Best knife to give my nephew for his first snipe hunt?

U

Uncle Bill

Joined
Aug 24, 1999
Messages
434
I can't keep putting it off. It's time to acquaint him with this venerable sport.

So what knife do you think he should use for cleaning and dressing?

(He'll be reading this thread, so I'd appreciate only the most expert information.)

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Bill

Unfortunate but Increasingly Necessary Disclaimer:

While this post likely contains incorrect information, fuzzy logic, poor grammar and misspelled words, what it does not contain is intentional malevolence toward anyone.


 
Come on guys!

The right knife for your first snipe hunt isn't something to be taken lightly.

I need opinions!
 
The Sniper by Lynn Griffith, of course.

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James Segura
San Francisco, CA


 
Uncle Bill,

A good khukuri is effective in dressing the snipe after a successful kill. It can also come in handy should one double back on you during the hunt. But I have seen people carry other knives also.


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Howard Wallace
Khukuri FAQ

 
Make him a good handcarved wooden Bowie knife. They are great for wandering around the woods at night looking for the elusive snipe. I myself dressed out many a snipe in my youth with a well sharpened wooden knife. They have a very soft underbelly and their blood is terribly corrosive for metal blades. Go with a good-sized wooden Bowie reproduction. You definetly can't have too much knife for critter with the size and ferocity of a snipe. Good Hunting!

Paracelsus
 
Nathan (my nephew) is a bit confuesed. He wants to know whether the khukuri suggestion is for cleaning it or for killing it. We were planning on the traditional approach, trapping, but will consider using a knife for the actual kill if you think a strong 14-year old is up to it.

How big do snipe get in your areas, anyway?
 
Cleaning of course. I don't think it's sporting to use anything other than the traditional hands and burlap bag during the actual hunt. I guess I just like the security of carrying a larger knife.

And it's not the size of the prey that is important in my experience, but the speed.


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Howard Wallace
Khukuri FAQ

 
I think anyone who has a successful snipe hunt ought to at least get a Sebenza out of the experience.
 
On my first Snipe hunt, I had a Boy Scout knife. What would have come in handy is one of those yellow handle Case knives, let your nephew pick his favorite style. You want a knife that's easy to spot if you drop it in the woods at night, and we all know how fast things can happen on a Snipe hunt.
 
So many different recommendations ... I guess all those knives will do the job, more or less, but there's a much better choice: the Cold Steel Recon Tanto, because it has the right blade grind to split the ribs cleanly without spoiling any of that succulent breast meat with bone splinters -- I hate biting into a snipe breast and practically breaking a tooth on a bone splinter -- and even more important, the Kraton handle doesn't get slippery when it's covered with blood. You always get your hands all covered with blood when you're field-dressing a snipe -- by the time you've dressed three of them it's all over you -- and snipe blood is notoriously slippery, even more slippery than deer blood (it has more hemoglobin in it). Experienced hunters who've been doing it for years can clean a snipe with a handle that gets slippery when bloody and have no problem because they're used to it, but for your first time you'll have enough of a challenge even with the best knife you can buy.

Cold Steel should advertise the Recon Tanto for snipe hunters; it's the job that knife is best suited for. You know, the shape of the Recon Tanto handle is based on a design developed by the samurai centuries ago to improve grip when it's covered with blood, and Kraton is even grippier than the braided silk they used, and easier to clean too.

-Cougar Allen :{)
 
Uncle Bill:

I have an idea how about after a good ol' snipe hunt you take the boy cow tipping. Oh and as far as a knife, well lets just say that after this snipe hunt (I'm assuming it will be very successful) I don't know that I would want this young boy within arms reach of me with a sharp knife. Perhaps a good butterknife would do the trick.
 
GeneL74,

Don't you think a lad of only fourteen is a little young to be introduced to the ancient art of cow tipping? I mean really now, the skill and bravery required to pull off a good tipping is usually fortified by strong libations and the swearing of sacred and profane oaths and other incantations. Such manly endeavors should not be practiced before at least the age of 18. The physical ability, commitment, and general savvy required for this sport is much beyond the average 14-year-old. Not only that, but cow tipping without proper authorization is Illegal.

I don't know if I can clarify the butter knife suggestion for Uncle Bill and Nathan, but I'll take a dab at it. I wouldn't like to spread this around but you were obviously spoiled rotten as a young man. I had to carve and sharpen my own wooden knife for the hunt, just like our prehistoric ancestors had to do. The cream of each generation will always rise to the top during their first snipe hunt.

Cougar Allen,

The Cold Steel Recon Tanto is a great idea. Of course if I had to choose one of those great Cold Steel knives I think I'd pick one of the folding wackeroo's. There is just no way that the lock is going to fail in the final tussle with a mean and ornery snipe. And eight inches of cold steel in my pocket makes me feel like more of a man.

Nathan,

Best of luck with your snipe hunt. There is a lot of good advice here in this thread. I know it’s a little confusing, but everyone has their own idea about the best way to hunt snipe. You will find your own way with a little help from your friends.

Paracelsus


[This message has been edited by Paracelsus (edited 21 November 1999).]
 
Uncle Bill's Nephew:

Well boy I apologize for not clarifying it for you. On my first snipe hunt (my uncle's took me too) I was worked to death, they run me all over the place. You know they kept me up very late and I guess due to all the physical exertion and the lack of sleep everytime I looked at one of my uncle's all I could see was snipe, all over them. I wanted to attack. Needless to say it was only temporary insanity I guess and eventually I quit seeing those darn snipe's. I hope this helped and I am quite certain you will understand soon. By the way that night was also the night I drank my first beer. Uncle's are really great aren't they.
 
On top of any larger knife for the killing or cleaning uses, make sure there is a small VERY pointed, VERY SHARP knife (scalpel?) available as the tendons that attach the sphincter to the surrounding tissue are quite tough and require attention to detail. My cousin nicked the sphincter muscle on one of his snipe, I didn't catch his mistake in time to flush the area with hot salt water and the toxic fluid inside leaked into the surrounding meat. There were about 15 snipe total cut up for the stew, so we didn't get too sick, but I would hate to have seen what would have happened if we would have served individual portions.
 
Well, for the snipe in my area of the country (coastal areas of the east, So. MD, eastern VA, and north eastern VA), I would definitely want a Nordooh from Rob Simonich, preferably in Talonite, so the corrosive properties of the snipe species would have less effect on it.
For the smaller variety that are found further inland, especially in the mountainous areas such as the Rockies, I would recommend something smaller, although still in at least stainless. You could, I believe, get by with a good stainless steel, such as the VG-10 in the Spyderco Moran, or one of the Fallkniven series. From what I have read, the inland varieties of snipe do not have such corrosive blood, since their food is not so tainted by salty water.

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It's just a ****ing staple!
Maybe we should make knife blades out of staples!
Outlaw_Dogboy, Pax River NAS, Republik of Marilundt


 
Man...am I a City boy. I followed this thread thinking someone was pulling ourleg. What the hell is a Snipe. I kept waiting for the punchline. Well I looked it up and there it was a Snipe. (A long brownish wading bird of the genus Capella) Sorry I doubted. Reminds me of when the drills had a few of us obvious city boys chase the cat. Except it was a skunk !!!
Alex http://home.att.net./~a.boriqua
 
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