by Art Young

Created on: December 11, 2011

It’s that time of year again and if you’re already sick of hearing “Little Drummer Boy” (Pa rump pa pump pum!) and “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” and you still don’t have that perfect gift for your spouse, boyfriend/girlfriend, buddy or boss, you’re in luck, especially if he or she loves to hunt and fish. It’s a proven fact that outdoor sports fanatics can never have too many or too much of any category of equipment, apparel or gadgetry.

Everyone who loves to hunt or fish takes a secret oath (actually, it’s more of a unwritten understanding) to always want: (1) whatever their buddies have that’s cool and (2) anything that has even the slightest, most remote chance of helping them have more success in the woods or on the water. This makes getting a Christmas gift for these outdoor sports enthusiasts a piece ‘o cake. Almost anything, at any price-point, if it meets one or both of these criteria, is the perfect gift.

Don’t Go Here – Dogs and Guns

There are, however, couple of areas that a well-meaning, but misinformed shopper might want to avoid when contemplating a gift for the outdoor sportsperson. It’s probably best to stay away from dogs and guns. There are a few reasons for this.

While they are both enhance the outdoor experience and any hunter loves to think about both of these, they share several factors that make them potentially a bad gift. First, both are expensive to buy and a poor choice can be a waste of money that could have been used for something that the hunter would have really liked.  Secondly, the benefits of both depend on the individual hunter.

With guns, unless there has been extensive communications between the giver and giftee – including, but not limited to the type of hunting they are to be used for, the caliber or gauge that the hunter wants or needs to complete their arsenal, the manufacturer or brand and all the whistles and bells that need to be included on the gun – the odds of making an expensive mistake and one that sits in the gun case, unused, for the next 20 years, are high.    

Choosing a hunting dog seems like a great idea. Who doesn’t love the thought of a cute, little puppy, sitting under the tree on Christmas morning, eagerly waiting to learn everything about retrieval, staying on point, flushing and, in general being a Good Boy?

The problem comes when this sweet critter, man’s best

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