Favorite hunting knife?

[B34NS]

I'm really liking that pro scalpel !

Thanks! Really been diggin' it.

Can't say enough about Dan's work too.

 

[TheJeepster]

Jeeps Rule!

 

[Adam Buttry]

Here is a maple burl hunter that I recently finished. This model has a 4" blade but I also make a slightly scaled down version of the same knife with a 3 3/8" blade.

 

[Macchina]

The Benchmade 190 Hunter (top) has served me faithfully and flawlessly for 10+ years. It has gutted whitetail, mule deer, antelope, and elk in about 5 different states. It almost felt like I was betraying an old friend when I bought a Bark River Huntsman (2nd from top) this past season. This was the first year in a long time that Benchmade didn't see any wild game. I may still throw it in from time to time.

I have used that same Benchmade 190 for the past 8 years (just looked it up and I won it on eBay in 2006) for all of my hunting uses (squirrels, rabbit, birds, deer, sometimes a fish). They also made a Bird and Trout model that I wish I would have picked up before they discontinued that line. They were great knives for the price ($70 for mine).
Mine is from the last run they did out of D2 steel, the sheath that the knife comes with is really cool: a very simple design with a lot of wrap-around geometry to make use of a single piece of nice leather.
I own a bunch of fixed blades and folders that would do just fine, but I always bring that Benchmade. It just works great, stays sharp, has nice materials, and a large guard that has never once gotten in the way for whatever reason. There is jimping near the tip that I thought I'd never use but I find my finger on that spot a lot when butchering. The handle swells up just right with a nice tapering towards the butt.

A great knife and now that I think about it: I haven't bought a hunting knife since this Benchmade. I buy fixed blades that I like but I don't plan on carrying them hunting.

 

[SFW]

For years I used a Buck 105 that my dad give me. I recently bought a Benchmade 15016 to try out this season. We'll see how it works.

 

[troutfisher13111]

I found this idea in a thread in the Blade Discussion Forum Archives. The original post was by R Dockrell and was posted on 3-13-2001. I thought it was worth re-posting.

Here it is:

"Here's a little test that I started using about 4 years ago to test hunting knife designs. As everyone knows you can't eat them with the fur on. There is 5 or 6 cuts that are the easiest to make with a well designed drop point.
Take a peice of cardboard about 12in X 12in. Tape a sheet of 8X11 paper to it really tight on all 4 sides. now stick the point of your knife through the paper only, blade edge up and slit the paper from one end to the other without stabing the cardboard.
Try it with a trailing point , a clip point and then a drop point. If you don't like big gashes in you wild game you will see what I mean.
Once you get good at it try it on the wifes kitchen table without the cardboard!!!!!!"

Original thread:*

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/156384-why-drop-point

 

[lamech]

From the top;
Puma Germany hunted with it for twenty plus years.
EDGE MARK SOLINGEN for one of the grand kids.
OTHELLO SOLINGEN for another one of the grand kids
BUCK ERGO HUNTER 487
BUCK OMNI HUNTER 392
I keep trying to find a USA made fixed blade to take the Puma's place but have had little success.
I did use the Omni on a deer this year it worked fine for opening the cavity and cutting through the breast bone but was a little more difficult on the inside work and removing the meat. Maybe if I used it more the story would be different.

 

[Wheeler80]

Big Chris in 10V

 

[mechanic1908]

I've used 2 knives for the last 30 hunting seasons or so. I is a Puma bowie, the other is a Schrade guthook skinner. I prefer the Puma but the Schrade does pretty good as well. I recently inherited a nice Stockdale custom though and it just might end up as my #1. We shall see.

 

[tdkfm]

Just picked up a bark river trail buddy as a gift for christmas. Decided it wasn't exactly what the person wanted, but it may be my new favorite hunting knife.

 

[JohnnyO]

Here is a maple burl hunter that I recently finished. This model has a 4" blade but I also make a slightly scaled down version of the same knife with a 3 3/8" blade.

Great looking knife.

 

[Blue Sky]

...I did use the Omni on a deer this year it worked fine for opening the cavity and cutting through the breast bone but was a little more difficult on the inside work and removing the meat. Maybe if I used it more the story would be different.

Curious, what was it specificly about the Omni design that you didn't like?

 

[lamech]

Holy smokes I should check in here more often. Sorry Blue Sky. The omni' s wide blade seemed to get in the way while cutting around the innards toward the spine It did perform well otherwise, but like I said maybe with more use I would be more comfortable.
Once again sorry I took so long ng to answer.

 

[David Stifle]

Hey fellas, here's a little B&T I just finished. I haven't had a chance to use it yet, but I'll probably test it out on some salmon this weekend. Anyway, 6" blade of 1084, leather and stag handle with red fiber and NS spacers. This is going to be my new knife for small game.

 

[troutfisher13111]

Gorgeous!

 

[David Stifle]

Thanks ya kindly, troutfisher.

 

[B34NS]

That thing is awesome! how thick is the blade?

 

[troutfisher13111]

The blade is 1/8" thick

 

[Doug C]

John Fitch ironwood hunter

John Fitch ironwood skinner/hunter

Don Hanson III walnut hunter

Jason Knight Jurassic Bird & Trout

DC

 

[black mamba]

I added a couple of new ones this winter, a Bark River Kalahari Hunter in A2 and a Big Chris Straight Hunter in S90V.