Sportsmen’s Christmas gift list extensive Gear, games, videos popular

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With less than two weeks left before Santa arrives, a flurry of last-minute shopping is under way. If there’s an outdoorsman on your Christmas list, perhaps a few ideas for special gifts, or fun and always appreciated stocking stuffers, might help.

With so many sporting goods stores, gun shops and fishing gear outlets, not to mention the truckload of outdoor gear catalogs that every sportsman receives, it seems there should be no problem finding just the right present. But: Does he already have one? Would he use it? Is it the right size, shape, color? So perhaps a few gift ideas that will bring a smile to sportsmen on Christmas morning are in order.

Games and videos

Winter is long, tough period for avid outdoorsmen who are used to being out and about with a rifle or rod in their hands. After several months filled with a variety of outdoor opportunities, suddenly ice fishing and varmint or rabbit hunting are the only water and woods options. Severe cold and snow can curtail enjoyment of these meager choices, so many sportsmen suffer withdrawal symptoms, walls close in, irritability sets in and cabin fever makes each day cooped up seem like a week.

Hobbies, pastimes, crafts and any amusement that can keep a sport entertained will make life easier on the entire family. Here’s where selecting the right Christmas gift fits into the scheme of peace and harmony throughout the household of an outdoor-oriented loved one or friend forced to endure a long Maine winter.

I spent a lot of time hunting and fishing last winter, and all from the warmth and comfort of my den. Insert a CD into your home computer and you can be fly casting, bird hunting or big- game hunting in several states and provinces, or exotic spots like Africa, British Columbia, or the Northwest Territories.

Hunters get to select clothing, hunting gear, lures, calls, rifle caliber and cartridge, shotgun, pistol or bow and even their quarry. Fishermen get to pick out rod weight, line size, and fly patterns. Casting and fly placement require timing and a special touch on keyboard and mouse. Playing each fish also demands technique, just like in real life, or the big ones really do get away. Terrain and weather change just like during real hunts, affecting animal activity pattern and hunter success. Animal behavior is realistic and based on hearing, smell and sight just like in real life.

Graphics on computer hunting and fishing games are extremely realistic and various animals come in a wide range of sizes and ages, making the trophy game a real challenge to hunt and bag or catch and tag. Real-time video of live animals comes into play on many game versions during the final stages of the hunt, when the quarry is spotted and it’s time to shoot. It’s almost as good as being there and will help pass many a long winter evening.

Look for Trophy Rivers, Big Game Hunter, Ultimate Deer Hunt, Duck Hunter Pro, Bass Challenge and Turkey Hunt, and try the all new Dangerous Hunts. Many of these computer games are available from Cabela’s mail order sporting catalog (1-800-237-4444) or their on line store (www.cabelas.com), or check the local video or computer game store. All new this winter are versions of these entertaining and challenging games for television use with Playstation 2 or X Box. Imagine the action and realism on a big-screen TV. At $20 to $30 each, these outdoor games with ever-changing scenarios offer great fun for all ages, and make stormy days fly by.

In lieu of being able to actually enjoy hunting, fishing or other favorite outdoor recreations, the next best thing is to watch other outdoorsmen on the go. An extensive range of videos offering second-hand participation are readily available and reasonably priced. Hunters and anglers can sit in the comfort of the living room and visit distant locales on taped television trips to shoot and catch all sorts of animals and fish.

These videos offer breathtaking cinematography, the wild game is up close and personal, and the thrill of the adventure is as realistic as if you were on hand. The best part is, these videos can be viewed over and over, traded with friends and even serve as teaching tools. Anglers can learn casting techniques, knot tying, and tricks on fly and lure selection and presentation.

Waterfowlers can learn more about setting out decoys, hear and try to copy professional calling techniques, and see how ducks and geese react in situations the hunters may encounter next fall. Perhaps one day you’d like to visit Alaska for brown bear, Montana for elk or Africa for water buffalo. Seeing the terrain, tactics and the animals with a video of such a hunt will help prepare you for your big adventure. Fish tarpon with Lefty Kreh, peacock bass with Roland Martin or bonefish with Flip Palot, and all the while you can be learning, enjoying and planning.

A wide selection of outdoor videos and DVDs are stocked by many sporting goods stores and mail-order catalogues, or if the local movie rental store carries them, buy a gift certificate for that special sportsman. Ranging from $5 to $30 each, many even come in box sets. Outdoor videos provide a wonderful way for a sport to escape winter for a couple of hours.

Pictures and words

A final form of replacement therapy for the symptoms of withdrawal from favorite sporting pastimes is reading. Magazines and books are available on just about any outdoor recreation, with serious and humorous stories, fact and fiction, and each one captivating and a great cold-weather diversion.

From a book, a person can learn to tie flies, load shells, or build a fly rod. You can read why some guns, scopes and cartridges perform better than others under certain conditions, and which one might be best for you. Some volumes teach how to carve a decoy, make a duck call and the proper way to use both. A few tomes will help you prepare game for the table or the wall, depending if you are into cooking or taxidermy. Many, many books will offer advice on how to hunt for or catch that fish, fowl or game animal to cook or mount.

Traveling by car or plane, waiting in the dentist’s office, during lunch, or instead of TV after supper, a good outdoor book will help pass time. What better way to drop off to sleep than with dreams of hunting or fishing fueled by a chapter read at bedtime.

If your special elf is a deer hunter, there are three new books on the markets that are must reads: “The Little Book of Big Bucks,” recounts more than 175 hunts with white-tail adventures of everyday hunters; “The Deer Hunters Almanac 2004,” with thousands of facts and tips and next fall’s forecast for the best times and places to hunt; “Whitetail, Rites of Autumn” by Charles Als-heimer, a large book loaded with amazing photos of the majestic whitetail and its habitat, as well as a wealth of hunting information.

For the all-around hunter, a large, soft-cover book called “Hunting Upland Game and Waterfowl” by Durwood Hollis has myriad photographs, lots of stories and plenty of information on gunning all upland birds, waterfowl and small game.

If your local bookstore doesn’t stock them or can’t order them, contact Krause publications directly toll free at 888-457-2873, ext. 880, or e-mail-Bookorders@krause.com. Reviews of these books and more can be checked at www.krause.com. Finally, if the outdoor-oriented guy or gal you need a Christmas gift for is into hunting ducks and geese, call 1-800-45-ducks or go to www.ducks.org/bookstore/ and order “Don’t shoot the Decoys,” “Misery Loves Company,” or “By Dawns Early Light” for some great humor and a few stories and wonderful photos that will rekindle memories and touch your heart.

The reel deal

If there’s a fly fisherman or two on your Christmas list who deserves a really nice gift, consider the brand-new Scientific Anglers System 2 large arbor reel. This lightweight, fast-retrieve reel has a powerhouse drag and comes in three line size models from 4 to 10 weight. I’d never owned a large arbor reel before last spring when my wife surprised me with a System 2. I put it to the test on high-water Atlantic salmon and stripers throughout the summer, and its performance has made it a permanent fixture in my tackle box.

While you’re at it, wrap up one of SA’s Ultra 4 freshwater fly lines for the new reel. These weight-forward lines have a dry-slick coating that slides out like warm shoes on black ice. For long casts with precision fly placement Ultra 4 is ultra dependable. The large arbor reel retails for around $225, including soft case, and the fly line will set you back about $50.

Stocking stuffers

It’s always fun to have a few surprise gifts to put in the stocking or hang on the tree for Christmas morning. Anglers will appreciate a dozen dry flies in popular patterns and sizes, a couple of bass plugs or perhaps some leader material, fly line cleaner or fly floatant. Shooters can always use a box of cartridges or shotgun shells, or gun-cleaning fluids and patches. A folding jackknife, multi tool or a small folding saw with belt sheath are always useful.

Duck, goose, moose, deer or varmint calls are great stocking stuffers and don’t forget a sturdy neck lanyard. A headlamp, mini flashlight and lots of batteries will bring a smile. It will soon be a new year, so how about a new hunting or fishing license? Finally, if you’re really stuck for ideas, a gift certificate from a favorite sporting goods store, gun shop or fly shop will allow the lucky sports to have fun selecting their own gift.

There’s an old joke between outdoorsmen that says, “The guy that dies with the most toys wins.” Sportsmen for the most part are big kids and love any new gear. Here’s hoping Santa finds your house.

Outdoor feature writer Bill Graves can be reached via e-mail at bgravesoutdoors@ainop.com