Any of y'all know much about custom boots? Got quoted this for a pair and wanted to check around.

Uh, aren't there regulations or restrictions on using parts of endangered or threatened species in imported products?

Cant you bring a head back?

Pretty sure this is illegal. Elephants are a protected species, and as such, it is illegal to purchase via legal means anything made from them.

I know if you pay a LOT of money, you can go hunt game reserve culls in Africa legally, but I still think you cannot bring back any trophies without probably a boatload of paperwork.

I'm obviously out of the loop on boot styles, but I bought a pair of elephant skin boots at Cavenders in the late 80's that I still have today. I had them re-soled last year and still look brand new. Can you no longer buy elephant skin boots?

Considering you can buy Lucchese elephant skin boots, I'm assuming it is legal.

Try loveless boots in oklahoma city, someone else mentioned them in a prior thread on custom boots. I just started looking around at getting some custom boots made with a gator i'm planning on getting this year. I called Leddy's in San Angelo they wanted $1,300 if i provided the skin while loveless said it would be $850. $850 is their starting price on all boots if you provide the hide. Remeber these prices do not include the price of tanning the hide. I don't have any experience loveless so can't rep for them on comfort but they seem like they have a good reputation.

http://www.lovelessboots.com/

Gotta love one of the Politics Board libs wanting endangered species boots.

Still got my elephant skin boots that I bought at Cavendars in CS in the mid 80's. I think they are finally broken in. Those are some badazz boots!

Whoever said I was a lib Canyon?

And thanks for all the pointers y'all.

It is legal to buy elephant skin boots, gonna get some made.

Apparently, they last a lifetime if you take care of em.

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Pretty sure this is illegal. Elephants are a protected species, and as such, it is illegal to purchase via legal means anything made from them.

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You can go find elephant boots on the shelf at any Cavendar's I have a pair I bought there maybe 7-8 years ago. Saw some last month.

It is perfectly legal to hunt and kill elephants in most African countries. They are far from endangered and you can legally bring every bit of elephant hide and ivory into the US with proper permits. Illegally poached ivory is illegal to import etc.

DVM

Yeah, but it's fun to give him crap.

Had a pair of elephant hide when I was at A&M. Very comfortable, wore like iron.

Canyonag,

Didn't you go to West Texas A&M? That's not really A&M....

Don't get silly.

haha, just trying to get yer goat man...

You know that big canyon up der near Amarilla, that palo duro thingie...figured you was playin' aroun in it in yer twenties...

=)

wait a second here...I have a pair of elephant skin boots that are 30 years old and look brand new. There might be worth how much?

I bought a pair of elephants in 86 but my foot grew about two sizes since then. Wish I held on to them for that much cash.

ooookkkaaayyy......?

Anderson Bean custom =)

they still sell elephant skin boots at the store. my new gator boots have elephant heels. that stuff is bad arse!!

Here you go.
Rios of Mercedes elephants: $500.
http://www.tenersboots.com/products/men/boots/rios-of-mercedes-cigar-elephant-1910

I bought a pair of these last year. Great boots!

If you are willing to pay big money for custom then select a bootmaker that will actually do a fitting. Select one where you go to their shop and they measure both your feet and build/design to those specs.

I had Loveless Boots in Oklahoma City make my Elephant boots. He is a hunter and has gone to Africa several times. He knows the best tanneries also. My boots are maroon Elepant with Kangaroo tops and a white Block aTm on the front. When I need new soles I just send them back and they come back looking like brand new! Gary is a great guy to talk to alsoabout all types of hunting! I have had 4 sets of soles since 1995, went to the crepe sole after two sets of leather soles with double row of stitching. I wear them at least 4 days a week to my office.

I have a great pair of elephant boots! I love em!

Back in the early 80's I had a pair of elephant hide boots that I had won in a drawing at the old Boots N Jeans store in Amarillo.

Man, I loved those boots. Tough, tough, TOUGH and so great looking. I would still be wearing them if they hadn't been stolen out of my pickup while I was in church (in Lubbock, as if I needed another reason to hate that place). The left boot had a distinctive water stain from walking through a torrential rain storm between classes. For years I looked at every man's feet I came across in west Texas and if I had ever spotted those boots he would have been a bare footed dead man...


BTW - I believe the price of those boots were around $300 in '82, so your price for a pair of custom boots is only around twice that if you consider inflation...


[This message has been edited by agent-maroon (edited 2/17/2012 4:10p).]

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f you are willing to pay big money for custom then select a bootmaker that will actually do a fitting. Select one where you go to their shop and they measure both your feet and build/design to those specs.

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Anderson Bean and Rios both do traveling "trunk" shows where they fit you and let you design custom boots. You can also go in and see them if you want.

You can do full bore custom better than that at lusky's in cowtown. Also consider Becks in Amarillo.

just get some of these!

Jesse's here in Houston just quoted me 750 to build a set of custom elephant boots. They had anteater too (truly endangered) but the color was not what I wanted.

I have a pair of the Rios. If Im getting custom boots I use the original James Leddys in Abilene.

Just keep in mind importation is based on the country of orgin. As already stated, many elephant populations are doing extremely well. Some to the point of being a major nuisance. However, the are some, mainly the forest based populations that aren't doing so great.

One thing that may be Interiesting to watch is the taxonomy of elephants, and it's potential status impact. More current genetics work has some arguing the forest and savannah populations are in fact two completely different species. It hasn't gained a lot ground, but could make things interesting.--Off the top of my head, I don't think it would impact the countries you can already import from.