The 4 Best Elk Hunting Boots for the Money – Reviews 2023

best elk hunting boots, best boots for elk hunting

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As an elk hunter, have you ever asked yourself or a friend what the most important hunting item is (after your bow or firearm of course)? Is it your coat, a specific survival tool, your elk call…or perhaps your boots? Think about it. Your boots are what you wear every day while out in the field, and they have to perform their very best or else your entire hunting trip can become derailed.

For instance, if your feet become blistered, wet, sore, or cold, you won’t be able to hike to the best areas or possibly even continue your hunt. This scenario would be a massive disappointment to any hunter. It’s absolutely imperative that you select the best elk hunting boots you can to avoid this situation at all costs.

Here are, in our humble opinion, the 4 best boots for elk hunting (and we give a very detailed explanation as to what to look after the products; we just figure you’d want to see the boots first!):

Irish Setter Men’s Elk Tracker WP 200 Gram Big Game Boot

Heavy duty, breathable, and waterproof are just three of the qualities that any pair of quality elk hunting boots must have. The Irish Setter Men’s Elk Tracker boot (see full specs) accomplishes each of these things and more. The 200 gram insulation will keep your feet perfectly warm when it’s nippy outside, and the Gore-Tex linings are what deliver the waterproof and breathable qualities of the boot. An additional quality that an Elk hunting boot should have is good traction, so that you have optimum balance and footing over even the worst kinds of terrain. Yet again, the Men’s Elk Tracker boot accomplishes this thanks to its Bulls-Eye rubber outsole that consists of very aggressive multi-directional lugs and memory foam EVA insole. These are among the best elk hunting boots period.

Danner Men’s East Ridge 8-Inch BR 400G Hiking Boot

Danner is an outdoor footwear and apparel company that makes very high quality products designed to outlast any kind of conditions that you could put them through. While your game may be outfitted with hooves as hard as rock to traverse adverse terrain, your Danner East Ridge will be outfitted with durable lugs and Danner’s well known stitch down construction for improved traction. But not only are the Danner East Ridge (see full specs) designed to go through nearly any kind of conditions you could think of, they are also designed to give you absolute comfort and protection. The Gore-Tex lining makes the East Ridge boots waterproof, with six hundred grams worth of insulation to keep your feet as dry as possible. There are few other boots that will give you the most efficient combination of traction, comfort, insulation, and durable construction as the Danner East Ridge Hunting Boot.

LaCrosse Men’s Silencer Hunting Boot


The Danner GTX hunting boots will give you plenty of warmth with over six hundred grams of insulation, but if that’s not enough for you, the LaCrosse Men’s Silencer Hunting Boot has over one thousand grams! This is a boot only for the most serious of elk hunters. Any serious hunter will be sure to tell you that hunting is not about standing out in a field and shooting at standing prey. It’s about traversing unforgiving environments, such as wet marshlands, steep and rocky mountains, over fallen trees, and sometimes in very cold and rainy conditions. If you don’t want your feet to put an end to your hunting trip because of this, then LaCrosse is a brand that should absolutely be near or at the top of the list. The Silencer boot from LaCrosse combines that extra insulation with Cordura nylon that’s extra resistant to adverse conditions, and waterproof linings. These are among the best elk hunting boots for the money.

Bog’s Men Classic High New Break up Boot

This is a different kind of hunting boot as it’s a slip-on boot rather than one you secure with shoe laces, but Bogs has become well known for producing the most quality types of boots in this arena. The Classic High Boot from Bogs sports a moisture wicking sockliner, which is removable, and a neoprene upper to get rid of food odor and to reduce heat. The rubber outsole is made of a non-slip material to give you superior traction over wet surfaces. Bogs has tested the Classic High Boot to withstand temperatures down to negative forty degrees Fahrenheit, making this an excellent boot to take with you on any of your hunting adventures in clear or foul weather alike.

What to Look For in Any Pair of Hunting Boots

Regardless of whether you choose to go with one of the four pairs that we have suggested, or an entirely different pair of elk hunting boots all together, there are specific things that you should look for in any pair of hunting boots. For example, your boots must have Gore-Tex or another kind of proven waterproof material, and should also feature very aggressive soles for better balance and traction. If possible, your boots should be lightweight, as in not weighing any more than five pounds.

Another important factor to look for is the height of your boot. The very shortest boot that we would recommend would be one that stands eight inches high. If your boot is any lower than that, then it’s not giving you the ankle support you need for extended treks over rough terrain. Height also comes into play in winter conditions and when crossing rivers and streams (though gators should also be utilized for this task).

But without a doubt, the most important element of your boots is the fit. Each brand will fit you differently, with some being wide or narrow, or tall or short. This is why we highly recommend that you try on a pair of boots in a store before purchasing them; or, if you’re ordering online, buy more than one pair and see which one fits best (assuming you can afford it) and returning the ones that don’t fit. You also need to break-in your boots before using them for the hunt. This means you need to go on some hikes in the woods to put miles on your boots before they’ll be more accustomed to your feet and prevent blistering.

Once you do find a pair of the best elk hunting boots that fit, they will serve you well over the next several years. But putting much time and effort into selecting that pair in the first place is the only thing that will yield those results. Good luck!

  • Owner of Reloaderaddict.com, Boyd Smith is a major handgun enthusiast, and although he owns Glocks, he prefers the revolving wheel type. His go-to guns are a Smith & Wesson 642 Performance Center for carry and a Ruger GP100 in the nightstand biometric safe (he has kids). He loads both revolvers with old-school 148-grain Federal Gold Medal .38 wadcutters. It’s OK if you think he’s a wimp. Email him.

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