This is a review and comparison of the best smartwatches for hunting in 2025, sorted by price. This review compares Garmin, Coros, SUNNTO, and Apple smartwatches. You’ll find the best hunting smartwatches for the money, long-range shooting, best battery life, and the most well-rounded smartwatches.
The right smartwatch for you will depend on the type of hunting you do. For this reason, this review compares all of these smartwatches so you can find the best watch for your specific hunting application.
I break down each watch on this list using the most essential hunting watch criteria so you can easily find the best watch for the specific type of hunting you do.
Without further ado, here are the 8 best smartwatches for hunting in 2025:
This post contains Amazon and other affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a commission if you purchase through my link, at no extra cost to you. Of course, you are not obligated to use my links, but it does help fund these posts in hopes of bringing more value to you!
Table of Contents
Criteria For The Best Smartwatches For Hunting
Battery Life
GPS
ABC (Altimeter, Barometer, Compass)
Touchscreen
Bluetooth
Sunrise and Sunset
Moon Phases
Mapping Features
Watch Durability
Waterproof Rating
Watch Face Material
Applied Ballistics
Display Quality
Top Hunting Smartwatches Comparison Chart
In this chart, you’ll find the top watches in this review compared. Scroll ➡➡ to see all of the smartwatches.
*Price At Time of Post
**Battery Life Depends on Settings
Best Smartwatches For Hunting
Garmin Instinct Solar (Standard) – Best Value Smartwatch For Hunting
The Garmin Instinct Solar is the best hunting smartwatch for the money in this post. There are a lot of features you get from this watch at a very reasonable price point. This smartwatch comes with everything the majority of hunters would need. For example, it has GPS/ABC, 24 days of battery life, sunset/sunrise, moon phases, and meets military specs MIL-STD-810G for durability.
The screen is made of Power Glass which ranks about 6.8 on the hardness scale and is very resistant to breaking and scratching. However, the Sapphire glass of many of the other watches rank 9 on the hardness scale. This means sapphire is very hard to scratch and is better if you think there’s a high potential to damage your smartwatch while hunting.
Garmin Instinct Solar Standard Smartwatch For Hunting
The Garmin Instinct 2 is the next step up from the Standard Instinct.
Difference Between The Garmin Instinct 2 vs Instinct?
The biggest difference between these two models is price and battery life. The Instinct 2 is more expensive but does have an improved battery over the Standard Instinct. The battery life can potentially be unlimited in smartwatch mode with adequate sun exposure.
You’ll also get more features with the Instinct 2 including:
The Apple Watch Ultra is the smartwatch for hunters that are looking for the perfect balance for those who still want an Apple Watch and access to the App Store while having more rugged features like Garmin watches. The Apple Watch Ultra is more waterproof (100m), works down to -2ºF, has an awesome compass, dual-frequency GPS, ability to take waypoints, and longer battery life (up to 60 hours), and has sapphire glass and aerospace-grade titanium casing.
SUUNTO Traverse Alpha – Best Specifically Designed Smartwatch For Hunting
The SUUNTO Traverse Alpha Stealth is one of the best hunting smartwatches on the market because it was designed specifically for hunters.
It has a unique feature called automatic shot detection which will place a waypoint each time you shoot. This can be helpful for relocating where you shot if you’re trying to find an animal. Although unique, I don’t think this feature is practical enough to justify buying this watch on its own. However, this watch has many more beneficial features for hunters.
Another key feature of this watch is that it is GPS and GLONASS enabled, this means the watch can be used for navigation. In GPS mode you can set the watch to leave breadcrumbs, enabling the watch to track your path. This is helpful for hunters because you can see how far away we are from the vehicle at the end of the day or for getting in and out of the woods in the dark.
This watch also has an Altimeter, Barometer, and Compass (ABC). This means it has the ability to tell you elevations, atmospheric pressures, and a digital compass which is helpful for hunters.
Other great hunting features of this watch include sunrise and sunset and moon phases.
Coros Vertix 2 – Best Battery Life Smartwatch For Hunting
One of the biggest reasons the Coros Vertix 2 is a great smartwatch for hunters is because of its impressive battery life. This smartwatch can last up to 60 days in smartwatch mode which beats the competition by a landslide. Battery life is important for hunters because it is very inconvenient for a watch to run out of battery when you’re depending on it for navigation.
This watch also has all of the features you’d want out of a hunting smartwatch. For example, the best features for hunters include; a large readable display, advanced navigation features, (5-satellite systems + offline mapping), 32 Gb of storage, and heart rate variability (HRV) + oxygen saturation (SpO2).
This smartwatch has advanced navigation capabilities and is very simple to use. Maps include landscape, topo, or hybrid modes which are helpful to alternate between when hunting. It comes with a global landscape basemap and you can download free topo maps by a specific region on the Coros site. Another great mapping feature is that you can zoom in and out of maps easily with the touch screen.
When deciding if this smartwatch is for you, the biggest thing to take into consideration is bulk. For example, the trade-off is the large screen is nice for viewing but it can feel bulky at times.
Garmin Fenix 7 Sapphire Solar – Best Overall Smartwatch For Hunting
Difference Between The Garmin Fenix 7X vs Coros Vertix 2
The Garmin Fenix 7X Sapphire Solar is the most comparable watch to the Coros Vertix 2. So if you’re looking for this Garmin version of the Coros 2, this watch might be for you. They are just about the same size and offer similar features. The Coros 2 has the leg up when it comes to battery life and price.
However, the Garmin Fenix 7X performs slightly better in all other categories. Most importantly for hunters, it has a much better GPS mapping experience and a better touch screen for easy screen and GPS navigation.
Difference Between Garmin Fenix 6 vs Garmin Fenix 7
The Garmin Fenix 7 has a touch screen, the 6 does not
You can easily pan and zoom on map with Garmin Fenix 7
The Garmin Fenix 7 has better GPS accuracy
The Fenix 7 has a better battery life
GPS mode battery life is much better on the Fenix 7 (56 vs 36 hours)
Better heart rate sensor with Fenix 7
Fenix 7 has Solar + Sapphire glass options (with 2x more effective solar panels)
Garmin Tactix Delta Solar – Best Smartwatch With Applied Ballistics
The Garmin Tactix Delta Solar with Applied Ballistics is the most expensive watch on this list.
The reason this watch is so expensive is because of the Applied Ballistics. Basically, you’d likely only want this watch if you’re looking for Applied Ballistics for long-range hunting and shooting. As far as Applied Ballistics, it’s pretty amazing because the Tactix can do everything a Kestrel can do with the exception of reading windspeed.
You can hook it up via BlueTooth to many different rangefinders. In my post, 10 Best Rangefinders For Hunting I include the best long-range rangefinders that work with Garmin Watches and Kestrel units. You’ll see in that post that Sig Saur makes the best rangefinders for long-range hunting and shooting with the BlueTooth feature.
It can pretty much do everything you would expect out of a hunting GPS watch. One downside is that the Garmin Tactix Delta Solar with Applied Ballistics does not have a touchscreen. In most cases, this is not an issue but for GPS navigation it would be helpful.
Garmin Tactix Delta Solar Smartwatch with Applied Ballistics
Apple Watch Series 8 – Best Smartwatch For Casual Hunters
For more casual hunting where you don’t plan to be hunting aggressively in tough terrain and in remote places for days at a time, the Apple Watch might be your best option.
The Apple Watch 8 is feature-rich because it has access to the Apple App Store. There are many GPS apps and hunting apps to download on the App Store. Also, if you already have an iPhone the integration between the two devices is seamless.
This is also one of the best smartwatches for everyday use. If you’re looking for a hybrid smartwatch that is great for daily life and for casual hunting scenarios this watch is absolutely a consideration.
Apple Watch Best Smartwatch For Casual Hunters
The Apple Watch Ion-X glass is about a 5 on the hardness scale, which means the screen is not as durable as the other watches listed. The Garmin Instinct Solar screen ranks 6.8 on the hardness scale, which is better than the Ion-X and more shatter-resistant. Sapphire ranks 9 and is very difficult to scratch and break making it one of the best products for watch screens.
You can get the Apple Watch 8 with a sapphire screen which will greatly improve its scratch resistance because it will be a 9 on the hardness scale. The Apple Watch Series 8’s with a stainless steel or titanium case will have a sapphire lens. However, this increases the price of the smartwatch.
Hopefully, this post helped you narrow down the best hunting smartwatches for you. If you enjoyed this post, you can learn more below:
Related Articles:
The Garmin Tactix Delta Solar with Applied Ballistics can connect via BlueTooth to some rangefinders for long-range shooting so you might be interested in my article:
The best moose watching gear for Maine will help you have the best experience. If you’ve never been moose watching in Maine there is some gear that will help you get the most out of your experience.
A lot of the gear on this list is helpful optics for better viewing experiences and navigational tools that will help you feel more comfortable in the more remote areas of Maine are more likely to be found.
The gear on this list is useful for both DIY moose watching and for those who are going on a guided Maine moose safari/tour.
This post contains Amazon and other affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a commission if you purchase through my link, at no extra cost to you. Of course, you are not obligated to use my links, but it does help fund these posts in hopes of bringing more value to you!
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The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer For DIY Moose Watching
If you’re a DIY Maine moose watcher, you should have a map to help you navigate if electronics fail. This is especially important for those who are entering the North Maine Woods and that aren’t familiar with the road systems. They’re also helpful for marking locations to come to on future dates.
Maine moose hunting season starts around the last week of September through November depending on which WMD you’re in. For safety, it is a good idea to wear at least one article of orange clothing. This will not bother the moose because they have bad eyesight and are colorblind. You can find the Maine moose hunting seasons here.
If you’re going to be viewing moose from the water (like on a boat or canoe) or spending a lot of time outside in the spring/summer sunscreen is a good idea.
If you’re going moose watching in northern Maine in Spring/Summer you’re likely to encounter mosquitos, horse flies, and black flies. Having bug spray on hand is a good idea.
Rynoskin Clothing – Chemical Free Insect Protection
There are many reasons to not spray yourself with bug spray. The poison from the spray is able to penetrate your skin and is unhealthy. Additionally, if you’re hunting game with a good sense of smell using bug spray is a great way to ruin a hunt.
I’m a big advocate for Rynoskin, I wear them religiously to protect me from mostly ticks but also help with mosquitos and other insects. They are a chemical-free baselayer that helps prevent bugs from penetrating the tight mesh. Check out my full review here: Rynoskin Review: Insect and Tick Proof Clothing | Does it Work?
These Lacrosse Grange boots are the go-to boots for Maine. Even if you’re planning to find moose from the vehicle, you might want to get out for a closer look after you’ve found a moose.
These boots keep your pant legs from getting wet from early morning dew or from vegetation that is wet from the rain. They’re also very durable and offer some protection to your shins when you’re walking in slash from logging operations.
Additionally, they are very lightweight and have a tight ankle grip to prevent slipping and blisters.
If you’re going to be driving on dirt roads in the remote wilderness of Maine it is always a good idea to bring a compass. Even if you don’t think you’ll need it, it wouldn’t hurt to keep one in the glove box.
Spotting scopes offer a little extra reach than binoculars. When binoculars aren’t up for the task it’s time to break out the spotting scope. Being able to see moose at longer ranges than binoculars makes spotting scopes fantastic tools for moose watching and for finding moose that aren’t visible to the naked eye.
Spotting scopes are great for wide-open areas like fields, swamps, and clear cuts where moose are found most of the time. Sometimes they’re close enough for binoculars, but sometimes that extra reach is needed.
A handy way to use a spotting scope for scouting and viewing moose is by securing it to a tripod. This will also make it a lot easier to use the Smartphone Adapter (below) because you will have both hands free.
Since spotting scopes have high magnification they shake a lot if you don’t have something to steady them. A spotting scope tripod is one of the best pieces of Maine moose watching gear for this reason.
If your a photographer or videographer you can also mount your camera to the tripod for steadier shots.
Just like with the spotting scope, it can be helpful to use a tripod to steady your binoculars. This will be helpful if you have shakey hands or if you have high power magnification binoculars.
Also when glassing a large area it is nice to have the binoculars compeltly stabilized so that movement is very easy to pick up in the binoculars. This makes moose easier to find.
Another cool and useful accessory for moose watching is a spotting scope adapter. This adapter allows the moose watchers to place their phone camera over the spotting scope eyepiece and see through the spotting scope. This attachment is pretty awesome because you can take photos and videos on your phone through the scope. And it’s cheaper than buying an expensive camera and lens!
Spotting Scope Window Attachment For Moose Watching
A handy way to use a spotting scope for scouting and viewing moose is by clamping it onto the window of a vehicle. This will also make it a lot easier to use the Smartphone Adapter (above).
Since spotting scopes have high magnification they shake a lot if you don’t have something to steady them. The spotting scope window attachment is one of the best pieces of Maine moose watching gear for this reason.
If you start to get more serious about finding more moose to improve your success at Maine moose watching then a wireless trail camera can be very useful. You will get photos sent wirelessly to your phone when it takes photos. This will help you monitor what time and what caliber of moose are visiting the area. This is especially helpful if you’re trying to get photos of a bull of a particular size.
As far as cellular cameras go, this is one of the best trail cameras for the money. It takes quality images, has a 90 ft detection range, has a fast recovery time for a cellular camera (26s), and has an impressive 10.5 months of battery life (for a cellular trail camera). This long battery life is a big advantage for this cell camera over other cameras which are much shorter or require a solar panel. (just remember there needs to be cell service)
If you’re going to be viewing moose from the water (canoe, boat…etc) then sunglasses are a good idea. Polarized sunglasses will cut down on the glare even more. Polarized sunglasses will make viewing through optics better because it will be like adding a polarizing filter to the optics which reduces glare.
Costa Del Mar or “Costas” are very well-known sunglasses in the outdoor industry, especially among those who spend a lot of time on the water where the ultimate eye protection is necessary. They use technology to eliminate reflection and filter out the harshest colors so that your eyes are protected under the harshest of sun. They also offer a variety of lens colors so you can customize your glasses to your specific outdoor use.
Costa’s use technology to eliminate reflection and filter out the harshest colors so that your eyes are protected under the harshest of sun.
If you’re going to be DIY moose watching a phone GPS is a good idea if you’re going to be in the semi- or completely remote wilderness of Maine. The best GPS Phone App will be able to download offline maps. The OnX Hunt Phone App is a great option for Maine moose watching for this reason. You can read my OnX Hunt Review Here.
In addition to a Phone GPS, I would also carry a regular GPS for DIY moose watching. I would do this because you never know when your phone might die. If you’re relying on your phone to get out of the woods it’s always a good idea to have a backup.
This is a high-quality GPS for the price. It has all the basic features one would need to get to and from destinations as efficiently as possible. My personal favorite part of this GPS is that the arrow points in the direction the user is facing (3-axis electronic compass). This is lacking in some of the more basic GPSs.
If you wanted to take safety to the next level you could opt for the Garmin InReach devices.
Garmin InReach Explorer+ GPS
With an affordable subscription, the Garmin In-Reach Explorer+ GPS has many benefits for remote wildlife watching: The benefits of this GPS over others are that it offers an emergency SOS feature and texting without service. The InReach uses satellites to send and receive messages instead of cell towers.
The In-Reach GPS gives peace of mind when hunting in remote backcountry situations, making it one of the best gifts for backcountry hunters or wildlife watchers.
Another great feature of this GPS is that it comes with a pre-downloaded topo map of the U.S. For this reason, the map can also be used without service. The off-grid capabilities of the Garmin InReach are unmatched for the price.
The InReach Mini is a more affordable and compact version of the InReach Explorer+. It has similar SOS and texting features as the Explorer+ and can be paired with your cell phone so that it is just as easy to use when using the free EarthMate App.
The one benefit of DSLR/mirrorless cameras is that you can achieve a cinematic, customized, and professional look. They also have the ability to be much better in low-light situations than camcorders which can be very important in wildlife photography and videography.
Moose can be very far away in Maine because they are often found in swamps, fields, or cuts that are vast. A 200-600mm lens is the lens I would want to take the best pictures of moose in Maine. This combined with Sony’s 1.5x zoom in Crop Mode can make this lens a 300-900mm lens.
Hopefully you’ve found some gear that will help improve your Maine moose watching experience. You likely don’t need all of this gear on this list but you can pick and choose the best moose watching gear for your specific moose watching circumstance.
The how, when, and where to see Moose in Maine will depend on a few factors. If you’ve never seen a Maine moose before it can be difficult to know how to get started. In this post, you’ll learn everything you need to put the odds in your favor as much as possible so you have the best odds for success.
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When Is The Best Time Of Year To See Moose In Maine
You can see moose at any time of year, you just need to know where to look. Like most animals, moose change their locations depending on the time of year. They do this to conserve their energy. For this reason, you need to look in the right areas at the right time of year to increase your odds of seeing a moose.
Additionally, cows and calves will often be found in different areas than bulls, even at the same time of year. This is important to know depending on what gender of moose you want to see to put the odds in your favor.
Spring Maine Moose Habitat
Cows and Calves
In early spring, cows and calves are coming down out of the mountains and making their way to the greenery that is starting to emerge in the lower elevations because it provides nutritious feed. As they migrate, you can find moose at any elevation.
Bulls
It will be difficult to tell bulls from cows at this time of year because antlers are just starting to grow. However, it is common for bulls to remain in the mountains for the majority of the time in the Spring so if you see moose in lower elevations the odds are higher that you’re seeing cows and calves feeding.
Summer Maine Moose Habitat
Cows and Calves
During the summer cows and calves are spending a lot of time eating aquatic vegetation at the edges of swamps, lakes, and ponds. This is when moose are the most visible. Summer is one of the best times to see moose, especially cows and calves.
Cows are trying to conserve energy and increase calve survival by staying in close proximity to high densities of nutritious food. The trade-off is that temperatures are warmer and it requires energy to stay cool. However, cow and calve body size is generally smaller than bulls which helps them cool down faster.
Bulls
Bulls will be found at higher elevations in the summer. You are less likely to see bulls at lower elevations because bulls are trying to conserve energy by not exerting themselves and overheating.
They like higher elevations because it is cooler and breezier up in the mountains. Bull moose like hardwood stands that provide a lot of younger plant regen (like old cuts) because this is the best food source in the mountains. They also like mixed woods and softwood stands for shading when they’re not feeding.
The trade-off is bulls don’t have the same density of high-quality food as the cows and the calves. However, bulls don’t have to worry about raising a calve so it works for their needs.
Fall Maine Moose Habitat
Moose breed in the fall, this is known as the Maine moose rut. It occurs for about one week during the last week of September in Maine. This is when moose are very visible because bulls are coming down out of the mountains and are running around searching for cows in lower elevations.
The rut starts to taper off and will pretty much be done by mid-October. At this time all moose start feeding heavy, preparing for winter. Once the high-quality leaf browse has changed color or fallen off, moose head back up into the mountains.
Winter Maine Moose Habitat
Moose head into the mountains in the winter, using mountains to shelter themselves from wind and snow. They’ll use the leeward side of the mountains to stay out of the worst of the conditions.
Often they’ll be close to hardwood browse where they can feed on young regenerating vegetation. Once snow becomes deep (around 3 feet) they’ll use mature softwoods for shelter. The snow depth will be reduced under mature softwoods.
When Is The Best Time Of Day To See Moose In Maine
Outside of the rut, the best time of day to see moose in Maine is dawn and dusk. This is because moose are known as crepuscular creatures which means they are most active during twilight.
That said, during the rut moose are much more active. During adequate weather conditions, moose are often moving around all day for days at a time.
Maine Bull Moose At Sunrise
Where To See Moose In Maine
To give yourself the best chances of seeing a moose in Maine, you’ll want to be in the areas that have the most moose per square mile. These areas are northern and western Maine. There are a few reasons for this which we will discuss:
Unpopulated Areas
Just getting out of populated areas will greatly increase your odds of seeing moose because they prefer large tracts of undeveloped land.
If you’re in a semi-populated area your chances are going to be less than if you’re in the more remote wilderness. Luckily, these undeveloped areas are easy to get to in Maine.
Cold Regions of Maine
Additionally, moose like the cold because their big bodies have a hard time regulating heat. For this reason, they are found in more northern areas of Maine where the temperature is colder on average.
Mountains
Maine Moose also like mountainous areas because they can use them to their advantage energetically. For example, moose like mountains because temperatures are cooler and breezier on mountain tops than in valleys or in flatter landscapes.
The mountains are especially important in Western Maine because it allows moose to extend their range further south. Without the mountains, it would likely be warm for moose and the population would likely be lower.
This is why you can find a good population of moose in the mountainous areas of Western Maine even though it is fairly far south.
Western Mountains of Maine
Moose In Maine Maps
Maine Climate Divisions
To see moose in Maine it makes sense to look in the Northern Climate Division because that is where there is a combination of adequate temperatures, low human population densities, and good moose habitat.
Maine Climate Divisions from Maine’s Climate Future. Long-term average temperature and precipitation (inches), based on NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center for 1895 through 2007. The divisions span 54%, 31%, and 15% of the state’s total area
Maine Moose Collision Map
This image is helpful for understanding where to find moose in Maine but should be taken with a grain of salt. For example, it shows that moose can be found in western Maine and Northern Maine based on the number of car crashes involving moose.
But as you can tell there are no road networks in northwestern Maine so obviously no data was collected for these areas which is why it’s colored green. But you can bet if there were roads in northwestern Maine there would be red epicenters there as well.
So you have to use your imagination, but it is still helpful to see how accurately the collisions relate to the Northern Maine Climate Division (map above).
You can hunt moose in Maine. When a moose is harvested hunters have to register their moose so the state can track the health of the moose population in Maine. The map below shows where the most moose were tagged in Maine in 2013.
This information should also be taken with a grain of salt because not every area of Maine is given permits to hunt moose. However, this map does show that northern Maine has a lot of moose. This is helpful to prove that moose are found throughout northwestern Maine.
I’ve created a Maine moose location map sketch of the best locations to see moose in Maine based on my education, research, and years of experience in the Maine woods. Your odds of seeing a Maine moose greatly increase by looking for moose in the higher probability area shown:
Where To See Moose In Maine | Moose In Maine Map – Maine Moose Location Map Sketch
How To See Moose In Maine
So now that you know where to see moose in Maine the next step is how to go about making a game plan. The best way to see moose in Maine is to drive the seemingly unlimited logging roads in Northern Maine. You can easily get access to these logging roads through North Maine Woods, Inc by paying a small fee.
You can increase your odds of finding moose by using a phone GPS app to find the best moose habitat for the time of year. This can include; cuts, swamps, mountains…etc.
Drive around to high probability habitat spots, preferably in the morning and evening and you have a very good chance of seeing moose in Maine feeding or traveling if you’re within the high probability area on the map above.
Best Places To See Moose In Maine
Grey, Maine Animal Wildlife Park
If you’re looking for an easier way to see Maine moose, then you can head to the Grey, Maine Animal Wildlife Park. There are many species of Maine animals, including moose.
These are rescued animals that cannot be released back into the wilderness for a variety of reasons. Tickets help to fund the rehabilitation of animals and continue the Wildlife Park.
Best Gear For Maine Moose Watching
If you’re new to moose watching in Maine there is some gear that will help you have the best experience. Optics, cameras, attachments, navigation, and safety equipment are good items to bring. My post: Best Moose Watching Gear For Maine | Maine Moose Watching 101 can help you choose the best gear for Maine moose watching.
Conclusion
Hopefully, you have a better idea of where to see moose in Maine. Being in the right spot at the right time of year is most of the challenge. Now that you know where to look at the right time you should have success. If you have questions feel free to reach out.
This hunting gift guide includes 61 gift ideas for deer hunters, sorted by price, making it easy to find the perfect hunting gift (even for non-hunters). You’ll find great hunting gift ideas for all types of hunters, at all budgets, and for any skill level.
If you don’t hunt yourself you might be lost trying to decide what a hunter would want as a gift. Even if you hunt yourself it can be difficult. You’re trying to make a thoughtful gift choice which is why I’ve written summaries of the gifts explaining the gift and what type of hunter they would be perfect for.
Many gift ideas are from gear I’ve personally tested, ensuring quality. In those instances, I have linked to a more in-depth article/video so that you can learn more about the gift idea if you so choose.
Let’s jump into the gift ideas:
This post contains Amazon and other affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a commission if you purchase through my link, at no extra cost to you. Of course, you are not obligated to use my links, but it does help fund these posts in hopes of bringing more value to you.
Table of Contents
Best Gifts For Deer Hunters Under 25$
Cookbook: Buck, Buck Moose
This is a cookbook by Hank Shaw that is specifically for cooking four-legged antlered animals, including deer. This cookbook is one of the best gifts for deer hunters looking to level up their wild game cooking skills.
The deer poop necklace – ’cause you ain’t killed crap all season’ (consider going vegan) is one of the funniest gag gifts for hunters because not only are you getting them deer poop as a present, but you’re making fun of them at the same time.
Deer Poop Necklace Funny Gag Gift For Hunters. Photo From Here
Electrical lighters are flameless and require no gas or butane making them an excellent choice for getting a fire started in poor conditions. This lighter is waterproof, windproof, and made from PVC and Zinc alloy for durability. It’s interesting, unique, and functional making it one of the coolest gifts for hunters.
A folding saw is an excellent tool for trimming around a new treestand and cutting shooting lanes. It’s small and will fit easily into a small backpack or waist pack.
In addition to treestand preparation, hunters that like to hunt from the ground can always make use of folding saws. They’re perfect for spur-of-the-moment ground blind creation. They’re also a great tool to have when making bush sleds or other tools in an emergency.
Splatterburst targets make great gifts for deer hunters because the bullet holes are highly visible at a distance. This makes sighting in guns a lot easier because you don’t have to walk down-range after every shot in order to see where you hit. If you don’t have a scope then you’ll still want binoculars though. These targets have thousands of reviews and a solid 5-stars so you know you’re getting a quality gift.
A compass is one of the most useful tools for safety and navigation while deer hunting. Compasses can be used to get out of the woods when lost or to maintain a straight line. They are also an essential backup for any deer hunter using a GPS. It is never a good idea to rely on electronics, a GPS can fail. In these situations is always a good idea to have a compass for a backup. Compasses do not require batteries, making them very reliable and thus a great gift.
Every hunter with a game camera will appreciate a mobile SD card reader. Instead of wasting time by bringing the SD card back home to plug into a computer, you can just download photos and videos to your phone and put the SD card back in the camera. This saves a lot of unnecessary time dealing with SD Cards.
All hunters are striving to become better hunters. Why not get a book so they can take their hunting to the next level? Check out my post: 10 Best Deer Hunting Books – Wisdom from the Top Big Buck Killing Gurus. I have read many books on deer hunting and these by far are the most impactful and would make a great gift. One of my absolute favorites is Bowhunting Pressured Whitetails by Chris and John Eberhart.
Bowhunting Pressured Whitetails by John and Chris Eberhart
Level up a hunter’s cooking skills with a wild game cookbook. This cookbook is written by the well-known writer, T.V. Host, hunter, and conservationist Steven Rinella. Within this book, Rinella offers cooking instructions and fantastic photography. Getting better at preparing wild-game meals is something every hunter can appreciate, making it one of the best gifts for hunters.
Rinella’s Meateater cookbook is one of the most well-known cookbooks on the market today and has excellent ratings. If you know a hunter who wants to improve their wild-game eating experience, this is the book to get. (Who knows, maybe you’ll selfishly benefit as well).
The MeatEater Fish and Game Cookbook Is One Of The Best Gifts For Hunters
It is important for deer hunters to be scent-free. Deer have incredible olfactory senses (noses) and if the wind direction starts swirling a good scent control regime can be the difference between a successful and failure. Dead Down Wind makes a great scent killer kit, I’ve been buying these kits for years. It’s a 10-piece kit. The three items in the kit I use the most are the field spray, laundry detergent, and bar soap.
Lumenoks are lighted arrow nocks, when an arrow is shot the nocks light up making them easily visible in low light. For this reason, Lumenoks are a bowhunter’s best friend and are one of the bests gifts for deer hunters. The ability to clearly see where the arrow connects with the animal is important for effective recovery decisions.
Having a lighted nock also makes finding the arrow after the shot much easier and can make the difference between a recovered and not recovered animal. Lumenoks make great gifts because you will be a hero to the hunter if the Lumenoks were the only reason a deer was able to be recovered after a sub-par shot.
An antler mounting kit is a great Christmas gift on its own. However, you can take it one step further and mount the antlers for someone else to make it one of the most thoughtful and unique hunting gifts for hunters who have everything.
Antlers mounts are thoughtful and unique gifts for deer hunters who have everything
Just about every guy loves the excitement of a new video game, this one is designed for hunters. It has hundreds of creatures to hunt and interact with, dynamic weather, animal behavior, sophisticated wind systems that carry scent, and more realistic components to really immerse the player in the hunting experience making it one of the best hunting gifts for a boyfriend. This game is available for Xbox, PC, and Playstation.
A hunting video game is one of the best gifts for deer hunters
Getting permission to hunt new properties is one of the most challenging aspects of deer hunting, especially for new deer hunters. The OnX Hunt App helps to solve this time-consuming process. OnX does this by showing property boundary lines as well as the owners of the property. This makes seeking and asking for permission in order to get new hunting grounds so much easier making it one of the best gifts for hunters. This phone application works across all platforms (apple, android…etc.).
Lithium Batteries Are Overlooked Gifts For Deer Hunters
Lithium batteries make a world of difference and are often overlooked, but are one of the best gifts for deer hunters. This type of battery is much more efficient and works much better especially in cold weather, making them superior for all hunting products. They are especially useful for game cameras. The electronics in game cameras tend to fail in cold weather with regular alkaline batteries, which is very frustrating.
The only downside to these batteries is that they’re a little more expensive than regular batteries. I know I don’t like spending extra money on lithium batteries so sometimes I’ll skimp and buy alkaline batteries. This is why Lithium batteries are great gifts for deer hunters. Lithium batteries can be bought as a gift each year because new batteries will always be needed.
Re-sharpening a knife is time-consuming and inconvenient, with the Havalon knife you can easily replace the blade at any point. This is one of the best gifts for hunters because the replaceable blades are surgically sharp. Additionally, you can get different blades. There are regular blades, gut hooks, and saw blades for versatility and other hunting-related purposes.
The Havalon knife is one of the best gifts for deer hunters because it offers razor-sharp replaceable blades which are as sharp as surgical blades.
European mounts are a cost-effective way to show off a trophy. These “Little Hooker” hangers by Skull Hooker are pretty cool because you can adjust the skull up and down, as well as the side to side.
This is great to be able to place the mount in many locations and position the skull so it still looks good. I also like the movement of the skull hangers because the “good side” can be shown off. The adjustability of these hangers makes them one of the best gifts for deer hunters looking to mount a skull.
The adjustability of these hangers makes them one of the best gifts for deer hunters.
Rynoskin Insect Protection Clothing For Deer Hunters
There are many reasons to not spray yourself with bug spray when deer hunting. The poison from the spray is able to penetrate your skin and is unhealthy. Additionally, deer have a tremendous sense of smell, using bug spray is a great way to ruin a hunt.
I’m a big advocate for Rynoskin Total, I wear them religiously to protect me from mostly ticks but also help with mosquitos and other insects. They are a chemical-free breathable baselayer that helps prevent bugs from penetrating the tight mesh. Check out my full review here: Rynoskin Review: Insect and Tick Proof Clothing | Does it Work?
Bow Buddy Bowhunting Gift – Bow Stand & Arrow Holder
Bow stands are a simple yet useful tool when practicing with a bow. Without a bow stand, you have to set your bow on the grass after you’re done shooting in order to retrieve the arrows. A bow stand keeps your bow off the elements and relieves the shooter from having to bend down over and over again to pick up their bow.
It’s a small thing but actually is annoying after shooting for a while, especially if the grass is wet, which is why the Bow Buddy is one of the best bowhunting gifts. It comes with a ring to hold arrows which is another convenient feature. This way you don’t have to stick the arrows in the dirt to get them to stick up.
The quintessential tool of the hunter needs to be maintained. Nothing is more annoying than trying to do something with a dull knife. A good quality knife sharpener will make it easy to get a sharp blade edge. This is a great option for a sharpening stone because it does not require oil, it only requires water to start sharpening.
The stone is double-sided, for coarse and fine sharpening which is key to get those really dull blades sharp. It can sharpen any blade such as scissors, broadheads, hunting knives, and even axes! Another benefit is that also comes with an instruction manual for those new to sharpening. If you don’t like to read, one quick YouTube video and you’ll be ready to go.
A boot dryer is definitely one of the best gifts for deer hunters as every hunter needs and wants dry boots. There is nothing more uncomfortable than damp or wet boots during the next day’s hunt. Damp or wet boots also speed up getting frozen toes.
Instead, just place boots on the boot dryer after a day of hunting and they’ll be warm and dry for the next day. Boot dryers also kill odors and bacteria for even more scent control. This Peet boot dryer can dry every type of boot, even chest waders when folded down.
Spotting Scope Window Attachment Gift For Deer Hunters
A handy way to use a spotting scope for scouting deer is by clamping it onto the window of a vehicle. Since spotting scopes have a high zoom level they shake a lot if you don’t have something steady to put them on. The window attachment is super handy for getting steady visuals when scouting from the vehicle and looking out into fields or valleys. This makes a great gift for deer hunters that seem to have everything.
Deer Hunting Field Dressing And Meat Processing Kit Gift
A field dressing and meat processing kit is one of the best gifts for deer hunters that are looking to get into processing their own meat. I like to process my own meat when possible. I feel like I am able to use as much of the animal as possible and save money in the process.
A good butchering kit will help make the butchering process flow much smoother resulting in faster processing and more meat in the freezer. This 10-piece Mossy Oak kit will equip you with everything needed to field dress an animal in short-time.
Seat cushions are helpful for all types of hunters. I’ve used mine on top of my ammo box while duck hunting, on the ground for turkey hunting, and on metal treestand seats for deer hunting. I’ve even used my cushion as a backrest. There are a lot of ways a seat cushion can be used, and it doesn’t have to be confined to just hunting applications.
The Fatboy Premium Seat Cushion isn’t your average hunting cushion. It uses layers of gel and memory foam in order to create a very comfortable seat. It has quiet fabric and a buckle so it can be easily carried when in transport.
Although most tree stands come with a harness, a specialized, quality harness can make all the difference for safety and comfort while treestand hunting. Show the hunter in your life you want them to come home safely!
The Muddy harness is an excellent harness that I’ve been using for years. It’s quiet, quick to put on, and is padded for comfort. These harnesses can be used for more than just sitting in a treestand. I use my Muddy treestand harness all the time in order to prepare treestands for the coming hunting season.
The extendibility of the pole saw allows you to reach branches you otherwise would not be able to reach. They are very helpful for clearing shooting lanes and preparing treestands for deer hunting. Every treestand hunter could use a quality a pole saw to speed up, improve, and perfect treestand hunting setups.
Chest waders are one of the best gifts for hunters because they have a variety of hunting applications. I use mine for hunting deer, geese, and ducks as well as scouting and fishing. They are great for scouting deer in marshes and swamps that are too deep for hip boots. TideWe makes a great pair of neoprene waders for hunters. These waders have a very durable construction by using extra liners and stitching to reinforce the design preventing leaks, nobody likes leaky waders.
A game cart makes it easy to transport deer. This cart has solid rubber wheels that won’t go flat on you in rough conditions and a solid steel axle to hold up to the abuse of rocks or logs. This cart can double as a carrier for hunting blinds, firewood, and whatever else you find yourself dragging into or out of the woods. It’s also toolless and rated up to 500 lbs.
This is the ultimate wet environment boot. The rubber can’t get over-saturated and start to seep like other materials. The Grange boots are 18-inches tall which is very handy for crossing streams, brooks, and shallow rivers. Multi-layered rubber on the heel and toe increase durability while the fit helps keep your feet comfortable in the boot.
The strong rubber is also naturally scent-free, and tear-resistant. I am a huge fan of knee-high rubber boots, in fact, I wear them all year long. These are my favorite mobile deer hunting boots because they are lightweight, ankle tight, and waterproof. My legs just don’t get tired walking in them, they feel like sneakers. These boots would make a great gift for a mobile hunter. They also make great treestand hunting boots in the early season.
A blaze orange vest is often a requirement by law for hunting because it keeps hunters safe! Cabela’s Guide II vest makes a great blaze orange vest that is lightweight, quiet, and has a lot of useful pockets (inside and outside) for storage which is surprisingly difficult to find in an orange vest.
I use this vest for deer hunting and it works very well. I ordered it one size smaller than normal for a snug fit so it doesn’t catch on brush. Although this vest has a bird pouch in the back, I would recommend a different type of vest for specifically bird hunting.
An arrow fletching jig is one of the best gifts for bowhunters because it allows them to customize their arrows exactly how they want them. Hunters like to be able to build their arrows because it gives them more control depending on their hunting style. I personally use the Bitzenburger and I like it a lot.
One of the most common reasons to get a fletching jig is to add some helical (spin) to the fletching’s and to add additional fletchings to increase accuracy with broadheads. With the Bitzenbirger you can control the steepness of the helical and has the option to evenly place 3 or 4 fletchings. There are different clamps you can buy for this jig so that you can get a left, right, or straight fletching offset.
If you know someone who’s looking for a sight for their bow this Trophy Ridge Hotwire is one of the best. It offers 2 fixed pins and a 3rd tool-less adjustable floating pin which is very helpful for practicing at long ranges. The adjustability of this sight makes it versatile and a great choice for bowhunters.
Sitka Gear Windstopper Hand Muff Deer Hunting Gift
Hand muffs are basically gold to deer hunters in frigid temperatures. When hands are cold it’s hard to enjoy yourself or think about anything else until your hands become warm. Hand muffs are one of the best gifts for deer hunters for this reason. The Sitka hand muff uses Gore-Tex and Windstopper layers with Primaloft insulation to block wind and keep hands warm.
Another benefit is that you don’t need to wear gloves when you have a hand muff. This means shooting there is less to get in the way of accurate shooting. I know my big gloves change my anchor points when shooting a bow. This forces me to re-sight in my bow which is really annoying. A hand muff would prevent this.
Believe me, there is no such thing as “too many block targets” when it comes to deer hunting. You can set up spare targets at different ranges, heights, or even have them moving to increase your skill and accuracy. Additionally, they get worn out over time so the more targets you have the more you can spread out the wear.
Field logic makes a great target, I’ve been shooting mine for the last few years and it’s held up great. Broadheads and field tips can both be used on this target. Each side of the target has different targets to shoot at to keep things interesting. The durability and versatility of this block target make it one of the best gifts for bowhunters.
Every bowhunter loves a good 3D target. The GlenDel Full-Rut Buck is one of the most popular 3D targets and is one of the best gifts for bowhunters. One of the best aspects of this target is the replaceable core. The replaceable core is key because it enables the target to last so much longer.
I’ve had my target for nearly 10 years, exposed to the elements, and still stands strong! This a great target for archers as it is nearly life-size and helps shooters visualize the moment of truth, as well as the location of the vitals. This target is suitable for longbows, compound bows, and even cross-bows!
Cellular trail camera are one of the best gifts for deer hunters because photos get sent wirelessly to your devices. This means you don’t have to physically check your camera in person, saving hunters a lot of time. With regular trail cameras, you need to check your camera physically which can be time-consuming and inconvenient.
As far as cellular cameras go, this Browning Defender Wireless Pro Scout is one of the best cellular trail cameras for the money. It takes quality images, has a 90 ft detection range, has a fast recovery time for a cellular camera (26s), and has an impressive 10.5 months of battery life (for a cellular trail camera).
If you’re looking for the next step up from the Spypoint cellular cameras, the Browning Defender Wireless Pro is an excellent option. For a lot of people, the extra performance of this camera is well worth the price.
Trail cameras are one of the best gifts for deer hunters because cameras allow you to see the interesting things happening in the woods. Every hunter loves to look through the new photos captured in these areas to see what’s going on.
The Browning Spec Ops Elite HP4 is a cool trail camera with some great specs. For example, it has:
Fast 0.01 trigger speed
22-megapixel high-quality photos
90 ft detection range
Invisible infrared flash
0.6s recovery time
Can last 36 months on one set of lithium batteries
This criterion makes this camera perfect for backcountry hunters that can’t replace batteries often. Additionally, this camera was awarded one of the best trail cameras for the money in my reviews of trail cameras.
The HP4 also takes 1080p Full HD video up to 60 fps. With the fast trigger speed and high frame rate of this camera, there should be virtually no blurring in photos with movement.
Scent killing products make awesome gifts for deer hunters because scent plays a huge role. Many animals like deer, elk, moose, and hogs have incredible senses of smell. You may not be able to completely eliminate your scent, but you can reduce it to such low levels that it does not feel as threatening.
A good scent control regimen key and it starts with clothing storage. The ScentLok OZ Active Odor Destroyer storage bag uses Ozone to kill odors caused by bacteria, fungus, and mold. This leaves clothes scent-free and ready to head into the woods.
A good meat grinder is one of the top gifts for deer hunters. A good grinder will save countless hours when processing deer. I highly suggest buying a meat grinder that does not slow down or bottleneck the speed of your butchering operation.
The faster your meat grinder, the quicker you can get the meat in the freezer! The STX Turboforce meat grinder has a good reputation and is an excellent choice for a gift. It can grind from 180-240 lbs. of meat per hour which is quite fast for a meat grinder at this price. The grinder comes with multiple attachments so you can make burger or sausage.
Jerky makers are awesome gifts for deer hunters. Being able to make your own jerky from wild-game is a great way to change things up as far as wild-game consumption. When making jerky you can flavor it to your liking and because it’s so tasty, it’s a great way to introduce others to eating wild game. The Cosori dehydrator comes with 50 recipes and 6 trays for dehydrating. It’s easy to use, and easy to clean making it a great gift.
Caldwell Lead Sled Shooting Rest Gift For Deer Hunters
A shooting rest is a great tool for deer hunters who use firearms. Shooting rests are handy because they greatly minimize human error when sighting in guns. A shooting rest helps get sighted in faster with fewer rounds in order to start hitting the bullseye, saving time and money, making it one of the best gifts for deer hunters.
The lead sled isn’t any ordinary shooting rest though, it is highly adjustable to fit just about any shotgun or rifle. It has a spot to place weights so the rest does not move when shooting. It also has fine adjustment knobs so looking down your gun when sighting in has zero strain. Instead of adjusting your body to the firearm, this rest adjusts to your body.
Whether the hunter in your life is a professional videographer, or a hobbyist wanting to capture their hunting adventures, this camera arm is one of the best for improving video quality while maintaining mobility. Fourth Arrow makes one of the best camera arms that is affordable yet durable. This arm is a solid base, preventing ‘wiggle’ for professional-looking video, keeping the hunting memories alive and well long after the season has ended.
Fourth Arrow has a great reputation in the outdoor industry for great camera arms that create leveled and smooth footage even on awkward trees. This camera arm features loads of adjustments and can handle up to 10 lbs. of camera gear weight. It’s made of lightweight aluminum too so it won’t weigh you down while hiking out to your stand.
Fourth Arrow Stiff Arm, Muddy Outfitter, and Muddy Hunt Hard Unboxing Comparison
ScentLok uses carbon alloy technology (activated carbon) for maximum odor adsorption. Activated carbon naturally adsorbs human odor because it has a huge surface area. When used properly Scent-Lok activated carbon clothing is very effective at reducing odor and preventing animals from smelling the hunter.
Another benefit is that a coverall does not have anywhere for human scent to escape at the waist like regular clothes, this adds for even more scent-control and is why this is my favorite piece of clothing in my scent control regimen.
The GumLeaf Field Wellys are handcrafted boots in Europe and are made of 85% real rubber which prevents cracking from occurring. This means these boots will last a long time. GumLeaf has other versions of their boots but the Field Wellys are one of their most mobile boots because of their weight and slim profile. They are 16 inches tall and you can physically tell they are made out of premium rubber by feeling and wearing them.
These boots are expensive, but I liked these boots so much that I reached out to GumLeaf to see if I could get a discount for my viewers. If you use the discount code “JTOTen” at checkout you’ll receive 10% off these boots.
Climbing sticks are easily one of the best gifts for a mobile hunter. The best climbing sticks are lightweight, durable, interlocking, quiet, and easy to transport, pieces of ladder that will get you in the most awkward of trees safely. There are also many 3rd party attachments that be added to climbing sticks for ultimate customization.
Meat smokers are the ultimate gift because they are the gift that keeps on giving. This meat smoker is easy to monitor and control and has a removable ashtray for easy cleanup. This meat smoker has three smoking racks so a good amount of meat can be smoked at one time. Who knows, maybe you’ll benefit from the gift as well!
There is a lot to like about the Leupold RX-1400i TBR/W. This rangefinder is one of the best rangefinders for hunting for the money because of the price and its ability to be used by both rifle hunters at long range and bowhunters at close ranges. It has angle compensation and internal ballistic profiles.
Leupold RX-1400i TBR/W – Best Hunting Rangefinder For The Money
The natural fibers of virgin wool offer many great benefits. Virgin wool fibers are strong, insulating, odor resistant, water-resistant, moisture-wicking, excellent in snow, breathable, warm when wet, and quiet. There’s a reason why Maine Hunting Guides swear by wool, it works.
This L.L. Bean wool jacket is one of the best gifts for deer hunters because it can be used in a wide array of settings and weather conditions. In addition to the wool, this jacket has added liners to improve wind-proofing and insulation making it a very warm jacket to fight off the elements. This jacket is very versatile making it a top choice for hunters. It comes in classic plaid color options and is fitted loose for layering.
Cabela’s Saskatchewan boots are the warmest boots for hunting from a treestand because it has 3 inchesof insulation between your foot and the ground surface. This means it will be very difficult for a cold metal treestand platform to make your feet cold. They’re also great for hunting from the ground on cold, icy, and snowy days for this reason. They have a removable liner which gives them even more insulation.
Whether you’re looking to buy for a waterfowl hunter, deer hunter, turkey hunter…etc. binoculars are a handy tool.
I tested 14 different hunting binoculars from all price ranges to see which binoculars were the best value for the money. IMO the Athlon Midas binoculars were by far the best value. You can check out my video review below:
SITKA Gear Silent Fleece Deer Hunting Backpack Gift
The Sitka Gear backpack is a great option for deer hunters because of how quiet it is due to the fleece material. There are not many backpacks on the market with this quiet feature.
This backpack makes a hunter much more stealthy on the way to a treestand and reduces noise when rummaging around for an item within the backpack when in the deer stand. Other backpacks are made of noisy nylon material that makes loud scratching noises when touched against the brush.
The new GoPro’s are fantastic for capturing hunts on film. They are one of the greatest gifts for duck hunters looking to get into filming hunts. The new internal computerized gimbal-like stabilization makes the footage look buttery smooth even with excessive movement.
Not only do they have great stabilization but they also have 5K video, slow motion, and much more. The GoPro Hero 10 black has 5.2k video, 20 MP photos, a FAST brand new processor (finally), and also has excellent stabilization.
Compound bows are a lot of fun to shoot and to hunt with. Additionally, in many states hunting with a bow allows hunters to extend their hunting seasons significantly. Compound bows are very accurate, and with a little practice, they are easy to learn how to shoot. For a very reasonable price you can get a ready-to-shoot, high-quality compound bow bundle.
This Bear Archery Cruzer G2 is a great bow because it is highly adjustable and can grow with the hunter for a lifetime! The draw length is adjustable from 12” to 30”. The adjustability in draw weight from 5 lbs to 70 lbs is also incredible. This bow can literally fit anybody and mold to any experience level. I’ve personally shot some Bear Archery bows and really like their smooth draw cycle.
Sitka Fanatic Insulated Fleece Jacket Deer Hunting Gift
Specifically designed for the deer hunter, the Sitka Fanatic Fleece jacket has all the things you love about fleece-like warmth, comfort, and silence. It also has specifically designed pockets for bowhunting tools like rangefinders and calls.
This jacket has a built-in hand muff, a high neck to cut the wind, and a built-in treestand harness leash port. The Gore-Tex and Windstopper fabrics prevent wind from penetrating the fleece making it incredibly warm during cold hunts.
Because Sitka specifically designs gear for whitetail hunters, this fleece is one of the best gifts for deer hunters. This will likely be the last fleece a whitetail hunter will ever need!
The Fanatic Bibs are designed to be worn with the Fanatic Fleece Jacket for ultimate warmth. The bibs offer the same benefits as the jacket, but for the lower half. These two articles of clothing combined offer an incredible amount of warmth.
Bibs have always been one of the best ways for hunters to stay warm when hunting. Big heavy pants keep the lower half warm. The benefit of the Fanatic Bibs is they’re designed to be quiet, and have many pockets, as well as Gore-Tex and Windstopper fabrics to really prevent the elements. This makes a great gift for the cold-weather deer hunter.
Spotting scopes offer a little extra reach than binoculars. When binoculars aren’t up for the task it’s time to break out the spotting scope. Being able to see animals at longer ranges than binoculars makes spotting scopes fantastic tools for scouting and hunting.
Vortex makes great quality glass and suggests them for spotting scopes as well. Again, you’ve got to appreciate that lifetime warranty. If you’re buying for a hunter who hunts or scouts in vast landscapes and needs extra reach, a spotting scope makes a great gift.
Chest freezers are great gifts for deer hunters or any hunter for that matter because it offers an easy place to store meat without taking up the entire daily-use freezer in the kitchen.
OZonics OrionX Ozone Scent Eliminator is easily one of the absolute best gifts for deer hunters because when placed next to the hunter in a treestand, it completely removes human order with Ozone. This tool removes one of the biggest challenges deer hunters face – a deer’s nose, which can smell human scent over 1/4 mile away.
With an affordable subscription, the Garmin In-Reach GPS has many benefits for remote hunters: The benefits of this GPS over others is that it offers an emergency SOS feature and texting without service! The InReach uses satellites to send and receive messages instead of cell towers.
The In-Reach GPS gives the gift of peace of mind when hunting in remote backcountry situations, making it one of the best gifts for backcountry hunters.
Another great feature of this GPS is that it comes with a pre-downloaded topo map of the U.S. For this reason, the map can also be used without service. The off-grid capabilities of the Garmin InReach are unmatched for the price.
The Yeti 125 cooler is one of the best gifts for deer hunters or fisherman that need to keep things cold. This cooler has thick 3-inch insulation in order to keep things cool for a long time as you’d expect from Yeti. In addition, this cooler is ‘certified bear-resistant’ meaning that it is extremely durable and can stand up to the toughest deer hunting trips.
Budget Sony 4K Video Camcorder For Filming Deer Hunts
Sony makes excellent video cameras, the AX100 is no exception. For the price, this camera has a lot of pro features. It has a 1” CMOS sensor which allows it to film in very low light situations. It also supports 4K video and 120 FPS slow motion. This is a one-stop-shop video camera for a hunter starting to film their hunts making it one of the best gifts for hunters.
Although it may seem somewhat pricey for someone that is new to videography when you buy this camera you don’t have to buy many add-ons like you do with DSLRs or mirrorless cameras (primarily lenses which often cost more than the camera). All is said and done, this camera ends up being much less and will get you professional-looking quality. The one benefit of DSLRs and mirrorless is that you get a more cinematic look, but they are also more difficult to film with than camcorders.
Sony A7IV For Filming and Photographing Deer Hunting
The one benefit of DSLR/mirrorless cameras is that you can achieve a much more cinematic, customized, and professional look. They also have the ability to be much better in low-light situations than camcorders which can be very important in hunting situations. Not only can they do video but they can take professional-quality photos as well.
If the hunter in your life is looking to capture hunting memories and take filming to the next level this Sony mirrorless camera is an excellent choice. You might like my blog post: How To Choose The Best Video Cameras For Hunting | Filming Your Hunt for more information.
The right gift can help the deer hunter in your life have a more successful and enjoyable season. Hopefully, this guide has sparked some ideas and pointed you in the right direction. If you’re looking for more gift ideas for different types of hunting (like turkey, ducks…etc) you might like my other hunting gift idea articles.
I conducted in-depth research on the best hunting rangefinders available at various price points. To ensure a well-rounded analysis, I gathered information from multiple sources, including blogs, YouTube reviews, forums, product ratings, and user feedback. I then cross-referenced these insights to identify the overall consensus on each product. Additionally, I applied my personal experience with rangefinders to refine my selections further.
To make comparisons easier, I created a detailed spreadsheet outlining key specifications for each rangefinder. This includes weight, angle compensation and ballistics, range, optics, display type, battery life, waterproofing, and warranty. The spreadsheet was useful for adding important but repetitive specs that didn’t need to take up space in the article.
The post is affiliate link-free. However, the free Excel spreadsheet includes Amazon affiliate links. If you purchase through those links, I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. [Learn more here.]
Download the Excel file to get access to the links and the ability to copy-paste
By evaluating real-world user experiences alongside technical specifications, you can determine whether these rangefinders truly perform as well as they appear on paper.
Table of Contents
Sig Sauer KILO 1000 BDX
Best Budget Long-Range: Sig Sauer Kilo 1000 BDX
Summary
The Sig Sauer KILO 1000 is tied for the least expensive rangefinder on this list. Even though it is one of the least expensive rangefinders, it is still one of the best rangefinders for the money. It’s one of the best hunting rangefinders for long-range shooting because of its Ballistic Data Xchange (BDX) system.
Angle Compensation & Ballistics
What sets this rangefinder apart from the other rangefinders in its class is the Ballistic Data Xchange (BDX). Using a free phone app you can enter your ballistics which then BlueTooth’s the information to your rangefinder. At this point, your rangefinder will provide distance, elevation holdovers, and windage adjustments.
The BDX system is very useful for precise shooting at long ranges because it is a more accurate calculation than using standard angle compensation. BDX will work out to 800 yards, which is as far as the majority of hunters will be shooting, especially with the capabilities of this rangefinder.
For shorter ranges, BDX may not be necessary. In this case, you can use Angle Modified Range (AMR) which is Sig Sauer’s angle compensation mode. This works great for short-range shooting and bowhunters.
Range
This rangefinder can pick up deer out to 600 yards on deer in good conditions. For most hunters, which is more than enough for the vast majority of hunters. This is why this rangefinder earns the title of the best budget long-range rangefinder.
The 1000BDX can also range trees at 800 yards and reflective targets (like targets) out to 1200 yards. So if you’re looking to do long-range shooting practice in addition to long-range hunting, this rangefinder may cover all your bases.
Optics
This is a 5x magnification rangefinder with a 7.5º field of view (not sure why Sig Sauer uses degrees and not FOV @ 1000 yards). Because of the low magnification, the field of view is wide which helps you to find animals faster in the optic, especially at closer ranges.
Because it is a 5x zoom it has a wide field of view which allows you to find animals faster than higher magnification alternatives. This zoom option makes it a good option for those short to medium ranges.
Display
The display is called HT-LCD or High-Intensity Liquid Crystal Display. This display is bright enough for all conditions but does not have a Lumatic Display which auto-adjusts brightness depending on the light (which the other Sig Sauer Rangefinders on this list do have).
Leupold RX-1400i TBR/W
Best Value: Leupold RX-1400i TBR/W
Summary
There is a lot to like about the Leupold RX-1400i TBR/W. First, it is tied for the most affordable rangefinders on this list. This rangefinder model is one of the best hunting rangefinders for the money because of the price and its ability to be used by both rifle hunters and bowhunters.
Angle Compensation & Ballistics
The 1400i is small and light for carry-ability and offers bow angle compensation (Bow-Mode) and rifle angle compensation (True Ballistic Range – Wind (TBR-W)), and has options to view either the line of sight (LOS) or true distance.
You can also enter up to 25 cartridges into the TBR settings making it easy to change between different cartridges for different hunts. TBR/W mode works up to 800 yards for most cartridges.
Range
The minimum range distance is about 6 yards with the maximum being 900 to 950 yards when ranging animals. This means the Leupold RX-1400i would make a great rangefinder for both rifle hunters and bow hunters because of its ability to range accurately at close and far distances and has dedicated modes for both rifle hunters and bowhunters.
This is also would make a great long-range shooting rangefinder because it can reach longer distances of 1200 yards on trees, and 1400 yards on more reflective surfaces, like reflective targets.
Optics
This is a 5x magnification rangefinder with a 368-foot Field of View (FOV) at 1000 yards. This is a wide field of view which helps you to find animals faster in the optic, especially at closer ranges.
Because it is a 5x zoom it has a wide field of view which allows you to find animals faster than rangefinders with a higher zoom. This zoom option makes it a good option for those short to medium ranges.
Display
The red-illuminated TOLED (Transmissive Organic LED) display is nice compared to a non-illuminated rangefinder because it allows you to see better in lower-light situations which is when a lot can happen for hunters.
I could not determine if the 1400i had a dimmable display from looking online or in the manual so I called Leupold and confirmed that the TOLED has 3 adjustable brightness settings for optimal viewing in low-light and bright light.
Leupold RX-4 Full Draw
Leupold RX-4 Full Draw: Best Bow Hunting Rangefinder
Summary
The Leupold RX-4 Full Draw was specifically designed for bowhunters which makes it one of the best bowhunting rangefinders. Although most of the rangefinders on this list would make great rangefinders for bow hunting because of their angle compensation modes, the RX-4 takes archery accuracy and ballistics one step further.
Angle Compensation & Ballistics
The RX-4 Full Draw uses Trig-H mode to calculate regular angle compensation. In addition to Trig-H Mode, you can also enter your bow setup information into the Archers Advantage software in the RX-4 to calculate your arrow ballistics. To do this all you need is arrow speed, total arrow weight, and peep height. This calculation will work out to 175 yards.
With your ballistic information entered, the RX4 rangefinder uses FlightPath technology to show you the highest arc of your arrow at any given range. This is represented by a line and lets you know if there is any obstructions in your way at the peak of your arrow flight. This is handy for shooting over and under obstacles, like sticks, when hunting
For rifle hunters, you have the option to use Line of Sight (LOS) mode. When LOS is used in combination with a ballistics calculator you will be able to accurately shoot long-range.
Range
The minimum range distance is about 6-yards with the maximum being 900-yards when ranging animals. The Archers Advantage ballistic information works up to 175 yards. As you can see it can range plenty far for a bowhunter.
As mentioned, the rangefinder has angle compensation for short to medium-range rifle shooting. It also has Line of Sight mode for long-range shooting so this rangefinder can be used by both even though it was designed with the archer in mind.
The RX-4 Full Draw can also range to 1100 yards on trees and up to 1200 yards on more reflective surfaces. To get the most out of this rangefinder at longer distances past 400 yards you will need to use line of sight (LOS) mode in combination with a ballistics calculator.
For even further ranges you can put the Razor in Extended Laser Range (ELR) mode but it can take longer to get a reading, so it is best if it is placed on a tripod to get reading in this mode. However, in ELR mode you can range deer at 2,200 yards, trees at 2500 yards, and reflective surfaces at 4000 yards. This can be helpful to determine if a stalk is worth making with the amount of daylight left.
Optics
This is a 6×22 rangefinder with a 315-foot Field of View (FOV) at 1000 yards. This is a FOV you would expect from a 6x magnification. This rangefinder has the perfect middle-ground magnification for both close-range bowhunting and long-distance scenarios.
Display
The red-illuminated OLED display is nice compared to non-illuminated displays because it allows you to see better in lower-light situations which is when a lot can happen for hunters. The OLED has adjustable brightness settings for optimal viewing in low-light and bright light.
This rangefinder also has the option to choose reticles for customizable viewing and ranging.
Vortex Razor HD 4000
Vortex Razor HD 4000: Excellent Quality with Best Warranty
The Vortex Razor 4000 is the next step up from the Ranger 1800. It can range deer up to 1600 yards which is almost double the range compared to the Ranger 1800. The best features of this rangefinder are its illuminated LCD screen, angle compensation, durability, and Lifetime VIP warranty. This is one of the best hunting rangefinders because of its reliability, optic quality, and outstanding warranty.
The Vortex Razor is a great rangefinder for hunters with shakey hands because it also comes with 1/4″- 20 threads for mounting on a tripod.
Angle Compensation & Ballistics
The Razor 4000 does not have built-in sophisticated long-range ballistic capabilities but it does have angle compensation which is what the majority of hunters are looking for, especially within 400 yards.
To get the most out of this rangefinder at longer distances past 400 yards you will need to use line of sight (LOS) mode in combination with a ballistics calculator.
Range
The minimum range distance is about 5-yards with the maximum being 1600-yards when ranging animals. The Vortex Razor 4000 is a great rangefinder for both rifle hunters and bow hunters because it can range accurately at both short and long ranges with angle compensation.
In Normal Mode, the Razor can range to 1800 yards on trees, and up to 2400 yards on more reflective surfaces. At long distances, you can use the Line of Sight mode combined with a ballistics calculator for better accuracy.
For even further ranges you can put the Razor in Extended Laser Range (ELR) mode but it can take longer to get a reading, so it is best if it is placed on a tripod to get reading in this mode. However, in ELR mode you can range deer at 2,200 yards, trees at 2500 yards, and reflective surfaces at 4000 yards. This can be helpful to determine if a stalk is worth making with the amount of daylight left.
Optics
This is a 7×25 rangefinder with a 341-foot Field of View (FOV) at 1000 yards. This is a wide FOV for a 7x magnification which is great for acquiring targets faster.
Display
The display is a red illuminated LCD screen with five brightness settings which is an improvement over the Ranger 1800 which only had 3 settings. The ability to see better in lower-light situations is important for hunters because this is often when the action happens.
Sig Sauer KILO5K
Sig Sauer Kilo5K: Best Long Range Hunting Rangefinder
Summary
The Sig Sauer KILO 5K is awarded the best long-range hunting rangefinder in this review because it can range out to 2000 yards on deer and because it has the Ballistic Data Xchange (BDX) system which allows inputs for precise long-range shooting.
Another great aspect of this rangefinder is that you can sync it with GPS apps on your phone and it will drop a waypoint when you take a range. This is incredibly handy when you need to walk somewhere specific, like during animal recovery when you need to easily find the exact spot you hit the animal.
Angle Compensation & Ballistics
The biggest benefit of this rangefinder is that it uses Ballistic Data Xchange (BDX). Using a free phone app you can enter your ballistics which then BlueTooth’s the information to your rangefinder. At this point, your rangefinder will provide distance, elevation holdovers, and windage adjustments.
The BDX system is very useful for precise shooting at long ranges because it is a more accurate calculation than using standard angle compensation at long distances.
BDX will work out to 800 yards, which is as far as the majority of hunters will be shooting. After this point, more detailed ballistic information is needed if you want to shoot accurately. You can connect the Kilo5k to a Kestrel or Garmin for top-notch applied ballistics information which will allow you to shoot past 800 yards.
For shorter ranges, BDX may not be necessary. In this case, you can use Angle Modified Range (AMR) which is Sig Sauer’s angle compensation mode. This works great for short-range shooting and bowhunters as well.
Additionally, this rangefinder has built-in detectors that provide real-time environmental conditions which are needed for accurate long-range shooting.
Range
This rangefinder can pick up deer out to 2000 yards on deer in good conditions.
The Kilo 5K can also range trees at 2500 yards and reflective targets (like targets) out to 5000 yards. So if you’re looking to do long-range shooting practice in addition to long-range hunting, this rangefinder will cover all your bases.
Optics
This is a 7×25 rangefinder with a 6.78º field of view. A higher 7x magnification is needed for ranging distant targets accurately, making it great for long-range shooting and hunting.
Display
The Kilo 5K has an auto-brightness setting which changes automatically depending on the ambient light settings. This is awesome so you don’t have too bright of a display in low-light settings or too dim of a display in bright settings. This is a handy and unique feature that further establishes it as one of the best hunting rangefinders.
Conclusion
Choosing the right hunting rangefinder can make all the difference in accuracy, efficiency, confidence, and overall success in the field. After thoroughly researching and comparing a variety of rangefinders across different price points, it’s clear that each model has unique strengths suited to specific hunting needs.
By evaluating real-world user experiences alongside key technical specifications, this guide ensures that you’re making an informed decision rather than relying solely on marketing claims. If you want a quick and easy comparison, be sure to download the spreadsheet with all the specifications and links to each product.
In this post, I share the best exercises for tracking bucks on snow. It is helpful to get in shape to maximize each day. The best muscles that to train to get the most out of your workout are your trapezius, biceps, and hamstring muscles. In this post, I describe three easy workouts you can do to train each of these muscles.
These are easy workouts that don’t require a lot of time and don’t have a learning curve, but help immensely to prevent lameness, muscle cramps, and to hit the woods harder, faster, and stronger.
I’m no fitness expert, but these have helped me a lot and I know they will help you too.
Trapezius (Traps) Exercises
The trapezius or traps muscles are located on your upper back and shoulders.
If you don’t work out your traps before the season they will become incredibly sore. These muscles hold the weight of your gun. Carrying a 7-8 lbs gun around all day will give your traps a good workout, especially if you rarely use these muscles.
Training your traps before the season will keep them from getting sore which will keep your mind sharp and focused on looking for bucks.
Trap Exercise For Tracking Big Woods Bucks On Snow
Because I like to train as similar to the real hunting scenarios as possible, I like barbell shrugs for getting your traps in shape for tracking deer on snow. Holding a barbell is very comparable to holding a rifle in form. For this reason, I like doing shrugs with barbells.
How To Workout Your Traps
I like to do 3 sets of 10-15 reps. This will cause your traps to get really sore in the next day or two. I want these muscles to get very sore and let them heal. Once healed they won’t be as sore the next time they are worked out. It really doesn’t take more than a few workout sessions for these muscles to stop getting sore.
How Often To Workout Your Traps
After waiting for 3-4 days I will work out my traps again and repeat this process until they pretty much stop getting sore altogether. At this point, you’re ready for hunting season. Once you start tracking, you will barely notice your traps. This makes a big difference in your ability to focus on the hunt.
Bicep Exercises For Tracking Bucks On Snow
Your biceps are another muscle that is used when your gun is in your hands. Your arms can get pretty tired and sore from your gun over the course of a long day if they are not worked out before the season.
Best Biceps Exercises For Tracking Bucks On Snow
Hammer curls are my favorite bicep exercise when preparing for tracking bucks on snow. Hammer curls also work your forearms in addition to your biceps. This is important because when you hold your rifle, your forearm muscle will naturally be used near the elbow joint and will get tired if you don’t train it.
Fortunately, the hammer curl is the perfect exercise to prevent both bicep and forearm fatigue when tracking.
How To Workout Your Biceps
Again, I like to do 3 sets of 10-15 reps. This will cause your biceps to get sore in the next day or two. Once healed they won’t be as sore the next time they are worked out. Similar to your traps, it does not take more than a few workout sessions for these muscles to reduce soreness after workouts.
How Often To Workout Your Biceps
After waiting for 3-4 days I will work out my biceps again and repeat this process until they pretty much stop getting sore altogether. At this point, you’re ready for hunting season. Once you start tracking, you will barely notice your biceps, allowing you to focus on the hunt.
Hamstring Exercises For Tacking Bucks On Snow
Your hamstrings are a very important muscle to work out before the season. It does not matter how in shape you think your legs are, your hamstrings take a beating when tracking in snow. The high-steps that are needed when walking quietly in snow will make you use your hamstrings a lot more than any other common activity.
I often walk 5-7 miles per day for work, but I found out the hard way that it doesn’t matter. I still got leg cramps until I started working out my hamstrings before the season.
Best Hamstring Workout For Tracking Bucks On Snow
I like the seated or lying-down leg curl machine. It’s very controlled and allows you to focus on working out the hamstrings.
How To Workout Your Hamstrings
Like I’ve mentioned with the other workouts, I like to do high reps and low weight I will do 3 sets of 10-15 reps. This will cause your hamstrings to get sore in the next day or two. Once healed they won’t be as sore the next time they are worked out. It does not take more than a few workout sessions for these muscles to stop getting as sore.
How Often To Workout Your Hamstrings
After waiting for 3-4 days I will work out my hamstrings again and repeat this process until they pretty much stop getting sore. Trust me, you’ll be thankful you worked out these muscles once you’re lifting your legs up over 6-8 inches of snow for 6-10 miles multiple days in a row.
Conclusion
Hopefully, these exercises for tracking bucks on snow have helped you prepare for the upcoming tracking season. Can you track deer on snow without working out and getting in shape? Absolutely, but working out allows you to hit the ground running. If you don’t work out you’ll likely be needing recovery days or pushing your body harder than it’s ready to go out of the gate.
This is just a very simple workout regime that will help you in tracking scenarios. You can add additional exercises to these muscle groups to further your progress.
It is important to also be in shape cardiovascularly. Additionally, drinking water while tracking and stretching before after tracking will go a long way to prevent muscle rigidity, lameness, cramping, and improve muscle longevity.
Looking For More Articles About Tracking Bucks On Snow? You Can Find More Here
The best all around hunting rifle caliber will allow you to get the most out of your hunting rifle because you’ll be able to use it for the widest range of hunting possibilities.
Hunting rifles are expensive. In order to get the most for your money, it is important to buy a rifle caliber that you can use for the widest range of species for hunting.
In this post, you’ll learn what the most versatile hunting rifle caliber is, and why, let’s get started…
Table of Contents
Best All-Around Hunting Rifle Caliber Criteria
To be considered the best all around hunting rifle caliber there are some criteria that must be met:
Ammo Availability
Diverse Bullet Selection
Power or Foot Pounds of Energy (FPE)
The Best All Around Hunting Rifle Caliber
30-06 Springfield
The 30-06 Springfield is the best all around hunting rifle caliber. It’s been around since 1906, hence the “06” in 30-06, and is still one of the most popular calibers for hunting on the market today because of its versatility and time-tested performance.
The 30-06 Springfield is a .30 caliber rifle, hence the “30” in 30-06. There are a lot of 30 caliber rifles on the market but there is a lot of variation in ballistics between .30 caliber rifles.
This caliber has great ammo availability, diverse bullet selection, and a range of power.
30-06 Springfield Hunting Rifles Top to Bottom: Remington 7600 Carbine, Remington 700, Marlin XL7
30-06 Springfield Ammo Availability
Ammo availability is really good with the 30-06 Springfield. Since the 30-06 is a commonly used caliber, stores will likely have plenty in stock at all times so you don’t have to worry about finding ammunition. This is great when you’re traveling to hunt because there will almost always be a store that will carry 30-06 ammunition.
With some other calibers, you might have to order online or jump from store to store to find the right ammo.
30-06 Springfield Diverse Bullet Selection
Certain calibers are more versatile than others because they offer a more diverse bullet selection. A vast bullet selection will allow you to tailor your caliber to specific types of hunting.
For example, with the 30-06 Springfield, you can buy ammo in many different grains. This means you can hunt many different animals of many different sizes just by adjusting the grain of the bullet.
With the 30-06 Springfield you can shoot anything from small 100-grain bullets all the way up to 220-grain bullets. This allows you to use the 30-06 Springfield for anything from varmints to large and dangerous game. This is one of the biggest reasons the 30-06 Springfield is the best all around hunting rifle caliber and one of the most versatile hunting calibers.
30-06 Springfield Ballistics
One of the greatest features of the 30-06 is the varying amounts of energy it can produce depending on bullet selection. Energy is measured in foot-pounds or the energy required to move one pound for one foot.
Small Grain Bullets
A 100-grain bullet is pretty small so there is less overall FPE, but there is still a lot of powder in the cartridge which makes these small bullets shoot fast and flat. For this reason, the 30-06 Springfield is great for long-range varmint shooting.
If you’re looking to preserve pelts you will probably want jacketed bullets so that the bullets don’t expand. If you use bullets that expand the 100-grain bullets will do a lot of damage because too much energy will be directly dealt to those smaller animals even with the 100-grain bullets. However, if preservation is not the goal, a small 30-06 bullet will work great.
The 30-06 Springfield is generally overkill for smaller species. However, if you’re looking for one gun that can do it all you can make the 30-06 Springfield work with the right bullet weight and type.
Large Grain Bullets
A 220-grain bullet is the largest bullet you can get for the 30-06 Springfield. These heavier bullets are going to have a lot more drop than the light 100-grain bullets but they have more energy.
The high ft-lbs energy of these bullets can deal 3000+ ft-lbs of energy. This is enough energy to take down any North American animal. It is also powerful enough to take down many dangerous game species with proper shot placement.
The 30-06 Springfield is generally underpowered for large game species like brown bears, elk, and moose at longer ranges. That said, it is still a great choice for those short to medium ranges with heavy bullets.
History of the 30-06 Springfield
Best All-Around Hunting Rifle Caliber Considerations
Although this is the best all-around rifle caliber, don’t forget that you will have to sight in your gun each time you change the ammo.
Even though the 30-06 Springfield is an extremely versatile caliber, you might not want to use it for all types of hunting. For example, it might make more sense to own multiple guns at different calibers. This will further maximize versatility and simplicity.
Hunting Rifle Caliber Spectrum
For example, depending on what you hunt you might want a 300 win mag for large animals and a .243 for smaller animals. With these two rifles, you are able to hunt a very broad spectrum of animals with more appropriate bullet energy for animals at each end of the size spectrum.
.243 Caliber
For example, the .243 works great for small (fox) to medium-sized animals (deer). The smaller diameter of the bullets and slower speeds, when compared to the 30-06, is better suited for smaller animals. You can also get much lighter bullets, like 55 grain, which is just about half of the smallest bullet you can get with the 30-06 Springfield.
300 Win Mag Caliber
The 300 Win Mag works great for medium (deer) to large and dangerous game (elk, bear, and moose…etc). The 300 Win Mag is still a .30 caliber rifle just like the 30-06. However, a 300 Win Mag is a bigger cartridge with more powder which allows it to shoot the .30 caliber bullets faster and flatter. This makes it better for big game at long ranges when compared to the 30-06 Springfield.
This way you can hunt different-sized game without resighting in your guns each time because you’ll have a gun dedicated to both sides of the size spectrum when it comes to hunting.
Conclusion
Is The 30-06 Springfield Right For You?
The 30-06 Springfield is perfect for a hunter that is looking for the best all around hunting rifle caliber. This caliber will work for anything from small to dangerous game. That said, if you’re hunting really small or very large game you might want to consider getting a more appropriate caliber for those ends of the spectrum.
Overall, the 30-06 Springfield is the most versatile hunting rifle caliber on the market. Because of the vast bullet selection, it is highly customizable to different species.
Of course, this is a highly debated topic and comes down to personal preference. But you can’t go wrong with a 30-06 Springfield because of its ammo availability, diverse bullet selection, and ballistics.
With so many air rifles on the market today, choosing the right one can be overwhelming. Whether you’re a beginner looking for your first air rifle, an experienced shooter upgrading your gear, or a hunter in need of precision and power, this guide has you covered.
Each air rifle comes with trade-offs in power, accuracy, and features, but I’ve made the selection process easy. Below, you’ll find a sortable comparison spreadsheet to help you quickly filter air rifles by specs like FPS, caliber, weight, and price—allowing you to choose the best option for your budget and intended use.
Beyond just specs, I’ll break down key factors to consider—such as rifled barrels, FPE (foot-pounds of energy), noise levels, and cocking effort—so you can make an informed decision.
This post contains Amazon and other affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a commission if you purchase through my link, at no extra cost to you. Of course, you are not obligated to use my links, but it does help fund these posts in hopes of bringing more value to you!
Table of Contents
Why Trust My Recommendations?
With over two decades of hunting experience, I know firsthand what makes a high-quality air rifle. As a registered hunting guide and professional ecologist, I take pride in testing gear and providing practical, field-tested advice. I’ve also spent over a decade using air rifles for small-game hunting and pest control, so I understand what works—and what doesn’t.
For easy comparison, I’ve compiled a sortable Google Sheets spreadsheet of the 15 air rifles covered in this article. The spreadsheet contains all of the important specs of these air rifles (price, weight, FPS…etc). Not only does this make comparing easier but you can also copy/paste from the spreadsheet while doing your own research. You can get access to this spreadsheet for free by entering your email.
Google Sheets Air Rifle Spreadsheet Outline
Best Air Rifles For Beginners Under 100$
Crosman M4-177
The Crosman M4-177 is a .177 pellet gun that can also shoot bbs. This gun shoots about 650 FPS, which is fairly slow compared to the other beginner air rifles on this list. However, at close range (10-20 yards) this gun will have no problem shooting squirrel-sized game. It’s also a great platform for target practicing.
Although it does not shoot as fast as some of the other rifles it does have its perks. For example, it has a reservoir that can hold up to 350 bbs so you never need to worry about running out of ammo. It also has a 5 shot pellet clip, so you don’t need to load a pellet every time.
If you’re looking for the best beginner air rifle, the Powerline 880 is a great option. You pump this gun with the forearm handle, the more times you pump it, the faster it will shoot. This air rifle will shoot .177 pellets at 800 FPS. Because it shoots a max of 800 FPS it is subsonic, so it is a quiet air rifle.
The other big benefit of this air rifle is that it will also shoot bb’s and it can hold up to 50 bbs in the magazine for easy reloading. This air rifle is powerful enough to kill small game or pests at close ranges (within 25-30 yards) with a full pump.
The Daisy Powerline 901 is another one of the best air rifles for beginners. It’s very similar to the 880 Powerline because most of the components are the same. The biggest difference is how the gun is pumped. For example, the 880 Powerline is pumped with a larger forearm lever, whereas the 901 is pumped with a smaller forearm grip.
It also shoots at the same max speed of 800 FPS, meaning its subsonic, thus quiet. This air rifle is powerful enough to kill small game or pests at close ranges (within 25-30 yards) with a full pump.
The Winchester Model 1977XS is another great air rifle for beginners. It’s very similar to the Powerline 880 and Powerline 901 but it shoots 1000 FPS, which is 200 FPS faster than the other models mentioned. It is still subsonic, making it a quiet air rifle compared to supersonic air rifles.
With a max speed of 1000 FPS, this air rifle is powerful enough to kill small game or pests at close ranges (within 30-35 yards) with a full pump. This air rifle also takes both pellets and bbs and has a rifled barrel which puts spin on the pellets which increases accuracy.
The thumbhole stock is a great addition for added comfort.
This is the least expensive Gamo air rifle you can buy making it a good option for beginners because of what you get for the price. You can only get this air rifle in .177 caliber which this air rifle can shoot at 1250 FPS via a spring-piston.
This is fast enough to take down small game and varmints. If you’re trying to get a decent air rifle for as little money as possible, the Gamo Varmit air rifle is a great option.
Because this gun uses a spring it can be quite noisy. Additionally, it shoots supersonic so it will be louder than the subsonic air rifles. Also, the spring creates a vibration that can lead to parts eventually moving (like the scope).
Gamo also has a 5-Year warranty, which is great because you can have peace of mind if the air rifle does not operate properly.
The Gamo Raptor Whisper air rifle offers more advanced features than the Varmit air rifle above. For example, the ‘Whisper’ technology, which reduces noise and vibration when shooting.
The spring piston has also been replaced with a gas piston for better speed, less vibration, improved accuracy, and smooth cocking. You can also get a .22 caliber model of this air rifle. The .22 cal shoots 975 FPS or you can get the .177 cal which shoots 1300 FPS.
For only a small amount of money more than the Gamo Varmit Model, you get a lot of added features. Gamo also has a 5-Year warranty, which is great because you can have peace of mind if the air rifle does not operate properly.
The Gamo Swarm Whisper 10X air rifle offers more key features than the Raptor (above). For example, the Swarm offers a 10-round clip (hence the 10X in the name). This is a big deal because normally when you shoot an air rifle you need to load a pellet into the gun by hand every time.
With the 10-round clip, you don’t need to worry about reloading and fumbling around with pellets and can focus on shooting. You will still need to cock the gun every time, but when you do, a new pellet will be automatically loaded.
To get these features you don’t have to spend a lot of money. This Swarm Whisper air rifle is only slightly more expensive than the Raptor Whisper model.
The spring piston has also been replaced with a gas piston for better speed, less vibration, improved accuracy, and smooth cocking. You can also get a .22 caliber model of this air rifle. The .22 cal shoots 975 FPS or you can get the .177 cal which shoots 1300 FPS. It also includes the ‘Whisper’ technology, which reduces noise and vibration when shooting.
Gamo also has a 5-Year warranty, which is great because you can have peace of mind if the air rifle does not operate properly.
This air rifle costs a bit more than the previously mentioned rifles. The reason it costs more is for the increased speed with this gun due to the larger cylinder which allows this gun to shoot faster.
The spring piston has also been replaced with a gas piston for better speed, less vibration, improved accuracy, longevity, and smooth cocking. You can also get a .22 caliber model of this air rifle. The .22 cal shoots 1020 FPS or you can get the .177 cal which shoots 1420 FPS.
Again, Gamo also has a 5-Year warranty, which is great because you can have peace of mind if the air rifle does not operate properly.
The Gamo Swarm Magnum 10X Gen2 air rifle is the best air rifle that Gamo makes as far as specs are concerned. This gun has everything you need for serious air rifle fun.
This is the most powerful air rifle that Gamo makes. The .22 cal shoots a blazing speed of 1300 FPS or you can get the .177 cal which shoots an even faster speed of 1650 FPS. Although not in the name, this air rifle includes the ‘Whisper’ technology, which reduces noise and vibration when shooting. This air rifle has enough stopping power for some long-distance small game hunting.
Just be ready for that heavy 41 lbs cocking weight of the gun that enables it to reach those higher velocities.
The Swarm Magnum offers an updated 10-round clip (hence the 10X Gen2 in the name). This is a big deal because when you shoot most regular air rifles you need to load a pellet into the gun by hand every time.
With the 10-round clip, you don’t need to worry about reloading and fumbling around with pellets and can focus on shooting. You will still need to cock the gun every time, but when you do, a new pellet will be automatically loaded.
Like most of the Gamo air rifles, the spring piston has been replaced with a gas piston for better speed, less vibration, improved accuracy, and smooth cocking.
The Gamo Swarm Magnum 10X Gen2 Air Rifle shoots .22 caliber pellets up to 1300 FPS making it one of the fastest and most deadly air rifles for small game and pests.
The Benjamin Marauder is a great value air rifle for those looking to get into PCP air rifles. This is a bolt-action Marauder that comes with a 10-round magazine. Once you fill the air rifle with the air you will get about 30 shots before you need to refill your gun.
The Marauder get up to 1000 FPS with .22 cal pellets. You also have the option to buy a .177 cal and .25 cal with the Marauder platform. The .25 cal will be slower (900 FPS) and won’t shoot as flat but will have a lot of take-down power and is subsonic for quieter shooting. The .25 cal can deliver 50 FPE, making it very deadly.
The wooden versions are a bit heavy so I would opt for the synthetic version.
The Benjamin Marauder semi-auto is another great option for those looking to get into the PCP world of air rifles. There aren’t many great auto-loading air rifles on the market which makes the Marauder one of the best air rifles when quick follow-up shots are needed.
Like the bolt-action above, this Marauder comes with the same 10-round magazine. It also shoots .22-caliber pellets up to 950 fps and you get about 30 usable shots per fill at 3000 PSI.
The wooden versions are a bit heavy so I would opt for the synthetic version.
Each magazine holds 10-rounds and the Marauder’s can shoot between about 30-60 shots before they need to be re-pressurized. For this reason, it can be helpful to have between 3-6 extra mags so you don’t need to worry about reloading these mags until you need to repressurize the air rifle.
The AirForce Condor SS is one of the best PCP air rifles on the market. This air rifle has a built-in baffle system to make shots ridiculouslyquiet. This makes it perfect for pest control in populated areas where you don’t want to disturb neighbors.
Additionally, you can raise or lower the FPS so that you can keep the air rifle subsonic for even quieter shooting. When you’re looking to shoot longer distances, you can crank it up.
This is also one of the most powerful PCP air rifles. The .22 cal shoots 1100 FPS or you can get the .177 cal which shoots an even faster speed of 1300 FPS. You also have the option to buy a .25 cal model. The .25 cal will be a little slower (950 FPS) and won’t shoot as flat but will have a lot of take-down power for bigger species of small game and will be even quieter since it is subsonic.
The max fill for the AirForce Condor SS tank is 3000 psi. You can expect 20-40 usable shots per tank out of the AirForce Condor SS depending on caliber and pellet weight.
Keep in mind that this air rifle is a single shot and that it is not cheap. But you get what you pay for. If anything does go wrong there is also a lifetime limited warranty.
Best Big Bore Air Rifles For Big Game (Coyotes, Deer, Hogs)
Benjamin Bulldog PCP
You can get the Benjamin Bulldog in two calibers, .357 or .457. The .357 can send bullets up to 910 FPS which delivers a lot of energy downrange. This is a very powerful air rifle for taking larger animals like coyotes, hogs, and small deer at close ranges.
One of the best features of this gun is its 5-round magazine for fast and easy follow-up shots. This is something that many other large bore air rifles lack. Depending on the caliber and weight of the bullets you can expect around 10 usable shots per 3000 PSI refillable tank.
Because of the bullpup design, this air rifle is much more compact and has a longer barrel than more conventional air rifles on the market.
You can get the AirForce Texan SS in many calibers, the biggest bores being .457 or .50 caliber, and can send pellets up to 1100 FPS which deliver over 650 ft-lbs of energy (FPE) giving it second place for the most powerful air rifle on the market.
Although 650 FPE is only about 1/4 of the FPE of a shotgun slug, it’s impressive for an air rifle. This air rifle has no issues taking down big game like hogs and deer around that 40-yard range and even further for smaller animals like coyotes with good shot placement.
Depending on the caliber and weight of the bullets you can expect to get between 3-5 usable shots per 3000 PSI refillable tank.
You can get the HatsanUSA PileDriver in .457 or .510 caliber and can send bullets up to 850 FPS which deliver around 800 ft-lbs of energy (FPE) giving it the title of most powerful air rifle on the market.
Although 800 FPE is only about 1/3 of the FPE of a shotgun slug, it’s very impressive for an air rifle. This air rifle has no issues taking down big game like hogs and deer around that 50-yard range and even further for smaller animals like coyotes with good shot placement.
Depending on the caliber and weight of the bullets you can expect to get between 3-6 shots per 4350 PSI refillable tank.
You can bring your air rifle to a paintball or scuba shop to get tanks refilled, but if you’re going to be using PCP air rifles with any regularity you’re going to want to purchase your own portable way to fill up your PCP air rifle. There are a couple of options below:
Portable High-Pressure Hand Pump For PCP Air Rifles
The first option to refill your PCP air rifle is by hand. There are high-pressure hand pumps that can fill up your air rifle but to be honest it can take between 20-30 minutes and a lot of work to do so. This is probably best as a backup option.
Because hand pumps require a lot of work to fill your air rifle I would suggest getting a portable compressor. Surprisingly, they’re only slightly more expensive than hand pumps, making them worth every penny for simplicity and convenience.
Best Air Rifle For Small Game, Varmints, and Pests
Some air rifles are better than others when it comes to hunting small game. Most air rifles are sufficient to ethically take small game, but it does depend on the size of the small game and how far away you are from your target you will be.
Small game animals are also usually quick and can get away fast, for this reason, when choosing your rifle it would be beneficial to get a fast reloading air rifle. This will greatly improve your chances when hunting small game.
Best Air Rifle For Squirrels
Squirrels are on the smaller side of small game and any gun on this list will be able to take down squirrels. The air rifles in the 600-700 FPS range with .177 caliber pellets are best within that 20-yard range. This is because they don’t have the speed for a flat shot. Additionally, a lot of energy is lost out at the longer ranges with slower air rifles.
If you want to shoot squirrels at longer ranges then I would suggest an air rifle that shoots 1000+ FPS with .177 caliber pellets. These have plenty of power to kill a squirrel out to 40-yards.
.22 caliber pellets are even better options for hunting even though they are slower FPS because they have more knockdown power. An air rifle that shoots .22 caliber pellets at around 1000 FPS will be able to kill a squirrel out to 50-60 yards easily.
Best Air Rifle For Rabbits
Rabbits are pretty similar to squirrels in terms of hardiness. You can kill a rabbit out to 20 yards with an air rifle in the 600-700 FPS range, but I would hesitate to shoot much further at a rabbit at that power. Again, an air rifle that can shoot .177 cal 1000+ FPS will be the more ethical choice and can kill rabbits out to about 40-yards no problem.
.22 caliber pellets are even better options for hunting rabbits even though they reduce FPS because they have more overall energy and knockdown power. An air rifle that shoots .22 caliber pellets at around 1000 FPS will be able to kill a rabbit out to 50-60 yards without a problem.
Best Air Rifles For Varmints and Pests
The best air rifle for varmints and pests becomes a little more tricky because these animals are of all different sizes. If you’re trying to kill bigger pests like woodchucks, raccoons, skunks, or porcupines you’re going to need a more powerful air rifle than you would if you trying to shoot pesky squirrels in the bird feeder.
That said, there’s nothing wrong with getting an overpowered air rifle for small varmints and then having the option of using it for the larger varmints. If anything, it just makes dispatching those smaller pests quicker and more ethical.
An air rifle that shoots .22 caliber pellets at around 1000 FPS will be a good rule of thumb for dispatching woodchuck-sized pests out to 25-35 yards with good shot placement.
What Is the Best Air Rifle Caliber?
The best air rifle caliber depends on what you’re using it for. For example:
Feet per Second (FPS) vs Foot Pounds of Energy (FPE)
You will want an appropriate balance of feet per second (FPS) and pellet weight for your specific application.
A lighter pellet will travel faster and shoot flatter, but will not have a lot of energy once it hits the target, especially at longer ranges. This makes lighter pellets better for target practice because it does not matter how much energy is behind the pellet if you’re shooting targets.
With the same amount of air pressure, heavier pellets won’t travel as fast (FPS) but have some weight or energy (FPE) behind them which transfers into knockdown power. So, you can get away with slower speeds with heavier pellets to an extent.
To calculate Foot-Pounds of Energy (FPE), you need to know the mass of the pellet (grains) and the velocity (FPS). The FPE is calculated by using this formula:
E= mv2 ÷ K or…
Energy = (mass)*(velocity)2 ÷ 450,240 or…
FPE =(pellet grains)*(FPS)2 ÷ 450,240
.177 Caliber Air Rifle Pellets
For target practicing/plinking the .177 caliber pellets are best because it’s the fastest and flattest shooting ammo. If you want to hunt with this caliber just buy heavier pellets and it will work just fine to those short and medium ranges for any small game animal. A heavier pellet will give the air rifle more FPE resulting in more knockdown power.
.22 Caliber Air Rifle Pellets
The .22 caliber pellets are a better choice if you’re looking to hunt with the air rifle. You can buy heavier grain pellets than .177 that will dish out more knock-down power upon impact and retain energy at longer ranges. That said, they’re still light enough so that they shoot pretty flat.
.22 caliber pellets can shoot woodchuck-sized game at medium ranges and smaller game out further than the .177 caliber pellets. These pellets are a great in-between pellet size.
.25 Caliber Air Rifle Pellets
When you start getting into higher-end air rifles that have a lot of speed they will offer a .25 caliber pellets option. These are a great option for air rifle hunters because if you have a decent FPS, these .25 caliber pellets can have a lot of energy behind them. .25 caliber ammo in combination with decent FPS allows air rifle hunters to target bigger animals like coyotes at close ranges and increases the lethal range at medium-sized small game animals like woodchucks.
Final Thoughts
Hopefully, this post has helped you determine the best air rifles for your budget, skill level, and use. Each air rifle has its trade-offs. It is up to you to decide what is important for the application you are using it for.
Luckily, you can easily filter what is important to you by using the comparison spreadsheet above to find the best air rifles for you.
In this post, you’ll learn how to ice fish step by step for beginners. This post will also cover ice fishing gear and ice fishing tips & tricks.
Ice fishing may seem complicated at first, however, with the right advice you can start having success right away. I give you all the information you need to have success from the start.
Let’s get started…
This post contains Amazon and other affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a commission if you purchase through my link, at no extra cost to you. Of course, you are not obligated to use my links, but it does help fund these posts in hopes of bringing more value to you!
Ice Fishing Gear For Beginners
You don’t need to spend a lot of money to have the best equipment when you’re first getting started ice fishing. That said, you will want to buy the essentials for safety and to have the most enjoyable time out on the ice.
Recommended Ice Fishing Gear
Fishing License
Proper Clothing
Ice Auger
Jigs For Ice Fishing
Ice Fishing Traps (Tip-Ups)
Protective Cases For Ice Fishing Traps
Pack Basket For Traps
Bait
Bait Bucket and Net
Ice Chisel
Ice Scoop or Skimmer
Depth Sounders
Pliers
Ice Safety Picks
Shovel
Jet Sled
Creepers or Ice Cleats For Boots
Chairs
Split Shot Line Weights
Optional But Useful Ice Fishing Gear
Thermos
Wood Saw
Stuff To Build A Fire
Hand and Foot Warmers
Listen to Music
Propane
Portable Grill
Snowmobile
Anything For Cooking and Eating
What Ponds and Lakes To Ice Fish On
To determine where would be a good spot to ice fish, I would suggest calling local fishing guides because they guide fishermen for a living and can point you to some great spots on nearby lakes and ponds.
Another excellent option is to call your state wildlife department. A regional fish biologist will be able to point you in the right direction. Make sure you tell the biologist what your goals are so they can fine-tune their recommendations to the experience you are looking to have.
For example, if you’re looking to catch a lot of fish you might want to fish warmwater species such as bass and perch because they often provide the fastest action. For beginners, this is usually the best choice.
Check The Ice Thickness
Make sure you check to see if the ice is safe before spending a lot of time on it. Because the ice can vary from spot to spot it is a good idea to chisel a few holes next to shore and keep doing so until you reach the spot you are going to fish at. You can learn everything you need to know about ice safety by visiting Maine’s IFW Ice Safety Tips.
There are two methods of catching fish when ice fishing. They are; ice fishing traps (AKA tip-ups) and/or by jigging.
Ice Fishing Traps (Also Known As Tip-Ups)
The best way to have success when ice fishing is to use Ice fishing traps. These traps have a spring-loaded flag that when a fish bites the flag springs into the air so you know there’s a fish on.
The benefit of ice fishing tip-up traps is that you bait them with live bait, which does all the work for you. You just have to wait for a flag to pop up into the air. For this reason, you are able to use many ice fishing traps at one time to maximize your chances of catching fish.
Ice Fishing Jigs
Ice fishing jigs can also be a successful way to catch fish but you can only operate one at a time. This is because it requires you to bob (jig) the pole up and down.
Jigging can be fun to do while you are waiting for your ice fishing traps to catch a fish. Also, you will increase your chances of catching a fish by having another pole in the water.
Where To Place Ice Fishing Traps
A great place to put traps is fairly close to shore, fish like the structure of the bottom so you likely don’t want to fish in very deep water, especially for warmwater fish.
You can also use structures that create funnels or pinch points, like points of land to place your traps. This will give your bait a high probability of being seen, and thus potentially get more bites.
Use An Ice Auger To Make Ice Fishing Holes
After you’ve chosen a spot you like it’s time to start augering holes for your ice fishing traps and jigs. You can do this by hand or with a powered auger. I recommend a power auger because it makes the process so much easier and takes much less time.
Ice Auger For Ice Fishing
After you’ve augured your holes make sure to scoop out the fragments of ice that the auger created with an ice scoop or skimmer. This will make it easier to bait hooks, catch fish, and keep the holes from freezing back in as fast when it’s cold.
Check The Water Depth Using A Depth Sounder
After you’ve cleaned up the hole with the ice skimmer, you’re ready to check the water depth. You can use a depth sounder to check the depth.
Basically, all you do is put a weight on the end of your fishing like and lower it into the water until you feel slack. Once you feel slack, you’re on the bottom. Lift the sounder out of the water and look to see how much fishing line you used to hit bottom.
Checking the water depth is important because you’ll want to put some traps out just above the bottom because fish will often be found within the structure of the bottom. So, this is a good place to put your bait.
What Bait To Use Ice Fishing
Use Live Bait With Ice Fishing Traps
Live bait usually works best because it is the most realistic.
Common live bait includes:
Smelts
Chubs
Shiners
Earthworms
Nightcrawlers
You’ll need to find a local bait shop and see what they have in stock.
You’ll want to buy plenty of bait for how long you’ll be fishing. You should also plan to have some extra bait for freshening old bait and for when you catch a fish that will usually kill your live bait.
How To Bait Ice Fishing Tip-Up Traps
To bait ice fishing traps with minnows, simply put the hook through their back, just under the spine. The minnows will be able to last like this for a long time.
Make sure to check your bait every hour to make sure they’re still lively. If the minnows aren’t looking lively, it is time to put a new minnow on to freshen things up.
Baiting Ice Fishing Traps
Best Ice Fishing Tip-Up Traps
If you’re planning to do a lot of ice fishing the more expensive ones are worth it because they don’t have as many hiccups. For example, cheaper traps tend to wear out faster, the trippers don’t stay in place as well, the trippers can also freeze up, and the reels might bend or fall off with use. The more expensive tip-ups tend to withstand more seasons offering a better value in the long run.
How Deep To Set Ice Fishing Traps
It’s a good idea to place traps in various depths to identify what depths are catching the most fish. Between 15-35 ft are good depths to start with. Then either place the bait just under the ice (a few feet down) or put bait just off the bottom for best results. Then you can readjust your traps throughout the day to mimic the traps that are getting the most bites.
How To Set Ice Fishing Traps
Once you bait your ice fishing traps and put the bait down to your desired depth, the next step is to set the trap. Setting an ice fishing trap is much easier than it might first appear. That said, there are different types of tip-up traps so I can’t tell you exactly how to set your model, but I can tell you the basics.
Basically, you need to bend the flexible flag down and lock it into place. There will be a trigger mechanism on the reel so that when a fish bites and starts taking out the line, the trigger mechanism will set off the flag.
What To Do While You Wait For Fish To Bite
If fish aren’t biting often, ice fishing can get boring, especially for beginners. Luckily, there are many things you can do while you wait. For example, you could get a fire started and cook food, play football, ice skate, frisbee…etc.
What To Do When A Trap Flag Is Sprung
Run! When a fish bites and the flag is set off you want to get to the trap as soon as possible so you can set the hook. The sooner you can do this the better because it gives the fish less chance to get away.
Running To An Ice Fishing Tip-Up Trap With Sprung Flag
How To Set The Hook When Ice Fishing
When a fish bites live bait, they are often don’t realize it has a hook. For this reason, they’re often not stripping the line out. In this case, you need to take in the slack until you feel tension on the line. Once you feel tension, you give the line a quick pull to set the hook.
If the line is being stripped out then you can just start pulling the line or give it a light tug because the hook will set itself due to the force generated from the motion of the fish.
How To Set The Hook With Ice Fishing Tip-Up Trap
How To Land A Fish When Ice Fishing
Once you have the fish hooked, you use your hands to take up the line. So, you’re battling the fish with your hands. If the fish wants to run with the line let it take some line. Otherwise, it might break the line. That said, keep a little tension on the line with your fingers to make it harder for the fish to strip line, this will tire the fish out faster.
Once the fish is not stripping the line out as aggressively you can start winding in the line again by hand. Keep repeating this process until you get the fish to the hole.
Once the fish is at the hole don’t be afraid to use your hand to aid in pulling the fish up and out of the hole. It’s a good idea to use your hand because if you don’t have a good hook set this is when the hook might get pulled out of the mouth of the fish due to all of the fish’s weight will be out of the water. Thus, this can be a time when you can lose the fish.
Catching Fish With A Ice Fishing Tip-Up Trap
Ice Fishing Jigs
Jigging for fish is another method that can be used to catch fish when ice fishing. With a jig, you use an artificial lure and bob it up and down. A jig called the Swedish Pimple is a favorite among ice fishermen. You can even add pieces of meat to the hook of the jig to further entice fish to bite.
The mechanics of jigging involve keeping the lure close to the bottom and lightly bouncing the rod tip up and down in fairly slow even intervals.
Hopefully, this post helped speed up your learning curve on how to ice fish. If you have any further questions on how to ice fish you can message me on social media or leave a comment below.
You don’t need every piece of duck hunting gear to start duck hunting, you just need the essentials. Also, there are different ways to hunt ducks. The duck hunting gear you will need will vary depending on the type of duck hunting you’re doing.
For this reason, this article not only covers the must-have duck hunting gear to get started. It also covers optional duck hunting gear that isn’t necessarily essential, but that is often worth having.
Essential Duck Hunting Gear
Hunting License & Waterfowl Stamp
Can’t duck hunt without these!!
Duck Hunting Shotgun
The quintessential tool for ducks hunters is a shotgun. There are some specs that you should be aware of when buying a duck hunting shotgun. These specs are:
Barrel Length
For duck hunting having a longer barrel is nice because it helps you swing through the shot instead of just pointing and aiming. A 28-inch barrel length is a good option for duck hunters.
Choke Tubes
Choke tubes are screwed into shotgun barrels in order to increase or decrease shot-pattern density. They’re helpful because you can adjust your shot pattern depending on the distance you expect to be shooting.
They’re also helpful for duck hunting because are hardier than upland birds, especially when they get their full plumage. A modified choke tube is a good option for duck hunting because it’s effective from roughly 20-40 yards. You can change choke tubes to change your effective range.
Carlson choke tubes are well-known for waterfowlers. They use triple-shot technology (TST) in which makes the shotgun pellet spread-rate release more gradually than other choke tubes on the market for longer range shooting.
The chamber of your shotgun is also important. For example, if you have a 12 ga shotgun but it can only shoot 2 3/4-inch shotgun shells, that is going to greatly limit your shot opportunities. Instead, I would get a shotgun that can handle up to 3.5-inch shells. This was you can use any 12 ga shotgun shell from 2 3/4-inches up to 3.5-inches giving you the maximum flexibility out of your shotgun.
Non-Toxic Shotgun Shells
For duck hunting, you can’t use lead shot because it pollutes the environment. There are many steel and metal blends of shot you can buy.
Best Shotgun Shell Size For Duck Hunting
The best shotgun shell size will depend on your specific hunting scenario. That said, a 3.5-inch #2 is a good all-around shotgun shell for duck hunting from 20-40 yards with steel shot.
If you use heavier ammo like Hevi-Shot which is heavier than lead and is made of tungsten, nickel, iron, and other alloys, you don’t need such a big bullet and could get away with 3-inch #4 or #6. The reason for this is a heavier bullet will have better penetration and knock-down power.
Water Resistant Ammo Box
An ammo box provides storage and protection for duck hunting ammunition. The hard plastic is durable and the box makes a good seat if needed. The box is water waterproof, it can handle any weather event. It just can’t be submerged underwater. You can use it as a seat when duck hunting and throw a cushion on top for additional comfort.
An ammo box provides storage and protection for duck hunting ammunition
Decoys are almost always a necessary tool for duck hunters unless you’re jump-shooting because they attract ducks into shooting range. You don’t need a lot of decoys to start off but a dozen is a good place to start.
Duck calls are an essential piece of duck hunting gear because sound adds realism to your decoy setup which helps get more ducks to believe in your decoy spread and come in for a closer look. Haydel’s Deceiver call is an excellent call for both beginners and experienced hunters. The best part is they’re so confident you’ll like it they offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee.
Duck calls are an essential piece of duck hunting gear because sound adds realism to your decoy setup which helps get more ducks to believe in your decoy spread
Waders are great for marshes and swamps that are too deep for knee-highs or hip boots. They come in handy for duck retrieval, placing decoy spreads, and other duck hunting applications where the water is shallow enough to wade in.
This jacket is made specifically for duck hunters. It is a waterproof and GoreTex breathable jacket that is uninsulated so that hunters can keep layering clothes under this jacket as the hunting season progresses and gets colder. It is designed to keep waterfowl hunters dry throughout the entire hunting season. SITKA Gear makes high-quality and well-thought-out clothing specifically for hunters. This jacket even has a built-in duck call lanyard.
A headlamp is an essential piece of duck hunting gear because lights are a must in the dark mornings and evenings. A headlamp keeps both hands free so you can carry other equipment and focus on the task at hand. Just don’t skimp on a good headlamp because cheap ones will break or stop working.
A headlamp keeps both hands free so you can carry other equipment
One of the most important pieces of duck hunting gear is hearing protection. Keeping the ears protected during repeated shooting is essential for hearing longevity. If you know someone who needs a good pair of hearing protection they’ll appreciate it, and even more so in the long term.
The Howard Leight earmuffs are great because they an adjustable amplification knob so you can still have conversations. However, as soon as the noise is too loud, the headphones will block it.
Hearing protection is one of the most important pieces of duck hunting gear
If the water is too deep to wade through with chest waders then you’re going to need a boat or canoe to set decoys and retrieve ducks. These Old Town Discovery 119 canoes are great single-person canoes because they are small and light making them easily transportable for one person.
Camo Life Jacket
If you’re going to be hunting by boat a life jacket is an essential piece of duck hunting gear for safety.
These Lacrosse boots are insulated to keep feet warm, have a nice tight ankle fit for great mobility, and don’t roll your ankle. Also, these boots have button-style traction which works better in the muck and mud.
These boots have button-style traction which works great in the mud.
Sunglasses are a staple for duck hunters. Waterfowl tends to be flying in the sky, and the sky is usually bright, even on cloudy days. In addition, the sun and sky reflecting off the water are also bright. Having quality sunglasses will keep you from getting headaches after staring into the sky all day.
Having quality sunglasses will keep duck hunters from getting headaches after staring into the sky all-day
The ability to carry a dozen decoys at once is a blessing when traveling back and forth from hunting spots. There’s nothing more frustrating than having your hands or shoulders maxed out with decoys and not able to carry anything else. A single large bag allows duck hunters to free their hands up for more equipment.
These bags are also great because they separate decoys into individual slots so that they don’t get scratched up during transport. This keeps decoys in good condition for much longer than the decoys bags where you just stuff all decoys together.
Decoy bags are useful gear for duck hunters because it makes carrying decoys easy
It’s nice to have a gun case that will float if you drop your gun into the water. But another great benefit of having a gun case is the shoulder strap. A shoulder strap allows you to free your hands up when carrying equipment so you can carry more gear at one time.
Neoprene waterproof gloves keep hands dry when handling decoys. This can be critical when temperatures are cold, otherwise, the remainder of the hunt may be very uncomfortable with freezing hands.
These waterproof gloves keep hands dry when handling decoys
A duck call lanyard is worn around the neck for easy accessibility to different calls. Different species of waterfowl make different noises and having quick access to the right call at the right time is key.
A Mojo duck decoy is a helpful piece of duck hunting gear because the spinning wings from this motorized decoy can be seen and attract ducks from farther distances than regular decoys. The Mojo gives ducks confidence in a decoy spread, making them commit harder offering more opportunities and better shots.
Waterfowl hunting and training with a duck dog is usually wet, muddy, brushy, stinky, and messy. Seat covers keep the pup safe and keep the vehicle clean, especially after duck hunting trips.
Seat covers keep the pup safe and keep the vehicle clean, especially after duck hunting trips.
This definitely one of the top pieces of duck hunting gear because every duck hunter needs and wants dry boots. There is nothing more uncomfortable than damp or wet boots the next day. Damp or wet boots will also speed up getting frozen toes.
Instead, just place boots on this dryer after a day of hunting and they’ll be toasty and dry for the next day. Boot dryers also kill odors and bacteria for even more scent control. This Peet boot dryer can dry every type of boot, even chest waders when folded down.
Place boots on this dryer after a day of use and they’ll be toasty and dry for the next day. Boot dryers also kill odors and bacteria for even more scent control.
This 14 in 1 tool is not only convenient but it manages to reduce a lot of frustration when things go awry or fall apart. There will be times when the leatherman will save the day when doing repairs while out duck hunting. Their helpfulness in unideal situations makes them one of the best duck hunting gear items.
A Leatherman’s helpfulness in unideal situations makes them one of the pieces of gear for duck hunters
Seat cushions are helpful for duck hunters to be comfortable for sitting most of the day. This cushion isn’t your average hunting cushion. It uses layers of memory foam in order to create a very comfortable seat. It has quiet fabric and a buckle so it can be easily carried when in transport.
An actual seat is much more comfortable and will be easier on a hunter’s back than being hunched over. Additionally, you’ll be able to see over the tall marsh grass without being fully exposed to waterfowl.
Waterproof duffle bags are very handy pieces of duck hunting gear to have in wetland duck habitats. They can be used on long hunting trips, or to keep gear dry in the duck boat, as well as an infinite amount of other scenarios where water is a factor. With a waterproof bag, there is no need to worry about the elements.
Waterproof duffle bags are very handy to have in wetland duck habitats
Binoculars can be helpful for scouting for ducks and for duck identification at longer distances. I tested 14 different binoculars from all price ranges to see which hunting binoculars were the best value for the money. In my opinion, the Athlon Midas binoculars were by far the best value. You can check out my video review below:
You can stay hidden in plain sight by laying down in a field inside one of these. The ALPS OutdoorZ Legend Layout Blind is comfortable, waterproof, and easily transportable. What separates the ALPS from other layout blinds is that is has a specially designed chair “zero gravity” that makes laying on the ground very comfortable.
Hopefully, this duck hunting gear list has helped you identify the essentials you’ll need for duck hunting as well as some non-essential gear that will make your life easier when duck hunting. What duck hunting gear do you think should be added? If you have any suggestions let me know in the comments below.
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