28 Expert-Approved Gifts for Hunters Recommended by an Actual Hunter (2024)

Scouting is essential for a successful hunting season, and for that there’s no better scouting tool than a good game camera. I tested dozens of cameras for my Best Trail Cameras for Hunting review, and the cell-connected Edge from Moultrie is my favorite.

Someone serious about hunting likes to keep tabs on the animals year-round, not just during hunting season, and trail cameras are the best way for your giftee to know what’s happening in the woods even when they can’t be out there.

You can buy non-connected cameras, but they aren’t much cheaper than the Edge, and there’s nothing quite like getting pinged on your cell phone with images of heavy-antlered animals to get you primed for hunting season.

The mobile data plans are a reasonable additional cost, the image quality is solid, and the app is one of the simplest and easiest to use. The cameras can be used for security and general wildlife watching as well outside of your recipient's prime scouting months.

Built on the basic design of Benchmade’s fan-favorite lightweight Bugout pocket knife, this is a weather-resistant, lightweight, durable pocket knife built for hunters, but great as an everyday carry knife as well. Your recipient will get 365 days a year of value from this gift.

The CPM MagnaCut stainless steel blade has a blaze orange coating that’s helpful if this knife is set this down in some grass or a messy field butchering scenario. It’s pricey, but your hunter will appreciate the lifetime warranty and lifetime sharpening service that make this a blade one they can use for life and then pass down.

I bought one of these duffels for transporting hunting apparel and storing it in the off-season. I’ve traveled all over the world and United States with it and it's able to absorb a beating and still look good. So good, in fact, my partner stole it for herself and I had to buy a second.

There’s nothing too fancy here, just a good-looking oversize “black hole” duffel that’s waterproof and comes with removable backpack straps that are handy when your hunter friend has to jog to make their flight. I find the 110-liter size most useful, but these come in 75-liter or 50-liter versions as well and several colors.

It can be tough to stomach high price tags on quality hunting optics, so many hunters suffer with budget options. For that someone special, this is a gift they won’t forget.

Maven makes high-end hunting optics but for quite a bit less than some bigger names, and the brand's mid-tier C-series binos deliver quality in the glass while saving some on the build to keep the price down.

Unless the hunter in your life already has quality binos, these will be a noticeable step up. The classic 10x42 size is a great all-around option for most hunters.

Aves makes awesome waterfowl-specific gear, and its Hybrid Elite Blind Bag keeps everything your giftee needs close by for a long sit over decoys.

It has lots of zippered pockets that flip open and stay open if desired and dedicated storage for shells, calls, cell phone, and more. Even if your hunter is an infrequent waterfowler like me, it doubles as a great shooting range bag, especially for trap or skeet.

This thin, wicking, next-to-skin layer is aimed at the hunting crowd but works year-round, so it’s worth getting your giftee the versatility of a solid color. (Camo is also available).

The material, a blend of merino wool with 37.5 tech nylon for added durability, uses permanently infused minerals to prevent the fibers from hanging onto stink for which full synthetics are famous. The fabric is soft to the touch and so thin and breathable that moisture vapor transfers easily away from the body.

I used to groan when I got socks as a present as a kid, but I’d be pumped if I pulled these alpaca-synthetic blend hiking socks out of my stocking today.

These socks are warm and they're the ones your recipient will reach for if they’re heading out in below-freezing temps for a late-season hunt. They’re also just great all-around wintertime socks. Just like merino, the alpaca wool helps minimize odor by naturally controlling bacteria.

Anyone who has chased big game in the high-elevation peaks of the West knows it’s not for the faint of heart or weak of leg. I’ve personally seen fit, young healthy adults coming from sea level turned back by the mountains before they even got their packs to basecamp.

MTNTOUGH is an online fitness program designed to give your recipient the necessary training program blocks they can tackle throughout the year specifically aimed at preparing them for the demands of backcountry hunting in the mountains.

I’ve done several of the training plans and they are tough, but tough is what's needed to stick it out and fill up the freezer. You can read more about the programs here, but the link above takes you to a checkout page where you can choose to give a subscription as a gift.

Hunters can be hard on gear. In fact, I’m normally wary of owning nice sunglasses and especially of taking those higher-end shades into the field. Wiley X’s Omega shades are sporty with a sharp, high-contrast field of view, but most importantly they’re highly shatter-resistant from the frames to the lenses.

These can be worn casually, but your giftee will definitely breathe easier knowing the lenses are shatterproof and the nylon frames are built to withstand high-speed and high-mass impacts. These won't need to handled with kid gloves, so no worries if they're stashed in a pocket or pack.

Cold nights at camp require a serious static insulation layer, but you can get sticker shock buying a pricey puffer just for a few weeks of the year. The stylish High AF Down Parka from Artilect is a performance puffy that looks good enough to be worn casually outside of hunting season, but is rugged enough for field, too.

The 20D stretch exterior has a permanent water repellent coating so your recipient can wear it as an outer layer but it is form-fitting enough to layer under a hunting shell for long, cold sits in a treestand or on an exposed ridge.

The 700-fill natural down is treated with a unique gold and silver solution that keeps it from absorbing water, so it’ll keep a hunter warm even if it gets wet. Cool tech bonus: the Lifekey zipper can be loaded with identifying information and even be used to notify close contacts when an activity is started or ended.

While these pants are a viable upland bird hunting option, I love them as all-around rugged work pants for anything from garage projects to hauling slash around the yard. Your giftee may find them handy to have around for a variety of domestic tasks, too.

While not technically chainsawing chaps, they feature a rugged cotton base with a chaps-like stretch nylon armor layer on top for most of the front of the leg and from the knee down in the back. This water-resistant layer also acts like built in gaiters to keep the lower leg from wetting out like most other pants.

For hunters who pride themselves on being self-sufficient in the field, they would certainly benefit from the gift of a quality multi-tool for field repairs on gear and quick-access tool needs.

The drawback to most multi-tools is that the knife blade usually leaves a lot to be desired, but the ARC’s CPM Magnacut stainless steel blade is on-par with high-end pocket knives.

It also packs in essentials they might need such as screwdrivers, a file, scissors, a can opener, and 20 tools they’ll actually use—not a bunch of goofy, faux-preparedness junk they won’t.

Whether they admit it or not, most backcountry hunters don’t bring many changes of underwear, if they consider changing at all. Their camp mates might not mind, but stink doesn’t do you any favors in the field, so this gift will be highly appreciated for those hunters who are more particular about their hygiene.

I like the odor-control woven into Forloh’s SolAir boxers via Polygiene Stay Fresh antimicrobial tech and Odor Crunch scent control systems. They’re also a performance fabric and fit which help prevent chafing when logging lots of hard miles in the woods.

A nice nightcap after a long day of hunting is a well-earned reward. Stanley’s rugged and camo-patterned Mossy Oak flask lets hunters take a nip in style whether at hunt camp or the big game.

The attached cap is key as it prevents losing the lid and rendering the flask a liability in the field. The 8-ounce size carries the equivalent of 8 shots of your giftee's liquor of choice, which is just enough, just like the respectable 0.37-pound weight that won’t feel like a rock in their hunting pack.

Game bags serve an essential function in the field after a successful hunt: protecting the meat while letting it cool. Cheap game bags, however, don’t usually last more than one pack-out, if they even last that long.

Kuiu’s cost a bit more but are worth the splurge for the set since they pack up neatly into the included storage bag and they build in just enough structure to make the filled bags more rigid and durable.

A great gift for an experienced hunter, these game bags are machine-washable and sized specifically for different species so your hunter won’t end up with bags that come up short, nor will they carry more bag than needed.

I’m no whisky connoisseur, but I’m partial to Pendleton’s Midnight Canadian Whisky after enjoying it with friends at duck hunting camp this fall.

I also appreciate Pendleton’s sponsorship of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, which conserves and restores public lands for wildlife habitat across the United States. (Full disclosure: I serve as the chair of my local RMEF chapter.)

Aged in brandy barrels and made from Mt. Hood glacier runoff, this is a sippable, affordable whisky, but the hunter in your life can also savor the fact that Pendleton gives back to the outdoors as well.

If you’re shopping for a freezer-filling hunter who processes their own game, this is a high bang-for-your-buck upgrade to any budget grinders out there.

The Weston #8 grinder is commercial grade without being too bulky and heavy but handles nearly anything you can throw at it and churns out 6 pounds of ground goodness per minute.

Budget grinders get the job done, but they often bog down in anything but ideal conditions. Moving up to this 0.75-horsepower grinder gives your recipient an appliance they can use for the rest of their hunting career with much less consternation.

This is another major upgrade and amazing gift for those at-home processors who are still using freezer paper. Vacuum sealing keeps game meat fresh and free from freezer burn for years, not months.

There are cheaper models from FoodSaver and other brands, but you don’t want to skimp, as inconsistent operation with lesser appliances can be maddening. My FoodSaver V4400 has been working hard every fall for almost a decade. This model is backed by a 5-year warranty.

If you know a hunter that’s ready to move from game meat meals to game meat cuisine, James Beard Award-winning hunter-chef Hank Shaw gives tons of inspiration in this classic cookbook for hunters.

Most of the recipes are available on his excellent website, Hunt Gather Cook, but the chapters on butchering and processing and the beautiful photographs make this a readable cookbook your giftee won't mind getting dirty and keeping close to the kitchen.

Making traditional whole-muscle jerky presents a dilemma for the hunter-butcher. Do they really want to take a beautiful hindquarter cut of steak and turn it into a handful of jerky?

Making jerky from ground meat is a much more economical and wise way to get jerky out of the harvest, and the LEM Jerky Cannon is essential equipment for the project that can get your favorite hunter into the jerky game instantly. They simply mix ground meat with jerky seasoning, fill the Cannon and extrude beautiful strips of high-protein snack meat jerky into their dehydrator or smoker.