Five Gifts for Under $20

Its that time of year again where I like to make lists of things that you might want to consider buying for the new hunter or fisherman on your Christmas list. My list has changed since last year, owing to my experiences hunting and fishing around the US while working on Eating Aliens.

So here it is. My annual list of the five best gifts for under $20 for the modern beginning subsistence hunter and fisherman. I'll do a pricier list later.

1. The Jitterbug fishing lure is absolutely the best $6 that you can spend on fishing tackle. Arbogast has been making it since 1938 and there is a good reason why its still in production. The Jitterbug catches fish. Largemouth bass, in particular. It makes you look like you actually know what you are doing. Last month I was in Texas to write and hunt and film a documentary and while I was there I tried again and again to catch a nice Texan largemouth. I failed miserably right up until my last afternoon in the Hill Country, when I remembered that I had a Jitterbug still in its packaging on the back seat of my car. I tore it from the plastic and swapped it out for the failed rubber worm on my line. On the very first cast with this lure I nailed a 15 inch largemouth, which was dinner. On my second cast I hooked up with a 14 incher, which I released. There was no third cast because I was worried I'd keep catching fish and I already had dinner under control.

I've had many 'very first cast' stories with Jitterbugs. A strong runner-up is the Hula Popper, also made by Arbogast. Both the Jitterbug and the Hula Popper come in different colors and versions. The ones I have linked to are the classics that have worked very well for me.

2. Hank Shaw's book, 'Hunt, Gather, Cook: Finding the Forgotten Feast' will make even an advanced hunter or fisherman look good. Hank has recipes for things that you probably didn't even know that you could eat. If the deer aren't around or the fish aren't biting you'll still know some wild plants and mushrooms that you can bring home for dinner.

3. The Butt-Out tool. It says what it does and does what it says. I won't get too graphic in my description of this thing, but suffice to say that it makes a very unpleasant step in gutting any medium to large animal easier and faster than it would otherwise be. I own one and have used it on hogs, whitetail deer and fallow deer and it has always worked well. Just remember to put it in the dishwasher when you're done.

4. Thorlo hiking socks. I know they're socks. For Christmas. Shut up. They're comfortable and warm. When you're hunting deer from an ambush, your feet get cold while you're waiting around. Serious socks are the answer and Thorlos are the best. My fraternal twin brother hiked the Appalachian Trail with a guy named Mud Elephant who supposedly invented the things and sold the design to a company with the deal being that they'd give him free socks for life. Then they got sold or something to some other company that told him to get lost and now Mud Elephant doesn't get free socks anymore. He has to pay for them, just like you'll have to. But its still not very much money considering the 'oh yeah, the Thorlos are up!' feeling that you get when they come out of the dryer.

5. I hear that the Beginner's Guide to Hunting Deer for Food is a pretty good book...

[Photo copyright 2011 by Jackson Landers]