Lets Talk Christmas Gifts
General Topic
With the holidays coming up, what are your must-haves when hitting the woods? Anything from preparation before the hunt, during the hunt, field dressing the animal, and getting the meat into the freezer. Let's keep the dollar amount under $150.
I put a pressure canner on my list this year :) Also a limb bolt recurve quiver and some Donnie Vincent films. Would you like my shipping address?
See, this is why Christmas is so tough on my family. Because there's nothing I "need" for less than $150 :)
I would like a vacuum sealer. But I have no idea what they cost.
New treestands are always needed. I like the Big Game treestands with a footrest, that are usually less than $150.
Can't ever have too many treesteps or rapid rails.
Can't ever have too many blinds, Walmart has a bunch of Ameristeps on sale right now for around $100 (and I think one of mine blew away)
What I really want is some Sitka Incinerator, but that will have to wait a year or so. We're scrimping for a vacation right now.
Browning and Moultrie trail cams can be found under $150. I love the trail cam stuff. Can't have too many of them either.
I'll add one. . . I think my Surefire Peacekeeper flashlight was around $150. That's a must have for me.
Headlamps are another must have anymore. And little kids love the things for some reason. Lots of affordable ones out there that are really good
Two gear fails on my elk hunts this year. 20 year old gaiters finally wore out, and my 5 year old Steripen finally fried.
Both are on my Amazon Wish List...
Best of Luck, Jeff
The Bella 6qt Pressure Cooker is pretty darn nice for cooking all sorts of meats/stews/roasts. At about 70$ through Amazon, I think it's worth it.
Some extra tags or diesel is all I need...
I would love a meat grinder this year! I have both Donnie Vincent films. I would definitely suggest The Trembling Giant dvd, if you can score one.
Jeff, check out the Gamegear gaiters, just picked some up this past elk season, they are absolutely sweet! Best I've used with a great snug fit.
ElkNut/Paul
This year other than for Morgan my boys age 29&28 suggested we don’t do Christmas for each other!
They said that Michele and I are impossible to shop for because we buy what we need or want throughout the year, and they get awesome birthday gifts from us and they approached us with this idea and asked if we can just buy for a needy family or two!
I have to admit it made me feel pretty good with them wanting to do that. I think we may have raised them half way decent!
Morgan even said she was good with that. I told her no way she is way to young not to have Christmas! Heck she is only 17.
Kelly I agree with your boys. We waste so much money getting family gifts, that are under 40$, that just get thrown in the trash or not used. If we all saved our money we could spend 1000$ on ourselves on something we actually want. lol
A few years ago we went all out for my young girls. It made Christmas seam cheap and left a bad taste in my mouth. Their grandparents spoil them so we just get them some insignificant Christmas gifts, focus on what Christmas is about and spoil them extra on their birthdays.
I think, as boring as it seams, gift cards are the way to go for older kids or adults. They can put it towards something the actually want. However I agree with Bake, it’s hard to have too many tree stands or cameras. This year for Christmas I’m buying myself a #32 manual meat grinder and putting an electric motor on it that I have laying around. It comes with the pulley to hook up to a standard 1700rpm motor.
A few packs of VPA broadheads. Renewal of my RMEF membership. Merino base layer. A dozen shafts and vanes. Cash to pay for my 2018 tags. $150 gift certificate to the tire shop, that will be a start/big help as the hunting rig will need new tires by next season. Things not to buy, or put money towards: Rage, Ozonics, HECS, cable and the outdoor channel.
Everyone should get a buttout tool in their stocking. Ha
^^^ Butt out tool, great stocking stuffer!
"Jeff, check out the Gamegear gaiters"
Thanks Paul, I'm on it !
Cabela's gift cards are always good.
Make sure to put the buttout tool in the stocking the right direction or you’ll never get it out!
PECO.....what? No trail cameras on your don’t want list?
Trail cams are fun. I use one, only one, mainly to see what is lurking around my property. Bears and mountain lions. I do not use it as a scouting tool to inventory and create a "hit list". Trail cam made neither list.
Gift I want is continued time to be out hunting. Everything else is secondary.
Getting the wife a mossburg youth 20 gauge for turkey.
Terry
Kelly, had my step-dad bought me 45/70's like you did a few years ago I'd likely say the same thing, pretty much would have had all I needed at that point. Good kids for sure, way to go!
The butt out tool has become a family gag gift for several years now. One of us received it as a genuine gift one year and now the same one finds it way back into the gift pile every year. Fun family joke.
Scott
Mine is simple,just a new blade for my table saw so I can work on box calls next year.also a zero clearance insert.
1. 10" ll bean boots 2. Scratch & dent k2 summit 30 cooler
Can't think of anything right now so I will take a $150 gift certificate to Cabela's or Bass Pro. (I guess they are one and the same now.)
3 or 4 packs of Rage BH's ! ! We need fodder for future threads.
I was in need of a new bugle tube after this season. Especially after I heard the elk responses Midwest got with his Rocky Mtn 'Bully Bull Grunt Tube' - But I was pleasantly surprised when a new one arrived in the mail from him :)
Cant wait for next year already
We got a bunch of people one of these for Christmas last year. I use 2 of them myself. One as a carry on for airline, and 1 for a "blind bag" to carry all you might need to a blind (Texas uses a lot of box blinds). My wife uses one for a range bag: extra ammo, hearing protections, etc. They are well put together and pretty tough. I have no idea how they can sell them this cheap
http://www.cabelas.com/product/Cabelas-Catch-All-Gear-Bags/753422.uts?slotId=2
Thanks Nick, I never did buy that rifle, other bills became a priority!
Yes I am VERY proud of them both for sure.
Our oldest was appointed the youngest ambassadorever to the school of business at University of Cincinnati and our middle is a teacher who specializes in special needs kids! 2nd and 3rd graders!
Back to the 45/70 I have always had a fancy for lever action rifles. But I found out about a Marlin 444 I just don’t know a whole lot about rifles but I’ve been told the 444 is big enough for deer and will get me another 35 yards out but the 45/70 I can hunt anything on the North American continent
Hmmmmm sounds like I could possibly use a Christmas gift? Just kidding no gun season for me this year and I have a cabin to build in the spring
I'm making things for gifts. I've become quite a seamstress. Aside from that, only the nephews, my little half sister, and grand kid's get monetary gifts.
I would love to have a good result on rotator cuff surgery on Nov. 28.
Best wishes for successful surgery Johnb.
Rtic coolers just went on sale. 45 qt (true 45) is $143. A so called 45 (actually smaller) from Yeti is $350. If you can tell any difference in quality between the 2, you are better than me and I have both. And the Rtics price includes shipping, Yetis don't
Looks like a lot of great ideas here! I ended up with two butt-outs one year, not sure what that says?? Personally, I have a few meat prep tools on the list as I have gotten into making my own jerky and stopped paying others that I can easily do myself!
Sous vide cooker. And I'm liking the Spot Hogg Keeton release. I also like a 1000 lumen flashlight for blood trailing.
A couple pairs of alpaca socks would be nice, another 1/2 dozen arrows, and 1 more ladder stand. It may be a little over $150, but I'd sure like a new 80# MinnKota Terrova for my boat.
I'm asking Santa for a MBG Widow Maker.
All I want is an all fees paid trophy hunt with a super model. Come on Santa....show me some love!
I want to slip the consciousness of my clientele between Oct 1 and mid-November. Anything short of that gets provided throughout the year. My extended family (on my side) has stopped buying gifts. We pool our money and distribute it to charity. It SO simplifies Christmas and really makes it much more enjoyable (all the kids are old enough to see the value in giving rather than unwrapping).
LOL- The wife asked me, just this morning, what I wanted. I couldn't think of a dang thing she could afford or get if she could afford it. I have all the clothes and toys I'll ever need. Truth is, I absolutely hate what Christmas has become and would just as soon skip the whole thing.
We told our 5 kids (All but one adult)...... Not to expect much for Christmas this year..... We're spending our Christmas money this year on an Alaskan Cruise in May.... and my wife booked me an excursion for halibut fishing in Ketchikan..... Merry Christmas !!!
Let’s see a mule deer hunt with Mike’s Outfitting, a Hawk Hill custom barrel to finish a 6.5 Creedmoore, a Sig 850 range finder, Kuiu rain suit, and spott Hogg Keeton release to test out the concept!
I just ordered a KUIU Chugach rain suit jacket. Christmas is over.
