leather v. rubber boots

[bucknut]

Over the years I have learned a pile on scent control. Trapping for coyotes really reinforced previous thoughts. My opinion it doesn't so much matter what type, it is how you store them and where you wear them that is the most important. I never wear my boots anywhere but in the woods. Period!  They are transported to and from in a clean bag or tote not contacting anything but dirt and leaves. I wear leather 95% of the time. This and a good approach, where you have trimmed anything that can make contact with you, allows me to get in clean. From all my observations on whitetail, they spend more time smelling the briars and branches. They can smell where the branches have been fractured and puts out a stronger odor telling them something has went thru. I also am a big believer in fox urine as a cover/deceiver scent. You see people at the gas station wearing their rubber boots all the time. Might as well have a gasoline drag line with you. LOL  Just my 2 cents thru casual observation.

[Doug in MN]

I wear leather boots 90% of the time I like the support they offer. Will wear rubber boots when hunting low lands. I watched a deer hit my trail Thursday Evening he was aware of the scent got that head way up in the air and was giving it a testing. 60 seconds and he just went back to walking the cow trail. Turned to soon out into the corn field to ever make it by me.

[Lon Sharp]

Try reading a good book on training  search and rescue tracking dogs and other high level scent trained dogs used in law enforcement, etc...and your thinking about this will be much broader.  It is worth realizing what is possible and how sophisticated scenting can be.  For example, a dog doesn't just follow "your" scent if he is tasked with tracking you.  The scent that drops off you like fine dust or smoke is movable and temporary.  It can blow away, dissipates fairly quickly, and can get caught against nearby vegetation and objects.  That is partly why there is a difference in air/scenting vs trailing vs actual tracking.  There is other scent one leaves by touching something with your clothing, boots or bare skin. (I think that is the scent we leave behind the can quickly burn out a good location.)   But good dogs shift their attention as a track ages to disturbance scent (maybe confirmed by actual scent of the target) which is the scent released  when one walks on and crushes vegetation and the microbiome of the soil...think fungus, bacteria, earthworms and bugs and who knows what. All that stuff reacts and emits odor.   This is the most persistent trail and reportedly highly trained dogs discriminate between tracks sometimes by the size of the person leaving the trail, which leaves a different signature hours or a couple days later.  So for purposes of hunting deer, realize that a deer might detect a track in the snow when you wear rubber boots and be interesting or even alerted, but it may not be able to determine that you are human.  The same with careful use of rubber boots.  There is no way to avoid leaving sign that "something" walked here, but scent control, avoiding touching vegetation with hands and scent permeable boots can be very important.  As for the smoke like blowing scent?  That is why we pay attention to staying downwind.

[Bowwild]

I watched a lot of deer cross my trail over 5 decades of bow hunting because sometimes I can’t predict the animal’ travel route.

Frankly I remain uncertain that I can solve the issue of trail covering. I think the wild card is the attitude and experience of the particular deer.

Some will encounter my trail without any noticeable reaction. Sometimes they stop, nose up, try to confirm with other senses, and often reverse their direction to backtrack a just proven route that didn’t alarm the animal. 

I stopped using skunk cover scent in the early 80’s when I saw a deer bolt at my trail. Across a winter wheat field. I concluded, maybe wrongly, that the skunk smelled more of alarm than calming?

I wear all kinds of footwear when hunting. I am the least comfortable wearing rubber boots.

[T Sunstone]

I believe most of the scent isn't from the bottom of your boots but the scent from your body.  I did a test with my 2 beagles where I showered and dressed at the house just as i do when going hunting.  I was actually was going hunting after just changed cloths back for the drive.  I went 125 yards cross wind then cut back 50 yards up wind.  Called the wife told her to let the dogs out.  They will track and bark on my trail just like a rabbit.  They had no problem running my trail and when they crossed my cross wind scent they stopped barking heads went up and right to me. 
Same type test but this time no shower.  I rode my bike straight into the wind for 60 yards then cut 90 degrees left across the wind 100 yards and hid.  Let the dogs out they picked up the trail and ran right on the bike track.  But then running the trail with the cross wind they were tracking not on the track of the bike but 10 or 12 feet down wind.  The average human sheds 2 billion dead skin cells a day.         

[hawkeye n pa]

In my experience if your hunting a educated animal that's not being hurried rubber boots won't make a difference.  I've witnessed some wise old does  and bucks around here that would smell logs, briars, weeds etc. if they caught scent they would back track and detour.  Even tried rain suits before all the  tech stuff hit the market.  That didn't work either.

[Wudstix]

Minimize scent on ground any way you can, I wash my clothes in baking soda to minimize my stink.
 

[Tajue17]

rubber boots all day long for me,, Ive had so many deer spook when they hit the spot where I walked when wearing leather boots, moccasins, sneakers..  I will still wear leather boots, sneakers sometimes because I'll hit the woods last minute wearing my street or work clothes and grab my bow and head in trying to walk where the deer don't go and I walk in down wind.  rubber boots another story I just walk anywhere and deer walk right over my foot steps and I had deer at the bottom of tree where I climbed up several times. 

[YosemiteSam]

Out here, I almost never hunt deer within a mile of the truck.  So it's leather every time.  Too many other, more practical issues at play than if I might be able to reduce the odds of a buck smelling my footprint.  Muck boots stay home for "farm" chores.  Leather boots go hunting.  I tuck my pants into my boots, which makes me look like a bit of a commando-wanna-be.  But I've been busted too many times as my pant legs by my ankle grab a stick & snap it as I step.  Having a slimmer profile keeps me from making unexpected noise.

[katman]

Rubber for me. Lots a water in the low country.
Agree totally with bucknut, "how you store them and where you wear them that is the most important"

[JApple]

I used to wear LL Bean Maine hunting shoes which are great boots, soft and quiet... I switched to 16" Schnees Guide boots, lace up.... I really like them, they are quiet and comfortable, just a little work to lace up every morning... I use Montana pitch blend on them before every season.   I agree with above that the deer will probably smell you in any boot if not careful...  the Schnee's boots are a little pricey but not terrible and are good in warm or cold weather. They are hard to beat in my opinion.  I haven't used pull on rubber boots a lot but I like their simplicity but a lace up will probably make walking and hiking easier.. good luck.

J

[bswear]

Still can’t beat the Maine Hunting shoe.  Air bob soles are an abomination and see no reason to indulge the prices that Schnees charges for their copy of the original.

[Terry Green]

Rubber in TX will get ruined.... just a heads up. More important is how well do you shoot.... boots are irrelevant if you can't hit shingle. Buy scent lock while you are at it 

[smag]

Killed whitetails in Chuck Taylors to canvas wading boots. You let any boot get stinky inside it will escape scent control.

Think when weather drops cold my all time favorites are Hoffman's guide boots and I have tow different sets of liners. I switch them out every day to dry out and just scent control spray them. Leather tops, rubber bottoms. Best of both worlds. I wore rubber out. Sent them back to them they cut leather off just sewed back on new rubber bottoms. Best boot I ever hunted, be Schnees hands down.

Smag~

[Russell Southerland]

No. Its hype like most stuff.  Go hunting and have fun.

[Tom0728]

Wear whatever is comfortable or keeps you dry. In my opinion if you can smell the rubber so can the deer. A hound can still track you if you wear rubber boots. So why couldn't game animals smell your trail?