10 Gift Ideas For The Deer Hunter On Your Christmas List
Okay, this is the first such list I've ever written. I got the idea from my good readers. Several of your Better Halfs emailed me and asked what should they get their deer hunters for Christmas. Some held me to a price range, some didn't. So I sit down and made a list of all the cool stuff a Deer Hunter could want for Christmas. Sadly, I had to narrow it down to just 10. Somehow a post title "2001 Gift Ideas For the Deer Hunter On Your Christmas List" seemed a bit long! 
Now all you have to do is email this list to your Spouse or Better Half or just print it out where they can find it.
So, here are 10 gift ideas for the Deer Hunter on your Christmas list. They vary in price range so that anyone can afford at least one of them. You Guys and Gals can thank me later!
Hunter's Specialties Butt Out Big Game Dressing Tool
Cost: $9.99
Some of you may remember back last year when I did a review of the Butt Out Tool. Every time I use this, I can't believe I didn't invent it. It's so darn easy to do and makes a crappy job (pun intended) easier and cleaner. Get this for your Deer Hunter, they will thank you the next time they field dress a Deer.
Razor Edge Sharpening System
Cost: Kits - $22.95 to $229.95 - individual hones less
If it's one thing I love more than a great gun (okay, maybe I should have said 'as much'), it's a great knife. I don't know why, but I just feel a special connection when I'm handling a good knife. So it only stands to reason that I have used nearly every sharpening system known to a Hunter. Diamond hones, Arkansas Hones, etc. You name it, I've tried it. Nothing has ever given me a great edge like the hones I bought nearly 20 years ago from Razor Edge Systems. If you have trouble maintaining a correct edge on your knife while sharpening, then get the Guides. I'd recommend reading the book and/or watching the video if you're not skilled in bringing a knife to a razor sharp point. Click here to visit Razors Edge Systems. They also make hones for fish hooks and broadheads. I'd recommend getting your Deer Hunter one of their kits.
Lifetime Hunting and Fishing License
Cost: Varies from State to State
I'm not sure if every State has a Lifetime Hunting & Fishing License. I do know that Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas and Kansas do. These make excellent...and I mean EXCELLENT gifts for your kids. They're also not too shabby for other Deer Hunters in the Family if they do not already have one. My Dad bought my Oklahoma Combo Hunting and Fishing license for my 16th birthday. Back then, they were $225. I can't tell you how many times these have paid for their self. I've lived in different states for about 15 years of my adult life and it was always a great feeling to know I could come back to Oklahoma and hunt or fish without having to buy those expensive Non-Resident license! Contact your States Wildlife Department to see if they issue Lifetime License and the procedure for obtaining them.
Brownell's NRA Officially Licensed Magna-Tip Screwdriver Set
Cost: $49.99
I hate working on a gun or scope mounts with regular screwdrivers. In fact, I won't unless it's an emergency. Regular screwdrivers are not designed to work with the screws that hold your gun together. They're tapered and do not grab the screw properly. Few things in life are as ugly as damaged gun finishes caused by someone using a regular screwdriver on a gun. Get yourself, or the Deer Hunter in your life, a Magna-Tip screwdriver set from Brownell's. These are the nicest and most durable set of screwdrivers I've used. I've had a set for over 10 years and it has saved me from screaming curse words many times over while working on my guns. The set I'd recommend is the NRA Officially Licensed Magna-Tip Kit. You can see a video of all of the Magna Tip sets by clicking here.
Magellan Triton 300 Handheld GPS Unit
Cost: $149.99
Even if your Deer Hunter goes hunting behind your house, they should always have a compass or GPS unit with them. Nowadays many hunters are carrying these little handheld GPS units with them hunting, fishing, hiking and camping. Many more are using them for navigation while driving. I prefer the basic GPS units. I just want to know where I started from, my waypoints(stand locations or fishing spots) and where I've been. I don't need all the bells and whistles that come with many of the GPS units on the market today. The Magellan 300 has all these features and a few more, but not so many useless features as to leave you needing a 300 page manual to figure it out.
Custom Hunting Knife
Cost: Varies
Recently I went shopping for a hunting knife. Since I recently move and I'm in the middle of a renovation, all of mine somewhere in a storage building and I had no intentions of digging through the building and finding them. I have to say, I was more than disappointed with the current crop of mass produced "hunting knives" on the market today. Too many come with crappy plastic handles. What's even more disheartening is the designs? Who is designing our hunting knifes? Klingons? These things look like something out of a Science Fiction movie! They're crap! I did finally locate one of my fixed blade Case hunting knives (by accident). I've had this particular knife nearly 20 years. If you're like me and love a good hunting knife, try buying a custom one. There are many good knife makers out there who know how to design and build a hunting knife. I personally like a blade between 3 and 4 inches long with a drop point. The Loveless designed knives are just right in my opinion and Beretta makes one that Mr. Loveless designed. Dozier Knives makes several excellent hunting knives. Consider them an investment you can hand down to your children. You can also shop on ebay and find hunting knives by up and coming knife makers. The only thing is about ebay is you'll have to sort through a lot of junk but there are some jewels there! There are many fine knives for you to choose from once you get past those. We no longer have to choose from the crap that mass producers push on us.
NRA Membership
Cost: $35 per year
I think every Hunter and Gun Owner should belong to the NRA. If not, don't whine when you guns or ammo are taxed or legislated away. Although other organizations are out there to help Hunters and Gun Owners, only the NRA is large enough to actually help us. I don't agree with them 100% of the time, but at least they have the muscle to do something. By the way, if you don't know about The American Hunters and Shooters Association, stay away from them. They're actually an anti-hunting, anti-gun group formed by the Democrats to try and divide NRA members to lessen their impact on elections. For a political party to go to this extreme in starting and organizing an association to try and trick Sportsmen and Gun Owners, should show you in easy to understand terms, what they have in mind. By the way, the link above is not to their site, it's to the NRA's Fact Sheet on The American Hunters and Shooters Association. You'll learn a lot more at that site.
Gift Cards
Cost: $10 and up
I use to think Gift Cards were cheesy. I still do in a lot of ways. But I understand us Deer Hunters can be a hard lot to buy presents for. So if you have a Deer Hunter on your Christmas list and you don't know what to get him or her, go to one of the online retailers and purchase a gift card for them. There are many to choose from. Some of my favorites are Campmor, Cabela's, Bass Pro, Gander Mountain, Midway USA, Brownell's and Amazon (for hunting books). This way, they can get what they've been wanting and you come out smelling like a Rose!
Magazine Subscriptions
Cost: $15 and up depending on the Magazine
Magazine subscriptions are gifts that keep on giving. When I was a kid, one of my favorite birthday or Christmas presents were magazine subscriptions to Outdoor Magazines. Back then, my favorite were the "Big Three". Outdoor Life, Sports Afield and Field and Stream. This was back in a time when they still wrote excellent articles about hunting and fishing. Back before they went Yuppiefied and starting writing crap like kayaking on Alaskan Bays or Biking down a Yosemite trail. I haven't picked one of those magazines up in ages. They have forgotten who their readers are in my opinion. Instead, the magazines I tend to pick up now are ones like Fur-Fish-Game, Deer and Deer Hunting, North American Whitetail (not real crazy about this one either), Bowhunter, Muzzleloader Magazine and Traditional Bowhunter. Two others that I highly recommend are Backwoods Home and The Backwoodsman. Both are excellent magazines although they're not entirely hunting related.
Books about Shooting and Deer Hunting
Cost: $10 and up
Just as with my magazine choices, the books I read on Hunting and Shooting tend to be older. It seems the older I get, the less I can stomach most of the commercialized junk that gets passed off as Deer Hunting literature. Some of my favorite authors are Charles Alsheimer, Peter Fiduccia, John Weiss, Leonard Lee Rue III, Gene and Barry Wensel and a few others. If you're Deer Hunter is really into Shooting and Hunting, try getting them some books that are out of print. You'll pay dearly for them, but they'll be a unique and original gift! Some of my favorites are any book by Jack O'Connor, One Man's Whitetail by Gene Wensel, BowHunting Rutting Whitetails by Gene and Barry Wensel, Bowhunting Alaska's Wild Rivers by Jay Massey. Actually, any book by the late jay Massey is an excellent gift. I have several signed books of his and hold them dearly. I also like "How To Bag The Biggest Buck Of Your Life" by Larry Benoit. The original has long been out of print and is quite pricey. There was a new printing of the Paperback a few years ago and they're in the normal price range of books. You can find any of the books I listed here by searching Amazon.
Okay, so there you have it. 10 gift ideas for the deer hunter on your Christmas list. Yes, I wrote "Christmas!". I hope you have a Merry one at that! There's no need for you to get another blaze orange tie with Deer on it or a Sweatshirt with a Big Buck on the front. Now you have an idea what your Deer hunter really wants! If you have some unique or unusual Christmas gift ideas, please leave a comment and share them with everyone else.
Filed Under Deer Hunting Gear | 19 Comments
Tagged With bass pro, brownells, christmas gifst, christmas gift ideas, christmas ideas, christmas ideas for deer hunters, deer hunters, Deer Hunting, deer hunting books, deer hunting magazines, gps, hunting license
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19 Responses to “10 Gift Ideas For The Deer Hunter On Your Christmas List”
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My top two from the list are the NRA Membership, and the lifetime hunting membership. I so wish we had that available to us here in Michigan. That would be awesome.
Great idea for a post!
All of your ideas are great. Too bad you don’t have room for the “2001 Gift Ideas…” list.
I’m right with you on the custom hunting knives. Lots of knives available today are lacking.
A custom knife is a gift that can last more than one lifetime.
Thank you very much for the compliment as being one of your favorite authors! I appreciate your kind words and being a part of your 10 gift ideas for the deer hunter on your Christmas list. Merry Christmas to you and all your readers! Peter Fiduccia
Good list. For you outdoorsmen: Print it and tape it to your refrigerator for the wife to read. Might avoid the gift of the crappy sweater.
on the subject of knives – a knife is a very personal decision, and a gift cert would be the way to go, but even better would be a custom knife KIT from a site like http://www.knifekits.com or the like. I know if i got a kit for Christmas it would just totally blow me away.
These are great suggestions! I have seen the “butt out”, but like you thought it was a gimmick. Maybe I will give it a try! Thanks!
Kris, if you field dress any Deer at all, you’ll love the Butt Out tool. It really does make getting that piece of gut out of the pelvis area.
Or you could do like my Dad use to do. Take a rock and pound the back of a knife to break the center of the pelvis bone and then pull the piece of gut out (you still have to cut around the butt hole though)! For some reason, he always used my knife to do this!
Later,
Don
Only 10 gifts for your list, that would in deed be a hard choice with so many items out there to choose from now days. You’ve picked some nice ones for sure but I think my choice would be scent lok clothing or a field dressing kit with the knives, saw and rib spreader. With the econonmy in the shape it’s in right now prices are the objective thing to look at for gifts.
What about Buckmaster magazine? or Rack magazine? I have a subscription to Buckmasters and i must say that it is my favorite thing to read when home from college. I dont have a subscription to Rack, but they are put out the same people and I would it is also good.
Many hunting knives are good quality. Brand such as Gerber knives, Buck knives, Leatherman. It’s a bit more expensive but of will last forever. Have a nice day.
Great gift ideas, I wish I would’ve read these sooner!
I found some really good spices that makes whatever in the pot taste much better. The spices are based on formulas that aren’t for just chicken or beef. Anyway, about half way through winter and the elk in the freezer, Juliet Mae Spices are welcome! I tried their “seriously great taco”, wow; my family was actually looking forward to trying another spice blend on all that frozen meat. I tried their “Berber Rub” and I gotta tell you this is a great online gift. Juliet Mae spices, taste good long after the hunt.
Craftsman made knives are becoming more affordable – how about getting a knife engraved with a message and deer – so it is a unique item…?
Timbo
One of my favorite gifts to give is a good quality LED flashlight. And one that is at the top of the list is a head light that has a red LED. When your getting in the stand early in the morning, its nice to have a free hand.
Wow that’s really amazing ideas, really it is one of the most precious gift by God to me on this Christmas eve.
I saw this post about a month ago and I’m finally coming back to it for some Christmas ideas. I think I’m gonna go with a custom hunting knife for my uncle. One down, the rest of the family to go…
Try a personalized hunting frame – makes a great gift – you can include all the details
http://www.rkeepsakes.com/hunting1.html
Great ideas!!! I just went on our state’s wildlife website……$900 for a lifetime hunting/fishing license!!! How times have changed.
Just came acrossed this post on your site while Google’n early season tips…..reading the list really makes me want October come around quick!