Gifts Ideas for the Outdoor Enthusiast

Gift-giving season is upon us, and you may have a hunter or angler on your list. Speaking from experience, gift cards from sporting goods stores are always welcome. But nothing beats new gear that you can turn over in your hands and admire, so here are a few suggestions that will please any outdoor enthusiast (and everyone else, too). Prices listed are approximate.

Buck 110 Folding Hunter^® Knife

$80 | buckknives.com

Everyone needs a good knife, especially hunters. The Buck 110 Folding Hunter is a classic design that makes for a nice gift and can be engraved for personalization. It has a sturdy blade for breaking down big game while being small enough for more intricate jobs (and it takes up little room on a belt). The 110 has a nice 7.2-ounce heft to it and holds an edge nicely. It handles most any field job nicely, and it even comes with a snap-close black leather sheath. These can be found at a variety of retailers, so shop around for the best price.

Lansky QuadSharp Pocket Sharpener

$20 | lansky.com

A knife is no good if it’s dull, be it a hunting knife or a kitchen knife. That’s why a handy sharpening tool will benefit both the hunter and the cook in the house. The Lansky QuadSharp pocket sharpener is a great little tool. There are plenty of “single-angle” sharpeners out there, but QuadSharp has four different carbide slots to accommodate blades from work knives to fillet knives. A ceramic benchstone is built in to hone the bevel of straight blades and for use in serrated knives. With this in the house, you’ll be searching the kitchen for knives to sharpen.

Berkley^® Precision Digital Scale

$35 | berkley-fishing.com

How much did that fish REALLY weigh? A digital fish scale will give you proof that you caught the big one, and the Berkley Precision Digital Scale is a great tool for the job. The scale tops out at 35 pounds, is accurate in half‑ounce increments and comes with a culling feature for tournament anglers. It has a backlit display for night fishing and has a simple three-button operation. If there’s a turkey hunter on your list, it weighs gobblers as well as fish.

Cabela’s Alaskan Guide^® Series QUL Headlamp

$30 | cabelas.com

Everyone needs some light now and then. Cabela’s Alaskan Guide Series QUL Headlamp gives the user hands-free illumination. It’s equipped with four voltage-regulated, ultra-bright, 5mm LEDs that produce 78 lumens of light for up to 105 hours on three AAA batteries (included). Four lighting modes include high, medium, low and strobe. It is weatherproof and waterproof — submersible to 3 feet. A battery meter lets you know when power is running low. The lighting element can pivot on the band for optimal beam angle. It is equally at home in the deer woods, duck blind or doing repairs around the house.

Quality Time

Priceless

Lastly, you can give something money can’t buy. You can give someone time. Your time. Take a child fishing. Take an adult fishing. Introduce someone to hunting, to target shooting or sporting clays. If you were successful on the water or in the woods, share your bounty with someone who doesn’t hunt or fish. And when you do, present the game or fish dressed, packaged and clean. A little venison sausage, burger or backstrap can go a long way in introducing a non-hunter to your world. The same with crappie or catfish fillets. Share and “pay it forward.” All year round.