Whether it's the holiday season or you're just feeling generous for the upcoming season, now is the time to put the wraps on gift buying for the predator hunter in your life. Predator season only lasts for a few short months each year, and if you're like me, you're spending the remaining months of the year strategizing, stocking up on gear, or just counting down the days in sheer excitement.
And let's be honest, the old adage for gift-giving, “It’s the thought that counts,” has never been further from the truth - it’s the gift that counts. So get the good stuff for your hunter this predator season. In fact, we’ve put a shortlist together to help you do just that. Here are 10 great gifts for predator hunters.
1. Vests with Deployable Seats
A solid vest will I first discovered these kinds of vests while hunting coyotes with a friend. I was immediately jealous and wanted one for myself. This one had huge pockets to store essentials like calls (they even fit electronic calls) and of course, the real value point - a deployable seat.
I can't tell you the amount of times that a detachable seat will save your legs. Over the years, I've found my favorite is the Speedy Yote Kickstand Vest from Cabela's. The Speed Seat concept allows you to quickly setup and takedown in a flash, and the comfort is built into the 3-inch thick Memory-Tech seat will keep you cozy for as long as you care to sit.
2. Shooting Sticks
Shooting sticks are an essential for any hunter. They enhance your accuracy, particularly with long shots, and once you try them, you probably won't go on another hunt in open country without it. The first thing you should know is that there are a few different types of shooting sticks: you've got fixed bipods, crossed sticks, tripods, and monopods. My personal preference is a tripod. They may take a bit longer on the set up than the others, but tripods offer the best stability and durability in my experience.
3. Call
I've talked about the importance of coyote calling before in this blog, but if the predator hunter in your life doesn't use a call yet, you may just be giving the best gift of all. hIgh quality doesn't always have to come at a high cost. I found the Johnny Stewart Custom Cottontail Call to produce some of the most realistic sounds you'll find in the wild. The call is easy to manipulate by varying your air pressure and hand placement, not to mention it works well in all weather conditions.
4. Decoys
Nothing will boost a predator hunter’s odds for success like the use of a decoy. It’s a complete game changer. If your hunter doesn’t have a decoy, they need one. Decoy helps seal the deal when predators respond to your calling. They offer incredible movement that predators simply can’t resist. When they lock their eyes on the decoy, they’ll rarely take them off. Aside from being lifelike, decoys are generally very light and easy to carry.
5. Scan Light
When night hunting is your method of taking predators, a scan light is sure to open up another whole world of predator hunting fun for you and your hunting buddies. This light is the answer to a call for a better light from predator hunters over the years. My favorite is the FoxPro Fire Eye Light. It offers red, green, amber and white; all of which are available at the press of a button. It's constructed from glass reinforced plastic material for extreme durability and features a familiar pistol style design for ease of use and comfort.
6. Mossberg MVP Predator Rifle
If you’re looking to go big with your gift buying this season, there’s no better choice than a new predator gun from Mossberg. The MVP Predator Rifle is a beautiful gun featuring a laminate wood stock and matte blued barrel finish. The bolt action rifle is rugged and dependable, a great option no matter where your predator hunt takes you. Mossberg MVP Predator, #27721 is available in 11-shot capacities with calibers available in .223 and .308 ($694.99/$742.00).
7. Electronic Callers
No predator hunter’s gift buying guide would be complete without a couple great options for e-Callers. I've used a ton of electronic coyote calls over the years, but at the end of the day, these are the two I rely on most:
First, the DeadBone from FOXPRO comes standard with 15 high quality FOXPRO sounds and the ability to play two sounds at once. It’s a really simple and slick option at an affordable price. The unit is very compact and easy to carry. It runs on 4 AA batteries and features a remote that allows control of sound selection, mute, volume, and power on/off.
Second, great little e-Caller with really big sounds is the new Grim Speaker GS2 from Johnny Stewart. This call features 10 preloaded sounds with 256MB storage capacity for loading additional sounds. The unit is compact and features a nice carry handle that doubles as a pivoting stand for optimal sound placement. The waterproof cone speaker puts out plenty of volume to bring predators to your stand. The caller’s remote is easy to use and has a range of 100 yards.
8. Yeti Rambler
Nothing beats hot coffee or cocoa waiting when you climb back in the truck between calling stands. That’s why the Yeti Rambler is so hard to beat for the perfect gift item for your hunter. Seriously, it’s likely the most practical gift you can possibly give. Whether they’re hunting, hanging out at the house, or office, they’ll use this thing every single day. It’s a great gift idea. And you can get the Yeti Gift Pack that includes a Rambler, a bottle opener, and a cool hat.
9. Rifle or Shotgun Ammo
Let’s face it, nobody likes to pay for ammo that they’re gonna burn up on the range or in the field. So any predator hunter will appreciate a good supply of ammo for their rifle or shotgun to keep them well stocked and prepared when they start calling coyotes. For my rifles, I like to use the Hornady Superformance Varmint loads. These loads were built to be super-fast, accurate, deadly, and versatile., plus they're available in a wide variety of calibers and grain options. When I hunt with a shotgun, I like the Hevi-Shot Dead Coyote loads. These shotgun shells are devastating on coyotes when they charge in to close range. They are available in 2 ¾”, 3”, and 3½”, with shot sizes in T, #4, and OOBuck.
10. Primos Truth 12 Calling All Coyotes DVD
Nothing will get you fired up for the hunt like watching it play out on the big screen in your living room. And few other videos pile up the fur like Randy Anderson and the Primos crew. Their latest DVD features over 3 hours of coyote hunting action and 50+ kills. The team travels from Canada to Oklahoma and nearly everywhere in between in search of coyotes north to south. This is one video every predator hunter should have in their library.
Get your predator hunter the good stuff with the predator hunting gear mentioned above. Also, be sure to check out the great Mossberg swag. Happy Hunting!
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