15" Ang Khola as a Trap Line Tool

C

coote

Joined
Apr 3, 2006
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The rain stopped for a bit yesterday afternoon so I grabbed my possum snares and my other gear including the new Ang Khola Villager that Yangdu sent me.

I was setting my snares in an area I've been trapping for a while, so there wasn't much to cut with the khukuri, but the few things I did tackle were handled with ease.

I made 22 sets. This morning I found I had eight brushtailed possums. Not too bad for a well-trapped location. I skinned the best ones and plucked the rest. We have market for plucked fur here.... and we are currently being offered NZ$105 per kilo for it. It takes the fur from around 15 possums to make up a kilogram. Here are some of the animals I got today:

Harvest1007.jpg


Most of my snares are set to kill the animals quickly. Sometimes they are set so that the possums will be merely 'tethered'...thus they are alive in the morning when I get to them. Freshly killed possums are a whole lot easier to pluck.

Normally I carry a club to dispatch these possums. However I figured that it is better to have a multipurpose tool rather than just a heavy stick which serves no other purpose. I found that the khukuri made a good club...I used the back of the blade. So I don't need to bother carrying my stick any more.

I used the karda that came with the khukuri to skin four of the possums and to cut up some of the better carcases (to take home to eat). I found that the knife was a good size for the job...and easy to handle. I like knives like this that dont have a big wide handle or a guard...these things can get in the way.

Before I went to the trapline, I sharpened the karda. It probably would have been sharp enough to use straight out of the package, but I'm a bit of a fussy guy....so I washed off the preservative oil and got a shaving edge along the main working (skinning) part of the blade.

I found that the edge lost its razor sharpness quite quickly. When I cut up the carcases, I slice at the tail and the backbone until I find a joint that the blade can push through. I think this turned the edge of the blade. However, using just the chakmak, I managed to straighten and burnish the edge while still in the bush. I restored a good portion of the working curve to shaving sharpness.

Being a primitive skills enthusiast, I tried using the chakmak as a striker against some natural flint to make sparks. I did create sparks, but perhaps not as well as I do when I use a hard bit of file steel. The edge of the chakmak got chewed up quite quickly by the hard flint. Still, I am not unhappy about this...these little "extra" knives are just a bonus...the Khukuri itself is what I wanted and it is marvellous. Besides...that chakmak certainly restored the edge of the karda. I generally carry a lighter or synthetic flint for fire anyway.

Here's the karda:

Karda2.jpg


So do I think that a khukuri makes a good trapline tool? Yes sir. I think the 15" is probably the ideal size for what I do. However I am really keen to get a 12 or 13 incher now to see how that performs. I think the cutting power of the 15" model exceeded my expectations, and so it seems that a 12" would probably handle most small cutting jobs with ease.

I've sent an email to Yangdu asking what suitable 12" models might be available. And I'm hoping my 'available' funds will cover it and the horrendous shipping cost :)

I hope that I'm not bringing more of a 'bloodthirsty' theme to the forum than some members members may want. I am aware that many people don't even eat meat and I dont want to offend anyone. But knives have been traditionally involved with the harvesting of meat, and that is what I've been doing.

Best wishes to all..... Coote.
 
Thanks Coote, it's really interesting to hear how the kukri performs as a serious hunting aid - and particularly so when it comes to the karda....
What length and thickness of karda would you reckon to be the ideal?


ps: great pictures too!
 
G'day Seaice... thanks for the comments.

My karda has a blade about 1/8" thick. The blade is just over 3" long, and the handle is 2 and 3/4" long.

What length and thickness of karda would I say was ideal? Hmmmm.... that's a tough question because I've seldom met a genuine working knife that I didn't like.

The karda I now have (as described) would cope with every major hunting situation I can think of. It would certainly be great for skinning anything from deer down to rabbits. I would happily use it to stick a pig down the brisket, or maybe even through the ribs....where the knife is short I sometimes might push the handle in as well for good measure, and the karda handle shape lends itself well to this...even to the point of having a broad butt so I have something to grab to pull it out again.

The handle is big enough for most hunting tasks for the amount of hunting I do. If I were doing a lot of hunting and butchering, I'd probably pick a knife with a bigger handle. I'd particularly appreciate the bigger handle on cold, wet days if I had a fair bit of cutting to do. But having said that, I must say that the shape of the karda handle seems to compensate a bit for the lack in length. I really like the shape, and I feel I can control the knife well.

When it comes to cutting up a large animal for the freezer, this small knife would do the job, but a blade of maybe six inches long or more would make a neater, quicker job.

So for what I experience in the field, the karda I've got is great. A smaller one would be good for casual work as well....but I'd rather have a blade with a sharp edge over two inches long if possible...I like a bit of length to 'slice' with.

The blade doesn't need to be 1/8" thick. With a massive khukuri in your sheath the karda doesn't have to do major levering work. Thinner blades slice better, but I wouldn't go too thin.
 
IIRC coote the kardas and chakmas are typically made from milder steel that the khukuris themselves. This would help explain why your karda lost its razor sharpness quickly.

Nice report, BTW.

Bob
 
Trappers are a dieing breed. My Dad Trapped for over 50 years till they outlawed it in Colorado back in 1997. Well lets just say he still enjoys it to this day. I go with him on occation.
 
Very nice report coote. I enjoyed hearing about your experiences in the field. November starts the season for me. :-)
 
Very enjoyable read, Mr.Coote.

The karda and chakma are traditional, but in your case (serious daily use) you might could replace them with a diamond file and a modern steel knife...


Mike
 
Great pictures, thank you coote
 
Thanks for all the useful and encouraging comments.

I've read that bear story. I'm glad that it wasn't me being faced with that problem.
 
What AA said.

At least up to the 15 inch size, the chakma and karda are pretty much ornamental. Consider a stainless small knife, use the back for the chakma and the edge--which should hold better--for insertion or small cutting.

The larger khuks seem to have chakmas and kardas with real work done on them and some serious tempering.

That said, my 15 AK is the workhorse, the 12in my most frequent carry.

Nice report. Thank you.









Kis
enjoy every sandwich
 
I guess,in a way, you may be right about the chakma and karda being somewhat ornamental.... a salute to tradition maybe. However I found I could do some work with my karda...and the chakma restored its edge in the field. So they are ornaments with some utility. And the ones I have, at least, seem to be well-made and sturdy.

I hope I'm wrong, but with all the crashing through the scrub I can do from time to time it wouldn't surprise me if either of these little tools got knocked from the sheath. Mind you...they've stayed in place so far. They are protected by the handle of the khukuri to a certain extent. I'm actually tempted to make a slim sheath for the khukuri alone to make it a bit less bulky to carry...and I could leave the two smaller tools at home. It might not 'look' right...but it could be worth a try. I could then keep the original sheath for 'Sunday best' occasions.

I'd love to test the theory that a bigger kuk is more likely to be accompanied by a more 'serious' karda. Unfortunately my discretionary knife fund is pretty much spoken for at present. I've just ordered a 12" Ang Khola. I'd still like to have a bigger khukuri, but I'm danged if I can work out which one I want the most. The one I'm likely to get will be the first suitable long one that catches my eye when the knife fund is big enough.

I'm open to recommendations.
 
Great pics, great story. If you ever need a partner in your trappin ventures, sign me up. That looks like the life...
 
Markksr...while there are apparently plenty of possums around here, what I do is nothing like a full-time living for a man or a family. So I'm not desperate for hired help :). Some guys work full-time at it though. If you use cyanide poison or steel leg-hold traps (neither of which I am keen to work with)...and if you have a good area to trap, you can get some fairly good tallies.

I figure I'd have to get maybe 20 possums a day to make the same wages I might get in a local factory. Currently I might get 10 a week if I trap for a day or two.

I just love it though.

That R-6 looks like a practical little knife. It appears to be just the thing to cope with most hunting and trapping situations down here (apart from chopping). Good "quick" sheath too...nice and simple and easy to use. I much prefer this style of knife with no guard for most common jobs.
 
coote said:
I guess,in a way, you may be right about the chakma and karda being somewhat ornamental.... a salute to tradition maybe. However I found I could do some work with my karda...and the chakma restored its edge in the field.
Click to expand...
The smaller ones are certainly usable. The problem is more often the handle length. On the smaller ones, I can only get two fingers on the handle. On larger ones (from 18" on up kukris), I can get a better grip.

coote said:
I'd love to test the theory that a bigger kuk is more likely to be accompanied by a more 'serious' karda.
Click to expand...

They most certainly do! The ones that came with Kukzilla (25" Ak from the 10/2 DOTD) give a full 3-finger grip, and the blade of the karda is a full 4" long!
From what I read, Nepalese guys are considerably smaller than we are, and probably think the handles we ask for are grossly oversized and difficult to wield.

If you're worried about the karda and chakma falling out, just pus them a bit further into the sheath. Friction is more than enough to hold them in. In fact, I often have the problem of shoving them in too far and having to use some real force to get them back out.
 
Coote, would you mainly be using the larger khuk for brush clearing and just how much longer do you want to go? If so, a surupati, kobra, Gelbu Special, chitlangi, or chainpuri in 18 or 20-21" length would be a few of the better choices. They would handle the brush and could still do a good amount of work. If you want something for heavier work, the 18" AK, WII, or BGRS come to mind. No need to thank me for narrowing the choices down. ;):rolleyes:

Bob
 
I haven't got huge hands compared to some guys (but I still have to buy 'large' rubber gloves). I found that the handle on the karda wasn't too bad to use. I think that the shape of the handle helps me to control it better, and I think that the broad butt makes the knife safer.

I honestly don't know what I'd use a bigger khukuri for. I would just like to have one to see what they are capable of. Frankly if I had a lot of brush to clear I'd probably go for a tool I could wield with both arms. I'm not unfit, but I realize that if I was swinging my relatively small 15" Ang Khola all day with one arm I might get a bit sick of it. So anything bigger would be more of a nuisance to carry, and more tiring to swing.

I'm inclined toward the WW II. But I like them all.

Must go to bed. I spend far too much time on the computer.
 
Hmm. I'd guess that if you were clearing brush and the like, you'd want a khuk with the lowest weight per inch ratio. I think the Kobra would be the choice pick for that application. I don't know how comfortable it would be for a long session, but you might manage something of a two-handed grip on the larger models of Kobra.
 
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