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‘Tis the season: Time to shop for the sportsmen on your list
BY Luke Clayton, Special to Star Local News
Christmas is almost here and it’s not a minute too soon to begin Christmas shopping for hunters and fishermen on your shopping list.
I’ve found myself doing more shopping online the past few years.
I thought I’d devote this week’s column to gift ideas. Some of these items are readily available, but you’ll need to go online and order others. There’s still plenty of time to shop online, but you better get hopping.
I use my Smokin Tex (smokintex.com) electric smoker to prepare everything from barbecue chicken to wild hog hams. These units are easy to use and turn out great meals. Small pieces of wood are loaded into a smoke box, the meat is placed on the racks, the thermostat set and I walk away and, very often, let the meat slow smoke overnight while I sleep.
Light for hunting hogs at night
A few years ago, Karl Harmon (ultramaticfeeders.com) invented his Feedlite, a unit used for hunting hogs at night.
The unit has a built-in solar panel to keep the battery charged and when the sun sets the lights come on to illuminate the area around your corn feeder. I’ve used mine for the past six years and it’s still working fine. The company also offers The Remote, a small unit that remotely activates your game feeder. The Remote used in conjunction with the Feedlite is highly effective in harvesting wild hogs at night.
Optics
Zeiss has long been considered the very best when it comes to optical equipment.
You’ve heard the term over-engineered, often associated with products made in Germany. This term is frequently used to describe Zeiss binoculars, rifle and spotting scopes. Over-engineering is a good thing, especially in a rifle scope or binoculars that are regularly exposed to rough treatment. If you’re looking for a quality scope that is all Zeiss but assembled in the U.S. rather than the old country, consider the Conquest line. I’ve used a couple scopes from this line for more than a year and found them to be the best I’ve owned.
The price tag is very much comparable to that of domestic scopes.
Archery
Darton Archery (dartonarchery.com) offers high-quality compound bows, crossbows and accompanying accessories.
Bows must be ordered to fit the individual.
Draw length and poundage are very important and one size does not fit all. Make sure and have the recipient of archery equipment properly fitted for the compound bow. It’s a good bet to go to a pro shop, purchase a bow and make arrangements for your hunter to stop by later for measurements. It’s much better to have a gift certificate under the Christmas tree than a bow that doesn’t fit. Check out the Darton 3800 or 3900 for adult shooters or The Ranger X for youth.
Crossbows can be purchased over the counter.
They do not require sizing like compounds. In crossbows, one size does fit all.
It might be a good idea to go online with your bow shooter and let them show you which bow they prefer. This might tip them off to your intended gift, but it will ensure they get a bow that that best suits their needs.
Guided fishing trip
In my Outdoors Tip of the Week, I included my picks for places to enjoy some hot winter fishing. Included is contact info for several guides. A guided fishing trip makes a great gift for the avid angler on your shopping list.
Hunting trip
Many ranches in Texas that are on the TPWD management program offer trophy whitetail hunts through the end of February, long after the regular season closes.
Hog hunts are affordably priced and provide a great winter getaway.
Here are some ranches I’ve hunted that offer a variety of game: Near Palestine there is Big Woods on the Trinity (bigwoods.net), in Knox County check out Ranger Creek Ranch (rangercreekranch.com), in Trinity County contact B & C Outfitters’ Mark Balette (easttexasexotics.com) and in Red River County go with Rio Rojo Rancho’s Mike Ford (riorojorancho.com).
Outdoor cooking gear seasonings
Check out Frisco Spices (friscospices.com) to find gifts for the outdoor cook. Sausage and jerky seasonings, cures for meats and just about everything you can imagine for cooking outdoors is available here.
Outdoors Tip of the Week
Winter fishing for several species is often the best of the year.
Here are my picks for places to enjoy some hot winter fishing.
Included is contact info for several guides.
A guided fishing trip makes a great gift for the avid angler on your shopping list. Lake Texoma striper fishing is very good now. Winter is traditionally when the biggest fish of the year are landed. For more information, contact guide Larry Sparks at: sparkysguideservice.com.
During the winter months, crappie stack up in big schools on deep structure and catching is often very good. Lake Fork guide Seth Vanover (lakeforkcatandcrappie.com) has been enjoying great success the past couple weeks, using live minnows 25- to 34-feet deep around heavy brush.
At Lake Caddo, guide Billy Carter (johnsonsranch.net) says catches of 100 good-eating yellow bass and limits of crappie have been common on minnows fished along the Cypress River Channel.
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