Snake Boots

[tarawa]

Of all the things I fear, I fear poisonous snakes the most. Here in Florida we have our share. Mocassins, Diamondbacks, Pigmy Rattlers and Coral snakes are all over these swamps and woods. The Coral snakes don't bother me, but the others scare me. My wife bought me some snake boots for Father's day. I hope they work! Any insight on these? How about any of you Africans and Australians? Surely you guys have many more varieties of nasty snakes than we do.

 

[Thunder head]

I have never had the chance to test mine against a snake. Hope i dont. I love mine. They are comfortable and allow you to cross deeper water than most boots. They also keep your feet from getting soaked by the heavy dew we have around here.
Between hog & turkey hunting i have hundreds of miles on mine.

 

[tarawa]

I wore mine around last night to see if they were comfortable enough. They are surprisingly comfortable! Brand is LaCrosse.

 

[Macs B]

Here's a little incentive for you!

 

[tarawa]

Mac,
If I came across that rattler while hunting, a pair of adult diapers would serve me equally as well as the boots!

 

[Macs B]

And I wonder why people think I'm a A-hole!

 

[Red Leg]

Never have gotten the snake boot thing. I grew up in South Louisiana and spent my youth in the marshes and swamps where we have all the blessings of Florida's creatures with the exception of the Eastern Diamondback. Military postings have taken me from OK to the National training Center to TX and across the Middle East where we spent hundreds of days in the field. In so doing I have stumbled across litterally dozens of snakes. In all that time, I have actually known exactly two people actually bitten by a poisonous snake. One was a child playing with a copperhead and the other was a fisherman digging under the seat of a flat bottomed boat that had become the den of a cottenmouth. In all that time, I have never met a single person actually struck in the leg or foot by a poisonous reptile. Oh I have heard all the stories of course, but it is really hard to meet someone who was actually a victim of a leg strike. I also look at the typical African PH who spends most of his early and late seasons in bare legged proximity of things like mambas and adders which make most our threats seem fairly tame. I really think the whole danger is way over blown to the happy benefit of the snake boot makers.

 

[Macs B]

Never have gotten the snake boot thing. I grew up in South Louisiana and spent my youth in the marshes and swamps where we have all the blessings of Florida's creatures with the exception of the Eastern Diamondback. .

When I lived at FT Polk the only authorized early shooting during duck season was the three or four shots required to kill out the cotton mouths in and around the blinds! There was an old game warden named Evereet that always came by to check when he heard early shots, if he saw the dead snakes hanging off the blind he'd just drive through.

 

[tarawa]

While shopping for my boots, I was trying out the Rocky snake boot. A nice gentleman (customer) came over and suggested that I try the LaCrosse boot. He said that he was wearing his Rock snake boots while hunting in South Texas and was jabbed in the leg by a thorn. It had penetrated the Rock boot. He contacted Rocky and they blew him off. I have always liked the Rocky products, but went with his suggestion with the LaCrosse boot.

 

[billrquimby]

I've lived and hunted among rattlesnakes in Arizona all my life and have never felt the need for snake boots.

As for Africa, snake boots would be nice to have if someone stepped on a puff adder or a Gabon viper. I'm no expert, but the several adders and vipers I saw in South Africa and Zambia seemed more lethargic and less aggressive than our rattlers.

Mambas and cobras are something else, and I suspect they would strike high up on a human's body. I've only seen one of each while hunting in Africa, and snake boots would not have saved me if either had decided to bite.

Bill Quimby

 

[Shallom]

Tarawa... anything to protect you from snakes is a good invention in my opinion. But that is because i simply do not like snakes as they make my skin tingle and have ruined many a hunt for me. I have nothing against them, but there is something about them that does not agree with me. Thanks to my trackers, we make wide circles around snakes, or they never alert me of one if it poses no danger to our hunting party. There are many out here but over so many years of hunting, i have had only two close calls and none of my boys or guests have even been bit. I myself walk barefoot sometimes and mostly wear shorts with low-cut shoes, but i recommend anything that makes you feel safer. Please post a picture of your shoes. I remember having most of my snake encounters while in college in Florida. They always hung around the lake and we loved to fish, swim and jet-ski in it. Every summer there used to be a drive organised by the school to shoot as many as possible just to make it safe for the students as the snakes would make their way into the dorms many times. I offered to help with the shooting but was never allowed to

 

[AfricaHunting.com]

Snake Gaiters from TurtleSkin

tarawa, there is another alternative to snake boots... snake gaiters specifically designed with a material that gives you protection against snakes while remaining lightweight and cooler than boots can be a good option to consider. It can also be a great addition if walking in sandy, thorny or dry grass areas, this is especially true if wearing low cut hunting shoes. Snake gaiters can easily be removed and packed away if not needed... I personally do not own a pair though wanted to share this with you. The protective snake gaiters that I am showing in the pictures are from TurtleSkin, they are not cheap and can be purchased from Cabelas.

 

[tarawa]

Tarawa... anything to protect you from snakes is a good invention in my opinion. But that is because i simply do not like snakes as they make my skin tingle and have ruined many a hunt for me. I have nothing against them, but there is something about them that does not agree with me. Thanks to my trackers, we make wide circles around snakes, or they never alert me of one if it poses no danger to our hunting party. There are many out here but over so many years of hunting, i have had only two close calls and none of my boys or guests have even been bit. I myself walk barefoot sometimes and mostly wear shorts with low-cut shoes, but i recommend anything that makes you feel safer. Please post a picture of your shoes. I remember having most of my snake encounters while in college in Florida. They always hung around the lake and we loved to fish, swim and jet-ski in it. Every summer there used to be a drive organised by the school to shoot as many as possible just to make it safe for the students as the snakes would make their way into the dorms many times. I offered to help with the shooting but was never allowed to

Shallom,
I am with you. I just don't like snakes. here is a picture off the net of my boots.

 

[DUGABOY1]

Shallom,
I am with you. I just don't like snakes. here is a picture off the net of my boots.

I don't have a pair of the LaCrosse snake boots, but I can tell you the brand is top of the line! I have a pair of LaCrosse hip boots that are 24 yrs old and have been to Alaska every other year from 1985 till last yr, and still do not leak, and are as plyable as they were the day I bought them. I also have a knee length pair of LaCrosse rubber boots that are 5 yrs old and look exactly like they did the day I bought them as well. Good product.

The gaiters mentioned are good as well, especially in hot weather of Florida's swamps, and marshes. The palmettos are just chock full of big bitters! Any one who is not worried about being bitten in that stuff, has never seen the leg of someone who has been hit good! It will make a believer out of you quickly.

 

[tarawa]

Duggaboy1,
So when are you going to come hog hunting with me? Maybe a buffalo in the near future!

 

[DUGABOY1]

Duggaboy1,
So when are you going to come hog hunting with me? Maybe a buffalo in the near future!

I'd love to do some hog, and buffalo hunting in the palmetos, and marsh of Florida! Do a little double rifle whacking

 

[tarawa]

Even though shooting a hog over dogs is a little of a let down., being in the woods and marsh with your friends and favorite rifle is great boost for your well being. Now how do I go about joining your double rifle society?

 

[fly4fish]

Well, it seems I'm a little late on this thread, but I just want to let you know that I have been through a few different brands of snake boots and the Danner Pronghorns are my favorite. I will probably buy another pair when I wear these out, although I have been wearing TurtleSkin Snake Gaiters lately, so it will be a while. If you are looking for gaiters they are the only way to go. Light and comfortable.

If I can figure out how to do it, here is a link to the site where I learned about the boots and gaiters: Snake Proof Gear

 

[steve.pitts]

Here is a couple of pics of a Cape Cobra I took this past week on my first safari. Needless to say I kept my distance while my PH tried to get him to bow-up.

Steve

 

[Kiwi505]

Well, that is one thing I don't have to worry about up here!