Holiday Gift Guide for a New Hunter

With the holiday season fast approaching, I wanted to give you guys a little gift guide on what you can give the new hunter in your life to make his or her journey easier. When I sit and think about all the necessary items, I realize it can be overwhelming. So, to make this little gift guide easier to follow I am going to break down my suggestions into 3 categories: 1- stocking stuffers, 2- gifts under $100 and 3- gifts over $100 (for the spoiled hunter). 

Many of these items are ones I am familiar with and use (as it would be quite weird to mention products I have no experience with). So, while there may be similar items from other brands, these are the ones I have chosen that work for me.

Stocking Stuffers (Under $25)

• Wind Checker! This is a must-have for most hunts and especially for archery hunts. It is always good to have a spare in your pack!
• IsoPro Camp Stove fuel canisters. ($5.99-$11.99 depending on size, Cabelas)
• Coghlan’s Multi Grill Spice Shaker. Great for those small game campfire meals. ($8.79, Cabelas)

  

• A new pair of wool hiking socks (even better if you can find out their preferred brand). I mean everyone needs new socks for Christmas
• Outdoor Edge replaceable blades. Always good to have extras! ($19.99, Cabelas)
• Jerky or Sausage spice kits. They are simple to use and may encourage the new hunter to try his or her hand at making their own! (Prices vary, Cabelas has a great selection)

Gifts Under $100

• T.A.G. Game Bags. These are a must for any backpack hunter to transport their quartered out meat. ($99, Jimbows Archery)
• Zwilling J.A. Henckels Twin Master Woodsman Knife set. We have 3 sets of these in our family and they work great and sharpen easily! Start watching flyers as they commonly go on sale for only $99!!! ($139.99 reg, Cabelas)

• Outdoor Edge Razor-Pro Knife. This is the knife we currently use and have used on 10 of our deer in the last few years. Has a built-in hide cutter and uses replaceable blades. ($79.99, Cabelas)
• The Complete Guide to Hunting, Butchering and Cooking Wild Game. There are two volumes, Big Game and Small Game. These are great for a novice in the wild game scene with excellent photos and directions from Steve Rinella. ($37.00/ea, Chapters)

Gifts Over $100

• A vacuum sealer. We use the Cabelas 15” commercial grade one but it is quite expensive unless found on sale. I have heard great things about the Pro grade sealers from Cabelas and they sit at a much more reasonable price. ($299.99 reg)

• A meat grinder. This is super necessary for the hunter wanting to make his own sausage. We have used the Cabelas Carnivore series for the last 4 years and love it! They have a range of sizes and powers to choose from. I would avoid the base model and start with the Pro series at a minimum for better performance. ($299.99+)
• MSR Windboiler or Jet Boil Flash camp stoves. Great for boiling water for coffee, or making your backcountry meals! We have both models and the specs are quite similar. ($139.99, Cabelas)
• For the safety conscious hunter, a Garmin Inreach is an excellent gift. The plans are affordable and it allows the hunter to have contact with the family when out of service and gives access to emergency medical help if needed. The two-way communication capabilities of this device make it a must-have. It is the most expensive thing I will list but it could be invaluable. ($599.99)

As mentioned above, many of these items can be found at Cabelas and leading into the holiday season some great savings on the food processing items are quite common, so watch that weekly flyer and prepare to WOW the new hunter on your list!

If you have any questions about any of the items on this gift guide or feedback let me know!!

-R