Shopping for the perfect holiday gift for an outdoors enthusiast can often be an adventure, since most hunters, anglers, hikers and bikers have certain brands and products that they prefer. That said, there are some high-quality — and highly affordable — gifts that any outdoorsman or woman will definitely appreciate.
If you are shopping for a gift for that hunter or angler on your list, whether it be your spouse, parent or a close friend, here are five excellent ideas, all under $100.
Spypoint Flex
Few technologies have transformed the sport of hunting in recent years like trail cameras, especially cellular models, but it’s difficult to find a quality cell cam under $100. However, right now you can get the Spypoint Flex while it’s on sale for just under one Benjamin ($99.99).
Released earlier this year, the Flex comes with two pre-activated, pre-installed SIM cards that automatically allow the camera to connect to the cellular network — AT&T or Verizon — that offers the best signal. And, if the signal strength changes over time, the camera will automatically switch to the most reliable network to ensure you always remain connected.
Setup is super easy via the menu on the camera and as for the features, the Flex has a fast, 0.3-second trigger speed so you don’t miss any shots of game, 100-foot flash and detection ranges, and it can take 33MP photos and 1080p video with sound. The info bar on the bottom of the images includes time, temperature and moon phase, providing some helpful intel for trying to put together the white-tailed hunting puzzle.
The Flex is able to transmit both photo and video, and one of the things that makes Spypoint different than many of the other cell-camera manufacturers is that it provides the first 100 photos per month for free. Transmission plans start at $5 per month, depending on the option you select.
More info: spypoint.com
Fishing license
There are very few presents that can provide a year’s worth of enjoyment for less than $25, but a Pennsylvania annual fishing license is definitely one of them. I’ve received a resident fishing license as a gift several times over the years and it has always been appreciated immensely. In 2023, the base price of a resident fishing license is increasing to $23.50 — still quite a deal — while a trout stamp will rise to $10.50. However, if you purchase them now, they are still available at the 2022 prices of $21 and $8 respectively, so you’ll technically save a few bucks as well.
More info: fishandboat.com
Hunting
mapping app
Whether you’re hunting for a new archery spot in Pennsylvania or planning a road trip out west for elk or mule deer, it all starts with scouting, and an excellent first step in the process is doing some research online. That’s where having a good mapping tool like onX or HuntStand comes in. For less than the cost of filling your truck’s tank with gas, a quality mapping app allows you to do advance planning for your next local or dream hunt. Mapping apps are invaluable since they designate public and private lands nationwide, including owner name, acreage and boundary lines for each property, allowing you to locate new hunting spots on public lands and/or provide valuable information if you’re looking to gain access to prime private land.
HuntStand’s just-released Pro Whitetail platform looks to be a game changer for deer hunters, with innovative features like the Whitetail Activity Forecast that offers hour-by-hour deer activity predictions for your hunting area, a Nationwide Rut Map that provides whitetail rut data for thousands of locations across the country and a Whitetail Habitat Map layer that tries to identify the locations that have the best odds for holding deer in a given area.
More info: onxmaps.com/hunt and huntstand.com
Conservation organization
membership
Whether it’s helping to protect our open spaces or working to restore our wildlife populations, local and national conservation organizations have had a huge impact on our natural resources over the decades. This year, consider giving your favorite sportsman or outdoors enthusiast a membership to an outdoors-focused organization like the National Wild Turkey Federation, Trout Unlimited, Ruffed Grouse Society, Ducks Unlimited or Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. Your support will come with some solid membership benefits, as well as help that nonprofit sustain its programs and mission, benefitting everyone who enjoys the outdoors.
If an organization doesn’t have a membership program, consider making a donation in that person’s name. Just one example of an impactful local nonprofit is the Wildlands Conservancy, which has done tremendous work in the region preserving thousands of acres of land, removing dams and conducting stream restoration projects on area waters, and played a key role in helping to reduce acid mine drainage in the Lehigh River Watershed. Making a donation to this Emmaus-based organization, or another local conservation group, will go a long way in helping them continue their work in the region.
Fishing lures
Need a great stocking stuffer? Peek inside your husband, wife or dad’s tackle box and see what their favorite bass or trout lure is. Then, get them five or six of them.
My favorite lure for trout has always been a Panther Martin classic copper and black spinner, and the more I fish in a year, the more I realize I need an ample supply. It might just be me, but I seem to get stuck in those trees that reach out and somehow grab my lure, or I get snagged on the bottom in that one spot on the stream where I can’t wade out and retrieve the spinner. Trust me when I say having a few extra spinners, crankbaits, plastic baits or topwater lures is never a bad idea, or a bad gift!
