Page 50 - Flathead Beacon // 12.9.15

MOUNTAIN EXPOSURE
OUTDOORS IN BRIEF
FWP Prepares for Elk Shoulder Seasons
In anticipation of strong inter- est in upcoming antlerless elk “shoulder seasons” in ve cen- tral Montana hunting districts, state wildlife o cials are contact- ing landowners and working out details for hunters interested in participating in the post-season hunts.
The shoulder-season hunts, aimed at reducing elk populations in some areas, are pilot projects approved earlier this month by the Montana Fish & Wildlife Com- mission for hunting districts on the north and east sides of the Big Belts, the Castle Mountains and in the Missouri River Breaks.
The elk shoulder-seasons in hunting districts 445, 446, 449, and 452 began Nov. 30 and end on Feb. 15, 2016. The shoulder-sea- son in hunting district 410 will begin Jan. 1, 2016 and end Feb. 15, 2016. All hunts are for antlerless elk only.
These shoulder season oppor- tunities are available on private lands, Bureau of Land Manage- ment lands, and State of Montana
School Trust Lands only. No elk shoulder seasons will occur on national forest lands, the Charles M. Russell Wildlife National Wild- life Refuge or on any FWP wildlife management areas.
Cabela’s O ers Holiday Giveaways
Cabela’s will o er an early holi- day celebration and welcome cus- tomers with entertainment, activ- ities and hundreds of giveaways at the company’s Kalispell store on Saturday, Dec. 12.
The rst 250 customers, ages 18 and older, in line at a participating U.S. Cabela’s store Saturday morn- ing will be eligible to receive a mys- tery envelope containing informa- tion about their gift. All envelopes will be distributed randomly and could include vouchers for one of ve Savage Arms rim re ri es, Cabela’s gift cards and much more. Firearm winners will be required to complete and pass a standard federal background check to take ownership of the rearm.
Cabela’s Kalispell will open at 8 a.m. and will remain open until 10 p.m.
Email outdoors news to news@ atheadbeacon.com.
OUT OF BOUNDS ROB BREEDING THE GIFT OF CHRISTMAS
ILOVE THE HOLIDAY SEASON, except for the gift part. Like most dudes, gift selecting doesn’t come naturally to me. If all my closest friends lived nearby, I’d just throw a party and spend the evening with a shaker in hand, mixing holiday “gift” cocktails and call it good. An artfully crafted cocktail pre- pared by a loved one seems the perfect gift to me.
Alas, the party idea doesn’t work for all. For a variety of reasons some of us are locked into gift giving obligations. If that means you, I stand by my general rule that essential gear — rearms, y rods — do not make good gifts. Hunters and anglers have too intimate a relationship with key gear like this. I already know speci cally the next half dozen or so y rods I intend to add to my arsenal. In this department I really don’t want any surprises.
Unless you’re buying a rst-ever y rod, or you have insider info on exactly what tops your special someone’s must- have list, a gift certi cate makes the per- fect present. Remember, your gift-giving duty is to give someone you care about the right gift. Sometimes the right gift is empowering someone to pick that gift out for themselves.
I’m picky about y rods, but not so much for the accessories y sh- ing requires. Gear bags, rod cases, foul weather gear, even something like a y vest, this is stu I can be exible about. But you do need to know your audience. Some non-gearhead types are going to be ne with a vest o the budget rack. Others (like me) will only be happy with some- thing with a Simms label. If so, hopefully you’ve been saving up.
I think the best approach for a hunter or angler is cookwear, but that’s just me. I like cooking almost as much as I do hunting. Again, I’m more exible with my cooking gear. And no one who spends time in the outdoors gathering their own protein is going to be disappointed with some enameled cast iron. I’ve got a well- worn dutch oven in the kitchen that has
cooked plenty of chukar, and I’m not the slightest bit embarrassed it doesn’t say Le Creuset on the ovenproof handle.
Another no brainer is a vacuum sealer if there’s not already one in the kitchen. It’s perfect for saving birds headed for the freezer, and it comes in quite handy if there’s already a sous vide cooker in the house. By the way, if there isn’t a sous vide on the premises, remember every serious cook should have a water bath cooker.
There are plenty of gifts that just about every outdoor type will appreciate: • If you’ve got a couple appropriately
spaced trees, a good hammock.
• A Leatherman, or some other quality multipurpose tool.
• Ratchet straps for tying down loads, or for the aquatically inclined, NRS straps. Actually, NRS straps may be the most universally useful gifts ever.
• An LED headlamp.
• A dry bag, again generally useful for the aquatically inclined, but these have a place in the uplands as well.
• Good quality thermal wear. That base layer is important.
• One of those inexpensive electronic sh nders that Bluetooths with your smart phone and casts to shy looking places with rod and reel.
• An electronic sh scale that also con- nects to your phone via Bluetooth. On second thought, I hate scales and other sh measuring devices. They cause sh to shrink before release.
• A stainless steel cocktail shaker. Give it to them early so they can throw you a Christmas party in return.
Now some bad ideas:
• Camo toilet paper.
• Most anything camo, except actual camo.
• Compass cu inks. There is no event in the state of Montana where a shirt and cu inks should be required, except — depending on the dress code — your child’s wedding. In such cases, only cu links made from elk ivories are acceptable.
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DECEMBER 9, 2015 // FLATHEADBEACON.COM