20 Stocking Stuffers for Hunters

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Great stocking stuffers for hunters will, of course, fit into a stocking, but more importantly, they should be reasonably inexpensive — under $50. Most of these stocking stuffers for hunters are under $50 and many of these gifts for hunters are under $25. Some gifts are for deer hunters or elk hunters or turkey hunters, but most of these stocking stuffers for hunters are recommended because they’ll work for several types of hunting.

Stocking stuffers for hunters!

If you’re looking for even more hunting gifts — some of which can fit into a stocking, be sure to check out our 45 Best Gifts for Hunters 2017 guide.

20 Stocking Stuffers for Hunters 2017

1. Ear Plugs & Hearing Protection

Most hunters have ear plugs or muffs for sighting in rifles or shooting clay pigeons, but what about the hearing damage that can occur while hunting? Sure, most big game hunters don’t fire all that often, but still, over time it could have an effect. Of course, some shots require quick decisions and fast action — so there is no time to mess with ear protection. But every hunter has been in a situation where they had plenty of time to get a smart, well-calculated shot . . . and even bird hunters have stepped into areas where they were 100% sure they’d get into the thick of it. In these situations, it’s hard to beat ear plugs that you can wear like a necklace . . . and then pop in when you need them. For short-term use while hunting, most any banded set will be far better than nothing. Do your hunter a favor and get a set.

Mossy Oak Banded Ear Plugs
Howard Leight Quiet Band Earplugs
Walker’s Game Ear Pro Low-Profile Folding Muffs — because muffs make great stocking stuffers, too

2. Turkey Call

Many elk and deer hunters are getting into turkey hunting these days — or they want to. One of the key pieces of turkey hunting gear you need, that can fit into a stocking, is a turkey call. There are lots of styles and varieties, but a good traditional box call is hard to beat. The Primos Hook-Up Magnetic Box Call updates the old-school design with a patented magnetic hinge design to create the tension for making realistic cuts, puts and yelps. Plus, the included Gobble Strap lets a hunter shake the call to easily gobble like an amped up tom.

Primos Hook-Up Magnetic Box Call
Hunter’s Specialties Strut Premium Flex 4 Diaphragm Turkey Call Kit — better for more experienced hunters
Primos Turkey Hunter Starter Pack

3. Shooting Glasses

Most hunters know they should wear safety glasses while shooting, but many don’t. So how can you encourage it? With a pair of shooting glasses that filter out glare to provide better visibility — that’s a win all around.

4. Saw

A lot of hunters skip the saw — they just don’t want to pack the weight or they think they can get by without one. The reality is, a saw can be handy for those times you need to do something different to gut or quarter your big game. Better yet, your hunter could use a saw to cut tree limbs to build a shelter, splint a leg, or build a travois in emergency situations. That’s right, we’re thinkers here. You never know. Lightweight saws make fantastic stocking stuffers for hunters.

5. Backup Orange Safety Vest

Every now and then a hunter forgets his hunter orange hat, jacket, or vest. Or a buddy forgets his. And sometimes, well, you get out into the woods in thick cover and realize, oh boy, there are far too many other hunters in this area. So you want more hunter orange coverage. That’s why you take a lightweight safety vest that folds into a tiny package. Plus, it’s great for covering a massive rack of antlers that you strapped to your backpack to haul out at twilight. Not all other hunters are super smart, so backup orange safety vests always make great stocking stuffers for hunters. (Of course, non-backup vests like the Browning versions noted below are great, too.)

Frogg Toggs Blaze Orange Vest
Browning Safety Overlay Vest for Youth — has pockets, and it’s our favorite for young hunters
Browning Safety Overlay Vest for Adults — has pockets, great orange coverage

6. Binocular Harness Strap

The trouble with a good set of binoculars is figuring out where and how to pack them so that they a) stay out of the way, and b) are there when you need them. The answer? A binocular chest strap. So much goodness in a simple package. We don’t know how we got along without them. Oh wait, yes we do. We struggled with pockets and pouches and spent far too much time swearing and untangling. A binocular strap as a stocking stuffer for hunters is a just a crazy good choice.

Mossy Oak Deluxe Binocular Strap
Allen 4 Way Adjustable Deluxe Binocular Strap
RedHead Binocular Harness System — hard to beat the price here

7. Ammo Holder

Most hunters don’t end up in situations where they run out of ammo, but having bullets and shotgun shells handy is certainly a good plan. One of the simplest ways is with an ammo holder that slips over the butt stock of your rifle or shotgun. As a stocking stuffer for hunters, they tend to be under $10, too.

8. Hand and Toe Warmers

Even when a hunter has good gloves, sometimes taking them on and off results in cold hands. We like to slip a hand warmer inside our gloves so they rest in place over the tops of the backs of our hands — it lets you wear lighter, more hunting friendly gloves in frigid temperatures. And toe warmers? Wow, they work fantastic. Especially good if you end up down in some cold hole in the woods as darkness falls and you have a long, cold hike out ahead of you.

Hothands Heatmax Variety Pack

9. Elk Cow Call

There are all sorts of different kinds of elk calls, including bugles, but every elk hunter ought to have a cow call. Even if you’re after bulls, well, bulls in rut will follow the cows. If you get into a situation where you need to cow talk, your hunter will appreciate the ability to chat it up. In addition, even if your elk hunter has reed calls already, most hunters like having an extra cow call or two so they can throw out different kinds of tones to sound like more than one cow elk. Or let a buddy or beginning hunter use an extra cow call.

Primos Hoochie Mama Call
Sceery Special Cow Elk Call — particularly good at quieter high-pitched cow and calf calls

Note: Cabela’s seems to have plenty in stock at a great price.

10. Deer Call

One of our hunting buddies with teenage boys was able to grunt back and forth with several bucks this year — a cool experience, for sure. While some hunters barely know how or when to grunt for whitetail, others have used smart calling tactics to lure big bucks into range . . . so do your deer hunter a favor and give them a new tool to try out! If you have a young whitetail deer hunter, the Primos Revolver can deliver different kinds of grunts and is very easy to use.

Primos Buck Roar Call
Primos Revolver Deer Call — particularly great for new whitetail deer hunters

11. Deer Rattling System

One of the most adrenalized forms of deer hunting is rattling in a big, mature buck looking for a fight. A lot of hunters find themselves in the right spot at the right time . . . but don’t have rattling antlers with them. Lost opportunity. No more. Some new systems sound great and pack small, especially the Knight & Hale Rattle Calls, which make them a fantastic stocking stuffer for hunters.

- Knight & Hale Pack Rack Deer Call
- Knight & Hale Pack Rack/Grunt Call Combo

12. Wool Socks

Remember the toe warmers? Smart hunters wear wool socks for excellent durability and performance while wet. And wool is warm, of course, while naturally fighting funky-smelling microbes. Look for socks that have at least 60% merino wool. Go with thick for cold weather hunters, thinner for warm weather hunters. Seriously, synthetics still can’t beat wool, so get wool. We’re huge fans of the Cahartt Arctic Wool Heavy Boot Socks for winter. The Darn Tough Merino Wool Cushion Boot Sock is great for most everything and will last nearly forever.

13. Fiber Optic Shotgun Sights

We’re not sure exactly why, but we are simply more accurate bird hunters with tru-glo sights on our shotguns. In green. You can get orange, but for some reason we like the green better. These sights provide a dirt-simple beacon that somehow makes it easier to find a pheasant in flight and line up your shot. We have not yet found a fellow hunter who didn’t appreciate them.

HiViz BirdBuster Fiber Optic Shotgun Sight

14. Packable Emergency Rain Jacket

Of course, hunters should have a waterproof or rain-resistant jacket, but not all do — and often they don’t technically need one. But what happens when Mother Nature decides to throw a fit? Survival might depend on staying dry. The best survival packs include, at minimum, a tiny light emergency poncho, but having an inexpensive rain jacket is even better.

Frogg Toggs Men’s Bull Frogg Signature75 Jacket
Cabela’s O2 Octane Rain Jacket — ultralight, great price-to-value ratio

15. Shooting Sticks

Shooting sticks have been around for hundreds of years, but recently hunters have been figuring out that they’re definitely worth carrying. We like lightweight single-post shooting sticks for easy packing the best. Fancy trigger pull extensions are cool, but simpler options get the job done, too. Oh, they’ll probably poke out of the top of the stocking, but don’t worry about it — it will still be a delight upon first sight.

Mossy Oak Deluxe Shooting Stick
Primos 65813 Trigger Stick Monopod — it’s a bit spendy, but it’s awesome

16. Scents

Smart hunters realize that elk and deer pay attention to their noses as well as communicate with scents. Tidily packaged urine helps mask human odor and attract big game interest. Even if your hunter isn’t sure that scents are enough to attract big game, they might be enough to get a deer or elk to pause long enough for your hunter to get a good shot. Bottom line? Most big game hunters try to keep the wind in their face . . . but many are ready and willing to use scents when the wind is swirling.

17. Scent Removers

On the flip side of smelling like a buck or doe, smelling like the inside of your pickup and a breakfast burrito is no good either. Enter easy-to-use spray-based scent removers. When hunters steps out of the pickup, they can give themselves and their hunting buddies a few sprays and increase their chances of finding critters when the wind turns against them. Because good hunters use this stuff up every season, scent killers are a great stocking stuffer for most any elk or deer hunter.

Wildlife Research Center Scent Killer Gold Spray
Dead Down Wind Grand Slam Kit — awesome kit, plus it comes with a wind checker

18. Game Bags

A lot of hunters get an animal down in the woods and then haul out the entire carcass intact on an ATV. There’s a better way for backpack hunters, though, and that’s quartering or boning a deer or elk in the field (and other big game, of course). The best way is to use a clean, breathable, fabric-based game bag. The bag will let the meat cool (very important) while protecting it from dirt and bugs (also important). Every hunter should have at least four in their packs, and if your hunter is successful, fresh big game quarter bags are always appreciated in a stocking.

Allen 60 Big Game Quartering Bag, 4 pack

19. Razor Knife

Even if your hunter has a favorite hunting knife, having a backup razor knife system is a good idea, and the Outdoor Edge Razor Lite blends the form factor of a traditional knife with a razor blade system for instant super sharpness. Razor knife stocking stuffers for hunters are fantastic for those who aren’t confident in their knife sharpening skills. As it turns out, even hunters who have a great knife and know how to sharpen it appreciate the sharpness and speed that razor knife systems bring to the hunt. We like the Outdoor Edge Razor Lite the best, but Havalon and Gerber have options that are just as great.

20. Emergency Fire Starter

Have you noticed the safety theme of these stocking stuffers? If your hunter gets out into a bad situation with cold and stormy weather, you want him or her confident in their ability to stop and build a fire to survive. The alternative is to freak out, get lost, overheat with sweat trying to get back to the pickup, and then dying of hyperthermia once the sweat starts freezing. An ability to start a fire is a confidence builder, and while most hunters won’t need to, having the ability can help keep them calm in the face of adversity — and that’s the real life saver here.

Heads-Up Alert: Catch-All Gear Bags at Cabela’s

This image shows the Cabela's Catch-All Gear Bag hunting gift idea.

Cabela’s Catch-All Gear Bags for just $14.99 with free shipping today only.

These great little gear bags have plenty of pockets and are durable. They’re great for hunters, fishers and anyone who has miscellaneous gear to keep track of. Best yet, you can nab them for $14.99 with free shipping today only. (And if you roll it up, you might be able to jam it into a large stocking.) Grab a couple before they’re gone.

Bonus Hunting Stocking Stuffers!

If you made it this far, you probably need a couple more options. Here you go:

Primos Bloodhunter HD Blood Trailing Light

For hunters who hunt in the late afternoon and early evening, a blood trailing light is critical for helping them locate downed animals, especially in rough country with thick cover. The optical filter in the Primos Bloodhunter HD Blood Trailing Light reduces the visibility of select colors in order to amplify the visibility of blood. It’s one of the most popular stocking stuffers for hunters we’re seeing this year — and it was last year, too.

Out of stock? Cabela’s still has some available online.

Do-All Outdoors Top Hat Impact Seal Target

A lot of hunters also have pistols and like to keep their handgun skills up, but they need targets. Enter the Do-All Outdoors line of targets. The hard rubber compound takes a beating almost as well as Superman’s chest. Amazing things, really. They even work with rifles, too. (Get the 4″ Dancing Ball Ground Bouncer if you think your hunter would appreciate even more reactive movement.)