• E-Mail
• Print
• Larger
• Smaller

Published: Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2012 / Updated: Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2012 12:46 PM

Hunting for that perfect gift this year?

Amazingly enough, 2012 is almost complete and another Christmas shopping season is upon us. This means that, once again, many family members are scratching their heads and trying to figure out exactly what would make the perfect gift for the outdoorsman in their family.

Because tackling this task is extremely hard for those who know little about our sporting endeavors, let’s take our annual look at a few of the hottest items out there that are guaranteed to put a smile on the face of the hunter in your family this Christmas morning.

Earlier this month while in Kansas, I sat in a treestand with frigid feet due to the failure of the pair of insulated boots that I had taken with me. After just one morning’s hunt, the soles began to simply fall apart.

This left me with little choice other than to spend the rest of that week wearing the non-insulated pair that I had also packed.

Despite layering properly with a thin sock liner under heavy wool socks, it was less than ideal and my poor toes paid the price. Thermacell, however, is now offering the perfect solution.

Thermacell Heated Insoles

Well known for their little devices that do a dandy job of keeping the mosquitoes away while outdoors, the company has now brought to market a line of heated insoles for your boots.

By turning them on with a handy little wireless remote, the rechargeable insoles can be set for high heat or medium to successfully keep your little tootsies at normal body temperature.

Although not exactly cheap — $129.99, MSRP —they can be recharged up to 500 times and work for up to five hours on a single charge. I’d have paid twice that price a few weeks ago!

These can be found at all major outdoors retailers and pro-shops and would make a great choice for most anybody on your list.

While we’re on the subject of things that we hunters need to wear, I can attest that this next line of products I’m tossing up is a real winner.

Under Armour scent control clothing

I’m extremely picky about what I wear in the field, and in a treestand but I couldn’t be happier with my choice in hunting clothing. Under Armour puts out a super line of camo clothing that does everything that I need it to and better than anything else I’ve ever tried.

For hunting in our area, take a look at their “Ayton II” fleece camo hunting jacket. At an MSRP of $139.99 this one is both affordable and functional and will still serve a hunter well on those really cold mornings when worn with proper layering.

For about $160 more you can add the matching hunting bibs for a clothing combination that’s as good as you could ever ask for.

With a wind resistant, hard, fleece face and soft, sherpa fleece lining, these do a great job of not only trapping your body heat to keep you warm but wicking away moisture when you’re working up a sweat while getting to your stand. This helps to regulate your core temperature thus keeping you more comfortable for many hours in the field.

Under Armour didn’t forget one of the most important parts either. Their proprietary method of scent control is said to be as much as ten times more effective than the old-style carbon suits that have been the norm for a number of years now.

Looking to make a big splash while satisfying the bowhunter in your crowd? The folks at PSE Archery have just come out with the perfect thing.

PSE Dream Season DNA

Weighing a mere 3.7 pounds while slinging arrows at a blistering 352 feet per second, this new offering from the company is the sweetest hunting bow to ever exit PSE’s Arizona plant.

Created around a riser forged from a state-of-the-art aluminum alloy, it features the company’s new “Center Pull” technology that makes this bow much easier to tune, an axle to axle length of 31 inches and a 6-inch brace height. There are five inches of draw length adjustment on the inner cam and newly designed limb pockets, cable slide and backstop.

The DNA retails for $899.99 and can be found at any PSE Pro Shop. Dealer listings can be found at www.pse-archery.com.

When I tell you this is one sweet bow, believe me I mean it. I’m waiting on my own to arrive now.

Not every gift has to be an expensive one and, often, throwing together a gift basket of sorts can be a great way to go. If you’re looking to spend a bit less this season consider doing that with a number of items that every deer hunter is buying anyway.

When preparing for a hunt it’s important that we take every precaution to be as free of human scent as possible. In pursuit of that goal we have to utilize special detergents for our clothes, field sprays that we’ll use as we enter the woods and even wet wipes that are pre-soaked in a scent elimination solution.

With those things in mind, here’s a super selection of products that come from a fairly new line of scent killer that’s storming the market.

Lethal scent elimination

This company offers a complete system for attacking odor and it does everything that they claim. It all starts with their “4X Ultra” laundry detergent which comes in either a 23 ounce bottle or a box of 24 single use packets. Both sell for $14.50.

The next step is tossing those clothes into the dryer with one of their “2 ‘n 1” laundry sheets. A two pack box includes a total of 40 sheets and will run you around $15.

Of course, our clothes aren’t the only thing that we need to get the stink off of. We have to think about removing the entire odor from our own bodies as well.

Lethal’s shampoo and body wash will take care of by ridding you of odors stemming from human fats, salts, lactic acid, butyric acid and amines. It all rinses away leaving no residue or fragrance of any kind.

Highly concentrated, an eight-ounce bottle sells for $11.

After that shower you have to think about remaining scent free and that’s easier to do with the proper deodorant. A stick of the Lethal “24H” will do the trick. You can grab one of these for around $7.

We tend to pick up different odors from everything that we come into contact with so the battle continues even in the field. Although there are many on the market, this company’s “Field Spray” has really impressed me.

For $14.50 you can buy a 24-ounce bottle that not only works better than others but doesn’t cheat you at the same time. You see, scent eliminating sprays have a fairly short shelf life and, unless you know exactly when it was made, you have no way of knowing just how old that bottle is that’s sitting on a store’s shelf.

With Lethal, however, you add the activator into the bottle yourself so there’s no question as to its age. This means that your spray will be just as good at doing its job late in the season as it was on opening day.

Any of these products, along with others they offer, can be ordered from their web site at www.lethalproducts.com and dealer listings can be found there as well.

What all of that means is that you can mix and match items to spend exactly the amount you want or buy one of everything they make and still have less than $80 in it.

Hope this helps with your shopping duties this holiday season!