Our turkey season in Alabama is winding up; however, our birds took note early in the season and have long been hard to hunt. As I look forward to the next two weekends, I anticipate they will be two of my hardest weekends of turkey hunting because of the lack of interaction from these Alabama Easterns.
Rocky ProLight Waterproof Snake Proof Hunting Boot (Style #1570)
This season we did not travel much because all of my efforts and extra time over the last three months have been put into launching the Ladies in Camo website. I have been so busy with that task, I was unable to field test an array of products as I normally do. I did get the opportunity to field test two products that were both instrumental to some great hunts this season.
Living in the warm climate of the South and having my fair share of run-ins with venomous snakes, snake boots are an absolute “MUST HAVE” in my gear bag. My old snake boots were beyond repair after last season and I was in search of a new pair. I had my mind set on the Chippewa Boots or something similar that did not lace-up, but finding a pair for women that can comfortably fit larger calves – along with the added room of tucked in pant legs – has been near impossible. I was fortunate enough to find a pair of Rocky Snake Boots; however, the boots are men’s, but available in smaller women-friendly sizes.
The Rocky ProLight Waterproof Snake Proof Hunting Boot (Style #1570) performed very well in the field. The boot was very light weight and immediately formed to my foot by the second wearing. It is definitely water and MUCK proof since I wore the boots in the swamps mid-calf high many times and I even sprayed them off with a high-pressure sprayer while wearing them when I returned to the lodge … and they did not leak.
The boot is made of durable nylon and full grain leather with a ProLight BioMech outsole that provides excellent traction. The boots were just the right height on my shorter-than-average leg with the cut-away back for perfect comfort when bending at the knee. The boot is a lace-up boot, but also is available in a zip-side style in larger sizes (Style #1581).
Again, these boots come only in men’s sizes, but are available from a size 4 through a 13 medium or wide, so you can easily convert this to women’s sizes for a comfortable fit. The Rocky ProLight waterproof Snake proof boot has a MSRP of $154.99 and can be found at any Rocky Boot retailer.
Another item in my gear bag that brought GRAND success this season was Wild Evolution’s Devastator Series, Little Runt decoy. The design of the Little Runt Decoy is intentionally smaller in size resembling an inferior bird. The upright, stubborn and semi-confrontational posture provokes other birds to come in and investigate. This decoy works well by enticing a henned-up tom to break from courtship of his hens in efforts of domineering his brood.
The Little Runt is convenient carrying in the field, fits nicely in turkey vest bags, and can be easily and quickly set up. The stake is thin enough to be pushed into the ground with the foot peg that is built onto the stake. The body and head colors mimic that of wild turkeys so closely, at a glance it will fool even you in the field.
The Devastator Series Little Run decoy by Wild Evolution has a MSRP of $34.99 and can be ordered directly from Decoy Planet. Or for a short period you can take advantage of the Ladies in Camo Promo and get $10 off of this decoy with free shipping. Just use the promo code LIC2012 at checkout.
Ladies in Camo has two more turkey hunts scheduled this season with a few limited spots still available. I wish the best of luck to all of those that are still turkey hunting. If given the opportunity, I hope you DANCE.
Editor’s note: We’re heading off to hunt with the Guru Huntress soon! Why don’t you plan on joining her in 2012? Check out the wide variety of ladies’ hunts available at her website, Ladies in Camo.
The Women's Outdoor News, aka The WON, features news, reviews and stories about women who are shooting, hunting, fishing and actively engaging in outdoor adventure. This publication is for women, by women. View all posts by The WON
Thank you, Ellen and thank you for the kind words about the Ladies in Camo website.
You will absolutely LOVE the Little Runt decoy. I have witnessed the same scenario you speak of time and time again. We are fortunate enough to have a small investment in a vast array of turkey decoys and after our second trip to the field with the Little Runt, the decoy bag as well as the other various decoys were stored in the gear room closet–we never used another decoy the entire season.
Good luck to you and keep me posted on your success, Ladies in Camo would love to have your story and photo on our website to share with our viewers. I hope you Dance, my friend.
Nancy Jo
Thanks for the info, I have been thinking about getting a new pair of tall boots, and my alpha burly’s just aren’t cutting it, they are too wide in the heel and leave me with blisters everytime i try to go more than a mile or two in them (which they did while chasing turkeys this weekend) I might give these a try as I want snake boots too, and nice bird, keep shootin’ straight!
-Nicole “Bobcat” Grev
Nicole–
I have a VERY narrow heel and a wife forefoot so it is very hard for me to find a comfortable boot. This boot form fitted to my foot rather quickly and had virtually NO break-in time. I think you will be happy with the fit and craftsmanship of this product. My fall hunting boots are Kenetrek and Meindl boots which are both similar to European crafted boots. They both have the narrow heel with a wide toe box. You may want to look into those brands as well if you are looking for a lower hunting boot. One thing I have learned, and well, is that if you are NOT comfortable in the field, you will not remain there…to me, nothing is more important than quality, comfortable footwear and properly layered clothing. Good luck to you this season and thank you for the kind words.
Nancy Jo
thanks Nancy for a great article! I like the thought put behind the Little Runt decoy! I’ve often not hunted with a jake or tom decoy becuase I have witnessed other toms coming in then retreating at the site of another tom. So this little runt might be just the ticket to get them to come all the way in. Love your Ladies in Camo site as well.