Feet first
If your feet are warm, dry and free of pain, you're likely
having a good hunt — regardless of your success rate
By James A. Swan, Ph.D.They say that an army travels on its stomach. Hunters are different, I say.
Food is an important part of a good hunting camp, but I've had some great hunts with a menu of Spam, Campbell's soup, pork and beans and canned beef stew.
Having the right pants, hat, shirt and jacket to look like a tree, a swamp or a road cone are important, but I maintain that the feet are the most important consideration for hunters.
If your feet are warm, dry and free of pain, you're probably having a good hunt, regardless of your success rate. If your feet are wet, cramped or blistered, your hunt is most likely a nightmare.
My father began to teach me about the importance of feet to hunting before I ever picked up a firearm.
When I was 6 or 7, we would go for walks in the woods, starting out on a dirt road. As soon as we got to the road he would tell me to close my eyes and continue walking, staying on the road.
"How can I know where I will am going with my eyes closed?" I complained.
"Feel the ground with your feet," he would reply. "You can feel the ridges of the road, even if you can't see it. You've got to have eyes in your feet to be a good hunter."
It didn't take long to feel the ridge in the middle of the road and stay in the road, even if we went out at night.
His next lesson was, "If you have eyes in your feet, you'll feel branches that could break or stones you could trip on, even hidden under the leaves. Walk softly. Animals will think that you are one of them," he would say.
Sometimes we would stand still and listen to the sounds that animals made. Squirrels hop differently than rabbits. Pheasants scratch through the leaves. Cats can be as quiet as many wild predators. Dogs are the noisiest animals of all in the woods, because they have lost their need to be quiet since they know they will get fed when they get back home.
Sometimes, we would have contests to see who could walk more quietly.
If you are still-hunting and the movement of your feet sounds more like a squirrel feeding than the steady footsteps of a man trudging along, chances are that you'll get closer to that big buck.
You can learn to walk with "eyes in your feet," but you have to cover those feet.
Leather moccasins are the quietest foot coverings I've found. You can feel everything so the eyes in your feet can have 20-20 vision.
The next best thing to leather moccasins are tennis shoes, especially with soft, flexible soles. If you get a new pair, wash them with no-scent soap to cut that new odor. They need to be washed frequently with no-scent soap, because tennis shoes can be sponges in the sweaty odors.
If there is any moisture on the ground, or higher brush to walk through, I pull on my old L.L. Bean boots with the rubber bottoms and leather tops.
The style has been pretty much the same since 1912, when my father began to wear them. They have models for cold weather, or unlined for warmer weather. I have lost count of how many times I have had the rubber bottoms replaced.
If it's really wet, I will go to hip boots and even waders.
But when you have fairly level ground without too many rocks and minimal moisture, you'll find me in Bean boots, and I will be walking fairly quietly.
Recently I was invited to go on an elk hunt in Colorado. We were going to be at elevations of 8,000 to 9,000 feet, in some fairly rocky terrain. It could snow, or, as it turned out, be in the 70s midday after a cool morning.
My rubber-bottom boots did not have enough support for walking in rocky terrain, and the rocks could slice through soft rubber bottoms pretty quickly. Climbing and hiking boots tend to be heavy and stiff.
I needed support to walk in rocks, but also flexibility to be able to move. And, the last thing I needed was blisters.
The opportunity for the hunt came up quickly. Time was short. I called Cabela's and told Kevin, the boot man, my story. After asking me a number of questions, he prescribed a 12-inch leather boot.
"What about break-in time?" I asked nervously.
"This leather is very soft. A couple of days and you should have no problem," he replied.
Trying to set aside visions of blisters and red, sore feet, I placed the order. The boots arrived two days before the trip. I wore them constantly, except for bed. (My wife vetoed that.) Then it was off for a Rocky Mountain high.
After four days of horseback riding and climbing up and down steep, rocky hills, my butt was sore and my face was wind burned. But I did not have a single blister, or even a red spot on my feet.
The upper leathers were remarkably supple, yet firm, and the soles were firm, but not heavy. They enabled me to walk pretty darn quietly for a tall, thick-soled, lightly insulated boot.
If you have a limited budget for your hunting wardrobe, my suggestion is to put the most money into what goes on your feet.
You can always add or take off layers for pants, shirts and jackets. But, for your feet, it's usually make or break with one choice. Blisters and cramped feet will negate the best of firearms and clothing.
Some of the new cover scents are fine to spray on boots to dampen odor. Just make sure that if it's an odor of a plant, the plant in question grows in the area you'll be targeting.
The way that I was taught to mask odors is to cut some fresh small branches off an odorous tree or bush — like pine, cedar or juniper — and rub them all over the boots, including the sides and bottoms. You might even weave some crushed twigs into the laces.
A hunter's feet should have eyes, but those second eyes can't do their job if what covers them isn't comfortable and appropriate for the place you are hunting.
Walk softly, and enjoy your time afield.
James Swan — who has appeared in more than a dozen feature films, including "Murder in the First" and "Star Trek: First Contact," as well as the television series "Nash Bridges," "Midnight Caller" and "Modern Marvels" — is the author of the book "In Defense of Hunting." Click here to purchase a copy.
To learn more about Swan, visit his Web site.
