TEXAS WILDLIFE
B A C K AT T H E R A N C H
Unique Christmas Gifts for the Outdoor Enthusiast
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Article by WHITNEY KLENZENDORF
owdy everyone and happy holidays! I know 2020 has been a wild year, but I hope each of you gets to have the holiday you hoped for with family, friends and lots of time outside. One thing I’m grateful for is regardless of what happens in the news, I can go out in nature and be reminded that the world is a beautiful place. I think we all probably have at least one person on our list who loves the outdoors, so I’m going to share some gift ideas that may bring them joy this Christmas. Wooden topographic lake map – One of the neat gifts I’ve recently seen are carved topo maps of Texas lakes for display on the wall. Get one from your favorite nearby lake! Blown glass ornament from the national parks – Old World Christmas sells beautiful blown glass ornaments of each national park’s sign. Such a pretty way to remember a favorite trip or location. Ladies’ shooting/hunting vest from Upland Bespoke – Incredibly unique and beautiful American-made womens’ hunting apparel from a Dallas-based company. Clare Haggas art or silk scarf – Clare Haggas is a British artist who masterfully captures the beauty of upland game birds. Her designs and colors are captivating and the perfect look for anyone, man or woman, who loves game birds.
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DECEMBER 2020
Monogrammed boot bag – Essential equipment for any traveling Texan. Wild game cookbook – The Meat Eater Cookbook by Steve Rinella, Afield by Jesse Griffiths, Venison Every Day by Allie Doran and Buck Buck Moose by Hank Shaw are a few recommendations. Rocking camp chair – Nemo makes a rocking camp chair that has become my favorite camping accessory of late. Quality knife set – any hunter needs a reliable, sharp set of knives for field dressing. Other fun ideas include a clay thrower and clays, a new rod and reel, camo, a rangefinder or binoculars, or custom shooting bags. For kids: the best thing we can get them is quality time together in the great outdoors. Whether that means a trip to the aquarium, zoo or natural history museum (maybe even consider a membership for them to one of those places) or a camping, hunting or fishing trip, that gift will last a lifetime. As far as what to put under the tree, I recommend checking out the gift shops at nature and science museums for unique toys and games to inspire their love of the outdoors. Also check out my list of recommended reads for little ranch hands published in a recent Texas Wildlife issue. Of course, you can’t go wrong adding a TWA Membership to everyone’s stocking.
