I thought that moccasins might be a good way to cut down on the noise while still hunting in the woods. Any of you ground pounders use moccasins to hunt? If so, what kind? Arrow Moccasins seems to have some nice ones.
http://www.arrowmoc.com/
i think if ya made apair of plains indian moccs that would be better. that way ya would feel every little twig stone etc just my 2 cents worth :thumbsup:
Moccasins are nice,but are slippery on wet or heavily leaf covered ground.I like the Dyer moccasins.
Leland
I too have been thinking about the same thing so I did some researh. What I have come up with that might benefit you. www.footwearbyfootskins.com (http://www.footwearbyfootskins.com) Seems they might carry what you want at a resonabale price just recieved my free catalog today. Completely made in the U.S.A
I have the dyer and the arrow's and they are both nice but like leland said they are slippery, don't try to drag a deer out with them or it would be interesting watching someone try.
I use the arrowmoc lace boots with the double soles. The quietest and most comfortable 'boots' I've owned. I don't have a problem slipping around, but haven't had to drag a heavy deer out while wearing them yet, just a few little ones.
If you're really concerned about slipping, have him put the plantation crepe soles on. It's still thin enough to feel every twig, but you won't be slipping. tire shavings and contact cement work too.
Heh - I still like my $4 moccasin(ish) slippers from Wally World. They suck if it's really wet, but then so do real moccasins. The thin rubber bottom seems to be much less slippery than real mocs and the price is certainly right.
I;m with Dave on this one, the Bean Boots are quiet and comfy.
As someone said a couple hundred years ago, "moccasins are a civilized way of going barefoot".
Eric
I made these winter moc's years ago and they worked great. The outside leather is elk and they had liners of sheepskin. I soaked them up good with bear grease and my feet stayed pretty dry when the weather was cold. When the snow got wet and sloppy the water would get in some. I glued sand on the bottoms for traction.
(http://www.shrewbows.com/rons_linkpics/winterkill.jpg)
Yes sir they are great i speak from 3rd person view. My buddy is big in to 1770 indian reinactments and we went squirell hunting and everytime i would turn my head i wouldn't hear him walk off, and he would vanish from sight. I think he was having fun with it. BTW if you can afford it get bison leather its naturally water resistant. and wear wool socks if your feet get wet they'll still be warm.
I have owned a pair of the arrow French style high mocs for years. Double sole, yes they are slippery but if you take your time you will be fine.
As far as waterproof, as long as I don't stand in the water, walking through is usually okay, but then I wear wool socks.
The elk skin uppers are awsome and protect legs from briars and stickers.
Great thread. Been thinking about trying mocs for year. May have to take the plunge this year.
Dan
Hey guys, I did a lot of living history, period scouting and hunting stuff. All the gear we used was 18th century typeDyer mocs will get you a twisted knee, broken ankle or leg. Seen it happen. I have had the rendevouz moc and the center seam. They are made the best but a geasy incline and you are in trouble.
Get some leather and find a pattern and make your own. I have two pair that I made with double soles. I use elk that is thick but very pliable and double rough sided.
P.S. If you go with Arrow Mocs, go with the ligioner boot or tall ligioner, center seams or side seams. The others are sleds just like the dyers.
If you are dead set on buying a pair these are the people who produce the best authentic moc. Their website isn't much but it's because they are busy making mocs.
Poppen mocs (http://www.thecrackertenor.com/PoppenMocs.html)
I like LL Bean boots. They are fairly quit but grippy and the rubber bottoms are going to spread less odor than mocs.
lotsagrit, the Arrow Mocs you recommended have the same chrome tanned sole that all his mocs have. Only the uppers are elk. I stopped by the shop before ordering from him. Nice guy. I really like the looks of his mukluk boots. Moc construction with the plantation crepe sole. I went with the lace boots b/c I didn't want insulation and they had more ankle support than my Timberlands. Nice to have going up and down the hills.
Years ago a friend of mine had elk skin mocs with rubber conveyer belt material glued on for the outer sole. Worked well, the belting material was thin enough so so you still had the fell of mocs, but weren't slippery.
Jeremy you are right. It's been years since I looked at them, now I remember why I passed on em.
Like most things they all have there pluses and minuses. I have a double soul pair of dyers that I really like. They are quiet and with the double soul you can still feel the ground but thorns and cactus dont usually penetrate. They are slick but that makes me slow down which is what you want when still hunting anyway. With a pair of wool socks they work great in the early elk and deer seasons here in WY.
Latly I have been trying the different "stalking boots/shoes" offered by some hunting compaines and find most of them lacking in the quiet department. The soles just arnt soft enough.
I love my mocs. I am about to have mine resoled if that counts for anything.
I just recently got a pair of the H.S. Trask Gallatin Gates that look as though they were made for bowhunting. I haven't had a chance to give them a real field trial yet, but hope to soon. Probably not as good as L.L. Bean for wet conditions, but look pretty good for when it's dry.
http://www.hstrask.com/product_details.aspx?ItemCode=H8515&Sub_Cat_ID=36&sp=N
I have worn a pair of Carl Dyer's for years in dry weather. Frank
Has anyone considered the over-boot items such as Safari Stalkers or Sneakyfeet? One is a thick plush fleece type that covers your boot, and the other is a triple thick felt sole that attaches like an ice cleat.
Of the two, I'm more interested in the fleece bootie.
While I'm not against moccosins, a set of knee high rubber boots have never done me wrong (just wish they breathed more).
Tingley (sp) makes rubber pullovers that you can put over the mocs that will add waterproofing and traction. They are real thin rubber. I use them over boots in nasty conditions. They should work good over mocs.
I like to hunt the Crab apples and the long thorns will go through a soft sole. Nice for around the house but my old ankles need more support.
wb, there are two styles of mocs being talked about here, the real soft ones and the arrow moc/dyers type that are heavy leather. My lace boots from Arrow Moc have nearly a 1/2" of tough leather for the sole. You can still feel every twig, but there's tons of protection there and more ankle support than most boots I've owned. It's a heavy chromed tanned leather with a firm temper... tougher than a knife sheath. A thorn isn't getting through that.
I think when most people hear "moccasin" they're thinking "slipper".
I got some Boggs boots this year. Similar to Muck boots but have a soft tread pattern sort of like the LL Bean boot but better traction and quieter to me. They offer decent ankle support for a slip on boot and are waterpfoof. Comes in regular neoprene and 1,0000 gram neoprene.
If I had Bill Gates allowance, I'd buy the Russell Thula Thula. Saw a pair of those at a well heeled (both literally and figuratively) customer's house and it looks like the perfect tool for stalking. Pretty awesome piece of gear, it's a shame that it has a $$ that goes with it.
I love the look, tradition, and concept of mocs but I don't think they would be much use to me in my area since I hunt from a tree 90% of the time and when I do hunt from the ground it's typically in a swamp/wet area for hogs. Maybe some more hunting with my ghillie will change my mind.
I used to wear a very good (and, I see now, inexpensive) moccasin named Kaibabs as a kid. They had a very tough horsehide sole that was like bearing grease on wet concrete. I read about a compound to put on them called Sole-Saver, made by Edward Schlosser Associates in Ridgefield Park, NJ. Unbelievably tough, grippy, and waterproof. I spent an hour yesterday trying to google it and the supplier I got it from, Carpet Products Co. I see where the folding kayak crowd use it and another compound named Flexane for hull repair. If anyone can locate Sole-Saver (I know it was still available in 2007) or knows anything about Flexane (which is expensive and of unknown traction qualities), please post it here. I've gone to Bean boots too for stalking, but my feet sweat like the end of days in them here.
Have you all considered Tabi shoes? They are from Japan and used for martial arts and fishing...
Here is a link:
http://www.tokunagastore.com/Menu/FishingTabis.htm
Look at the second pair on the page. Essentially a rubber impregnated sock with a split toe and a felt sole. Very quiet, quite comfortable, and grip like gecko feet! I hiked the Na Pali coast of Kauai with a pair and while the other tourists were slipping all over the place I was litterally running down the trails. Awesome grip and great for sneaking around.
Check in to the Hunting Sneakers they sell at Sportsmansguide... the same as mocs but a little better. For year I used mocs to hunt in and man I fell a lot cause they were so slippery. Finally got some with crepe soles - back then they were a lot chepaer than toady.
I bought a pair of the sneakers that Ol Man refers to and, at least for me, found then very uncomfortable and poorly molded. I was really excited, because they looked like a shoe I loved until they changed the sole--the Cabela's Silent Stalk Sneaker, which now has a more aggressive and noisy sole. That had been my absolute favorite fall elk and deer boot. I should have bought 5 pairs...
This thread motivated me to call Cabela's and ask to file a complaint with their product development department about the new sole on the Silent Stalk Sneaker. The old chevron rubber sole was virtually silent, had very good ground feel, excellent traction, and surprising durability. The new one is just another crappy rounded lug sole. The old version was the best stalking boot I ever had, and many different people I have hunted with remarked on them and wound up ordering their own. So, here's the deal--if you know this boot or think it sounds good, please consider calling Cabela's to request a switch back. The person I spoke to said that they actually respond to customers' input when enough people make the effort to contact them.
These should be illegal for hunting. :D http://dev.ranchosafari.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=22&zenid=cbf3282425323b77afdcfaaaab68a87e
QuoteOriginally posted by Magwa45:
Any of you ground pounders use moccasins to hunt? If so, what kind? Arrow Moccasins seems to have some nice ones.
Ive been using the same set of arrow mocs since 1993
http://www.arrowmoc.com/s.html
In that time I broke one lace, which I repaired with sinue. Ive never had wet feet, and here in the pacific northwest during hunting season, its always wet.
QuoteOriginally posted by NorthernCaliforniaHunter:
Have you all considered Tabi shoes?
Tabi are socks with a hard sole. WHat you showed there are some kind of new fangled contrapsion.
Found this thread looking for stuff about hunting in moccasins. So what do you guys wear for the quietest ground hunting? Seems like a lot of the moccasins aren't necessarily waterproof and are certainly expensive. Traction also seems to be an issue... Any of you who've worn mocs hunting, do they provide enough cushion/comfort after a day of walking all over?
Jeremy
I use Steger mukluks and moose hide Apache mocs made in Ely,Mn. They have a gummy rubber sole that does not slip on dry leaves or wet rocks.
I tried moc's a few times an found them great on flat dry country.
Trouble is most of my hunting ground is wet a steep.
I wear Enginers Boot's for everything.
Once you get Bean's Main Hunting Shoe to fit right (took me a while), those are pretty quiet and moccasinish. Traction on wet hills is still suspect but far better than a slick leather sole.
Nice zombie thread resurrection! :-p
I made these about 30 years ago and also have a pair of Dyers same age. The elkhide winter ones have thin rubber golash and felt liners so your feet stay warm and dry in winter. I agree, all mocassins are death in wet, muddy, hilly terrain. Strictly dry weather footwear.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/0603/reddogge/Muzzloading%20rifles/IMG_1110.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/0603/reddogge/Muzzloading%20rifles/IMG_1111.jpg)
yes mocs are the way to go, much heathier for your feet then shoes. I wear them all the time even riding the Harley ( knee high 's) SC
I have a pair of home made center seam mocs I wear hunting sometimes.They`re great. :thumbsup: I wore them this past Saturday turkey hunting.If you slow down while moving through the woods,you rarely have any trouble.
I hunt in the rain forest of the Pacific North West and I am still trying to find anything that will keep my feet dry. Trying the Bone Collector set of boots, but if they fail maybe I will use Moc's and plastic bags for liners.
Everyone will think I'm crazy but I have been using a moccasin kit I got at hobby lobby for 17 dollars. they feel great. I only use for last bit of stalking but make good slippers.
Carl