As I take pen in hand, the holiday season is totally upon us, and family traditions of celebrating and spending time together are key components to making it all so special. These traditions hold the same importance for Massachusetts outdoors people, and are often centered on a love of the outdoors, fishing, hunting, and just being together with loved ones. But then you suddenly realize that deer hunting is still going on until the end of the year, and along with that comes the final days of holiday shopping, baking, and wrapping gifts. Eventually, the pressure follows; the pressure to be in the woods, the pressure to stay within budget, the pressure to get the right gift, the pressure to get everything done, until the brain finally kicks in and says ‘that’s enough.’

I’ve got some good news, and I’ve got some sad news. First the sad news, in that shotgun season for whitetail deer hunting is over. The good news is the primitive firearm season has begun, which is great news for Massachusetts deer hunters. In the middle of all this looms the holidays, but with almost two weeks of deer hunting left, no one should be hitting the panic button regarding that topic just yet. Hunters can still make time for the holidays, the family, last days of the shopping frenzy, and then ramp up their efforts for the final week of primitive firearms season. But until then, the Christmas countdown continues with many people still searching for those perfect gift ideas for their hunters, anglers, and others. However, with only seven shopping days left, these ideas for the perfect gift need to surface soon, especially for those who have everything. That’s exactly why I’m here as one of Santa’s little reindeer caretakers to give you some last-minute ideas that might just fill the bill. So, let’s get started, immediately, this very moment!

Hunting and fishing licenses for 2025 are now on sale at the MassWildlife website, and what a great stocking stuffer for the hunters, anglers, or trappers in your life. Just be careful if you make this purchase online in December, as both 2024 and 2025 licenses and permits are available, and that’s an easy mistake to make. And while you’re there, how about surprising your favorite outdoors person with a subscription to “Massachusetts Wildlife,” which is one of the best magazines I receive on a regular basis throughout the year. A two-year subscription is only $10, which gives you eight full-color issues of the Commonwealth’s best wildlife publication. It’s filled with award-winning articles, photos on the environment, conservation, fishing, hunting, natural history, and about everything related to the outdoors in Massachusetts.

Another great gift for outdoors people of all types – and those who have gear they just can’t leave home without – is the YETI Go Box 15. These come in especially handy when you’re hunkered down in a duck blind, heading out in your boat to spend the day on the Quabbin, or just going off grid for a while. This box was designed and built to protect your gear in any type of weather. It’s 100 percent waterproof and dustproof, making it the perfect gear box for your sports person who’s on the go, and a great gift to have under the tree!

Also for hunters, keeping the vehicle you use for hunting scent free all year long can be important. And the Micro3 Ozone Generator Air Purifier is a product designed to do just that, because it’s not like traditional air fresheners that use a fragrance to mask odors. The Micro3 generates ozone molecules that aggressively neutralize odors and are so simple to use. Just plug it into your auxiliary power or lighter outlet when the vehicle is unoccupied and you’re good to go.

Another great last-minute gift idea for Christmas, which helps sustain conservation in Massachusetts, would be to reserve a new low-numbered wild turkey license plate. By doing so, you’ll also receive a one-year membership to NWTF, with all proceeds staying in Massachusetts to help with conservation efforts right here.

And for the person who has everything, giving a charitable donation in your outdoor person’s name as a gift supporting the Wildlands Fund is a great gift to give in honor of the hunter, angler, or outdoors person in your life. Send a donation in their name with a check payable to Mass Divisions of Fisheries and Wildlife, 1 Rabbit Hill Rd., Westborough, MA 01581.

Finally, however you and yours share the joys and gifts of this holiday season, I hope they bring new happiness to you every day. And when this holiday season becomes a memory, my wish for each of you is that this memory becomes “a treasure.”

Happy Holidays!

Joe Judd is a lifelong hunter and sportsman. He is an outdoor writer, seminar speaker, member of the New England Outdoor Writers Association, and a 2019 inductee into the N.E. Turkey Hunting Hall of Fame. Joe is also on the Quaker Boy Game Calls and Bass Pro Shops/Cabela’s Pro-Staff. He can be reached at jjontheridge@comcast.net