Holiday Shopping For The Hang-Dog Hunter

Thomas Baumeister, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Education Bureau Chief

If you are a family member, friend or spouse of a Montana hunter you may have noticed them exhibiting signs of the post-hunting season blues. One sure way to reverse this common mood slide is a holiday gift that will help the hunter prepare for future hunts.

Hunters with the post-season blues will: repeatedly recount their hunting experiences; demonstrate conflicting feelings of relief and loss; and hint they fear losing their hard earned physical fitness to a holiday land mined with chocolate rum balls, eggnog, and spicy party meat balls.

To aid you in helping your favorite hunter recover, I’ve created a special holiday gift list.  

While you shop, keep in mind what most hunters know from experience—when it comes to hunting gear it is easy to go overboard and acquire an arsenal of marginally useful stuff. To avoid that worry, let this list be your guide and take the time to search for items of lasting quality and performance in their class. My top choices, all available for about $50 or less, are:

Multi-purpose Tool

The multi-purpose tool features knives, pliers, screwdrivers, and scissors among other handy devices. Try to find one that is lightweight, preferably stainless steel, with locking blades to avoid blades that collapse under pressure. Hunters can use the knife to skin and quarter elk; the pliers to pull porcupine quills out of the dog’s mouth; the screwdriver to tighten a rattling gun swivel; and the scissors to validate a deer tag. Add a lightweight knife sharpener that loops on a belt, since the steel blades tend to dull fast under heavy use.

Gun Sling

The farther you walk, the heavier a rifle seems. A hunter cannot change the rifle’s weight, but it is possible to adjust how that weight feels on a shoulder. A suspension gun sling controls the impact of the rifle, like an automobile’s shock absorbers do. The sling’s stretch material relaxes and retracts depending on the weight load. A rubberized pad on the inside keeps the sling snug to the hunter’s shoulder.  

Bipod

The closer your body is to the ground, the steadier your shooting position becomes. A telescopic bipod mounted directly to the stock of a hunter’s rifle increases steadiness and the ability to place an accurate, killing shot. The legs of the bipod extend from a collapsed position to about 10 to 15 inches depending on the model, to provide a hunter with a steady rest in the prone or even sitting position. The bipod mounts directly to the swivel stud on the front of the stock.  

LED Headlamp

These amazing little, lightweight units generate plenty of light. The LED is a new generation of light bulb that works with AAA batteries to provide a few hundred hours of operation. Look for a model that can be pivoted to change the angle of the light beam.   Hands-free operation is critical when field dressing an animal in the dark or trying to pitch a tent.  

Hunter Orange Fleece Vest

I never have liked the typical flimsy hunter orange vest. A fleece vest in hunter orange is a great alternative. It is 100 percent polyester, remarkably soft, dry, and warm, fulfills the legal requirement, and holds up well to repeated washings.

One or more of these gifts will ensure that this time next year a hunter will be thinking kindly of you. And, you will certainly be on their gift list.