Mississippi author Michael T. Simpson recently released his second book “They Mark My Steps”. It would make a wonderful Christmas gift for the turkey hunters on your list.

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, or at least that’s what I kept telling myself as we put the finishing touches on our outside decorations Sunday while wearing shorts and t-shirts with temps in the 70s.

The extended forecast is calling for highs in the mid-60s for Christmas, and although the Farmer’s Almanac predicts a very damp and cold winter, it’s not looking really promising for a “White Christmas” here in the Sip.

With our daughter Tate’s wedding coming up in a couple weeks, I (and my bank account) am feeling a bit like Mariah Carey in that “I don’t want a lot for Christmas.” However, if you have an outdoorsman or woman on your Christmas list, here are a few gift suggestions that should find them smiling beside the Yule log (or Yule air conditioning if the temps don’t cooperate).

If you have read my column before, then you know that I love turkey hunting and I love literature. The combination of the two—books about turkey hunting—helps get me through the months that surround March, April and May.

I’ve just finished advanced reads of two excellent turkey hunting tomes that are sure to make the turkey hunter on your Christmas list smile. Even better, both are from Mississippi authors.

“Heroes of the Hardwoods” is Amory native Andy Cantrell’s third book about the pursuit of longbeards, and his love and passion for that pursuit are evident throughout. Cantrell has a knack for capturing the essence of the hunt, an essence that is always about more than just the turkeys.

In “Fertile Ground,” Cantrell describes the attraction that the special places we hunt have on us. “Anytime I have hunted remotely close to this particular ridge, I find my feet walking toward it, no matter what my compass may read.”

I’ve often written about the pull that outdoor places have on us. We are drawn to them, and Andy Cantrell does a beautiful job of capturing that magnetism in “Heroes of the Hardwoods.”

The book is scheduled for release on Dec. 15, and Cantrell is currently pre-selling signed copies for $35 which includes shipping. To order Cantrell’s books contact him at acantrell@hotmail.com.

Author Michael T. Simpson recently released his second book, “They Mark My Steps: More Encounters with the Wild Turkey.” Like fellow Amory native Andy Cantrell, Simpson has a gift for capturing the story behind the hunt. In “Almost Home,” he writes about his grandparents’ old home place and the memory of his last hunt there.

“I know I didn’t kill a gobbler that last time, but that’s inconsequential. I’m still holding on to that mystery of what exactly happened for now. Maybe one day I’ll look back and see.”

Like Simpson, I also keep a journal and I also often prefer to go with the “mystery” of the memory rather than the facts from my journal.

Simpson’s books are available signed and delivered for $24 per book. To order, contact him at Bigorange1086@gmail.com.

If you’re looking for an outdoors-themed gift that keeps on giving, year after year, I suggest the gift of trees from Mossy Oak’s Nativ Nurseries. Now is the perfect time to add trees to attract and hold wildlife in your favorite hunting spots or even your backyard and Mossy Oak’s Nativ Nursery has several unique offerings.

The Nativ Whitetail Oak Package is a twelve-tree bundle featuring Swamp Chestnut Oaks, Swamp White Oaks, Nuttall Oaks, Cherrybark Oaks, Pin Oaks, and Shumard Oaks. Bundles are also available for blight-resistant Chestnut trees as well as fruit trees like native Mexican Plums.

Of note, tree tubes and tree protectors are also available (and recommended) to ensure that your trees have the best chance for survival and enhanced growth. For more information visit www.nativnurseries.com.

Over the years, I’ve concluded that life is too short to drink bad coffee, especially in the tree stand, while fly-fishing a mountain stream or in the duck blind. For the coffee drinking outdoorsperson on your list, here are a couple of my favorite Mississippi roasters: Backwoods Grind Coffee Company (www.backwoodsgrind.com) and High Point Roasters (www.highpointroasters.com).

My current favorites from Backwoods are their “Pinhoti Roast” and their “Fireside Roast,” and High Point’s “Nicaragua” and “Breakfast Blend” roasts are both exceptional.

For the outdoors lover on your list that has everything, how about a Mississippi State Parks Annual Pass? G and I are planning a “State Parks Slam” in 2024 to visit all the Mississippi State Parks (we were inspired while hiking recently with our son Dan at Legion State Park) and an annual permit makes perfect sense for that endeavor.

The cost of the Annual Pass is $50 and it allows both residents and non-residents park access for one year (www.mdwfp.com).

Finally, if someone on your list has aspirations to learn to fly fish, I highly recommend Cohutta Fishing Company’s “On the Water School” (www.cohuttafishingco.com), which offers the combination of “a guide trip and a Fly Fishing 101 Course.”

The cost for the course is $350 per person and, speaking from experience, it is money well spent. My guide had me on the water and catching trophy rainbow trout in no time. For more information contact the Blue Ridge, GA, based outfitter at 706-946-3044.

Until next time, here’s to hoping that all your Christmas wishes come true, and here’s to seeing you out there in our great outdoors.

Email outdoors columnist Brad Dye at braddye@comcast.net.