Split Reed Duck Hunting Holiday Gift Guide 2025

Duck hunters can be hard to buy gifts for. We are a particular bunch of people who know exactly what we want. In an effort to take some of the stress out of holiday shopping, we at Split Reed put together an all-encompassing gift guide. From big-ticket items to stocking stuffers and everything in between, we are confident this list has the best gear of the year that hunters are eager to get their hands on. So check out the Split Reed Duck Hunting Holiday Gift Guide 2025 below!

Table of Contents

1. Apparel
2. Gear
3. Art and Personalized Gifts
4. Stocking Stuffers

Apparel

The GoHunt Atmosphere Hooded Jacket is a soft shell, PrimaLoft-lined, insulated mid-layer that is perfect for waterfowl hunters. The vintage camo pattern fits right in for those looking to hunt in style, and it’s incredibly warm. This jacket is a great stand-alone piece for early to mid-season hunts and quickly becomes a solid layering piece as the season comes to an end. It also features nylon rip-stop outer construction for added durability to last for years.

Long gone are the days of old school rubber boots in the duck woods. The new VentLite GTX Boot is Sitka’s answer to a modern mud boot. It’s comfortable, fully waterproof, and is designed to fit your foot and leg naturally. For field hunters, this boot is a sure winner.

Duck Camp is as much of a hunting brand as it is a lifestyle brand, and one product that blends the two seamlessly is the Mallard Game Series Hat. With a drake mallard embossed onto the front of the hat, it’s the perfect gift for any duck hunter to show off what they love: big ole’ greenheads. This hat is just at home standing behind a tree in the timber as it is on a night out on the town.

Any serious duck hunter needs a serious lanyard, and Fowler Hide Supply makes the best. Made with genuine leather and treated to be water-resistant, these lanyards are fully customizable. Change the leather, stitching, and call drop color to personalize this for any duck hunter looking to up their lanyard game.

The new Chêne Scout Jacket is a great mid-layer for warmer-weather hunts or as a layering piece. This soft shell jacket was released this fall and is a durable wind and water-resistant layer every hunter should have. Whether it’s an outer layer early on in the season or a key piece of a layering system for the final days of the year, this is a jacket that will get its fair share of use.

A pair of gloves is essential in any blind bag for grassing blinds, setting decoys, and anything else your hands might get torn up. The Brisket Supply USA Gloves are constructed of premium leather and feature two-layer insulation to keep your hands warm and dry. These things can take a beating and will serve any duck or goose hunter well this season, and many seasons to come.

Interested in upping your merch game? This fall, Marsh Wear released its Fireside Overshirt, a perfect fall button-up. We’re suckers for a good duck shirt, and this one has it all—redheads, mallards, and woodies. This is the perfect shirt for those looking to let the world know they love hunting ducks.

While Browning is known for its lineup of firearms, they also have an impressive line of hunting apparel. One offering we turn to is the Insulated Wader Jacket. This jacket is perfect for late-season weather hunts when you’re battling the elements in the hope of weather birds. This wading jacket also features PrimaLoft insulation to keep you warm and dry. Handwarmer pockets and an adjustable hood round this jacket out as an excellent choice for serious waterfowl hunters.

Of all the bibs we’ve tested, the Aves Bering Bibs are the most comfortable and durable. These bibs are the culmination of over five years of tweaking designs until the team felt they got it just right. The result shows… with a comfortable bib designed to keep you warm and dry even on the coldest days of the season. Just how cold, you ask? They’ve been tested during Greenland’s king eider season, far colder than most hunters will ever encounter.

Gear

Benchmade’s version of a bird knife, the Flyway, is the best tool a hunter can have when cleaning birds. With a short but wickedly sharp blade and aggressive jimping on the spine, it’s easy to make precise cuts in small areas. A good knife, like the Flyway, will dramatically cut down on time spent cleaning birds. Best of all, every Benchmade comes with a lifetime warranty and sharpening program, so after the season, send it in for a tune-up for next year.

Excel Boats makes some of the best duck boats on the market, and they make some pretty sweet accessories. One of our favorite accessories is the cup and shell holder. This innovative accessory fits on the track system of Excel Boats. It holds a large coffee cup as well as shells for a morning in the duck blind.

The new Orvis Gun-Cleaning Station is marketed to upland hunters, but make no mistake, waterfowlers will get some serious use out of it. The cleaning station works via a roll-out system, allowing hunters to fold up the kit and roll it out whenever and wherever they need to clean their gun. The fully loaded version also comes with the Orvis Shotgun Cleaning Kit, which stores inside the cleaning station for a complete and ready-to-go system.

Every waterfowl hunter needs a good pair of binoculars to find birds. We’ve used several pairs of Maven optics, and they all feature crystal-clear glass and the ruggedness to withstand the abuse of a duck hunter. That said, the B.6 10x50s are the ones we reach for most. The 10x magnification enables us to locate and identify birds on various feeds. While just about any binoculars can help locate birds, a premium pair of optics like these makes the difference in differentiating between species and setting up for the best hunt.

A good pair of optics is a precious investment, so protecting them is the obvious choice. KUIU’s Pro G3 Bino Harness securely holds your optics with an easy-access lid that stays open. Additionally, this harness features a large back pocket for storing a phone or other small items. For turkey hunters, KUIU sells a turkey accessory kit complete with call pouches that pair with the G3 Harness modular track system.

The Tagalong from Heyday is an excellent companion for those hunters who hit the road with their dogs. It is an automatic water filling station for your pup. With a three-gallon capacity, you can set it and forget it for up to five days of watering. The entire package is built with tough rotomolded construction, so you’ll have this for years to come.

After a day in the marsh, what’s better than some tunes to celebrate a good hunt? Turtlebox builds speakers designed to hold up to the abuse of waterfowl hunting. Their newest speaker, the Ranger, is the smallest waterproof speaker the brand makes while still outputting some serious sound. It also features two magnets to secure your speaker to metal on your boat or UTV. This season, Turtlebox released the Delta version, a colorway that pays homage to all things duck hunting.

Gunner Kennels has built its reputation on building 5-star crash-rated kennels to keep your bird dog safe. Now they’ve expanded their line from the truck into the home with the Homestead Dog Bed. This bed is made from a 3-D loop core material that, unlike others, won’t hold stains or heat. Additionally, the cover is easily removable for washing and is water- and stain-resistant.

Hella Dry’s Wingman G2 Utility Pole is a must-have for any type of duck hunting. This sturdy, extendable pole securely holds bags, guns, and more away from water and mud. Whether flooded timber, swampy marsh, or muddy banks, we always have a utility pole with us. Pair it with their Quick Sling and Quick Draw Loop to keep your gun free of tangles and ready for decoying birds in the marsh.

Shooting ducks is half the fun, but cooking them is the other half. Preserving your meat for months to come ensures you get the most out of the birds you kill. The Cabelas Pro Series Vacuum Sealer is a versatile solution that allows you to seal and freeze birds easily. Pro-tip: add your desired marinade and vacuum seal your birds with it for a final product bursting with flavor.

Watching birds land at your feet with a layout blind is some of the most exciting duck hunting to be had. One of our favorite layout blinds is the Northern Flight Mobile Elite Blind. It’s lightweight, easy to pack into tight spaces, and setup is straightforward. While there are certainly other great layouts available, this blind is affordable, durable, and does what we need it to.

Motion decoys can make or break a hunt, and the newest Power Kicker from Avian-X is our favorite. Its subtle kicking motion imitates a real duck feeding while adding motion to the water on dead calm days. While there are plenty of other motion decoys on the market, the subtleness of this decoy makes it great for hunters looking for any advantage they can get when ducks are wary.

Dave Smith Decoys is synonymous with high-end ultrarealistic decoys. Most waterfowlers know them for their goose decoys, but last year they debuted their first duck decoys, with the ACE Mallard. These decoys offered detailed carvings, paint jobs, and poses, all at a price to boot. Thankfully, for budget-conscious hunters, DSD released the Maxima Mallards. These decoys feature ultrarealistic carvings and paint schemes, all for a price of $129 for a six-pack. If you’re looking to up your decoy game, these are worth every penny.

This blind bag from Rig ’em Right solves duck hunters’ biggest issue: organization. With multiple pockets, it’s easy to separate calls, gloves, shotshells, and more in this well-thought-out bag. Not to mention, it floats, so you no longer have to worry about wading in water and jumping out of boats.

Finding realistic specialty decoys is tricky, but none do it better than Final Approach. They work closely with famous decoy carvers to make realistic molds, which shows in the end product. The Live Widgeon decoys are some of the best widgeon dekes we’ve hunted over, and their unique poses and realistic color schemes consistently finish birds.

Traveling with a firearm is a hassle, especially with the giant hard cases most hunters use. Negrini set out to make at least part of the process easier with its travel hard cases. These small, hard-sided cases are designed to fit two semi-auto or pump shotguns broken down. With an attachable shoulder strap, it looks like a regular piece of luggage (minus the camo) and has built-in combination locks. Never has it been easier to comfortably transport firearms through the airport and to the field.

Protecting and preserving your hearing should be a priority for any hunter. Sure, it’s fun to shoot a few birds, but in old age, you’ll regret not properly protecting your hearing. This is why every hunter should invest in the Tetra Hearing AlphaShield. Equal parts ear protection and hearing aid, every set is custom-programmed to your hearing needs. For waterfowl hunters, blowing calls and whistling wings sound crystal clear, while sounds harmful to hearing are brought down to safe decibel levels.

If you know someone who hunts well into the last days of the season, keeping their hands warm is important. Most duck hunters hate the feeling of shooting with gloves on, hence the reason for a battery-powered hand warmer pouch. Similar to the style you see NFL players wearing during cold games, this heated hand muff warmer keeps your hands toasty and ready to go when it’s time to shoot.

Duck hunters can never have too many decoy weights. This 12-pack from Heyday features a unique decoy line that has little memory and reduces tangles. Plus, the oversized clip makes it easy to clip and store your decoys, especially with gloves on.

Art and Personalized Gifts

Yeti’s series of pursuit-style books is a culmination of incredible storytelling, history, and photography. The Yeti Book Ducks follows the different flyways, history, and culture around waterfowl hunting in America. Display it proudly and enjoy the masterpiece that is Ducks.

If you’re looking for a waterfowl-themed holiday gift, then pair it with a proper card. Bird Dog of the Day has plenty of options for this holiday season, but our favorite is the Labs Unlimited card. Bird Dog of the Day also offers a variety of stickers, apparel, and drinkware for those seeking something outside the box.

Based in Florida and made in the US, Home Town Inspiration creates some of the finest art-filled leather wallets. The Mallard Retrieved wallet features decoying mallards on one side and a retriever on the other. You can even personalize this gift with a custom message inside the wallet. This is a gift any hunter will surely use every day.

If you haven’t noticed, there are very few duck hunting-related holiday decorations. That is, until now. This duck ornament featuring a strap full of greenheads will surely be any hunter’s favorite to hang on the tree.

Duck hunters on the journey to shoot all 41 species of North American waterfowl need a way to keep track of what they shoot. Sure, a spreadsheet will do, but this 41 duck board is an interactive way to track their progress. With all the species listed out and shotgun primer cutouts, hunters can add to the board every time they shoot a new bird.

Stocking Stuffers

Everyone could use a good pair of sunglasses, especially in the blind. But with shotguns and shells flying, eye protection is critical. The Wiley X Founders are rated to ANSI Z87.1 safety standards. So what does that mean? It means these shades are rated for high-velocity impact protection, ensuring your eyes are protected from the sun and objects in the blind.

If you prefer a pair of sunglasses with a little more hunting styling, consider the Bajio Mossy Oak collab. This limited collab features Mossy Oak Bottomland and is available in three frame options. Personally, we prefer the Palometta frames as a good all-around option with a medium fit.

Every waterfowl hunter can use a good e-mapping tool, and onX Hunt’s Elite membership is the best we’ve used. A number of useful features, like recent imagery, public and private boundaries, and landowner information, are key tools we rely on to find birds. With the Elite membership, users get access to this incredible data in all 50 states and exclusive membership deals, making this a stocking stuffer any hunter would be thrilled to receive.

No duck hunter will complain about getting a new call, and the Pacific Calls PCD is the one to get them. It is a single reed call that produces impressive sound, has a crisp tone, and is overall easy to blow. Add this to the stocking for a big smile come Christmas morning.

A good goose call should be on every hunter’s lanyard. This holiday season, consider picking up The Headliner from Last Flight Calls. This acrylic call is easy to blow thanks to the broken-in gut system and has a realistic sound profile. For beginners and advanced callers alike, this call has the range to pull birds from far and talk to them softly as they near the decoys.

A multi-tool will always find its use for duck hunters, and the Leatherman Surge is the best fit for waterfowlers we’ve found. It features the largest pliers, knife, and scissors of any Leatherman. In the dead of winter, these oversized tools are easy to operate with gloves on and give the user the tools they need for the job.

Every duck hunter uses a headlamp, so why not make it a good one? The Fenix HM70R Headlamp puts out an impressive 1600 lumens at max power, has multiple light modes, and is rechargeable. For the price, it’s the best option we’ve found and has spent countless mornings walking into spots, grassing blinds, and setting decoys.