Worse Feet Elk/Sheep Hunt
Elk
I've had some Hot Spots on Sheep and Mnt. Goat hunts, my tags or helping others but I have had my worse feet after an all day Leap Frogging pack out of an LE bow Bull off the mountain.
Many other painful feet out there no doubt!
Good luck, Robb
Whatever boots I'm going to wear on a particular mountain hunt, I start wearing for at least part of the day, every day, about 6 weeks before the hunt. It makes a huge difference to how well your feet hold up, especially if you're like me and wear comfortable shoes to work, not a work boot. Your boots won't last as long, but breaking your feet into your boots beforehand does wonders for your feet's tolerance to abuse.
Robb, that first photo looks like leprosy!
I wear my mountain hunting boots on fitness hikes and scouting all summer. They may not last as long but it sure pays off when I'm in them every day for weeks at a time.
Robb
It looks like you were kicking bowling balls and broken beer bottles! How the heck did it get that bad??!! Owie
damn from what? does this always happen? new boots?
I hike a lot now and honestly can't remember the last blister I had, at most I get a calous.
Suggestion... wear an ultra thin pair of tight non cotton socks as your base pair(like dress sock thin) than a cushioned wool sock over that. it should help
Never a hot spot but I wear my hunting boots sometimes 7 days a week. Wearing my Salomons today since 6:30 this morning. Admittedly I’ve never hunted goats but I suspect my feet would do fine. Find a boot you like so much you prefer it over tennis shoes and wear them.
Ouch, that about the worst I've seen. Toes sure were pushing forward.
How long did it take to recover?
Ouch! Having plantar fasciitis can suck at times but I can stop, take off my boots and relieve some pressure for 10-15 minutes to get some relief with an occasional dip in a cold stream. But that looks downright brutal in that first photo. I'll never complain about sore feet again after seeing that!
Your toes look like mine. It's called claw foot or claw toes. A few causes of it. If you have diabetes, you have to be careful with it. My big toe is bent over like the pic (and your pic) and the toes have a curl to them.
It was the miles & miles (17.4 all said and done) and rocky terrain with a backpack full of elk meat/head-n-cape, leapfrogging off the steep downward mountain and I'm sure the Heat didn't help!
I rotate boots, (I bring 3-pair when I'm truck camping or Cabin camping) each day so every 4th day I wear day 1's pair, it wasn't the boots that's for sure! haha
I train with them as well with the same rotation, today is the Rocky's that are 4 years old.....yesterdays hike was the UA's-------and my Scarpa's
Years ago I dropped a workbench grinder (installing it) on that foot and babied it for like 2 weeks, turned out I had broken a few toes but the swelling kinda hid it from me and that is how they healed up.
Good luck, Robb
I’ve had a handful of times I’ve done 10+ miles in a day with loads of meat and my feet have never looked like that.... I don’t know how you can say it’s not your boots when your feet look like that.
I'm with Lou. I hike with a weighted pack up and down hills. If and they're are any issues you feel it. My feet are fine after packing a critter out or hunting the rocky areas.
If your feet are in bad shape your hunt will be miserable.
Ouch! I just went on a scouting hike in a southern Florida swamp with a full pack. I had new boots that I had been wearing for the last 2 weeks without issue. 14 miles total and about 90+ degrees. After looking at your pictures, I will absolutely stop whining about the quarter sized de-roofed heal blisters I got on each foot. They're painful enough, but.....
Dang Robb! That looks rough! Hopefully you will soon have another pack out to remember though:)
Lou, I do the same. My boots are on my feet at least every other day for 3-4 miles all summer long with a pack on my back. I know them intimately by the time they head up the hill.
Yep, feel your pain..... nothing worse than Coach telling you to keep yur socks on when you go to bed...... =D
Best part about it is I bet they feel fine now and you'd be right back down in that hell hole packin' out tomorrow if you had to..... short memories seem common for elk hunters......
I really can't blame the boots as I just wore then last week into the very same unit for my last scouting trip before my hunt stats on August 15th and I had No issues and basically did the very same route but about 1/2 the miles and of course less weight in my backpack.
I had 3 ~~ 1 gallon water jugs in my pack with some emergency stuff for safety and my 9mm strapped.. About every 1.5 miles, I hide a jug in the Cedars and so forth until I have all 3 jugs staged for the hunt as water is a premium up on this particular Utah High Desert Mountain.
Good luck, Robb
I've had this particular pair of boots for 12 years now and Re-soled them once. I really like them in rocky rough terrain.
They are the middle boot in this pic
I have change my socks over the years and that certainly has helped as I noticed most of the time my liner socks would seem to slide down over a few miles and I would have to take my boots off and re do my socks or just live with it......they would bunch up down by my toes and I would have to finally stop and fix 'em.
I've gone to a high and a low liner sock now that are more in the compression/suppression style sock as they do indeed help with any lingering PF-heal and they stay put on my foot no matter the miles traveled that day.
Plus, I have completely change outer layer Sock brand.
I am totally enjoying this New Hoof It brand sock.
Link to where I get the socks---------->
Yeah, I just prolly need to Retire that old pair of boots, They were 2 years old when I got my last LE bow bull tag on this Utah unit and I just wanted to give 'em 1 last go up there.
12 years with only 1 resole is pretty dang good for any brand of hunting boot!
I do have 2 new pairs of boots that I am slowly breaking in from purchasing earlier this year. They won't see any mountain hunting this year though, maybe some Pheasant hunts and into winter some Chukar hunts.
Thanks for your thoughts and input.
Good luck, Robb
Those feet pictures look absolutely terrible. Instead of rotating three pairs of boots, try new socks each day instead! And find ONE pair of GOOD mountain boots (not Rocky's or UA) that you can oil up and break in very well. Also, Leuko tape for hot spots BEFORE they become blisters is a very good practice... Wow Robb, that looks horrible, and only 17 miles?
After my first sheep hunt
Here are mine after a 14 day sheep hunt. They hurt, but honestly looked NOTHING like Robs! Had one small controllable blister come up on the last day on a hard hump out. Over all I’ve been very pleased with my foot health on my mountain hunts.
—Jim
Agree with the leukotape recommendation, as soon as you get a hot spot put it on and you're good to go.
Got these @ the Sheep Show back in January
Got these @ the Sheep Show back in January
I agree, I'll never forget that 1 day/time it happened to my Feet!!
I remember those feet pix Zack & Jim!
Here's the boot's I've gone too Nick, not ready for this years hunts but for sure next year.
Of course I change socks every day and underwear too!! haha
I liked the first pair so much, I bought these as a 2nd pair.
I went with my normal size 12 but kinda wish I would have gone with a 12 1/2 as these Italian sizing is a pinch less than our USA sizing.
Good luck, Robb
