MuleyMadness Hunting Forums

Meet my "good" hunting boots. I've had them since the 8th grade (that's right... over 20 years). I've gotten far more out of them than the $20 that my mother paid @ Payless. It's like saying goodbye to an old friend, but as you can see the ratio of boot leather to Gorilla Glue has reached the point of no return & I have to re-glue them after each trip. It's safe to say, I need a new pair of hunting boots & have a very limited budget, so any recommendations for boots under $100?

I bet those fit like a well worn baseball mitt. They've definitely served you well! I'd recommend heading to Cal Ranch to take a look- I found some boots for around $75 that I've liked quite a bit. They have the 400 Thinsulate in them and are pretty waterproof. I just checked and I can't find the brand name anywhere on them! They've worn quite a bit, but they fit great and still have plenty of miles left.

Those definitely got their wear and tear. I just bought the Cabelas 7" Quest's, and they are the best boot I've owned

You may want to watch camofire for a while. They have boots pretty regularly and you might be able to find something you like.

Though I've spent much more than $100 on a pair of boots a few times, perhaps the best pair I've ever owned for the price was some Texas Steer's that I got from K-Mart many years ago. I wore the soles out after about 10-12 years of hard use and went to get them re-soled. Found out it cost 3X as much to get them re-soled as what I paid for them in the first place!

Not sure if K-Mart even carries the brand any more but I had ZERO complaints with them over the years and miles I put on them.

So, after watching the internet for a couple weeks & with my hunt coming quickly I decided that it was time to make a purchase. I had about $50 in Cabela's Club points so I figured that was my only real shot at getting some decent boots cheaply. I was perusing the Bargain Cave and noticed a pair of uninsulated Trekker boots for right around $50. I had looked at these before & they had been given good reviews, so I went for it. It just so happened that Cabela's was offering free shipping for Club Members, so once the order was submitted I would have brand spanking new boots delivered to my front door & it would only cost me $4.47 out of pocket... SWEET!

Then my heart sank... the confirmation page informed me the boots were on backorder & the estimated date of shipment was October 4th. Yup, that's right, the day the hunt closes! I resigned myself to the fact that I may not have my new boots in time, but figured I could tough it out for one season and use some "other" boots in the meantime. Cabela's had never let me down & all the other items I've gotten on backorder had shipped early, so I held out hope.

As luck would have it, the shipment came early and I had my boots within a week from the date I ordered them. I went on a fishing trip to Palisades, ID and made the round trip hike to the "Meadows Section" of Palisades Creek (between the Lower and Upper Palisades Lakes) in my new boots for some backcountry fly fishing. BTW, the fishing was EPIC... 50+ fish in 3 hours on Friday, 12 fish were 16" or better and all on the surface. Anyway, I digress... the boots were great right out of the box, no break in required. I was comfortable the entire hike, which ended up being just a shade over 11 miles total in one day. I am pleasantly surprised with them and look forward to many years of hunting with them. Any chances I can get another 20+ years out of these?

Did I mention the fishing was EPIC?!?