Gifts to lift sportsmen out of doldrums

November 20, 2008 12:36 am

T HE NIGHTLY NEWS carries depressing word of slumping retail sales and economic recession, but the community of outdoor enthusiasts typically finds room for a gift or two that can improve the quality of life in the woods or on the water.

Every product in this annual gift suggestion lineup has been either tested in the field or inspected at outdoor trade shows. They range from inexpensive stocking stuffers to pricier tools.

Otis Hardcore Hunter Cleaning System: Otis adapts its quality line of tactical and military firearms cleaning systems for hunters and sport shooters. This could be the only gun cleaning kit you'll ever need. Easy to use, it'll clean anything from a .17-caliber rimfire to 10-gauge shotguns. It folds into a camouflage, zippered softpack about the size of a large apple! $65. otisguns .com (Click on "catalog" and the "hunting and sporting" page.)

Sun-Mag Plus Polarized Sunglasses With Bifocals: Eliminate fumbling for reading glasses when you need to tie a fishing knot. Many people older than 40 or those who have had corrective eye surgery require reading glasses. These $39 glasses come in two styles: tortoise-color with amber lens, or black frame with gray lens. The polycarbonate lenses are impact- and scratch-resistant with polarized filters. The bifocal comes in three magnification strengths: 1.50, 2.00 and 2.50. sunmag plus.com.

The QuikSlide Stringer System: This innovative stringer system is designed for either boat or wade fishing. I think it stands out for those wading. Removable snaps that slide on a 7-strand stainless-steel PVC-coated cable let you easily add fish to the stringer without pulling the stringer from the water. The snaps clip to your belt until you catch a fish. Snaps can be ordered in three different colors to facilitate culling or identifying fish from multiple anglers. Stringer comes in 3-, 6- and 14-foot lengths. Prices range from $13 to $17. quikslide.com

Moultrie Game Spy i60: I love this 6.0 megapixel, infrared trail camera. The flash automatically turns itself on and off to adjust to light conditions. Daytime pics are in color; nighttime and video are black and white. Choose from three photo and two video resolution settings. Capture hundreds of images by adding a 1 gigabyte SD card. The built-in, 1.5-inch color viewer lets you check images in the field instead having to remove the card to preview them in another unit. Barometric pressure, temperature and moon phase are stamped on each image. The camera uses six D-cell batteries with a battery life of "up to" 150 days. $300. moultriefeeders .com.

Daiwa Special Edition Hyper-Speed TD Zillion: This compact, super-fast baitcasting reel has a 7.3:1 retrieve ratio meaning it winds in 32 inches of line with a single turn of the handle. This is great for hooksets, faster coverage of water with spinners and crankbaits, and pulling big fish out of tough spots. An aluminum frame and handle-side sideplate covers 11 corrosion-resistant CRBB ball bearings, plus a roller bearing, and oversize, high-strength bronze gears. The reel has a free-floating, perforated aluminum spool that works with the magnetic Magforce®-Z automatic anti-backlash control. $299. daiwa.com.

Coleman 3AAA LED Multi-Color Flashlight: This compact, bright, anodized aluminum light is multifunctional. Its white beam is rated at 65 lumens. The beam easily switches to red for enhanced night vision or blue for reading maps or blood-trailing. Run time ranges from six to 50 hours. It uses three AAA batteries and weighs 4.8 ounces. $29.99. coleman.com.

API Terra XL Ground Blind: An excellent choice for taking a young hunter to the field with you. It's big--could easily hold three people, stand in it, even bring a cot and sleep in it, if needed. The blind can be set up to have a 360-degree field of view with removable, shoot-through camo mesh windows. I tend to leave those closed and, instead, flip down the porthole windows with their magnetic closures. This blind anchors to the ground, has removable, adjustable leafy concealment strips that connect with snaps, and abundant loops and straps to allow addition of natural vegetation to further conceal your position. It sports a Realtree Hardwoods HD camo pattern. It also comes with a lightweight, collapsible hunting chair. The 24-pound blind sets up in seconds, collapses and folds down into a transport bag. I got mine through Bass Pro Shops (basspro.com) The usual price is $299; some sales have had it lower.

Hi Mountain Jerky Maker Variety Pack: Who doesn't love venison jerky? This variety pack lets you sample five seasonings: sweet and spicy; inferno; pepper; mandarin teriyaki; and pepperoni. The original variety pack has: original; mesquite; hickory; cracked pepper and garlic; and Cajun flavors. Each flavor packet seasons up to 4 pounds of meat. $12. See himtnjerky.com to order this and other marinades, sausage kits and more.

Stocking stuffers can include:

Super-sharp, super durable Daiichi or X-Point fishing hooks, or the thin but strong hooks for panfish from Tru-Turn (ttiblake more.com).

Try Berkley Gulp products. My expert sources tell me the 3-inch black leeches are smallmouth candy (Berk ley-fishing.com).

I've had rutting white-tailed bucks respond for a month now to Wildlife Research Center's Special Golden Estrus poured onto a couple Quik-Wiks (wild life.com).

Hand, toe, back warmers--guaranteed to keep you hunting or fishing longer and more comfortably in frigid weather (warmers.com).

The Bushnell Backtracker is a cool little device for people who just want to find their way back to a location without using a complex handheld GPS. This $74 digital compass and GPS receiver stores up to three locations and gives the direction and distance to each (bushnell.com).

Another nice stocking stuffer is a certificate for a guided fishing trip with one of the excellent regional guides who support our annual Take Dad Fishing for Father's Day Contest. E-mail me if contact information is needed.

Finally, support Virginia's Department of Game and Inland Fisheries with a Virginia Wildlife $12.95 subscription and $10 calendar purchase. The full-color monthly magazine is ad-free and carries fish and wildlife articles relevant to the Old Dominion.

Beginning in January, I'll be contributing a monthly fish and game cooking column to the magazine. The $10 calendar has sunrise-sunset and moon phase listings as well as beautiful photos. To order, see dgif.virginia.gov/estore/dgif.virginia.gov, or call 804/367-1000.

Ken Perrotte can be reached at The Free Lance-Star, 616 Amelia Street, Fredericksburg, Va. 22401, by fax at 373-8455 or e-mail at
Email: outdoors@freelancestar.com.