Rubber boots?

[EHK]

I know this will probably start a highly opinionated debate, but this something I struggle with/question every year.

Conventional wisdom says we should wear rubber boots when hunting because they don't hold or distribute scent like leather will.  This is something I've always heard, but I've never seen any scientific proof.

My rubber boots are about 4 years old now, have seen plenty of use and they still stink like rubber.  I find it hard to believe that deer can't smell that or don't spook from it.  I've shot deer wearing both rubber and leather boots and I've been busted wearing both rubber and leather boots.  

So, does anyone know the science behind the "fact" that we should be wearing rubber boots?

[dirtguy]

Great question!  I have always wondered the same!

[dirtguy]

Check this out:

 http://www.fieldandstream.com/blogs/whitetail-365/2012/02/shoot-me-down-rubber-boots-stink-deer-hunting

[Blackhawk]

I have a couple pair of rubber boots for hunting, but save them for rainy and sloshy days.  My Mucks with neoprene uppers are easy on/off, warm, and comfy.  My LL Bean Maine hunting boots also get a lot of use.  

In all honesty, I never bought into the no-scent rubber boot thing.

[VictoryHunter]

I am pretty meticulous when it comes to being scent free. I believe that they help to some degree but at the same time I have personally witnessed on two separate occasions deer cut my trail, stop and sniff where I walked and immediately turn and head the other direction. There is no foolproof way to fool a deer's nose. Now for warmth and comfort I wear good hiking boots and am more careful of my entry and exit strategies on stand. Hope this helps.

[tradarcher816]

I have seen deer hit my exact trail and go on red alert after I just walked through in scent lok and rubber boots. I personally think they are designed to catch the hunter, like a lot of modern camo. I saw more deer last week wearing muted carhartt's and plaid flannel with a 9year old (comfortable) pair of leather/cordurra boots on the ground after smoking my clothes, than I've seen in a long time wearing rubber boots and commercial scent killers. Not saying the commercial stuff doesn't help somehow. But I don't believe it's the law as far as scent control goes.

[nineworlds9]

Try an alternative to rubber or leather and try some waterproof snake boots made of puncture/waterproof fabrics.  That's what I wear most of the time in FL.  Also, never never never wear your boots anywhere but the woods.  My current pair came home from the store new, spent a few nights outside in the open air to air out, got treated with scent killer and then now only come out of the bag once I'm out of the car standing in the woods.  I periodically clean em and air em out outside and when in the woods spritz a little doe urine on em.

[RedShaft]

I have had a few times when wearing my leather boots that deer spooked. But I also wear rubber early season. I can't tell you the last time. Had deer smell my tracks when wearing leather boots. Idk if it's because we have so many guys trapping all over it don bother them or if I'm just lucky. I spray bottoms with scent killer and just put em on at truck at my spot and dont wear hem nowhere but in he woods

[Mojostick]

I'm pretty militant about stand setup, entry and exit, as far as scent goes. I've also been lucky enough to hunt on and own land in an area with lots of deer and very liberal tags. I've also been lucky enough to be able to hunt other states and in Canada. So, while not bragging, I've probably killed a couple hundred more deer than the typical hunter and, pardon the pun, I often buck the trend dejure or the conventional wisdom of the herd.

That said, while conventional wisdom is pro-rubber boots, I agree with the link about hating rubber boots. If you want hot sweaty feet or cold sweaty feet, that you can't wait to get out of after 3-4 hours, then rubber boots are for you.

Instead, I suggest the best and most comfortable boot you can find, albeit for walking or sitting. Comfort, be it for clothing or even a chair or treestand, translates to staying on stand and a more enjoyable hunt.

As far as scent, boots are only as good as how you store and wear them. If you wear rubber boots in your truck or on a quad, the gas from the mats and on the quad will likely get on the boots too.

Basically, if you enter a stand site the same way you expect the deer to come from, you're looking for trouble even if wearing rubber boots or even boy in a bubble suit.

If one wants to obsess about scent, and a serious deer hunter should, obsess more on everything related to stand setup, entry and exit and comfort and quietness of the gear.

I've seen lots of guys at my camp swear by rubber boots as essential, only to brush their teeth with minty toothpaste, when baking soda instead of toothpaste is what they should have worried about instead.

[jjwaldman]

I wear leather boots.  I just make sure to step in mud/cow pies/etc.  I have found that older bucks and does definitely bust me, either with rubber boots or leather boots.

[killinstuff]

Why folks would think a deer would be on alert because of the smell of rubber in beyond me.  Or deodorant, or tooth paste or whatever else humans put on or wear. They smell YOU! you stink, you the predator, the other smells are just a strange smell.

[DarkTimber]

I've always believed deer smell the ground disturbance from walking more than the smell of the boot itself regardless of what kind..no proof just my personal belief.  I hunt mostly in swamps and bottom lands so I wear knee high rubber boots for mobility reasons more than anything.

[Frank V]

I wear the LLBean  Main Hunting Boot. I really like it, it's the rubber bottom/leather top.
 If it gets colder than that or really snowy I switch to a Sorrell pack boot.

[shankspony]

If you walk through, your hunting area, the game will smell you no matter what you wear. I use rubber gumboots, not because they have any smell advantage, but because I can slip them off quickly and quietly for the last part of the stalk, which I will generally do in my socks.
For me the goal is to get to the hunting area via a route that gets me down wind without having put a scent on the ground of the area I want to hunt. Sometimes that's a big deviation of a k or more, others just a few hundred yards.

[Sam McMichael]

A deer will smell your boots whether rubber, leather or anything else. Sometimes cover scents may work. I used to crush garlic all over the soles of my boots. I have seen deer shy away from it and have had them follow my exact steps with nose intently glued to the ground. Who knows how these guys will react at any given time?

[Pine]

I think that rubber boots would smell better than stinky tennis shoes .

Soft soled moccasins would not be to good either .

Guess the thing to do is try not to walk where the deer do , good luck with that .