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Duck hunting requires gear. Mountains of it. Sheds full of it. Trailers full of it. Hunters have to hide from ducks, call them, trick them, shoot them, clean them, and cook them. If you’re buying gifts for a duck hunter and you aren’t a duck hunter yourself, you probably don't know where to start. Don't worry, we’re here to help.
Our team of duck-obsessed gear junkies put together this list of the best gifts for duck hunters. We've got decoys, shotguns, ammo, jackets, books, apparel, and much more. And if your duck hunter is anything like us, they'll be putting these gifts to use as soon as they get them.
Winchester SX4
It’s not Christmas without a gun-shaped box under the tree, and any waterfowler should be happy with a new Super X4. Winchester’s semiauto boasts a long track record of reliability and easy care, and it’s one of the best values in a gas gun on the market. The gun adjusts for drop, cast, and length of pull, so it should fit almost any duck hunter on your shopping list. There’s even a left-hand version available in 12-gauge, as well as scaled-down Compact models.
Descended from the SX2 and SX3, the X4 is built around a gas system that has been proven and tweaked, for thirty years now. It is a very soft-kicking gun, too, which makes it easy to shoot. The last time I had an X4 in my hands, I shot six teal with seven shells. This has never happened before nor since, but when it did, I was shooting an SX4. The guns come in walnut, in black, and in camo, and in 3- and 3 ½-inch 12 gauge and 3-inch 20 gauge. Pricing starts at $889. —Phil Bourjaily
Benchmade Flyway Knife
The Benchmade Flyway is designed to do one thing—breast out game birds. And it does this task better than any other knife on the market. The 2.7-inch blade is perfect for maneuvering, cutting, and breasting out ducks and geese. Its best feature is the milled finger grip that allows for extreme precision to ensure you get every last bit of meat off the bird. I've cleaned hundreds of ducks with this knife, and it has never let me down. It is the perfect gift for a serious duck hunter, and the last knife they'll ever need to clean birds. —Ryan Chelius
Boss Steel Reserve
Holiday gifts don’t have a cost a ton of money to hit the mark, and neither do shotshells. Boss, best known for premium bismuth and tungsten ammo, introduced Steel Reserve this year, and the new ammo performed very well for me on the pattern board. The options are few: you can choose among 1450 fps, 1 3/8-ounce 3-inch 12-gauge, 1500 fps, 1 1/8-ounce 3-inch 12-gauge, and 1500 fps, 7/8-ounce, 3-inch 20. Both gauges come in 3 shot for ducks and 1s for geese. They are sold in boxes of 20 shells for $24. —P.B.
Field & Stream Membership
In case you haven't heard, Field & Stream is back in print. This year we created two 160-page journals—a spring edition and a fall edition—which you can buy here. Both journals feature stunning photography, beautiful artwork, and the excellent storytelling F&S is known for. Even better, you can sign your duck hunter up for a yearly print membership for $45. —R.C.
Sitka Solids
The cool kids are switching from camo to solid colors these days. Do you really want your favorite duck hunter to feel unhip? Sitka has you covered, from head to toe. Most of Sitka’s waterfowling standbys come in green and brown solids now from waders to ballcaps to beanies. And they’re versatile, too. My Jetstream vest in Lichen makes a great layer for duck hunting. It adds just the right amount of insulation under my upland vest, it’s been to the turkey woods a time or two, and it looks good around town on its own.
The Jetstream is a soft-shell vest with a Gore Windstopper lining and water-resistant finish. It has two handwarmer pockets and a small chest pocket, all with zipper closures. The fabric has a bit of give and a soft finish, so it’s comfortable no matter what you wear it for. Last season I got a bunch of use out of the Duck Oven jacket in Earth, which has an insulated upper body and a compressible fleece lower half made to be worn under waders. —P.B.
Yeti Ducks Coffe Table Book
Flipping through the pages of the Yeti "Ducks" coffee table book is the next best thing to going hunting. This 160-page hardcover book features stunning photography and excellent storytelling. It is broken up into the four major flyways and showcases the different species and styles of waterfowl hunting found across the country. It is a tribute to the sport of waterfowling and a book every serious duck hunter would love to have in their living room. —R.C.
Rig ‘Em Right Blackout Decoys
Rig ‘Em Right Mainline Decoys are new this year, and they’re made of tough, flexible HPDE plastic that can take a pounding. The Blackouts are mallards, packed with four drakes and two hens per box in a total of four poses. They will enhance any spread, from small to large, and as the duck hunter on your list has no doubt told you many times, you can’t ever have enough decoys. —P.B.
Duck Camp Game Series Hat
If you're looking for a budget-friendly gift for the duck hunter in your life, you can't go wrong with a Duck Camp hat. I have over ten different game series hats myself, but the mallard in military green is my favorite. Right now, Duck Camp has three different waterfowl species hats available—mallard, specklebelly, and wood duck—plus one with a design of a labrador retriever. I wear mine almost every day, and my duck hunting buddies have hopped on the bandwagon, too. —R.C.
Mojo Mallard Machine
Mojo’s mallard machine is a different take on motion decoys that splash and spurt and spit water. To my eye, it has a realistic feeding-duck motion. A propeller on the bottom pulls the decoy straight down in the water, then stops to let it bob up, making ripples that help animate your spread. There’s a cage around the propellor to keep it weed-free, too. You can let it run intermittently or control it with a remote. It is rechargeable and runs up to eight hours. At $189, it’s not cheap, but that means you can give it as a welcome gift to a hunter who feels like they can’t splurge for themselves. “You shouldn’t have,” they’ll say, and they will be delighted. —P.B.
EZ Dekes Texas Rigs
If you know a decoy addict like myself, there's a good chance they're looking for lines and weights to rig their decoys with. I started using EZ Dekes Texas rigs this year, and I couldn't be happier with the system. They have everything from Texas rigs to timber rigs to long lines. They even make a custom decoy bag. Hunters can purchase the lines in stainless steel coated cable or mono. I'd splurge on the stainless steel coated cable, as they're built for harsh saltwater conditions and won't deteriorate over time. —R.C.
Meindl MTJagd Socks
Waterfowlers will love seeing a pair of Meindl’s merino wool MTJagd long heavyweight socks on Christmas morning. These 16-inch, over-the-calf socks are great for wearing underneath waders. They are heavy, 4mm knit, with a layer of bioceramic yarns inside for better insulation and temperature regulation. Each pair comes in a left and a right for a better fit, and that’s crucial for waterfowlers, because socks that bunch in your wader boots are the worst, and these won’t. —P.B.
Bill Saunders Triple B Goose Call
I'm not a goose hunter. I'm a duck hunter who sometimes shoots geese. This also means that I'm not a goose caller. But thanks to the Bill Saunders Triple B Goose Call, I sound pretty good in the field. This call has great range and volume, but most importantly, it is easy to blow and learn on. I recommend it for any level of goose hunter, especially those just starting to talk to geese. It comes in five colors and starts at $160. —R.C.
Apex S3/TSS Ammo
Stacked loads combining two types of shot are popular these days, and these Apex steel/TSS blends give you some of the advantages of TSS at a more steel-like price. I like the 12-gauge, 3-inch, 1 5/16-ounce 2/7 ½ loads. An ounce and a sixteenth of steel is enough for decoying ducks on its own, but when you add a quarter ounce of TSS 7 1/2s (about 50 pellets), you get a pattern no duck can fly through. These aren’t made for long-range shooting. They are deadly up close, and the loads you want if you hunt anywhere that you need to kill ducks dead in the air so they don’t vanish in the weeds or flooded corn. They come in 2 or 4/7 ½ blends, and the 12-gauge is also available as a BB/5. Apex S3/TSS ammo sells for $469 per 10-box case of 25-round boxes. —P.B.
onX Hunt Membership
Every duck hunter needs an onX subscription. It's the ultimate tool for finding access, monitoring water levels, marking waypoints, and scouting new areas to hunt. I've been an onX user for a long time, but it wasn't until the last couple of years that I really started to maximize the app's tools. If you aren't sure how onX can help your duck hunter be more successful, read this article. Hunters can get a premium subscription (one state) for $34.99, a premium two-state for $49.99, or an elite subscription (every state) for $99.99. —R.C.
KUIU Paragon Hand Muff
Having a cozy refuge for your hands helps keep you happy and in the field. A good muff lets you skip gloves, which I prefer for shooting and calling, and still keeps your hands warm. KUIU's Paragon hand muff puts exterior layers of windproof, waterproof, and 3DeFX+ material between your hands and the elements. Inside, it coddles them in thick, high-loft Sherpa fleece, and it has pouches for handwarmers inside, too. It has fitted waterproof wrist closures to shut the cold and wet out. There’s a small outside pocket, for your phone or an extra shell or two and a full-length zipper so that you can open the whole thing, turn it inside out and clean it out and dry it for the next day’s hunt. It comes with an adjustable waist belt and your choice of Valo camo or Arctic Shadow. —P.B.
