Footwear

It’s hard to enjoy a day of hunting if your feet are cramped, wet or cold. Many turkey hunters in Oregon have at least two different pairs of boots to meet the variety of conditions they might encounter while hunting.

Rubber boot for cold, wet conditions

Rubber knee boots are a good choice when conditions are cold and wet, and/or when you’ll be sitting for hours in a ground blind. Many boots are insulated to help keep your feet warm. If you’re looking at uninsulated boots, buy them ½ to one size larger than you normally wear. This will give you room to wear a pair of thick, warm socks with them.

Disposable toe warmers or electric socks also will help keep your feet warm when you’re sitting for hours in a ground blind.

Hiking boots when it’s warm and dry

Quality hiking boots are the better choice in warm, dry conditions and/or when you’re going to be covering some ground to locate turkeys. Opt for waterproof boots to keep your feet dry while crossing streams or other wet areas.

Never wear your boots for the first time on a hunting trip. Instead, break them in prior to the season so you know they fit properly and what socks you should wear with them.

Gators over your hiking boots can keep snow or grass seeds from getting into your boots.

The more time you spend turkey hunting, the more pairs of boots you might acquire. Once you’ve hunted in 20º temperatures in the snow, or in 80º temperatures in the dry, blazing heat -- and once you’ve found yourself traversing creeks, wet, grassy fields, brushy hills and clearcuts -- you might find you want an additional pair of boots for specific types of weather or habitat.