I'm in the market for some new hunting boots and checked out my local Gander Mountain today, but just can't stomach the prices they charge (everything in their store is between 10%-20% higher than I can get elsewhere). On my drive home from work I pass a Red Wing shoes/boots store but have never stopped in to check it out. Thought I would swing by and look at their hunting boots, but since I've never worn Red Wing boots before I'm leery if they are a good brand. Anyone have experience with Red Wing hunting boots? Recommendations? Looking for some insulated, water proof boots.

Thanks!

Lacrosse or Muck get my vote.  I'm not even sure if Redwing makes any real hunting boots.  
 

Red Wing Shoes hunting boots

Redwing makes a great work boot, but I find them to be too narrow for my foot.

You might look into the Keen offerings, they have some really swank waterproof ones.

Just bought my wife a pair of Keen women's 3/4 ankle hiking boots and she loves them.

Anyone care to try and explain (in layman's terms) the difference between 200g Thinsulate, 400g Thinsulate, 600g Thinsulate, 800g Thinsulate, and 1,000g Thinsulate? I get each represents better insulation, but how much of a appreciable/noticeable difference is there between each level? I'm mostly hunting in northern Minnesota in early to mid November, which means it can be in the 20F-40F range during the day. Usually no snow until late November to early December, but there can be snow or moisture in early November.

My foot got stuck in a redwing boot after it swelled up when I got it wet. had to cut it off!

My Fire Department has a program with our Foreign Fire Insurance Board that helps us purchase Red Wing boots every few years.  I have also bought my own Red Wings for home use that are not on the "buy" list.  

I have worn the slip on boots, lace up boots, steel toe, and carbon fiber toe.  They all are great in my opinion.  Very comfortable, very durable.  The guys in the Red Wing store have an old school approach to fitting shoes that you won't find in a regular shoe store.  The store also replaces boot laces and gives a cleaning/polish for free.  My favorite of all are the carbon fiber safety toe.  In the winter they don't get as cold as the steel toe does.  They are also remarkably comfortable.  I usually noticed the steel toe (of other brands) biting into my toes when I crouched down and the boot bends a little.  Not a problem with the carbon fiber.  Part of the comfort is also attributed to the arch support insole that I buy separate.  It sucks that these aren't just sold in the shoe already, especially considering how many folks need them.  They are worth the money though.

Now.......even though I am a big fan of Red Wing, have several types of their boots, and wear them all the time, my hunting boots are a pair of Thinsulate lined LaCrosse boots.  I bought them back when I was on active duty and they have been awesome every year since.  I HATE getting cold feet, hands, and ears.  For the toes, I usually wear a pair of thermal socks and add a warm toes patch.  The Thinsulate is great compared to other boots, but doesn't keep the cold out forever.  With the toe warmer my feet get toasty and stay that way till the sun has been up a while.

I bought the LaCrosse before I had such easy access to Red Wing, and the boots are still good.  If anything happened to the LaCrosse, I would default to just wearing my reliable Red Wings on the hunt.

By the way, in October and November when it is still reasonably warm outside the thinsulate in the LaCrosse are actually too hot!  Walking through the woods gets to be a little uncomfortable.....Makes it nice to sit still with light layers once you get to the stand......

My boots are 900 thinsulate.  They are plenty toasty (almost too much) when it is above 30* and walking.  30-40* and sitting still, they are great.  Below 30* I usually break out the toasty toes.

I have hats and gloves that are 200 thinsulate that are good across a large temp range.  They get a little chilly below 30* if you are just sitting, but most of the time are just right (at least for me and my cold tolerance).  If it is below 30* and I have been sitting for a while, I put hand warmers in the cuff of my hat and inside the palm of my gloves.  That is enough to keep the chill off without overheating.

It's all relative to how well you tolerate cold, how active you are, if the wind is blowing, if you are sheltered, etc.

EDIT:  I should add that my friend has 1000 Thinsulate and his feet also get cold in the stand.  He bought some kind of foot covering that he puts on once he gets settled.  It cuts the wind and he says that his feet are much warmer and he is much more comfortable now.  I hunt in a ground blind most of the time, so the wind isn't as big an issue for me as just sitting there getting cold.  

If I was in your shoes, I would probably be looking at 600 or 800 Thinsulate, GoreTex, waterproof boots that are 10" high or so.  Based on your link, the Havoc or Elk Tracker look like they MIGHT be good options.

Sorry to hear about your foot.......

Cutting it off coyote style is pretty rough!  

Did Red Wing give you a peg leg as compensation?  

I don't know if I can explain too well in layman's terms, but here's what I've found from personal experience (and I live and work outdoors in southern MN):
200g - too warm for summer, obviously.  Makes for a good insulation down to about 20F (for me) with light to moderate activity.
400g - the standard weight for my winter boots.  Good in snow, cold, etc.  Think typical MN winter (not like the last one).  OK for light to moderate activity, but if you're moving around a lot then maybe too much insulation.  I've found I'm OK down to about 0, maybe -5F, although not sitting still.  From your description of what you need, this is probably what I would go with.
600, 800g - never owned either one.
1000g - the heaviest I've worn.  Too hot for anything but sitting still on a really cold day (think -20F).  I don't even like that weight for snowmobiling.  I have a pair of 1000g winter work boots (similar to a pac boot), but they're just too hot and bulky for most outdoors work.  The last time I used those boots and actually put them to good use was out on a lake in January, doing a body recovery.  Long time standing around, waiting for the divers, and it was -15F for the day with a pretty good wind.  Everything else on me was cold, but my feet weren't.

If I'm snowshoeing, I'll wear a non-insulated waterproof boot down to about 0F.  Below that, a 200g pair of boots.  I won't wear anything warmer, no matter how cold it gets.  If I'm out far enough from civilization that safety is an issue, I'll just carry a spare pair of heavy wool socks.  My feet sweat like crazy while snowshoeing, and too warm of a boot makes for a bad day.

If you're worried about getting the right weight of insulation, think about this: get a lighter, general purpose pair of boots.  If you're sitting in a stand, and it's too cold, get the insulated over-boots.  I've never tried them, but seems like a good idea.  Heat packs work OK, too, like someone else mentioned, but I hate the way they feel in the boot.

As for Red Wings, I haven't owned any of their stuff for 20 years.

Try Cabela's brand hunting boots.  Good selection, good quality, and they're having a sale this weekend on all their hunting stuff, including clothes and boots.

Pictures or it didn't happen!!!!!

Red Wing makes a good work boot. I have a couple pairs of their boots but wouldn't say their hunting style. More factory worker style IMO. I get them for the steel-toe protection. Not sure what kind of lightweight stuff they offer that would be useful for hunting purposes. GL

No pics... it was several years ago. They did offer a peg but I refused.. they offered wood, I wanted caron fiber! bastages!

Thanks for the info. While I will be hunting from a sheltered stand (i.e. sitting on my behind for hours), my hands and feet just get downright cold in the winter. I think 600-800g thinsulate will be best for me in conjunction with a good sock and chem warmers. Wish Cabela's store was closer to me. I'm in the southwest metro, and the nearest Cabela's is an hour drive.

You know, I was watching a show (I think on NOVA or Discovery or something) where they were studying hot and cold therapy.  They took volunteers and put them in a tub of ice water.  After a short while of monitoring their vital signs, they had the volunteers/test subjects grab special handles that they were designing.  The handles had hot water pumping through them.  The test subjects all said that they had immediate relief from the cold when gripping the handles, even though they were still sitting in ice.  

I bring this up because you may look to other sources of warmth if you have issues with the cold.  I have thought about buying one of those little propane heaters for my blind.  It may eliminate the need for all the hand and toe warmers.

I am not too worried about scaring away deer.  I bring the jet boil for fresh coffee about mid morning and have had does walk up to within 6 ft of my blind.  They don't even seem to pay attention from 15 to 30 yards around the blind.  

Trapping core heat and using good boots, gloves, and hat seem to be the key to winter hunting comfort.

I wore these Red Wing 2233 everyday for four years while I worked in a materials yard.  No complaints from me.  Comfy enough for working on your feet for 8 hours at a time.

I have only spoke with guys about Red Wing work boots, and they seem to like them.

That being said, for late fall, and winter hunting my go to boots are Muckboots almost every time, comfy enough to walk in all day, waterproof to the knee, and pretty rugged, I have been using the same pair for two years now, and I am rough on hunting boots.

If it is really cold out, and I am doing a sit for deer I will grab some surplus mickey mouse boots, but for doing drives or hunting any other critter muck all the way.

Worth every penny

Since American made boots seem to be highly regarded in this thread, take a gander at this link.  http://www.americanmadeworkboots.com/index.html

Irish Setter is redwing's name for a hunting boot.  They may be going after a higher demographic.  I've owned one pair that the store happened to order in my size for someone who never picked them up.  I got them cheap.  It's an insulated boot, something I've never needed in the south- my feet don't get that cold.  But these are the most comfortable boot I've had in my life-  I'd wear them all the time if it weren't for the insulation.

I wear steel toe 24/7 either boots or shoes, and I've had 20+ pair of redwingshe only pair I didn't like was a set of vibrham luged boots with nyulon over the toes that would not break in, and had a seam right against my ankle.  Also last time I checked RW doesn't make a dressy style loafer in steel toe, so I buy a different brand.

Steel toes are now composite in most cases anyway.

I have a pair of Red Wings that are full-leather, and goretex. They are in a word: awesome. Best boots I've ever had. I put a pair of Superfeet insoles in them, and since then my feet have morphed and evolved into two little white lights coming out of my pants, I just float to anywhere I want now.

Thanks for the feedback all. I think I will stop in at their shop on my way home from work and check out some of their boots. I'm a firm believer in the "nothing ventured, nothing gained" adage. Best case scenario I try some on and they fit great and I like them. Worse case scenario I try some on and don't like them and am only out an hour of my time. Not bad scenarios either which way.

I picked up some Irish Setters about 8 years ago and they have become my favorite hunting boot.  Durable, good fit and very comfortable.  These had a nice toe guard to keep the front of the boot from taking damage from ground clutter and tree stands.  I bought a lighter insulated pair last year but haven't had a chance to stomp around the woods in them.  You can find them on clearance when the come out with newer models/styles.

I've been using Redwing boots for the last few years as work boots.  I've seem some hunting boots in their Irish Sitter line.  If you are looking into Redwings as a source of US made boots, remember to check the label on the tongue of the boots first.  Many of the boots on display at my local Redwing store are made in China.  It appears that they haver merger a lot of the old Worx line into the the main Redwing branding.  

Also, both the lace up and slip on boots that I have bought in the last few years are making it about 1 year before needing to be re-soled.  I've been spending between $150 to $200 on boots that need around $75 in repairs (re-soling and a new set of insoles) after just one year of wear.  I'm currently debating Belleville, Converse or Georgia boots to put my $125 boot allowance toward for this year.  

I've quit using my Redwings for work and have been wearing an old pair of zip-side Bates boots.  My lace up boots need new insoles and the slip on boots that I just had redone a few months haven't felt right since I got them back.  They started slipping around too much while walking and were causing a rash on my calves.

Yep both Danner and RedWing have a China made side in addition to their US production.  The Chinese danners are generally the ones that aren't resoleable, I have one pair of them as they were one of the very few extra wide boots.  

My winter work boots are RedWings with a double insulated steel toe box.  I balked at that with the salesmen but he assured me the insulation was effective and it has been for me.  What sold me is the guys who work at the ice rink were wearing these on the ice with no complaints.