At 17, I may be relatively new to big-game hunting, but I am not a tenderfoot, thanks to Kenetrek boots. Whether you’re trudging through sparse desert brush or hoofing it through northern pine forests, Kenetrek’s hunting boots offer durability and comfort for basically any weather condition or terrain.
Although others in camp may have blisters from walking mikes every day, with Kenetrek boots you can rest easy and know that you can focus on the task at hand rather than nursing unnecessary injuries or attempting in vain to warm up frozen, numb feet.
This became quite obvious to me on two disparate occasions — one an SCI chapter-sponsored deer and javelina hunt in the Sonoran Desert of southern Arizona, and the other for late-season bull elk in the high country of the Mogollon Rim in northern Arizona. Temperatures on the two hunts ranged from highs in the 80s to lows in the teens, and each day saw treks of 7-10 miles over hostile terrain.
My Women’s Mountain Extreme 1000 boots delivered beautifully. Designed with a reinforced rubber sole guard and lightweight K-Talon outsoles to insulate, they kept my feet warm and provided excellent traction and support over the challenging terrain. In fact, I often forgot that I was wearing hunting boots because they performed so well that I could focus instead on spotting game and making stalks.
I also used Kenetrek’s Glacier and Montana socks, which were part of an overall winning package. The Merino wool blend was perfectly complementary to the boots. Companies like Kenetrek carefully research which combinations will result in the best possible products. The socks coupled with the boots worked harmoniously through both hunts. I also had Kenetrek’s gaiters, but I didn’t need them because there was no snow in the high country during the hunt.
The first expedition was the annual Arizona Chapter’s Youth Deer Hunt where we hunted the arid, cactus-covered hills, valleys, and arroyos of the desert borderlands just north of Mexico. At 3,600 feet elevation, temperatures on that hunt ranged from the 40s at night to the 80s in the daytime.
One thing I noticed about the Women’s Mountain Extreme 1000 Kenetrek boots was that they were not uncomfortable, even in the heat of the day, yet they were quite warm at night. On the elk hunt at 7,500 feet in the high country, even when the temperatures dropped into the teens, the boots were very comfortably warm. Truly, these are go-anywhere boots.
Many believe that it is better for inexperienced hunters to go with mediocre gear and to eventually transition to higher quality products later. But in reality, good hunting gear is a must-have for beginners as well as seasoned hunters. Especially in the realm of footwear, it is helpful for a new hunter to focus on learning things the proper way, and they don’t need to upgrade later. Kenetrek hunting boots are well-suited to traveling by foot for miles on end, clambering up rocky slopes, keeping out pesky thorns and weeds, braving cold camping conditions, and pretty much anything else you may encounter on a hunt, so you can spend your time trying to bag your next trophy animal.–Alexandra Comus