Christmas is coming close, and while major gifts have doubtless already been bought, there are still stocking stuffers and smaller presents for an outdoorsman/woman/youngster that need to be bought.  Everyone knows that wives and mothers do most of that buying, and these busy shoppers too often know less than most about gifts for hard hunting, hard fishing, or hard trapping spouses or kids.  So, what can you buy them in these last days that they’ll truly appreciate and enjoy?

If that youngster is a serious or would-be fisherman, try making them a goody box or bag.  Several years ago I walked into a sporting goods store and simply started gathering.  I picked up hooks, sinkers, thin pencil floats, splitshot, swivels, and ice fishing spoons, along with a few spinners, crankbaits, fishing line in 10 pound test, long nosed pliers for removing hooks, and a nice little stringer for fish.  It didn’t cost much, but my nephew who’d received LOTS of sweaters, socks, new shirts, and other useful things kept coming back to that bag, and spent hours playing with its contents and arranging them in his tacklebox.

If the receipient is very young, you might try one of those combo rod and reel kits too, but not a piece of plastic junk that’ll fall apart in a few weeks.  Get something decent with line already on the closed face spool, and if the gift is for a husband or older angler, you might be ahead to buy a gift certificate, instead of serious tackle.  Older fishermen, like older hunters, know what they want and would rather buy it themselves.

 Then there are the nice little odds and ends, again available in sporting goods shops and major department stores.  What about a nice Rapala filleting knife, a hand warmer or two, Gortex gloves, a warm hat with imitation fur or wool on the inside ear flaps?  If ice fishing is a favorite sport, some sturdy insulated boots would be a good choice, or long john type underwear, or a short ice fishing rod, and maybe some little ice spoons in various colors.

Books are always good, to while away long winter months, and you’d be astonished at how many are out there waiting.  Check Amazon or your local book store, and you’ll find literally hundreds of books on bass fishing, hunting deer, waterfowl, panfish, crappie, walleye, camping, hiking, the list goes on forever.  Good reading and useful information.

If he or she is handy with their hands, think about a kit of some sort.  There are fly tying kits, kits that will turn into muzzleloader rifles or pistols like I received one Christmas.  There are some for making spinners and fishing lures, more for casting bullets or sinkers, kits for building and coloring jigs and bottom bouncers.  Again, useful pursuits for those long winter days, and come spring, plenty of new gear for hunting and fishing.

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources has their own wish list, and many of the offerings are good ones.  For example, there are Eagle Golf Cards for golfers, good at state park golf courses, and Cardinal Camper Club memberships good for 15 percent off camp fees at state parks.  There are resort lodge gift certificates at one of nine Ohio state parks for couples and families, nautical charts for boating on Lake Erie, an ODNR fishing map set that includes information on 72 Ohio lakes, books like Birds of Ohio and The Guide To Ohio State Parks.  Call 614-265-6513 for gift information and 614-265-6576 for fishing maps.

And don’t forget neat little items like walkie-talkies for conversation on hunting and fishing trips, dried foods like jerky and pemmican, sweat shirts that say “I’d Rather Be Fishing”, and plenty more.  The time is short, but there’s enough to buy some great things, and lack of knowledge won’t matter much for useful items like those above.

Tags: , , ,

Comments are closed.