in the season, I

560
00:27:49,800 --> 00:27:54,159
Speaker 1: actually just throw in like I've just started using them footwarmers.

561
00:27:54,440 --> 00:27:56,159
Speaker 1: And the key to the footwarmer for me is just

562
00:27:56,200 --> 00:27:58,040
Speaker 1: like putting it on top of my toes, on top

563
00:27:58,080 --> 00:28:00,479
Speaker 1: of my sockets. Take the sticky thing, stick it right

564
00:28:00,520 --> 00:28:02,280
Speaker 1: on the top of my sock on my toes, and

565
00:28:02,400 --> 00:28:05,480
Speaker 1: stick my foot in my boot. Last year, it was

566
00:28:05,760 --> 00:28:08,879
Speaker 1: you know, below zero for quite a few quite a

567
00:28:08,920 --> 00:28:13,200
Speaker 1: few weeks, and those footwarmers save me. It's hiking. Yeah,

568
00:28:13,240 --> 00:28:15,800
Speaker 1: your feet stay warm, it's when you stop and you

569
00:28:15,880 --> 00:28:18,400
Speaker 1: got a glass in the cold that my toes just freeze.

570
00:28:18,640 --> 00:28:21,119
Speaker 1: And I found that just using those little footwarmers they

571
00:28:21,200 --> 00:28:23,560
Speaker 1: pretty much last all day, and then you can get

572
00:28:23,600 --> 00:28:25,960
Speaker 1: a little bit more all season use out of a

573
00:28:25,960 --> 00:28:29,480
Speaker 1: pair of boots that maybe has less insulation. I don't

574
00:28:29,480 --> 00:28:31,560
Speaker 1: know it's for me, it works really well. I know

575
00:28:31,600 --> 00:28:34,160
Speaker 1: a couple of my other guides started doing that system

576
00:28:34,280 --> 00:28:36,959
Speaker 1: and it's been working for them as well, especially when

577
00:28:36,960 --> 00:28:39,160
Speaker 1: you've got a pair of uninsulated boots and you just

578
00:28:39,160 --> 00:28:42,960
Speaker 1: want to let them last. They're they're comfortable, they're lighter there.

579
00:28:43,000 --> 00:28:45,080
Speaker 1: They work really good for the majority of the year,

580
00:28:45,120 --> 00:28:47,160
Speaker 1: but it starts to get cold and you're like, man,

581
00:28:47,240 --> 00:28:48,920
Speaker 1: what do I do now? I don't want to have

582
00:28:49,000 --> 00:28:51,200
Speaker 1: two pairs of boots, which if you can afford it,

583
00:28:51,240 --> 00:28:53,600
Speaker 1: that's great, get a pair insulated for late season and

584
00:28:54,040 --> 00:28:57,600
Speaker 1: uninsulated early season. But if you can't, that footwarmer trick

585
00:28:57,640 --> 00:29:00,600
Speaker 1: with some thick socks seems to work pretty good. I

586
00:29:00,640 --> 00:29:04,280
Speaker 1: think one question is like how long will boots last?

587
00:29:04,280 --> 00:29:07,720
Speaker 1: So you got to think of boots a lot like tires.

588
00:29:08,080 --> 00:29:10,440
Speaker 1: They all have a limit on how long they can

589
00:29:10,480 --> 00:29:12,479
Speaker 1: go and how long they will last, and that just

590
00:29:12,520 --> 00:29:15,640
Speaker 1: depends on a few factors, how you use them and

591
00:29:15,680 --> 00:29:18,040
Speaker 1: how you take care of them, and the type of

592
00:29:18,080 --> 00:29:21,200
Speaker 1: country that you're in. I know, joke, have taken a

593
00:29:21,240 --> 00:29:24,080
Speaker 1: pair of light boots, you know, something you'd find in

594
00:29:24,120 --> 00:29:28,360
Speaker 1: any big box store and gone out on a hunt

595
00:29:28,400 --> 00:29:31,000
Speaker 1: in Nevada. I've done this multiple times. Like I'm like, okay,

596
00:29:31,440 --> 00:29:34,320
Speaker 1: I would think I would get smarter, but go on

597
00:29:34,320 --> 00:29:37,440
Speaker 1: a hunt in Nevada and literally the hunts that one

598
00:29:37,520 --> 00:29:40,640
Speaker 1: hunt for seven days, those boots would be thrashed. They're done.

599
00:29:41,080 --> 00:29:43,440
Speaker 1: But they're a light pair of boots, and I'm like, man,

600
00:29:43,520 --> 00:29:47,959
Speaker 1: that gets expensive. So now I just take my mountain

601
00:29:48,000 --> 00:29:51,000
Speaker 1: boots on those same hunts and they last a lot longer. Well,

602
00:29:51,000 --> 00:29:53,200
Speaker 1: why is that? It's you know, in country where there's

603
00:29:53,200 --> 00:29:56,680
Speaker 1: a lot of rock light boots, which are often I'm

604
00:29:56,720 --> 00:29:58,440
Speaker 1: not even saying they're cheap, they might even be one

605
00:29:58,520 --> 00:30:01,240
Speaker 1: hundred two hundred dollars, but they're just lighter material and

606
00:30:01,280 --> 00:30:03,640
Speaker 1: there may be something that's synthetic. They seem like they'd

607
00:30:03,640 --> 00:30:05,800
Speaker 1: be really good for that. And then you get back

608
00:30:05,800 --> 00:30:09,480
Speaker 1: and the boot soles eating away the seams are busted out,

609
00:30:09,520 --> 00:30:12,360
Speaker 1: the dirt gets in there everywhere and starts to rub,

610
00:30:12,440 --> 00:30:15,720
Speaker 1: and the boot just falls apart after a week of

611
00:30:15,760 --> 00:30:17,920
Speaker 1: heart hunting, and that's you know, a lot of miles,

612
00:30:18,000 --> 00:30:20,360
Speaker 1: but that's the life of that boot. And then you

613
00:30:20,400 --> 00:30:22,640
Speaker 1: get something more like what I run year round, where

614
00:30:22,680 --> 00:30:26,080
Speaker 1: it's like, hey, I'm using these things all day, every day,

615
00:30:26,920 --> 00:30:28,680
Speaker 1: and I can get a couple years out of it,

616
00:30:28,720 --> 00:30:31,720
Speaker 1: which for most people might be in their entire lifetime.

617
00:30:31,800 --> 00:30:35,840
Speaker 1: So that's the difference between there's so many different boots

618
00:30:35,840 --> 00:30:37,480
Speaker 1: for different types of things. If you're going in the

619
00:30:37,520 --> 00:30:40,160
Speaker 1: mountains with a boot that's not made for that, it's

620
00:30:40,160 --> 00:30:42,080
Speaker 1: gonna wear out fast. You got to see it as

621
00:30:42,080 --> 00:30:45,600
Speaker 1: a disposable boot. And then there's more mountaineering style boots,

622
00:30:45,640 --> 00:30:49,200
Speaker 1: which you're going to get multiple seasons, multiple hunts, multiple years,

623
00:30:49,200 --> 00:30:52,960
Speaker 1: maybe even your life, half your life, whatever out of

624
00:30:53,000 --> 00:30:55,600
Speaker 1: that single pair of boots, which is more expensive. It's

625
00:30:55,600 --> 00:30:57,240
Speaker 1: a higher price point, but you're going to get a

626
00:30:57,280 --> 00:30:59,000
Speaker 1: longevity out of it, and you're gonna be able to

627
00:30:59,000 --> 00:31:02,880
Speaker 1: go into more very terrain, more aggressive type terrain. So

628
00:31:02,920 --> 00:31:05,640
Speaker 1: that's where it comes down to finding the right boot

629
00:31:05,720 --> 00:31:08,080
Speaker 1: for the right job. The type of thing that you

630
00:31:08,120 --> 00:31:11,000
Speaker 1: feel comfortable with and the type of boot that's comfortable.

631
00:31:11,360 --> 00:31:13,960
Speaker 1: I know that's not necessarily the easiest way of saying,

632
00:31:14,000 --> 00:31:16,160
Speaker 1: like which boots? I mean, I can go through the

633
00:31:16,160 --> 00:31:19,120
Speaker 1: boots that I wear right now, I'm wearing the Schnai's

634
00:31:19,160 --> 00:31:21,360
Speaker 1: Bear toothe. I've worn those for a couple of years.

635
00:31:21,400 --> 00:31:24,400
Speaker 1: I've used those on everything from most of my elk guiding,

636
00:31:24,520 --> 00:31:30,240
Speaker 1: to sheep and goats, sheep in Asia, goats in Alaska,

637
00:31:31,080 --> 00:31:34,080
Speaker 1: a lot of different hunts. They're a really good mountain

638
00:31:34,160 --> 00:31:37,200
Speaker 1: style boot, full leather. They're more expensive, but they last

639
00:31:37,280 --> 00:31:40,280
Speaker 1: a long time. Those ones actually aren't even super stiff.

640
00:31:40,320 --> 00:31:42,120
Speaker 1: If I were to go up, like into a more

641
00:31:42,160 --> 00:31:45,040
Speaker 1: mountaineering style boot, a stiff or soul, those would last

642
00:31:45,160 --> 00:31:47,760
Speaker 1: even longer. But then I got that give take in

643
00:31:47,800 --> 00:31:49,840
Speaker 1: my mind of like, okay, I'd rather have one that

644
00:31:49,840 --> 00:31:52,320
Speaker 1: has a little bit more flexible soul, which is my preference,

645
00:31:53,040 --> 00:31:56,360
Speaker 1: but still can handle some more mountain stuff. Not super stiff,

646
00:31:56,440 --> 00:32:00,479
Speaker 1: not super flexible. Full leather stays water proof, I can

647
00:32:00,560 --> 00:32:03,200
Speaker 1: rub it down, but also not as durable maybe, and

648
00:32:03,440 --> 00:32:06,040
Speaker 1: knowing that going into it is a full mountain boot,

649
00:32:06,280 --> 00:32:08,040
Speaker 1: and then you know there's on the other end, you

650
00:32:08,040 --> 00:32:10,520
Speaker 1: could go on a hunt where it's like, hey, I'm

651
00:32:10,520 --> 00:32:13,600
Speaker 1: going pronghorn hunting, or I'm just doing like a day

652
00:32:13,680 --> 00:32:16,600
Speaker 1: hunt where I don't need I'm not having a super

653
00:32:16,640 --> 00:32:18,520
Speaker 1: heavy pack. I'm not going to be super far from

654
00:32:18,520 --> 00:32:20,560
Speaker 1: the truck. I just want to be kind of mobile,

655
00:32:20,640 --> 00:32:22,760
Speaker 1: light and fast. And then you go with something that's

656
00:32:23,160 --> 00:32:26,680
Speaker 1: a lot lighter boot, something that's maybe it's synthetic, maybe

657
00:32:26,680 --> 00:32:28,920
Speaker 1: it's more of like a trail runner style, something that's

658
00:32:28,920 --> 00:32:32,000
Speaker 1: super light, and you know it's not going to be

659
00:32:32,400 --> 00:32:35,000
Speaker 1: as durable, it's not going to be as aggressive. You

660
00:32:35,000 --> 00:32:37,520
Speaker 1: can get by and pretty much everything you're going through

661
00:32:37,560 --> 00:32:40,040
Speaker 1: that day, and it works really good, and it's not

662
00:32:40,120 --> 00:32:42,480
Speaker 1: that extra weight of having a heavy boot or maybe

663
00:32:42,520 --> 00:32:45,640
Speaker 1: a warm boot, especially something like spring bear hunting where

664
00:32:45,640 --> 00:32:47,600
Speaker 1: I'm just cruising trails. I've got a light pack on,

665
00:32:48,440 --> 00:32:51,600
Speaker 1: might just be cruising up for the morning, cruising back down,

666
00:32:51,800 --> 00:32:55,360
Speaker 1: covering a lot of miles. Super lightweight boot, something that's

667
00:32:55,720 --> 00:32:58,440
Speaker 1: super flexible, I can kind of feel the ground as good,

668
00:32:58,440 --> 00:33:00,800
Speaker 1: and as my foot gets tired with that, I throw

669
00:33:00,880 --> 00:33:03,200
Speaker 1: on my more heavy duty boot and hunt the rest

670
00:33:03,240 --> 00:33:05,520
Speaker 1: of the week in that. And that's kind of the

671
00:33:05,520 --> 00:33:07,160
Speaker 1: way that I use my boots. I like to have

672
00:33:07,400 --> 00:33:10,200
Speaker 1: a kind of I know it's impossible to have the

673
00:33:10,240 --> 00:33:12,120
Speaker 1: exact right boot for everything, so I like to try

674
00:33:12,160 --> 00:33:14,400
Speaker 1: to find one boot that really does the most, and

675
00:33:14,440 --> 00:33:18,000
Speaker 1: then maybe a secondary, kind of lighter weight boot that

676
00:33:18,120 --> 00:33:20,680
Speaker 1: kind of fills in the jobs for stuff around that,

677
00:33:20,720 --> 00:33:23,280
Speaker 1: so I don't put as much strain on my boots

678
00:33:23,280 --> 00:33:25,080
Speaker 1: that might not be perfect for that. So something with

679
00:33:25,120 --> 00:33:28,080
Speaker 1: a real flexible soul when I'm doing more flat ground,

680
00:33:28,120 --> 00:33:29,840
Speaker 1: and then something with a lot of stiffer soul when

681
00:33:29,840 --> 00:33:32,120
Speaker 1: I know that I'm going to be hunting the mountains. Now,

682
00:33:32,240 --> 00:33:34,880
Speaker 1: my suggestion is, if you're like, what's one boot to

683
00:33:34,960 --> 00:33:37,560
Speaker 1: rule them all, find the kind of hunting that you

684
00:33:37,640 --> 00:33:40,680
Speaker 1: do the most, and then pick a boot that's like, Okay,

685
00:33:40,760 --> 00:33:44,040
Speaker 1: it works for that application, but also can go up

686
00:33:44,080 --> 00:33:46,120
Speaker 1: in scale where it's like, hey, it still works in

687
00:33:46,160 --> 00:33:48,280
Speaker 1: the mountains, it works on these it won't get eaten

688
00:33:48,320 --> 00:33:50,720
Speaker 1: away too much, and that for you is going to

689
00:33:50,760 --> 00:33:53,000
Speaker 1: be the perfect boot. But always it's going to come

690
00:33:53,040 --> 00:33:55,640
Speaker 1: down to finding the right fit. You want to make

691
00:33:55,680 --> 00:33:57,280
Speaker 1: sure that you can try a boot on. I know,

692
00:33:57,360 --> 00:34:00,000
Speaker 1: for me, there's been very few boots that I thought,

693
00:34:00,320 --> 00:34:02,440
Speaker 1: this is uncomfortable when I first try it on, and

694
00:34:02,480 --> 00:34:05,320
Speaker 1: it becomes comfortable later after the breaking period. That just

695
00:34:05,360 --> 00:34:08,560
Speaker 1: doesn't happen for me. I don't know, maybe it happens

696
00:34:08,600 --> 00:34:11,400
Speaker 1: for other people. I need a boot to fit right away,

697
00:34:11,480 --> 00:34:13,520
Speaker 1: like right out of the gate. There are some of

698
00:34:13,520 --> 00:34:16,080
Speaker 1: those really really stiff soul boots are kind of just

699
00:34:16,120 --> 00:34:19,120
Speaker 1: inherently uncomfortable to start with. Once you start to break

700
00:34:19,200 --> 00:34:21,440
Speaker 1: them in your fit, your foot starts to form to

701
00:34:21,520 --> 00:34:24,000
Speaker 1: it a little bit better. Another thing, when it comes

702
00:34:24,000 --> 00:34:27,560
Speaker 1: to boots, I like, I'm a big proponent of putting

703
00:34:27,600 --> 00:34:31,440
Speaker 1: in a insul that works for you and it's comfortable

704
00:34:31,480 --> 00:34:33,919
Speaker 1: and fits your foot. You could have the best boot

705
00:34:33,960 --> 00:34:36,200
Speaker 1: in the world, and then your foot maybe you've got

706
00:34:36,200 --> 00:34:38,719
Speaker 1: a flatter foot and that boot has a maybe a

707
00:34:38,800 --> 00:34:41,000
Speaker 1: higher arch insul, or maybe you've got a higher arch,

708
00:34:41,440 --> 00:34:44,640
Speaker 1: and just having an insul that fits your foot is

709
00:34:44,680 --> 00:34:47,439
Speaker 1: as important as the boot itself. It's going to kind

710
00:34:47,480 --> 00:34:51,200
Speaker 1: of create this much better boot experience for you. What

711
00:34:51,239 --> 00:34:53,759
Speaker 1: I do is I know the type of insoles that

712
00:34:53,800 --> 00:34:57,040
Speaker 1: works for my feet, so I just get that right away.

713
00:34:57,080 --> 00:34:59,280
Speaker 1: I get a new pair of boots, I immediately swap

714
00:34:59,280 --> 00:35:01,759
Speaker 1: out the insoles. Even though the insules in there might

715
00:35:01,760 --> 00:35:03,800
Speaker 1: be a really good insul, it's just not the insul

716
00:35:03,880 --> 00:35:06,319
Speaker 1: for my foot. I swap out those insoles and then

717
00:35:06,360 --> 00:35:10,080
Speaker 1: I break my boot in with that insole to my foot,

718
00:35:10,120 --> 00:35:14,239
Speaker 1: and then everything flexes, moves, bends, and I get I

719
00:35:14,320 --> 00:35:16,399
Speaker 1: work out those hot spots. I start to build if

720
00:35:16,400 --> 00:35:18,359
Speaker 1: it's got a hot spot, maybe a callous in that

721
00:35:18,560 --> 00:35:21,759
Speaker 1: break in period in that spot, and I really break

722
00:35:21,800 --> 00:35:25,080
Speaker 1: those boots in to form to my feet. One of

723
00:35:25,080 --> 00:35:28,520
Speaker 1: the most important things with hunting boots that I stress

724
00:35:28,600 --> 00:35:31,480
Speaker 1: to every hunter. If a hunter is like, gott a

725
00:35:31,560 --> 00:35:33,839
Speaker 1: hunt with me, He's like, Hey, I'm coming hunting. What's

726
00:35:33,880 --> 00:35:36,200
Speaker 1: something I need? What's a piece of year that I

727
00:35:36,200 --> 00:35:39,239
Speaker 1: I say, you need boots that are broken in, and

728
00:35:39,400 --> 00:35:42,239
Speaker 1: not just like lightly worn. You need boots that are

729
00:35:42,280 --> 00:35:44,640
Speaker 1: broken in. So when you walk in those boots in

730
00:35:44,680 --> 00:35:48,160
Speaker 1: the mountains for five days or whatever however long your

731
00:35:48,200 --> 00:35:51,360
Speaker 1: hunt is, you're gonna be good. You're gonna be comfortable.

732
00:35:51,440 --> 00:35:53,879
Speaker 1: And that is the most important thing. Having a pair

733
00:35:53,880 --> 00:35:55,640
Speaker 1: of boots that fits, having a pair of boots that

734
00:35:56,200 --> 00:35:59,520
Speaker 1: works for the application of hunting that you're doing, and

735
00:35:59,719 --> 00:36:02,160
Speaker 1: one that are broken in. I don't know how many

736
00:36:02,160 --> 00:36:05,160
Speaker 1: times I've seen guys like literally pulling the stuffing out

737
00:36:05,160 --> 00:36:06,960
Speaker 1: of the toes of a pair of hunting boosming I

738
00:36:07,000 --> 00:36:09,960
Speaker 1: just bought these boots online. I've actually done that myself

739
00:36:10,000 --> 00:36:12,759
Speaker 1: because I've needed a new pair of boots at the

740
00:36:12,800 --> 00:36:14,920
Speaker 1: wrong time of year. That happens to me every year.

741
00:36:14,960 --> 00:36:16,759
Speaker 1: So now I've got like a system where I start

742
00:36:16,800 --> 00:36:19,320
Speaker 1: breaking in if I'm going to wear a boot, I

743
00:36:19,440 --> 00:36:21,440
Speaker 1: get them in the spring and start breaking them in

744
00:36:21,480 --> 00:36:26,240
Speaker 1: shed hunting, doing other activities, and like paying attention to

745
00:36:26,520 --> 00:36:29,200
Speaker 1: getting that boot ready. I've got like my next year's

746
00:36:29,239 --> 00:36:32,680
Speaker 1: boot already in the lineup, Like I'll wear a boot

747
00:36:32,719 --> 00:36:35,560
Speaker 1: to death essentially, because just like that story where I

748
00:36:35,600 --> 00:36:38,400
Speaker 1: was like hiking and then the boots literally fall apart

749
00:36:38,440 --> 00:36:40,239
Speaker 1: in the field, I don't want to ever get to

750
00:36:40,320 --> 00:36:42,560
Speaker 1: that point again. So I like to have my next

751
00:36:42,560 --> 00:36:45,520
Speaker 1: pair of boots before my other boots are completely wore out.

752
00:36:46,000 --> 00:36:48,120
Speaker 1: And when you do that, you can kind of swap

753
00:36:48,160 --> 00:36:50,640
Speaker 1: between the two pairs of boots. You actually have two pairs,

754
00:36:50,960 --> 00:36:53,400
Speaker 1: and you can kind of put less miles on that

755
00:36:53,440 --> 00:36:56,680
Speaker 1: one single pair. It's just like a good pair of tire.

756
00:36:56,960 --> 00:36:58,960
Speaker 1: See you, Now you got to rotate those things, otherwise

757
00:36:58,960 --> 00:37:02,239
Speaker 1: they're gonna wear out in a lot faster time than

758
00:37:02,320 --> 00:37:04,719
Speaker 1: if you just rotate them. So I actually kind of

759
00:37:04,800 --> 00:37:07,920
Speaker 1: rotate through one or two pairs of boots, maybe a

760
00:37:08,000 --> 00:37:09,839
Speaker 1: cheaper pair of boots that I use for certain types

761
00:37:09,880 --> 00:37:11,560
Speaker 1: of hunts, and then my really good boots that I

762
00:37:11,640 --> 00:37:14,520
Speaker 1: use for those those bigger hunts where I need that

763
00:37:14,600 --> 00:37:18,279
Speaker 1: high performance. But that's just a kind of a way

764
00:37:18,320 --> 00:37:21,960
Speaker 1: that you can think about boots. I'm constantly always trying

765
00:37:22,160 --> 00:37:24,360
Speaker 1: new pairs of boots. I mean, fortunately I get the

766
00:37:24,440 --> 00:37:27,399
Speaker 1: opportunity to try a lot of different pairs. First thing

767
00:37:27,440 --> 00:37:29,239
Speaker 1: I like to do, though, if I'm trying whatever it is,

768
00:37:29,480 --> 00:37:31,000
Speaker 1: try the boot on it to see how it feels.

769
00:37:31,280 --> 00:37:33,640
Speaker 1: Even with I mean, if you're going somewhere to try

770
00:37:33,640 --> 00:37:35,400
Speaker 1: on boots, you can even try it with the type

771
00:37:35,400 --> 00:37:38,480
Speaker 1: of insul that you like. Just know it's like, hey,

772
00:37:38,600 --> 00:37:41,440
Speaker 1: is this gonna fit with my insul, with my hunting sock.

773
00:37:41,880 --> 00:37:44,320
Speaker 1: Make it like you're hunting with it. Get that first

774
00:37:44,400 --> 00:37:47,000
Speaker 1: little feel, does it feel good? Does it feel right?

775
00:37:47,560 --> 00:37:50,799
Speaker 1: And then go from there, and then once you kind

776
00:37:50,800 --> 00:37:52,719
Speaker 1: of find the type of boot that you like. I

777
00:37:52,760 --> 00:37:55,719
Speaker 1: always try to I mean, there's always you know, you

778
00:37:55,760 --> 00:37:58,319
Speaker 1: can kind of fine tune that to say, Okay, well

779
00:37:58,360 --> 00:38:02,080
Speaker 1: maybe next time I'll get one that's uninsulated or insulated.

780
00:38:02,200 --> 00:38:04,560
Speaker 1: It is a huge investment. It's an expensive piece of

781
00:38:04,640 --> 00:38:06,400
Speaker 1: year that does wear out. It's just like tires on

782
00:38:06,400 --> 00:38:08,080
Speaker 1: your truck. Man. Every time I go get tires, I'm

783
00:38:08,080 --> 00:38:10,960
Speaker 1: like dang, but I know that I need them, And

784
00:38:11,719 --> 00:38:14,040
Speaker 1: especially when it comes to boots, I don't mind spending

785
00:38:14,040 --> 00:38:16,600
Speaker 1: extra money on something that is not gonna eat my

786
00:38:16,640 --> 00:38:18,360
Speaker 1: feet up. It's going to be comfortable that I'm going

787
00:38:18,440 --> 00:38:20,719
Speaker 1: to be in day and day out and know that

788
00:38:20,800 --> 00:38:24,279
Speaker 1: I'll be able to be successful with them, because like

789
00:38:24,360 --> 00:38:28,520
Speaker 1: just the actual ability to hunt hard and not be

790
00:38:28,719 --> 00:38:31,759
Speaker 1: fatigued and not have my feet wear out is going

791
00:38:31,800 --> 00:38:34,200
Speaker 1: to be the difference. Early on in the podcast, one

792
00:38:34,239 --> 00:38:38,120
Speaker 1: of my first few episodes was about a client that

793
00:38:38,160 --> 00:38:41,719
Speaker 1: I had that got gang green. Like hiking, and just

794
00:38:41,800 --> 00:38:45,879
Speaker 1: like footcare, it's huge. It's important, and I would say

795
00:38:45,960 --> 00:38:48,560
Speaker 1: that for most guys coming out West that have never

796
00:38:48,600 --> 00:38:52,040
Speaker 1: done it, boot choice, having the wrong pair boots and

797
00:38:52,080 --> 00:38:53,920
Speaker 1: having a pair of boots that's not broken in is

798
00:38:53,920 --> 00:38:56,239
Speaker 1: the number one hunt killer, the number one thing that

799
00:38:56,280 --> 00:38:59,279
Speaker 1: slows guys down and prevents them from being successful. So

800
00:39:00,000 --> 00:39:02,600
Speaker 1: hope this kind of builds out a picture of when

801
00:39:02,640 --> 00:39:05,120
Speaker 1: you're thinking about boots, you know, you realize that there's

802
00:39:05,160 --> 00:39:10,120
Speaker 1: not one perfect scenario of light verse, heavy, insulated or uninsulated.

803
00:39:10,560 --> 00:39:12,839
Speaker 1: You do got to find, like the type of hunt

804
00:39:12,840 --> 00:39:14,759
Speaker 1: that you want to do, and then pick something that

805
00:39:14,800 --> 00:39:19,360
Speaker 1: matches your preference, your style and fits into that niche

806
00:39:19,360 --> 00:39:21,040
Speaker 1: of this is what I'm going to do, and this

807
00:39:21,080 --> 00:39:23,439
Speaker 1: is a good pair of boots for that job, and

808
00:39:23,480 --> 00:39:25,799
Speaker 1: then kind of you can continue to use that pair

809
00:39:25,840 --> 00:39:29,120
Speaker 1: of boots for other things, but primarily focusing on the

810
00:39:29,160 --> 00:39:31,320
Speaker 1: type of hunting you're doing and then picking a boot

811
00:39:31,360 --> 00:39:36,640
Speaker 1: that fits that and your preference. I hope that these

812
00:39:36,760 --> 00:39:39,239
Speaker 1: gear breakdowns have really helped you. Guys. I get a

813
00:39:39,239 --> 00:39:41,520
Speaker 1: ton of questions about gear. It's probably one of the

814
00:39:41,600 --> 00:39:44,840
Speaker 1: number one things. So I figured helping people understand my

815
00:39:44,920 --> 00:39:48,080
Speaker 1: thought process and when it comes to key pieces of

816
00:39:48,120 --> 00:39:50,840
Speaker 1: gear like this should be helpful for picking something that

817
00:39:50,880 --> 00:39:53,840
Speaker 1: works for them and also kind of gives you an idea.

818
00:39:53,880 --> 00:39:56,120
Speaker 1: I mean, I'm fortunate that I get to try a

819
00:39:56,120 --> 00:39:57,960
Speaker 1: lot of stuff, I get to spend a lot of

820
00:39:58,000 --> 00:39:59,640
Speaker 1: time in the field, and so over the years I

821
00:39:59,719 --> 00:40:02,840
Speaker 1: found things it's like, Okay, this is the balance between

822
00:40:02,920 --> 00:40:05,279
Speaker 1: this and that. There's so many times you might go

823
00:40:05,280 --> 00:40:06,919
Speaker 1: to the store and be like, oh, these boots will work,

824
00:40:06,920 --> 00:40:08,439
Speaker 1: and then you take them out and then they wear

825
00:40:08,480 --> 00:40:11,080
Speaker 1: out and you're like, damn it, that sucked. Or you

826
00:40:11,120 --> 00:40:13,440
Speaker 1: know some pair of boots that is going to take

827
00:40:13,440 --> 00:40:15,439
Speaker 1: a long time to break in, and maybe you don't

828
00:40:15,440 --> 00:40:17,480
Speaker 1: have that amount of time, so you need something more

829
00:40:17,480 --> 00:40:20,200
Speaker 1: comfortable to get into right away. So kind of finding

830
00:40:20,239 --> 00:40:22,279
Speaker 1: that right balance and finding that right thing for you.

831
00:40:22,719 --> 00:40:24,600
Speaker 1: I hope this has been helpful. Another thing that I

832
00:40:24,640 --> 00:40:27,080
Speaker 1: get asked about all the time is packs, and packs

833
00:40:27,080 --> 00:40:29,920
Speaker 1: are key because it's another one of those touch points

834
00:40:29,920 --> 00:40:34,200
Speaker 1: of doing something inherently uncomfortable. So in the future I'm

835
00:40:34,239 --> 00:40:36,120
Speaker 1: going to jump in and do a little bit of

836
00:40:36,200 --> 00:40:38,600
Speaker 1: stuff on packs. There are some other things with packs,

837
00:40:38,600 --> 00:40:40,360
Speaker 1: of the ways you can load them, the different types

838
00:40:40,360 --> 00:40:43,439
Speaker 1: of packs in different styles that help lessen that felt weight.

839
00:40:43,480 --> 00:40:45,719
Speaker 1: And that's what it's all about, like making something uncomfortable

840
00:40:45,719 --> 00:40:48,439
Speaker 1: a little more comfortable, a little more bearable, and even

841
00:40:48,520 --> 00:40:52,399
Speaker 1: in many cases allow you to do more, carry more weight,

842
00:40:53,280 --> 00:40:56,839
Speaker 1: hike further, whatever. It's just it's another awesome piece of kit,

843
00:40:57,400 --> 00:41:00,240
Speaker 1: we'll go into that. I think one thing, if you're

844
00:41:01,280 --> 00:41:04,760
Speaker 1: planning on hunting spring bears this year, some spring bears

845
00:41:04,760 --> 00:41:08,720
Speaker 1: seasons are just getting kicked off. If that's you, feel

846
00:41:08,719 --> 00:41:12,640
Speaker 1: free to go back. Check out episode thirty three, especially

847
00:41:12,680 --> 00:41:14,920
Speaker 1: thirty three. I think that's probably one of the most informative,

848
00:41:15,200 --> 00:41:16,840
Speaker 1: as far as I know, the most one of the

849
00:41:16,880 --> 00:41:21,520
Speaker 1: more informative spot and stock all encompassing bear tactics out there.

850
00:41:21,880 --> 00:41:25,080
Speaker 1: And then episode thirty four is on bear calling. It's

851
00:41:25,200 --> 00:41:27,719
Speaker 1: really fun tactic to use as well, especially in the fall,

852
00:41:27,760 --> 00:41:30,520
Speaker 1: but works in the spring. One thing I do want

853
00:41:30,520 --> 00:41:32,719
Speaker 1: to do is kind of hit on a few other

854
00:41:32,920 --> 00:41:35,960
Speaker 1: bear tactics this year, so maybe i'll do those before

855
00:41:36,000 --> 00:41:38,279
Speaker 1: the packs. I haven't decided yet. One thing that I

856
00:41:38,320 --> 00:41:40,760
Speaker 1: do want to talk about is just kind of targeting

857
00:41:40,760 --> 00:41:44,440
Speaker 1: emerging bears. It's a really good way hunting early to

858
00:41:44,520 --> 00:41:47,040
Speaker 1: kind of target bars because they tend to be the

859
00:41:47,120 --> 00:41:51,120
Speaker 1: first bears out. Those big boars are generally the first

860
00:41:51,120 --> 00:41:53,600
Speaker 1: ones to come out of hibernation, and there's a few

861
00:41:53,640 --> 00:41:56,600
Speaker 1: specialized tactics for finding them in a time of year

862
00:41:56,640 --> 00:42:00,000
Speaker 1: that maybe necessarily doesn't have as much food or other sources.

863
00:42:00,000 --> 00:42:02,200
Speaker 1: But it's a good time of year to start targeting bears.

864
00:42:02,200 --> 00:42:03,879
Speaker 1: It might seem like, oh, they aren't out yet, there's

865
00:42:03,880 --> 00:42:05,960
Speaker 1: not a lot of action, but it can be a

866
00:42:05,960 --> 00:42:09,839
Speaker 1: great time to get out and hunt. So I want

867
00:42:09,880 --> 00:42:11,919
Speaker 1: to touch on a few of those tactics. A few

868
00:42:11,960 --> 00:42:15,160
Speaker 1: things for spring bear hunters coming up. But until then,

869
00:42:15,880 --> 00:42:18,160
Speaker 1: keep on keeping on, keep on truck in, and make

870
00:42:18,200 --> 00:42:20,760
Speaker 1: sure to break in your boots. We'll see you guys

871
00:42:20,840 --> 00:42:21,359
Speaker 1: next week.