Been gearing up for a Texas Trophy Whitetail Hunt this fall and today was "boot day". The outfitter recommends leather boots for the panhandle terrain (Palo Duro Canyon Region) and I haven't hunted out of leather in years. Did some research on this site and others and had my mind made up to drive over an hour to the nearest Gander Mountain and try a pair of Danner Pronghorns. My number 2 choice was Meindl Denali's but nobody within driving distance carries them. I won't buy a boot that hasn't actually been on my foot so all my money was on the Pronghorn. I read recent reviews that indicated the Pronghorn had suffered with respect to quality lately. I also saw on the Danner website that they may have gone back to the "good boot" recently with the leather toe gen 4 model but all they had at Gander Mountain was the gen 3 with the rubber covered toe and heel. Long story short...the Pronghorn was probably one of the worst boots I ever tried to wear. The sole is so stiff you can barely bend it and the upper was so stiff it felt like a leather guillotine trying to sever my ankle when I tried to walk! I don't think any amount of "breaking in" would have made those boots comfortable. So I started from scratch and checked out everything they had in the store. I picked out the Irish Setter Havoc Upland Boot because it was all leather, felt soft and supple and seemed to be well made. They brought a pair in my size out to try and I strapped them on. I swear a celestial beam of light shone down from the heavens and angelic music could be heard! They came out of the box ready for a 5 mile hike. I've been wearing them around the house since 2:00 this afternoon and have forgotten several times that I had them on. Time will tell if they hold up and shed water but as for comfort I don't think you could beat them.
