Russell Turkey Hunters

[dzsmith]

I got a couple questions for you guys. One , compared to rubber boots "lacrosse, etc" how much heavier are the russells...or do you even notice. ? Two, if you can sneak...you can sneak...but do you find russels to be more difficult to walk quietly in or are you like me and believe its mostly in how you walk more than anything "heal to toe"

More quiet. And not that heavy considering they're snake boots.  Sound that leaves the top of a rubber boot from the sole up, that slight thud is loud and drives me crazy. Laced up Russell's are quiet

Oh yeah i hate the thud, thats why I always use boots with the draw strap in the back. I cannot stand the thud.

[Bottomland]

Russell turkey boots review...... Ive had a pair and have been turkey hunting in them for nearly 6 years now. I have the greenleaf ones with no zipper (dont get the zipper). I hunt in south Alabama on the swamps so I run into a lot of water and mud.  Let me be clear.... These boot are NOT waders and not classified as 100percent waterproof.  They are water resistant for sure.  Now what does that mean?? When I hunt I move through mud holes, bottom creeks, large mud swamps with water (50-100yds wide)  and soaking dew wet fields and the boots are fine. No leaking.  These boots however are not for standing in the water. 


By far the most comfortable boots once you break them in.  I walk an average of 6-8 miles a morning with no trouble.  Get the custom made ones to your measurements.  Its not hard to do follow on their website.

Few other comments:

These boots are high maintenance but they are worth it in my opinion.  By this i mean after hunting I wash the mud off them if I can (dried mud just make leather dry more and cracks).  Last hunt of the year I will wash off all the mud and scrub them clean.  This is so when the next season comes around they will be clean to apply leather conditioner.

Dont leave them sitting in the sun dry rotting in the back of the pickup.... For obvious reasons

Bottom line is take care of them and they will perform for you.  My 2 cents.

[dzsmith]

sounds good to me. I have no intention of standing in water for periods of time, but I do plan on crossing creeks throughout the morning or afternoon...and want to be able to do so without immediate wet feet or even soak through. so I figure as long as I keep them conditioned and don't have a puncture of some sort. I should be fine.

[ShortMagFan]

So my Russell Turkey Hunters came in this week. I ordered a stock pair to replace the 20+ year old custom pair I referenced at the beginning of this post

I treated them with Obenhauf's one afternoon last week. Wore them on a hunt for the first time today. A few observations:

- Russell recommends ordering a half size down. I ordered a 10 because I usually wear a 10 1/2 and my 20 year old pair is labeled as a 10. After wearing them this morning I'm wondering if I shouldn't have tried a 9 1/2. I do remember my old pair getting wider and shorter as they broke in so maybe these will do the same

- They aren't waterproof and I know they aren't advertised to be. On our hunt this morning we covered a lot of ground walking through thigh-high wet grass. My feet stayed dry for a couple hours but by the end of the hunt my socks were wet. My old ones had reached the point of not being any more water resistant than a pair of tennis shoes. These were much better than that but still let water in at the joint where the tongue, lowers and uppers all come together.

- they are tighter in the ankle area than my old ones. Guessing that will get better as they break in

All in all happy with the purchase and hope they last as long as my last pair. In terms of not being water proof, I knew what I was getting based on prior experience. I also bought some Le Chameau Chaussers for really wet conditions and those have been great so far (2 hunts). I guess I'll continue my pattern for the last 20+ years - wear the Russell's when walking a lot and tolerate damp feet and use the knee high rubber boot for really wet days and late season when the wet grass becomes an issue

I've got a picture of my wet socks but for some reason can't upload it

[wchadw]

So my Russell Turkey Hunters came in this week. I ordered a stock pair to replace the 20+ year old custom pair I referenced at the beginning of this post

I treated them with Obenhauf's one afternoon last week. Wore them on a hunt for the first time today. A few observations:

- Russell recommends ordering a half size down. I ordered a 10 because I usually wear a 10 1/2 and my 20 year old pair is labeled as a 10. After wearing them this morning I'm wondering if I shouldn't have tried a 9 1/2. I do remember my old pair getting wider and shorter as they broke in so maybe these will do the same

- They aren't waterproof and I know they aren't advertised to be. On our hunt this morning we covered a lot of ground walking through thigh-high wet grass. My feet stayed dry for a couple hours but by the end of the hunt my socks were wet. My old ones had reached the point of not being any more water resistant than a pair of tennis shoes. These were much better than that but still let water in at the joint where the tongue, lowers and uppers all come together.

- they are tighter in the ankle area than my old ones. Guessing that will get better as they break in

All in all happy with the purchase and hope they last as long as my last pair. In terms of not being water proof, I knew what I was getting based on prior experience. I also bought some Le Chameau Chaussers for really wet conditions and those have been great so far (2 hunts). I guess I'll continue my pattern for the last 20+ years - wear the Russell's when walking a lot and tolerate damp feet and use the knee high rubber boot for really wet days and late season when the wet grass becomes an issue

I've got a picture of my wet socks but for some reason can't upload it

I wear 11 1/2 tennis shoes and my custom made Russels say 10 1/2 in them.

I wore mine during deer season and turkey. Washed mud off them 3 or 4x with a high pressure sprayer and they just barley got damp around zippers. My feet have not gotten wet but I would think they would if I got in running water over ankles. I did glob sno seal on stitching and let melt in hot car when I first got them.

Someone said on one of these posts that the Russells are heavier than rubber boot but my lacrosse alpha snakes weigh 1/2 pound more each than Russell's I have.

I think they are worth the $ just based on comfort alone. Seasons over here so I washed them good with saddle soap and will re apply leather treatment but they still look pretty good.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[ShortMagFan]

Yeah I've got another week here and then will do the saddle soap Obenhauf's treatment

I just compared new and old boots sole to sole. The new ones are definitely longer. They are worn so I guess I'll keep wearing them and then if I decide they are too big I'll get 9 1/2s and save these 10s for my 14 year old son who is growing boat paddles for feet