Here is a weird one...

DeSotoSky

DeSotoSky

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I've been at his a good while and I've never seen this one. A pair of boots?
eQnMGfl.jpg
t3VdxY6.jpg

Mini Alpha Hunter, ATS-34, c.2004 for Whitetails Unlimited. (not mine, for sale elsewhere)
 
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Meadowlark said:
Sorels.

Traditional choice of serious deer hunters up North.

I suspect that Sorel Corp. shared the cost of the knives.

Probably given away as prizes at the Whitetails Banquets.
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The reason I thout it was LLBean boots is the gum soles they are known for, and Bean had some Buck knives. I wear Sorels up here in AK-either way, both great boots.
 
DeSotoSky said:
I've been at his a good while and I've never seen this one. A pair of boots?
eQnMGfl.jpg
t3VdxY6.jpg

Mini Alpha Hunter, ATS-34, c.1994 for Whitetails Unlimited. (not mine, for sale elsewhere)
Click to expand...
The date code upside down T is for 2004. Where did you come up with the C 1994?
 
DeSotoSky said:
jb4570 jb4570 bertl bertl Thanks for pointing out my error. :thumbsup: :thumbsup: I corrected the post.
I really think it was just a brain fart. Nice to know my stuff actually gets read sometimes. :)
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You were just off due to this odd boot cutout 196! It is truly different with colored pad print boots. I have no idea, could be for LL Bean? There is a 196 cutout listed for 2004 listed on Joe's LE/SO list in the March 2005 BCCI news letter. However, it does not give the information of what the cutout is or who it was made for.
 
jb4570 said:
You were just off due to this odd boot cutout 196! It is truly different with colored pad print boots. I have no idea, could be for LL Bean? There is a 196 cutout listed for 2004 listed on Joe's LE/SO list in the March 2005 BCCI news letter. However, it does not give the information of what the cutout is or who it was made for.
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I'm assuming this one was a Banquet knife for Whitetails Unlimited.
I only showed the box lid before but the inside is fitted to the knife.
 
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I was looking on the net to see If I could find who/where. I did find a LL Bean 196 in a wood box with their signature Boot lasered into the top of the box from 2007, the LL Bean laser etched blade had a White Tail deer & horns cutout in the blade. I also found where the knife we are talking about is for sale.
 
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beeinak said:
The reason I thout it was LLBean boots is the gum soles they are known for, and Bean had some Buck knives. I wear Sorels up here in AK-either way, both great boots.
Click to expand...
they are definitely much more likely to be Bean boots, especially since they've done collaborations with LL Bean before and they're both American companies while Sorrell is a Canadian company owned by a conglomerate and outsourcing low quality from overseas for a number of years now.
 
Hickory n steel said:
they are definitely much more likely to be Bean boots, especially since they've done collaborations with LL Bean before and they're both American companies while Sorrell is a Canadian company owned by a conglomerate and outsourcing low quality from overseas for a number of years now.
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Unfortunately the quality does not seem the same now as my 25 yr old Sorels.
 
Hickory n steel said:
they are definitely much more likely to be Bean boots, especially since they've done collaborations with LL Bean before and they're both American companies while Sorrell is a Canadian company owned by a conglomerate and outsourcing low quality from overseas for a number of years now.
Click to expand...
I don't see that Whitetails Unlimited has done other collaborations with Bean.

I do see that Bean is listed as a supporter of W.U. and I can't find anything about Sorel being a supporter.

However, the boots in the blade cutout do look much like the original Maine Hunting Shoe created in 1912 by Leon Leonwood Bean--the distinctive four lines going out toward the toe of the boot and the waffle pattern of the sole seem proof enough.

Built to Last: The Story of the Original L.L.Bean Boot | Inside L.L.Bean at L.L.Bean

Find the best Built to Last: The Story of the Original L.L.Bean Boot at L.L.Bean. Our high quality 2020 Stories Built to Last: The Story of the Original L.L.Bean Boot are thoughtfully designed and built to last season after season.
www.llbean.com www.llbean.com

So that's enough to settle it for me. Maybe they thought the style of them was so unmistakable that no I.D. was needed.

Very interesting knife. Thanks for posting it, Desoto.
 
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