The James Nash ATF Gift Guide

I am told that hunters can be tough to shop for because we tend to be specific in the tools and gear we use and some of us are even accused of “having everything already.” I would rather give 1,000 gifts than receive one, and what follows are some goods, gear, and experiences that I have used and can fully endorse.

Benchmade Meatcrafter

This workhorse of a knife has an insanely sharp and resilient edge that uses a proprietary technology called Select Edge, the folks at Benchmade won’t even tell me how they do it. I will say that I’ve been cutting meat with this knife for over and year without doing more maintenance than hitting it with a sharping steel and it still cuts like a light saber. What’s really cool is that this knife is as much at home in my shop at the game processing table as it is in the kitchen. There are a handful of different models which have some variance in steel and handle materials. The one I’ve used is the cheapest of the lot and works awesome. Benchmade Meatcrafter

The James Nash ATF Gift Guide
Once an animal’s hide is off, this knife can pick up every task from deboning to the kitchen table. $200

SIG Sauer Academy Course

Most guys think they are good at grilling, driving, and shooting whether they have any training or not. This gift is a “know your audience” scenario because what may seem like a thoughtful gesture to one person might seem like an insult to someone with a fragile ego. That said, I started shooting in competitions over 20 years ago, spent five years in the Marines, and have shot and hunted professionally since then, and can confidently say the best training I’ve ever received was at the Sig Sauer Academy in New Hampshire. They offer courses for all kinds of shooting at every level of skill. There is not a shooter in the world who couldn’t benefit from their classes, which vary in cost between $200-$800 dollars. On the gift card, you could write something sweet like, “take this class and maybe you won’t miss as often.” Sig Sauer Academy Course

The James Nash ATF Gift Guide
If you engage in any type of shooting where there is a consequence for missing, I highly recommend the Sig Academy. The instruction will make you more capable.

Stanley Titanium Series

I don’t know a work-hardened American hand that hasn’t wrapped its calloused fingers around the handle of a Stanley thermos full of coffee and headed to the job. However, that’s not the only product the company makes. One of my personal favorites is Stanley’s titanium series. These things are tough, light, and fit into every cup holder out there. I like having a hot cup of coffee or beef broth when I’m glassing in the backcountry, and I don’t like carrying heavy stuff. That’s where an insulated titanium mug comes in clutch. Stanley Titanium Series

The James Nash ATF Gift Guide
Light enough to bring in the backcountry and strong enough to take to the job site. This is a good piece of gear. On Sale right now for $77

Argali Large Game M.O.B Game Bag kit

Good game bags are a once-in-a-lifetime purchase. I’ve used none better than Argali’s MOB. I can fit a whole elk in this kit, bone-in. They are tough, have perfect functionality, and have the bonus of reflective print which is very nice when you are coming back for that second load in the dark and are trying to remember which tree you hung the meat in. This is a great gift because it also says. “I know you are going to punch your tag, let’s take good care of that meat once you do.” $82

The James Nash ATF Gift Guide
Reusable game bags will make their money back in three seasons and do a much better job of keeping your meat clean than throwaways.

Kryptek Eldax

The Eldax Jacket from Kryptek is a lightweight synthetic puffy that is good to wear in temps as cold as 35 degrees and as warm as 55. It’s super comfortable and simple and can compact down small enough to fit into one of its own pockets. It’s on sale right now for $133. When I first got this jacket I thought for sure it was insulated with down and would retail for around $350. I’ve been wearing it almost daily for two months and wholeheartedly endorse this piece of gear. If your gift recipient wears some other kind of camo, safety up and get them this jacket in a solid color. I’ve found that the sizing of Kryptek is the same as Carhartt, which should help folks with online ordering. 

The James Nash ATF Gift Guide
The Eldax jacket is so comfortable I think of it as the wearable version of chicken noodle soup. Seen here in Kryptek’s Obskura Nox pattern.

Darn Tough

If I had $1,000 to spare, I’d spend it all on Darn Tough socks. The same style, the same color. I’d never have to buy a pair of socks again. In fact, you could get by with a lot less money than that, because these socks have a lifetime warranty. They hold up better than any other sock I’ve encountered, prevent blisters to the greatest extent that a sock can, and are comfortable. I don’t know what else you can ask from a sock. You can get a pair for around $25.

The James Nash ATF Gift Guide
The lightweight hunter is my go-to sock year-round. A certified good piece of gear.

TRED

Ever gotten a pick-up stuck? Besides the one time I sunk my truck in the mud while on a date in college, it’s never been a fun experience. It can also lead to serious damage to both your vehicle and the ones trying to yard you out of your predicament. Oftentimes, if you can just move a few inches, you can get out or get through whatever has you encumbered. TRED has these lightweight vehicle recovery boards that you can slip under your tires and provide flotation and traction to get you out of the bad spot you are in. A good piece of gear.

The James Nash ATF Gift Guide
These recovery boards are a powerful tool that can get you out of a bad spot, or get you into an even worse one, depending on how you use them.

Kirkpatrick Forge

In the rural part of Western Oregon, a mustache-wearing dude named Riley runs the Kirkpatrick Rorge and makes some of the coolest hammers, axes, horseshoes, and other black smithery I have ever seen. He recently made some hand-forged ashtrays out of 3 pounds of metal. Getting something custom from his forge is guaranteed to be a thing not already owned by the recipient because every single piece is one of a kind. 

The James Nash ATF Gift Guide
Handmade functional art is bound to make for a memorable gift. Items get posted on his website at noon pacific time after they are made and sell out quickly, so you’ve got to be on your game to get one of these beauties.

Traeger Timberline

Some people like a grill that is never more than 30 unattended seconds away from destroying a meal, their focus is absolute, and cannot be interrupted lest the flames leap up like hellfire and leave their hard earned meat scorched black. I prefer knowing my food is going to be cooked to perfection, and getting to spend the time while it cooks focused on my friends and family. Or maybe I want to monitor my smoked ribs from the duck blind, or while I drive to Idaho for goods. The Traeger Timberline is the most technologically advanced grill I’ve seen. This thing has wifi which allows all kinds of functionality including remote monitoring, connects with the Traeger app and its vast library of recipes, lets you know when you are running low on pellets, cleans its own ash tray, heats to within 1 degree of your target temperature and gets up to 500 degrees. It has burner plate which uses electromagnetic conduction to heat ferrous materials like cast iron quickly so you can have a sauce going on the side or sear that perfect piece of backstrap. Hunter’s work hard for their food, they enjoy sharing it with friends and family, and this is a great way to ensure it tastes as good as possible.

The James Nash ATF Gift Guide
The new TImberline comes in two sizes. The smaller can handle enough food to feed a high school football team and the Timberline XL could feed a college football team. At over $3,000 these grills aren’t inexpensive, but the best of anything is rarely cheap. Learn more on their website https://www.traeger.com/timberline

Guided hunting/fishing trip or fund for the same

Some folks are more interested in experiences than things. A great gift for them is a guided hunt or fishing trip. That could vary in cost from a few hundred dollars to the down payment on a nice home. If the trip they want is out of your budget, maybe you just start a hunt fund for them at a local bank. Call it the Bull Elk Account, put $20 dollars in and give them the account number in a card. I don’t know anyone who wouldn’t feel their eyes sweat opening something like that.

The James Nash ATF Gift Guide
Give the gift of an experience.

Bakcou Grizzly

You want a cool way to rip around the woods or your neighborhood? Check out the Bakcou Grizzly Scooter. I’ve been scouting and hunting from one since last spring and can tell you it’s a lot of fun. I’ve climbed some seriously rugged hills in mine too. For me, this is way better and safer than a bike because I’m standing up, it’s a lot easier for me to get on and off of, and it’s very very quiet. During the summer I’d go out at night with my Grizzly wearing a helmet and a night vision goggle and cruise the backroads. I saw incredible amounts of wildlife, and, besides nearly getting sprayed by a skunk, never had a bad moment. I even used a trailer behind the scooter to carry 100lbs of salt at a time to put out for cattle on the ranch. With big fat tires, high ground clearance, and a full suspension I can conquer all kinds of terrain.

The James Nash ATF Gift Guide
I’ve pushed my Grizzly over its listed capabilities and found it to be plenty powerful enough to get me in and out of hunting country comfortably and quietly. https://bakcou.com/products/grizzly-electric-scooter

Paladin33 Pinocchio Rifle Case and Shooting Mat 

This is another item you can bet your lunch money that your gift recipient doesn’t have. This rifle case folds out to be a shooting mat, and fits inside a hard case which protects the gun and optic while traveling. An issue I run into a lot with hard cases, is that the scope turrets can end up getting slammed against the inside of the case while getting handled roughly on airlines. Then when I get to the destination my rifle needs to be sighted in again or the scope is damaged. I also don’t want to use a hard case while I’m at the destination, but soft cases can take up a lot of space. The Paladin33 Pinocchio solves all of these problems and can even be used as a drag bag for our sniper friends. This case is 100% American made, right down to the thread. It uses these fancy G clips which are tough, practical and quiet. I love slamming the loudly snapping plastic quick clips used on most packs in my truck door and breaking them in the process, I don’t see that happening with these things. 

The James Nash ATF Gift Guide
This product really functions well as a soft case, has a carry handle and backpack straps, and I am confident it will protect the rifle.
The James Nash ATF Gift Guide
American made right down to the thread, this is a really cool product that has use cases for horseback hunters, travel hunters, tactical shooters, and folks who don’t like laying in the mud while they send rounds downrange. $300
https://paladin33.com/products/pinocchio%E2%84%A2-rifle-case-shooting-mat

Eberlestock Recon Modular Binocular Harness

The Recon is the best bino harness I’ve ever used. It’s quiet, secure, comfortable, and adaptable. You can configure it for a cold weather hunt with the hand warmer accessory, add accessory or rangefinder pushes, or even a bear spray pouch (which holds most phones adeptly, too). The reality for most of us, is that if we put something in our packs, we don’t bother ever using it, because that requires taking the pack off and digging around to find the item. If that item is on our chest, we can access it, use it, and put it away again much more conveniently. That is what makes bino harnesses so functional, and at the top of the podium of harnesses on the market today, is the Recon.

The James Nash ATF Gift Guide
This is the first bino harness I’ve come across that can be adapted to so many different mission requirements. https://eberlestock.com/products/recon-modular-bino-pack-lg

Glenlivet 12

I consider the Glenlivet 12 single malt whiskey to be the F-150 of the scotch world. It goes great with every meal worth eating, isn’t overwhelming in the peaty or smoky flavors, and tastes fantastic drunk neat or on the rocks. I’ve not met a scotch drinker who turns their nose up at this classic. Small bottles make a good stocking stuffer. Large bottles belong wherever fire crackles inside canvas tents.

The James Nash ATF Gift Guide
Every time I taste this scotch it brings me back to the banks of a muddy river in East Africa, listening to hippos murmur, hyenas cackle and lions grunting in the bush.
https://www.theglenlivet.com/en-us/whisky/12-year-old-single-malt-scotch/

Ghurka Ghost

While I was operating in Afghanistan I received a box of Gurkha cigars and four custom cigar holders that had been machined to be attached to the M2 50 caliber machine gun which was the primary weapon for me and my other tank commanders. Sometimes in war things get western and you need to use both hands, and as it turns out, a properly modified machine gun is a great place to set a cigar. This gift was sent anonymously, but my fellow tank commanders and myself deeply enjoyed the view of the battle space from the turret of the Abrams main battle tank with a Gurkha cigar in hand. I’ve been a fan of these cigars ever since, and one of my favorites is the Ghost. This is a medium-bodied cigar with Dominican and Nicaraguan fillers wrapped with a Brazilian Arapirica leaf. The flavor is a blend of sweet and earthy. For bonus points in indulgence, try dipping the cigar in your scotch occasionally as you enjoy it. This was a standard Winston Churchill move between naps and out-strategizing the Germans during WWII. 

The James Nash ATF Gift Guide
Whatever the mission gave us that day, be it victory or tragedy, when we rolled our tanks back into the wire we did it smoking Gurkha cigars and I still enjoy them.
https://www.theglenlivet.com/en-us/whisky/12-year-old-single-malt-scotch/

Garmin inReach Messenger

Safety last, or whatever the kids say these days. The inReach Messenger costs $300 and acts as a satellite hotspot for your phone. This is a simple version of inReach and allows the user to text and communicate SOS for help. The folks at Garmin have helped over 10,000 people now who hit their SOS buttons. That’s 10,000 incidents where people experienced an emergency and called for help who wouldn’t be able to if it were not for these devices. Kind of feels like Garmin is owed some kind of humanitarian award after that. Anytime I go out of cell range these days I bring an inReach with me, which isn’t strictly to be able to help myself, but to also be able to help someone else in need.

The James Nash ATF Gift Guide
This small device allows you to communicate with your phone using satellites in outer space that are moving around 17,000 miles per hour. Let that sink in for a moment and then go learn more at https://www.garmin.com/en-US/p/793265

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About the author: James Nash is an outfitter, professional hunter and cattle rancher from NE Oregon where he resides as the fifth generation of his family to raise cattle, hunt, and fish on the 6 Ranch. He studied history at Adolf Øien Videregående in Trondheim, Norway where he also competed on the Norwegian National Greco-Roman wrestling team, then studied Literature and Writing at the University of Montana Western in Dillon, Montana. Afterwards, Nash served as an Armor Officer and platoon commander in the M1A1 Abrams main battle tank in the US Marine Corps for five years. Nash was wounded in Afghanistan and received two Purple Heart Medals and after a period of convalescence was subsequently retired. He returned to the 6 Ranch and resumed guiding and outfitting, with a focus on other combat wounded veterans. Nash has guided salt and freshwater fly and gear fishing, all kinds of hunting, and back country wilderness trips since age 14. He hosts the 6 Ranch Podcast, and you can learn more about him on instagram @6ranchoutfitters.

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