McClory: These are a few of my favorite holiday things

Last Monday morning, patient primitive firearm hunters in Massachusetts got to test their skills on the whitetail deer throughout the state.If you haven’t tagged your deer yet, you still have until the last day of the year to use your muzzleloader. If you are a bowhunter, you can still take to the woods during the statewide primitive firearm season that runs from Dec. 13-31. You must wear a minimum of 500 square inches of hunter orange on the head, back, and chest and purchase a primitive firearm stamp.Remember you must also have a doe tag to harvest a deer with antlers less than 3 inches.uWhile I was sitting on a deer stand last Saturday afternoon I started thinking about some of my favorite outdoor niceties.These are things that I have discovered over the years that I use for deer hunting as well as during other outdoor sports. Maybe you could share these ideas with the Christmas shoppers in your family.They might appreciate knowing about some things you could use that would make good last minute stocking stuffers.One of my favorites is a good quality pin-on compass. Yes, we have a nice expensive one we wear around our necks, but in order to get to it we have to unzip our coat and that can be cold. We don’t wear it outside because it will bang into our weapon while we are walking, and may get in the way if we are in a hurry to take a shot.I also really like the polar fleece neck gaters. I keep one handy in my pocket. They sure come in handy while sitting on stand, when the wind kicks up or the temperature drops suddenly.Everyone should carry a leatherman. They are one of the handiest tools to have by your side when a piece of equipment needs adjustment and the knife blade is sharp enough to take care of cleaning any fish or game.Mini mag lights are another should have item in your pocket. If you sit on stand until the last minute, it’s nice to know you will be able to see on your way back to your vehicle. Here’s another handy item – a nylon deer drag .Yes, a rope works just fine, but these work even better and its one of those things you would never buy for yourself but it’s a great stocking stuffer that the kids can get you that you will eventually use and appreciate if you haven’t already tried one. How about a new hot seat?Yes, again, I know you already have one but how many times have you been walking with it attached to your belt and tried to hop a stream only to have it stop you legs rear motion, prior to forward motion that puts you in the stream.Now there is one that folds in half and is kept together by Velcro. They are really slick.Here’s one that I really laughed at a few years back when one of the guys in our hunting party showed up with it. Boot warmers. You plug it into the wall, slide your boots down onto the two PVC pipes, let them sit for an hour or so and, boy , do they feel great.These really work well for ski and snowboard boots! We recently started using GPS units while hunting and fishing. You can now buy them for less than a hundred dollars. It’s true that they can be a little confusing to use at first. Once you learn how they will become a must-have item in your pocket. Just imagine marking a waypoint to the exact location of the hot ice fishing hole or your tree stand that, many times, you walked around looking for in the dark before first light.They really do work! These are only a few and I can tell you that I have personally tried all of them. I hope this helps you last minute shoppers find something for that special outdoor person in your life.uWith the recent cold snap, ice fishing will be getting an early start this winter. Last year we started using a new ice fishing trap made locally here in Massachusetts that outperformed all of the many different traps we’ve tried in the past.The anti wind flag trip system is the smoothest and the best on the market. The Indian Hill Ice Trap is a heavy duty lightweight trap. All the hardware on the trap is stainless steel, brass, aluminum, or copper.It is m