fixed blade prospecting knife....

R

red96ta

Joined
Jun 15, 2008
Messages
132
You may have seen a previous post on the sharpening board regarding the time I've had sharpening my CS Ti-Lite and was wondering what you guys would recommend for a fixed blade knife that can be worn into the water without rusting but has a nice geometry beneficial for the removal of large cats when i prospect for gold....yeah, it's a REAL concern in both the higher elevations of CA where I live and in Montana where I've going to vacation this summer.

Benchmade makes a nice fixed blade from 1095 but I don't think that the carbon content in the steel would make a good blade to have in and out of the water all day.
 
One knife against a cougar's twenty...give me 100 bucks on the cougar.

You would be better served with a spear if you can't carry a gun and I would use pepper spray before I would try a spear. Buy a Cold Steel Bushman and a staff and prepare the staff for the blade before you head out. You can use the staff as a hiking staff and affix the blade when out of sight of people. Don't throw it whatever you do...just use it to keep the cat at bay till it comes at you and a thrust can be made. You might have a 1 to 5 chance that way...
 
I am not expert on cougars but in the Wilderness & Survival forum this is well known issue. They all recommend firepower against big cats. Mace sprays come second and spears and knives later. Unless you get really lucky they cat is going to attack you from behind so you won't even have time to draw your knife.
Mikel
 
Pick a knife that you like. While it is true that 1095 and carbon steels in general are less corrosion resistant than stainless steel, if you wipe down and oil the blade after use, it should be fine. It would also be a good idea to patina the blade.
 
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