Gifts for the Sportsman or Woman in Your Life
The dedicated outdoorsman or woman is, by definition, equipped. The few things such a person might lack are likely so specialized as to be a mystery to outdoors outsiders.
Books and movies, however, fall into a safe-gift zone. If you’re intent on pleasantly surprising an outdoors lover with your gift, the following suggestions might help.
Kayak Fishing (Sportsman’s Best www.Florida
Sportsman.com) details in both book and DVD the fastest growing segment of Chesapeake Bay angling. Another good book on the subject is Rick Burley’s, Complete Kayak Fishing. Locally, try Chris Dollar’s new store, Centerville Outdoors (open weekends; 410-991-8468), for a copy. If you’re looking for an especially large stocking stuffer to go with one of those books, Chris also sells the latest pedal-powered fishing kayaks by Native Watercraft.
Most trout anglers are aware of the admirable fishery established in New Zealand. A Kiwi-made movie, available on DVD, may be a step to visiting that far side of our planet. Once in a Blue Moon describes a once-a decade fly-fishing adventure unique to New Zealand. It has won a number of outdoors movie awards.
Saltwater-centered fly anglers are certainly aware of one of the most coveted game fish that swims in the brine, the bonefish. A small movie featuring the grey ghost has become a cult favorite. It’s Bone is the story of the evolution of a bone-fishing guide, Itu Davey, at his home on a distant island in the Pacific. It features a solid story line and inspiring scenery as well as some of the largest bonefish ever taken on the fly.
If you’ve got a deer hunter on your list, one item may be your ticket to successful giving. Maryland is one of the few places in the U.S. with an established sika deer population. The sikas came to our state during the early 1900s when Clemment Henry, an Eastern Shore resident, released five or six sikas he somehow acquired from their native Japan onto James Island in the Chesapeake.
Finding the wet and swampy areas of the Eastern Shore to their liking, the sikas expanded onto the mainland, where today they number almost 10,000 and inhabit the marshes and forested wetlands of Dorchester, Somerset, Wicomico and Worcester counties as well as Assateague Island.
Chasing a Marsh Ghost is the first (and only) DVD that depicts the challenges and adventures of a sika deer hunter. Find it at Angler’s Sport Center in Annapolis or online.
If your outdoors person is a sailor, casual or obsessive, you may want to choose a classic. Kon Tiki by Thor Heyerdahl and Sailing Alone Around the World by Joshua Slocum are global maritime adventures that meet that high standard.
John McPhee’s Coming into the Country is a must-read for folks craving outdoor adventure or an intimate peek at our country’s largest state, Alaska. McPhee numbers among America’s finest travel writers of the last half-century.