All About Black Friday and Shopping Locally

It’s that time again. In keeping with Reecer Creek Rod, Gun, Working Dog & Outdoor Think Tank Benevolent Association bylaws, and my role as chair of the Help Outdoor Homeys Manage Black Friday Subcommittee, please find herewith the early hot gifts for your 2014 outdoor nut.

National retailers are hustling your business with tantalizing “hot” lists. I can assure you that the retailers of Paradise are basing their hot lists on local demand. Check local folks first.

Not sure what to get your outdoor nut? Take a couple minutes and write out your best guess at what makes your outdoor nut kid, spouse or friend so passionate about being out there. Then consider how you might support that healthful habit – education, tools, toys, clothing, fuel or whatever – and give a gift that will mean something special each time they head out.

Let’s start with an immediate gift you may already have in mind. The fun starts in days; the Valley Rifle and Pistol Club’s Light Rifle Class League. The 16 week program of safe family recreational shooting will cost 55 bucks for your household. Bring your little rifle and ammo, and the regulation 10-bull NRA targets, modern heated range facility, the direction of a qualified rangemaster and coaching will be there waiting for you. There is no better gift for your children and grandchildren than learning the responsibility and discipline of safe shooting and firearm handling while enjoying the simple pleasure of putting holes in paper exactly where you want them. Mel Goudge at 509-925-4285 or Hal Mason at 509-962-3002 will get your household on the list. It starts mext Thursday evening.

At the east end of the valley, Sure Shot Guns & Pawn, in Kittitas, carries a wide variety of firearms, with accessories for each of them. The perfect-sized Smith & Wesson Shield in .380 or 9mm is popular this fall, as is the Walther pk380 – in black, pink, purple or camo. The redneck in your life will deeply appreciate the Buck Wear T-shirts and caps and the exploding tannerite targets. Stocking stuffers include calls for anything you want to attract, pocket knives, ammo, and Sitka Camo. Check on anything else you need at www.sureshotguns.com or 509-968-4867.

In Cle Elum, John’s Three Forks Ammo & Reloading is offering a large variety of everything for the holidays. Special pricing now on .45 acp, 9mm and AR .223 ammo, t-shirts and many other holiday goodies. No one in the region carries more or better reloading equipment than Three Forks, including the top of the line forester and Dillon brand equipment and tools. They stock more bullets and live ammo in more calibers and variety than ever. No surprise to anyone is the growing popularity of exploding targets, and John carries awide variety of them. See it all at www.threeforksreloading.com or call 509-674-2295. If they don’t have it, they’ll find it.

In the middle of it all is Bi-Mart. My spies there tell me that the Ruger 10-22 and extended magazines for it are hot sellers, with the Daisy Red Ryder BB gun and the BB rifles like Crossman’s Pumpmaster. Shotgun shells (especially steel shot) and waterfowl decoys are giftable, as well as airsoft guns, insulated camo clothing, decorative wooden ammo boxes and knives and knife gift sets. Whitefishing gear, pocket knives and handy keychain lights are perfect for stockings. 509-925-6971 will get you to one of the Bi-Mart sporting goods pros.

Nika Mihailov and his Kittitas County Trading Company crew on Main Street are always at the center of interest in new and used handguns. Of special interest this year is the Kel-Tec KSG 12-guage shotgun. This is a compact gun with two magazines – two high capacity tubes. The AK 47 and AR 15 type rifles and accessories, all the way back down the spectrum to the M-1 Garands are still hot gifts, along with a wide variety of ammo and exploding Tannerite targets. There is always a variety of high quality new and used knives, and Nika is still paying big cash for gold and silver (check your old or broken jewelry). Start your shopping with a pocketful of unexpected cash. If you need something in particular, or have a question, call the crew at 509-925-1109.

Brothers n Arms (www.eburgguns.com and 509-933-4867) is located on the Vantage Highway and carries a full line of firearms, with several hard to find items. Unique to these guys is their ability to build almost any “special needs” firearm – indeed, these folks custom-built the firearms that made it possible for some seriously disabled youngsters to participate in hunts as part of the Youth Outdoors Unlimited program. They also have a comprehensive regular schedule of firearms handling, safety and shooting classes – including free basic hunter education classes for kids and the free‎ McGruff Kids Safety Class.

If one or another of the women in your family is receiving a handgun, complete the gift with a safe shooting and handling class just for her. Contact Marilyn Mason at 509-962-3002.

I must recommend a copy of the updated third printing of Jim Huckabay’s heartwarming “WILD WINDS and Other Tales of Growing Up in the Outdoor West.” Pick it up at Jerrol’s.

Shop in Paradise. You’ll find virtually everything your bright sun-loving, fresh air-loving outdoor nut needs close at hand – even on the blackest of days.

Happy gifting…