For me in South Eastern Idaho, archery season for deer and elk starts
this Thursday! I'm like a little kid on the night before Christmas
every year when hunting season comes around. My wife thinks I'm
obsessed, my boss thinks I'm crazy, and I think I'm glad neither one of
them can read my thoughts to know exactly how much I think about
hunting. I work with individuals who have mental disorders and I know I
shouldn't be so obsessed about hunting but I am and that's the way I'm
staying.
On that note, I've taken some time to contemplate the oddness of my
obsession (some of you may be able to relate), and I've concluded that
my boss may be correct about thinking I am a bit crazy. I have heard of
other hunters swearing by a lucky hat, or lucky hunting shirt that they
have to wear no matter how old or worn out it is. I personally know a
guy who stops shaving the week of opening day and will not shave until
he shoots something (right now he is sporting a year long beard). It
must be true, we hunters are crazy... We carry around rabbit's feet,
buckeyes, lucky coins, and other random idols believing they really make
a difference... Or do they?
Every opening day I have my own tradition to lay out all my hunting
clothes the night before on my living room floor, making a silhouette of
what I will look like in the morning. Then opening morning, I grab me
mountain dew and some raspberry filled powder doughnuts for breakfast.
When I get to where I park my jeep I HAVE to put on my lucky hunting
gloves, no matter what the temperature is! If I do not follow this
routine on opening day, I might as well stay home because I can almost
guaranty you that I won't have any luck.
Lucky Gloves!
Call it superstition, buck fever, or even call it crazy, all I know is that I will do
anything to up my odds of filling my tag. As I have mentioned I know
I'm not the only one with hunting traditional or superstitions so please
leave a comment letting me know what some of you do. Maybe then I can
show my wife that I'm not the only one!
When hunting in South Eastern Idaho I have to be prepared to hunt in
an array of different terrains. One day last year I chased elk high in
the mountains, came home and pushed the river bottoms for white tail deer,
then ran out to the desert to try and find mule deer. Not only did I
experience many different types of country, but I also walked A LOT that day.
Days like that aren't unusual for me during the hunting season so one
thing I make sure of is that I have a pair of boots that will be
reliable and comfortable no matter where I go or how long I'll be there. I
have tried a few different brands and have not been satisfied with any
of them until I tried Danner Boots.
Danner is a company that has been around for a long time, and the
quality of their boots explain why. The pair that I currently use is the Danner Elk Ridge GTX 8 inch un-insulated hunting boot.
These
boots have a gortex lining which make it waterproof and wonderful to
wear around in any weather. When I wear these boots antelope hunting
out on the desert my feet don't get to hot, and I have even worn these
boots snowshoeing in the middle of january and my feet stayed nice and
warm (with insulated socks on).
Here are some features I found about this boot...
The Elk Ridge™ GTX® boot has a classic stitchdown design for rugged
durability and stability underfoot. Spawned by the immensely popular
Frontier™, the Elk Ridge is an extreme hunting boot for early to late
season hunters designed for comfort and protection in the most
treacherous terrains and conditions. Full-grain leather and tough,
tear-resistant 1000 Denier nylon upper for durability. A deep padded
collar and Fatigue Fighter™ insole provide all-day comfort.
Boot Details
100% waterproof and breathable GORE-TEX® liner is engineered to keep your feet dry and comfortable - even in extreme conditions
Durable full-grain leather plus breathable 1000 Denier nylon upper for excellent durability and abrasion resistance
Danner's hand crafted stitchdown construction provides a wider
platform for increased stability underfoot. This construction makes the
boot recraftable in our Portland factory
Deeply padded Fatigue Fighter™ footbed for all-day comfort and support
The Danner® Backcountry™ outsole features tough perimeter lugs for strength and pliable inner lugs for traction
Steel shank
8" height
64 oz
Recraftable
My thoughts:
Comfort - When it comes to boots the most important thing to me is comfort.
I've said it before but I'll say it again, I'd wear these boots to bed
if my wife would let me. These boots have always been extremely
comfortable even on the first day out of the box. Danner knows that an
uncomfortable boot an limit you severely on any adventure. I myself
have owned 3 different pairs of Danner boots and the comfort level has
been the same with all of them. I have no idea what Danner means by "Deeply padded Fatigue Fighter™ footbed for all-day comfort and support", but my feet sure appreciate it! These boots are full of padding which give cushion and support where needed. I have walked close to 20 miles in one day in these boots and still had comfortable (yet tired) feet.
Durability - These boots have been through a lot. As much as I've worn these boots I would have susspected that the Gore-Tex lining would have worn out and my feel would get we, but the only time my feet get wet is when I go over my boot. These boots weigh in at 64 oz which is great considering how much durability, traction, and padding you have for comfort. These boots have been wet so many times it amazes me that the stitching, and the leather have not worn out by now. I have learned by now that this is just the quality that Danner puts into their boots because they care about what they do. I found this video which shows you the type of quality that goes into a Danner boot.
I know a lot of people have their own opinions about what the best boot is and I respect their opinions, but I encourage anyone who is thinking about a pair of boots to look into the Danner Elk Ridge boots because they will exceed your expectations. I have heard some people, including my own family, say that the reason they do not wear Danner boots is because of the price, but then I also see how many pair of boots they go through while I still wear my one pair of Danner's. It would be worth it no matter where you live or where you hunt to check out a pair of Danner's and find out for yourself how awesome these boots are!
