Shooting Boots

Good shooting boots are one of those pieces of kit that make or break a day out. Cold feet, soaked socks or a rubbed heel can turn a well-planned stalk or driven day into something you'd rather forget. The right pair of boots, matched to the ground you shoot over, means the gear stops being something you think about at all.

What you actually need depends on how and where you shoot. For stalking, particularly in Scottish terrain, the hills of Wales, or wet woodland anywhere in the UK, a proper leather stalking boot with a stiff sole and ankle support is the sensible choice. Stalking boots need to cope with side-slope walking, river crossings and long days under load, and a lighter walking boot simply won't hold up. Look for Gore-Tex membranes, a protective rubber rand and a sole firm enough to edge on a side slope.

For driven game shooting, peg shooting and standing work on wet stubble or ploughed ground, shooting wellies are often the more practical choice. A decent pair of rubber shooting boots keeps you dry through the mud and grass most of the year and pulls off easily at the end of the day. Neoprene-lined wellingtons extend the comfortable temperature range considerably and are worth the extra outlay if you're out regularly in winter.

Walking boots cover the middle ground, rough-shooting, pigeon decoying, foxing at distance, or clay grounds where you're on your feet but not covering serious miles. A mid-cut leather walking boot with a good membrane is enough for most UK fieldwork outside the high hills.

A few things worth getting right regardless of type. Sizing, if you're going to wear technical shooting socks you need to try the boots with those socks on, because a boot that fits with thin liners will be painful with 6mm merino. Break them in, no leather boot performs on its first outing, and a full day of walking in brand-new boots is asking for blisters. Waterproofing, reproof leather regularly with a wax dressing, and check the stitching on rubber boots for perishing before the start of each season.

If you're unsure what's right for your shooting, or you want to try boots on before buying, we're happy to help, either in our Bromsgrove shop or over the phone. All boots in our range are dispatched from stock for fast UK delivery.