’Tis the Season! If you’re over 40 you’re probably as amazed as I am that it’s Christmas time again. I swear that as we age the years seem to pass by more quickly. But with less than two weeks left before Kris Kringle arrives, what can we do but shop, wrap, revel in the Yule spirit and be happy we’re still around to enjoy another holiday. Just in case you’re having trouble finding the right gift for that special outdoor-oriented friend or family member, I’ve jotted down a few suggestions to ease the last minute shopping woes.
Pretty paper
I have a relative whose stock answer when asked what he wants for Christmas says; “Don’t go to a lot of bother shoppin’ and fightin’ the crowds; some pretty green paper with portraits of past presidents will do me just fine.” This character already owns a trailer truck load of hunting and fishing gear, so he is hard to buy for, but after a post holiday visit to the local rod and gun shop with his Christmas cash he ends up with the perfect present. “You got me just what I wanted” he chortled during last year’s thank you phone call the week after Christmas.
Although I have nothing against greenbacks, my inner child still gets a kick out of opening presents, so I compile a Christmas list. Other than cash, it’s the best way to help folks get what you really want, and in the right size and color, too. Paper is high on my gift list, but not in the form of legal tender. My favorite paper is covered with words, photos, and helps me continue to enjoy the outdoors when winter weather confines me inside. Books and magazines make wonderful presents that last for years and keep on giving.
Outdoor Life, Field and Stream, and Sports Afield are old standbys with cast-and-blast stories for everyone while for steadfast waterfowlers the new monthly magazine Wildfowl is engrossing. For a dual gift, enroll someone in Ducks Unlimited to help waterfowl and wet land preservation, and they get a monthly journal, Ducks Unlimited magazine, of stories and pictures of their favorite pastime. Sign a friend up with the National Rifle Association and not only will they be supporting a great outdoor organization but an annual subscription to either The American Rifleman or American Hunter will entertain them with technical information on guns and gear as well as a steady supply of where-to and how-to ventures.
Whitetail hunting is a large slice of Maine tradition and like most deer gunners, if I can’t be in the woods tracking and trailing, I can be reading about deer hunting and how to be better at it. Year after year Krause Publication keeps coming up with some of the most outstanding books found anywhere about all aspects of deer hunting, and this season is no different. Author Robert Wegner’s large hardcover, “Classic Deer Camps,” is a remarkable collection of stories, photos and illustrations from the “good old days” to the present. Much like its preceding best sellers, “Legendary Deer Camps and Legendary Deer Slayers,” this book touches the hunting heritage in all deer-stalkers and rewards each with a look back at the guns, gear and experiences of our fathers and grandfathers.
“Big Bucks The Benoit Way” by Bryce Towsley shares techniques and tactics used by the renown Benoit clan to continuously bag big bucks throughout New England. Hundreds of great photos and pages of beneficial hunting methods fill this large hardcover tome that’s sure to bring info and enjoyment to every whitetail hunter. Each of these coffee-table size books costs $30.
Dr .David Samuel and Robert Zaiglin co-wrote Whitetail Advantage, a thick, soft-cover volume that delves deeply into understanding deer behavior that yields consistent success for sportsmen in the know. The authors details the whitetail’s sense of smell and acute eyesight, what conditions affect deer movement, what triggers the rut and which bucks breed. A second soft-cover publication written by Dan Carlson titled “Trophy Bucks In any Weather” gives in-depth information on predicting deer behavior using weather conditions. A former meteorologist, Carlson cites barometric pressure changes, storm fronts, cold winds, rain, snow and many other weather patterns in relation to deer behavior. These two advice-filled books sell for $25 and $22, respectively, and are worth every penny.
If you can’t locate these four books locally, order on line at www.krausebook.com or call 1-800-258-0929 to have one or all shipped direct from the publisher. There’s still plenty of time to have one under the tree for the whitetail enthusiast on your shopping list.
Another type of paper I really enjoy finding in my Christmas stocking is my annual combination hunting and fishing license. My mom used to buy it for me every Yule and now my “Better Half” makes it her gift. She adds all the bells and whistles too: bear license, duck stamp, black-powder permit are all taken care of. Young or old, a license makes a great present, and with the New Year right around the corner, a sport wouldn’t want to miss a chance to chase a rabbit or set out an ice tip-up in 2009 because they forgot to get a new license.
Comfort and joy
Spend any great amount of time in Maine’s great outdoors contending with Mother Nature and you’ll have realized that a little comfort goes a long way toward enjoyment. Throughout any given year I seem to do a lot of sitting on either cold, hard or wet seats, sometimes all three. Perching on spring boat benches, bear stands, snow- covered stumps overlooking a deer run, a bucket in a duck blind or on a frozen lake, are just a few of my normal uncomfortable situations. But no more, Hunt Comfort cushions have turned any seat in any weather into not just endurable, but pleasant.
Hunt Comfort offers a dozen shapes, sizes and weights of cushions each with an adjustable carry strap and available in four different camouflage patterns. A soft, quiet outer material encompasses double-density foam, which in turn surrounds a center 1-inch core of Intelligel, a soft, cushioning, shape-hugging miracle of modern technology. My favorite soft seat is the Fat Boy, a 14x16x3-inch, 2-pound, 4-ounce cushion with a 40-inch adjustable shoulder strap that has helped hours in the turkey woods, on deer stands and in the boat pass pleasantly. Fat Boy cushions cost $60.
Fat Boy Lite offers the same dimensions and comfort but weighs a pound less and sells for $40. The new Hunt Comfort Climb-On seat is perfect on small-seat tree stands or narrow benches at 10x14x3 inches but still has all the luxury of larger models with less storage space required. The more time a sportsman can spend afield, his chances of success increase, and when legs don’t ache and your rear end isn’t numb, wet, or cold, outings tend to last longer.
Hunt Comfort cushions are available at many regional sporting goods stores as well as through several outdoor catalogs. In a pinch, call 1-888-757-3232 to order direct or ask questions or go on line at www.huntcomfort.com. Every Hunt Comfort product is made in the USA and comes with a three-year warranty.
ThermaCELL’s portable insect repellant is another great gift for sportsmen who spend hours among the bloodthirsty mosquitoes and black flies. Let me tell you right up front I was a skeptic — I doubted how well it would actually work and I figured the repellent odor would alert game animals to my presence. After many hours of trials on deer, moose and bear stands as well as turkey hunting and trout fishing, I’m a believer. I even purchased the larger model to use on my unscreened deck at the house to ensure less swatting and more enjoyment.
Using easily replaceable repellent-infused mats and a small butane cartridge, ThermaCELL emits an odor-free curtain that provides a 15-foot diameter pod of protection. Easy push-button startup and a light that indicates when the unit is operating are standard features in a green or camo body color. I recommend a belt holster for ease of transport plus a couple of repellent mat and fuel cartridge refills. ThermaCELL portable units cost about $25 and refill packs with three insect repellent mats and one butane cartridge sell for about $7.
Sporting goods stores, gun shops and even department stores carry ThermaCELL outfits and refill packs. If you can’t find any near you, call 1-866-753-3837 to make on order or you can even check out various models and accessories, then order on line at www.ThermaCELL.com.
My wife surprised me last Christmas with a gift I hadn’t ever mentioned and didn’t really think I needed, but after using it all fishing season I’ll never be without one again. It’s a four-foot, long-handled boat net handcrafted of laminate layers of ash, walnut and birds-eye maple. The deep net is comprised of rubberized mesh to reduce harm to fish, and the pocket measures 14½ by 20 inches to cradle those large trophy trout and salmon while the hook is swiftly removed.
After years of using a regular size trout net which was often too short, or an extendable, large-hooped aluminum net, cumbersome and space consuming in a canoe, L.L. Bean’s Katahdin boat net has proved to be a perfect fit. Made in Maine in woodworking shops just outside of Baxter State Park, this handsome and functional net sells for $79. It can be ordered on line at www.llbean.com or call 1-800-221-4221 to surprise your favorite fishermen at Christmas.
Stocking stuffers
Not a fly-caster worth his roll cast won’t enjoy a dozen dry flies in his stocking. A couple of mosquitoes, gray slim Jims, light cahills, Henryville specials and perhaps two or three colors of grasshoppers. Tandem streamer flies for spring trollers and a popper, a chugger and a spinner bait to restock the bass box are always good bets. A few 7½- and 9-foot tapered leaders for the trout rod and a roll of top-rate monofilament for the spinning reel aren’t expensive and always appreciated.
For the waterfowler, how about a couple of boxes of duck or goose loads, a new lanyard for calls or a pair of heavy wool socks for those frigid mornings wading in icy water to set out decoys. Outdoorsmen need extra packages of batteries for their walkie-talkie, GPS, headlamp or flashlight. A half-dozen chemical hand or toe warmer packs are great for hunters, ice fishermen or snowmobilers, and something I always need and never seem to have a roll at hand is heavy-duty duct tape.
Even the sportsmen who seems to have everything will lose, break or lend gear and need a replacement. Just listen close when they talk to friends on the phone or wander around mumbling to themselves to pick up a clue of what to buy. As a last resort, cash or a gift card will work; as my quirky relative says, it turns into exactly what he wants at the nearest rod and gun shop. Here’s hoping Santa finds your chimney this month.
Happy Holidays.