April 16, 2015
By Tony J. Peterson
In most cases, mom is the glue that holds a family unit together. Her role over the last few decades, while still that of the familial adhesive, has also expanded to being an outdoor role model as well. No demographic is rising as fast among the hook-and-bullet crowd as women, and plenty of those ladies also happen to be mothers.
Flowers and cards laced with cheesy poetry are okay, but if you're looking for a gift to make mom truly smile, then consider something a little more outdoorsy. Whether she is a diehard fisherwomen, or can't get enough of her time in the woods, there is something out there that is perfect.
The following are gift ideas to consider if you wish to make this Mother's Day truly memorable:
Berkley | Fishin' Gear Sunglass Retainers Every year I dump at least one pair of shades into the drink. It's inevitable if you fish enough, and there is nothing worse than the sinking feeling of watching an expensive pair of sunglasses spin their way through the depths and out of your life.
Make sure mom doesn't lose hers this summer by giving her one of the new
Berkley Sunglass Retainers . Three styles are available in four different colors, meaning she can look good while not losing her shades as she works all of those deep weedlines off of secondary points and other fishy areas of the nearest lakes and reservoirs.
Price: $ 5.99
Cabela's | Instinct Accelerator Women's 9mm Rubber Boots Quality knee-high boots have their place in the outdoors year-round in many places, but only if they fit right and are durable. Lesser boots need not apply. Fortunately for mom,
Cabela's offers their
Instinct Accelerator Women's 9mm Rubber Boots , which are extremely lightweight thanks to the Zero Gravity Technology.
Nine millimeters of Airmesh will keep her feet warm well into the season, while the large, rugged treads help her keep her balance even in the slipperiest, nastiest conditions. The 15-inch Instinct Accelerators are available in sizes ranging from six to 11 (medium width).
Price: $ 159.99
Carbon Express | Maxima PNK RZ Mathew's Edition Every woman loves a fresh dozen — quality arrows, not roses, of course. If that sounds about right, consider the new
Maxima PNK RZs from Carbon Express . These arrows are laser checked for straightness tolerances, sorted by weight and spine, and weigh 6.59gpi. They are also outfitted with
LAUNCHPAD Precision Nocks and BullDog Nock Collars.
Having shot Maxima Hunter arrows of various varieties over the years and relied on them to hunt countless critters, I'm positive the Maxima PNK RZs will be a hit amongst mothers the country over.
Price: $ 89.99
Elite | Spirit Bow If vertical bows are more her thing, consider the
Spirit from Elite Archery . Elite has built a solid reputation on bows that are very comfortable to shoot and the 3.9-pound Spirit is no exception.
Available in peak draw weights of 30-, 40-, 45-, 50-, and 60-pound options, the Spirit is powered by the Spirit cam system and anchored by the unique Riser Cage, to ensure a comfortable draw cycle and arrow speeds registering anywhere from 264 - 307 fps depending on draw length. Very few bowhunters who shoot an Elite bow for more than a few days ever go back to their old brand for good reason.
Price: $ 899.99
Humminbird | LakeMaster Fishing technology has come a long way in the last couple of decades. Evidence of this is available throughout
Humminbird's entire product lineup, although a personal favorite is the
LakeMaster lineup.
If she is into fishing new water, and figuring out every inch of home water, it might be time to invest in LakeMaster for your specific region. Contained on the map card for each region are hundreds of bodies of water, with detailed information that will put you on top of tight-line action.
Price: $ 124.99
Hunter Safety System | Contour If mom is going to climb any trees to hunt, she better be safe about it. Ensuring she makes it up and down without incident involves a quality safety harness like the
Contour from Hunter Safety System . The 2.5-pound Contour is engineered specifically to fit women, and achieves just that through the Right-Fit stretch panels used throughout its construction.
Covered in Realtree Xtra camouflage, each Contour also comes with a lineman's climbing strap, and adjustable tree strap, and a suspension relief/deer drag strap.
Price: $ 139.95
Nockturnal | Helios If bowhunting is her thing, then sprucing up her arrows with
Helios from Nockturnal will surely bring a smile to her face. Helios are 54 grain, vane/lighted nock combinations that are changing how we look at fletching.
Built to promote accurate arrow flight through immediate rotation and a streamlined design that catches less crosswind, Helios also allows shooters to track arrow flight via the built-in Nockturnal lighted nock. Helios are available in green or red and sizes to fit most popular arrow models.
Price: $ 34.99
Rapala | Shadow Rap If she's more of the 'hook ' than 'bullet ' type, or simply loves fishing, then consider filling her tacklebox with some Shadow Raps from
Rapala . Several features make the
Shadow Raps virtual fish magnets, although it all starts with the lifelike finish.
On steady retrieve lures, you could argue that finish isn't quite as important because fish simply don't get a good look at them, but the Shadow Rap is designed to kick right, left, and pause in its action that takes it from two to four feet deep.
Those pauses, especially on early-season, cold water bass, are when the Shadow Rap is going to get the up-down from nearby largemouth and smallies. After that, the VMC Black Nickel trebles will most likely come into play. And then mom will be smiling, because she has outfished you. Again.
Price: $ 9.99
Shakespeare | Ugly Stik GX2 Ladies Combo To toss Rapala's, or any lures for that matter, she is going to need a fishing rod. Why not spoil her with the
Ugly Stik GX2 Ladies Combo from Shakespeare , which is available in nine different rod/reel configurations, meaning she will be ready to hit the water as soon as she unwraps her Mother's Day gift.
Subtle pink accents differentiate this combo from those designed for dad, but that's where the differences end, allowing each ladies' rod to cast as easily as the men's and fight fish just as hard.
Price: $ 49.95
Traditions Performance Firearms | Lady Whitetail Series If archery isn't her thing and a little more firepower is, consider the
Lady Whitetail Series of muzzleloaders from
Traditions Performance Firearms .
Built upon the Pursuit Ultralight platform, these .50-caliber front-stuffers are perfect for small-framed shooters. Features include a Dual Safety system, premium CeraKote finish, and a fluted barrel. While these may sound like they carry a custom-rifle price tag, they don't. They'll run you just $440, which is a smoking deal (pun intended) for a quality muzzleloader.
Price: $ 440.00
Hoyt | Vicxen Edition Another vertical bow offering, or to put it more accurately — an entire lineup of vertical bow offerings just for ladies — comes your way via
Hoyt . Most of their bows, from the
Carbon Spyder ZT all the way to the Ignite are available in a Vicxen Edition, meaning you can find a top-notch ladies' bow in all price ranges.
Each Vicxen, while tricked out to appeal more to the fairer sex, is still a Hoyt and that means each is designed with industry-leading technology.
Price: $ 300-
$ 1,500 depending on the model
Lowa | Renegade DLX GTX Mid Forget the tacky foot baths that do nothing but soak her feet. Make her feel special and get her something that will really make her feet feel it. The
Lowa Renegade DLX GTX Mid hunting and hiking boots are just the treat mom deserves.
Crafted from optically enhanced textured full grain leather, a gummy colored sole, GORE-TEX lining, a VIBRAM Evo outsole and stiff, full-length stabilizer, the Renegade's are designed for providing the utmost in comfort from a multi-function boot. With all the features of the original Renegade, the lightweight and waterproof DLX GTX are as well-suited for the treestand as they are a day on the trail. This model is made on a women's specific last.
Price: $ 260
Pelican | 3310PL Pelican ProGear LED The best flashlight in the world won't do much good if you can't find it in the pitch dark. Coated with a special photoluminescent finish, the
3310PL Pelican ProGear LED flashlight literally glows in the dark. And when the flashlight is in hand, it lights up the night with three modes — flashing, low (28 lumens) and high (234 lumens).
At the high setting, the 3310PL features a beam distance of a whopping 240 meters. Powered by three AA batteries, the unit can run up to eight hours and 45 minutes. It is backed by a lifetime warranty.
Price: $ 39.95
SPG | Browning Concealed Carry Handbag Collection1 If she's more into the carry-a-pistol-to-protect-herself-and-her-family kind, consider the
Browning Concealed Carry Handbag Line from SPG . Six different hangbag styles and two wallets complete this versatile lineup.
Each handbag features three access points to the firearm and head-locking zippers to provide security. A litany of camo patterns are available to complement this lineup. Not to get too political or anything, but I sure hope we see more products like this come out to encourage all of our law-abiding citizens to safely and discretely carry self-defense weapons.
Price: N/A
Moon Shine | Camo Muddy Girl Cammo Zipper Hoody1 Perhaps a warm, stylish hoody is exactly what she needs to show her true colors all year? If so, consider the
Muddy Girl Camo Zipper Hoody from
Moon Shine Camo .
This low-profile, full zip hoody is designed with a front kangaroo pocket, stretchy ribbed cuffs and hem, and is covered in muddy Girl Camouflage. The Muddy Girl Zipper Hoody is available in sizes ranging from extra-small to triple-extra-large.
Price: $ 49.99
MTM | Case-Gard 1 The
'Packed-N-Purple ' lineup from MTM Case-Gard , is a killer idea for killer ladies. From ammo cans to handgun cases and even arrow and bolt cases, MTM has a 'Packed-N-Purple ' option to cover all kinds of outdoor gear.
Constructed of rugged polypropylene, these scratch-resitant cases can handle a beating while keeping your gear stored securely and safely. Better yet, they are all extremely affordable meaning you can load up on cases without breaking the bank.
Price: N/A
Sightmark | Wolfhound 6x44 Weapon Sight Mother's looking for speed and agility from their AR will love the
Sightmark Wolfhound 6x44 Prismatic Weapon Sight . Featuring an advanced Horseshoe Dot reticle that compensates for bullet drop, a comfortable 2.8-inch eye relief, and a .5 MOA central aiming point for precision long-range shooting, the Wolfhound will have mother's hitting the mark with precision-accuracy on every shot. The rubber-armored Wolfhound is 100-percent waterproof, dust proof, shock proof, and fully submergible.
Additional features include a power prismatic optical design that keeps an object in focus at 10 yards or more, an all-aluminum picatinny mount and a built-in picatinny rail on top that allows for additional optics like compact red dot sights. The reticle is ballistically matched to .223, 55 and 62 grain with holdovers from 300 to 900 yards.
Price: $ 479.99
TenPoint | Lady Shadow At 6.4lbs and capable of firing bolts at 350fps, the new
Lady Shadow crossbow from TenPoint is no joke. Measuring 13.5 inches between axles, and only 34.4 inches in total length, the Lady Shadow is ideal for women looking to hit the outdoors in search of everything from turkeys to moose.
Like all TenPoint crossbows, this model is built with the Dry-Fire-Inhibitor feature and a trigger set to 3.5lbs of pull. Better yet, the Lady Shadow is sold as a complete package that contains three bolts, a quiver, a scope and the ACUdraw cocking mechanism. In short, she'll be shooting bulls-eyes within minute of unwrapping this awesome gift.
Price: $ 1,119
