Getting sweet on an outdoorsman but don’t know what to buy him for Christmas? Don’t panic, when you’re done reading this article, you’ll be a bonafide official outdoors shopper.

    If you’re married to a sportsman or in hot pursuit of one, remember the goal is to buy them a gift that will light up their eyes. Just because you spend a lot of money doesn’t mean they’ll enjoy it. They may appreciate the sacrifice you made, but it will still just be another blender to be stuck in closet.  

    If you want to impress your lover, shop around. You don’t have to spend a wad of money. If you only have $20, get the most you can for $20. My daughter constantly amazes me with the deals she finds. You can do the same. Also, if you buy them something that they use every day, they’ll think of you everytime they use it. Here are some ideas.

    — Havalon knives. They make some lightweight super sharp knives. $40

    — ThermaCELL has a new Heated Insole. $120

    — ThermaCELL Mosquito Repellant, it’s the best mosquito repeller on the market. $24

    — Knife Sharpening Book-Go to Amazon Kindle and punch in “Knife Sharpening” by Tom Claycomb III. It is only .99 cents. Or if you need some new deer recipes punch in “Cooking Deer Meat.”

    — Montana Decoys makes elk, deer and varmint decoys. $100

    — Camping gear. Alps Mountaineering makes some nice sleeping pads, sleeping bags and tents.

    — Frogg Togg rain gear for rain and wind protection.

-Butler Creek elastic binocular straps and rifle slings. I’ve tested nearly every sling on the market and these are the most comfortable. $30

    — Danner boots. They make some stout hunting boots.

    — Smith Abrasives fine grit 6-inch stone diamond stone to sharpen his knives (buy the orange one). $30

    — Backpacks. Everyone uses a backpack. Good ones last for years. Hmm…what if you hung up a backpack instead of a stocking? $75-$150

    — Hi-Mountain jerky and sausage seasonings. It’s easy to make your own with these packages.

    — Gift certificate. Buy me a gift certificate at any Outdoor store and I’m a happy camper.

    — A home run deal would be a guided hunting/fishing trip. That would be a memorable gift.

    — This one will sound dumb but I guarantee you he’d love it. If you never go out

  camping/hunting/fishing with him, give him a free “I promise to go hunting with you

  pass.” $0, but would be worth a $1,000,000.

    — Then of course catalogs. Let him pick out 10 items. That way you know he’ll like your gift. Who doesn’t like to daydream and browse through a catalog?

    — Own a camper? If so there are always little knick-knacks that he can use.

    — Own a boat? Same thing, there are always new gadgets he could use.

    — 2012 Hunting & Fishing license.

    — Sausage grinder (Hint, hint. Katy, do you ever read my articles???) $300-$500

    — If you’re a big spender you could win the good wife of the year award by buying him a new gun! The Bersa .380 Thunder is a fun little gun.

    — Outdoorsmen can always us new scopes, binoculars or spotting scopes. You can’t go wrong if you buy Leupold or Bushnell products.

    — Now here’s where you can really rack up the points without spending much — STOCKING STUFFERS. There are a million items you can buy.

    — Bullets. Ask him exactly what kind he wants. His desires on bullets will be very specific. Ask what brand, what grade of bullet, etc. From $2-$60.

    — Waterproof matches. $2

    — Elk scent. $10

    — Good hiking socks. $14

    — Aquamira filtered water bottle. $25 I love these. Now I don’t have to pack a lot of water when flyfishing, hunting or backpacking.

    — Mountain House backpacking meals. $7.50

    — Fishing lures. $7

    — Elk calls. $7-$50. I like the Primos Terminator bugle.

    — Burnham Brother Varmint calls (MB-1 Mini Blaster)

    — Polarized sunglasses. $20

    — Flies. Check out flydealflies.com

    When you take time to find him a special gift, that lets him know what a special wife he has. He can strut into the office, stick his chest out and nonchalantly say, “my wife bought me a box of elk hair Caddis flies, what did your wife buy you?”

    His co-workers will duck their heads down and mumble…weed whacker, pink underwear and the dribble will continue. Your lover will be the king of the office though, because he has you for a wife.