Bought my first (and last) pair 50 years ago this month when I and some other friends were given permission to hunt pheasant on a series of farms on the MD-PA border. All of them involved slogging through wet bottoms that drained corn and other grain fields and ran for miles between the ridges. I learned some valuable lessons very early on: (1) the "non-slip chain tread" soles were as advertised ONLY on level ground (and virtually useless on any accumulation of mud or snow at whatever the incline); (2) the uninsulated version even with 2 pr. of wool hunting sox were cold as hell at anything below freezing temps; (3) they leaked water at the rubber bottom/leather top stitch lines regardless of what waterproofing treatment used over time (including melted paraffin).
When it came time to send them back in for new bottoms, I had the originals replaced with insulated Vibram tread soles with metal shanks; the improvements in toasty toes and support and traction were most dramatic, but over time the "split backstay" design played hob with the Achilles tendon on my right heel. I'd come home from 5 or 6 hours in the field with wet feet again (leaky seams) and the added aggravation of a sorely chafed heel and calf.
As the once incredibly abundant pheasant population on our choice little farmsteads began to succumb to overuse of pesticides, clean-farming, and a marked explosion in feral house cats (introduced by well-meaning yuppies moving out to the country from places like Pikesville, Glen Burnie and Baltimore), I began to spend more of my time grouse hunting in northwestern MD, PA, and NY. On a grouse hunting trip to NH in 1999, a friend of mine introduced me to Muck Boots, which at the time all the dairy farmers were buying up with a frenzy for wearing around the farmsteads in the winter.
I brought a pair back with me from that trip and have never worn anything but since then for light- to medium-duty bird hunting. They are warm as toast, completely waterproof, offer plenty of arch and ankle support, and are fitted at the ankle such that they won't ride off even in the mud. An added bonus is that you can 'fold' them down for ventilation or cleaning, something I don't think you can do with any leather boot, especially laceups. I'm working on my second pair and even bought a "shorty" version for use while working around the yard. For my money, there's nothing like them.
BTW - check out the very latest Shooting Sportsman mag (got mine 2 days ago). They have a very informative special evaluation section on the best of the so-called "pac" boots available for this season's hunting.
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