hawk in the woods

I prefer the Cold Steel Frontier Hawk if I am on an informal 'fun hike', and I plan on doing some throwing...

For anything 'serious', though... ATC VTAC...

In addition, I will also have a 'walking staff' and a fixed-blade field knife...
 
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Magnussen said:
It doesn't take much to regrind the bevel on them, Smash.... especially if you have acces to a belt grinder.

I don't see many makers producing the small "Norse" type hawks or I'd probably pay the extra to support the custom guys. Price is small part of my tool selection process.
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I don't find it too difficult with a file, which is how I fixed up my rifleman and norse hawk. Honestly, price is always relative. I think alot of folks think if it doesn't cost much, its not worth it, I tend to evaluate a tool on its merits.
 
just orderd a norse hawk... magnussen sold me..I'll probably be getting a trail hawk later as well because of the hammer poll... I'll let ou know how it works when after I've put it through the paces.
 
Mag', you seem to have the most field time with this type of tool. With the Fiskers/Gerber break resistant handles, their 'good enough' steel, hammer poll, and decent edge holding; I have to ask, is there more to love with a Hawk? Yes, the Hawk can be rehandled, but the F/G may never need be with some care in the field. The major benefit I see to the Hawk is it's removable head from the shaft to do work. What is that black dot on the shaft below the head on your Hawk? At first I thought it was a through pin of some type, then a snap for the sheath....? If one carries a knife afield I think the Hawk or the hatchet is a redundancy of sorts depending upon the size of the knife being carried IME. I defer to your knowledge to expand my own so discuss further the Hawk benefits for those of us never exposed to their uses please, thanks.
 
I will talk a little more about hawks but keep in mind these are just my opionions based on my own experiences with hawks and axes...

That "dot" under the head is a piece of paracord that has been feed through a hole and knotted on both ends. It keeps the head on the handle should it get jarred loose while working or throwing.... which brings me to another point... set-screws... you will find that Cold Steel hawks come with a set-screw in the head to hold it in place. I can see some benefit to this but in my experiece they are a hinderence and can actually cause failure in the handle, especially when throwing. I have had many a bad throw where the handle hits first on the target. There is a tremendous amount of force transfered from the weight of the head into the handle. This can snap a handle like a toothpick. After a while I started noticing that the heads without setscrews where just slipping down on impact causing the hawk to "collapse" like all the energy was drained from it. That was exactly what was happening... once the head dislodged itself, the energy dispersed itself rapidly..... NO BREAK! Now I had to find a way to keep it all together... hence the paracord button. When I need it off, i can slam it past the knots with little trouble, but for the most part it stays on. I had tied on some paracord wipping in the past but it always slipped down.

Chopping wood?..... the thinness of the blade allows it to bite VERY deeply into wood. I think this makes up for lack of weight. When used for splitting... again the thin blade sails through the initial 3-4inches and the rounded head and cheek give that last little pop needed to break it apart.

Break resistant? Resistant is the keyword here.... they are not break proof. I have seen (3) of the fiskars handles break... including one I bought for my father. They are a BITCH to get out, let alone rehandle. If it gets cold where you live... they will shatter. They are as tough as hell but can break.... for me its not worth the risk when I'm 3days into the bush in -40F. You are right though, 1Tracker... If proper care is taken one may never need to replace a handle.... I've had the same one for a year now (doh.... why did I just jinx myself?)

Hawks and knives?... Since I've been carrying a hawk I use my knife less than i used to. The last cold training exercise I went on, I didn't use my knife the entire week. My knife is my back up tool now and is 9" OA, with a 4 1/2" blade. It stays nice and warm on my hip, under my blanket coat.

Throwing?.... As of today I have taken 3 squirrels, 1 racoon, 1 rabbit and a mourning dove with my hawk. If you have it in your hand while you walk, you will have plenty of opportunity to take game (I'm a bad shot, though... lol.) That is why I use a hawk cover instead of a belt sheath... the cover stays in my pack most of the time.

Hammer poll?... I have used mine as a hammer for years and have never distorted the eye... that said, I would avoid hitting anything with greater density that your hawk. The axe poll is superior in this instance.

In the end... use the tool that works best for you.... Hope this helps.
Rick
 
If you check his link you may find your answer (I am only guessing though).
 
Magnussen..Good info Thanks...
3 squirrels, 1 racoon, 1 rabbit and a dove Good throw.....
 
Ha!......... Ya.... I waited 3 days for them to all stand in line.... it was like skipping stones on a pond... only it wasn't a pond, it was little animals, and I wasn't throwing stones, I was throwing a hawk... and the little animals were dying... and there were no ripples... only sadness...... snif snif :( .... and then I ate them and wore their skins for clothing... and I was happy again. :D

:p Rick
 
I took all the factory paint off with a wire wheel and let it soak in vinegar for a couple days.
 
Nice Im gonna try to do this vinegar thing with my Norse hawk, did you sand it down at all after you soaked it in vinegar?
 
mine finally gets here today after being backordered at knife center for like a week!!! ill take it snowshoeing on thursday!
 
Magnussen said:
Ha!......... Ya.... I waited 3 days for them to all stand in line.... it was like skipping stones on a pond... only it wasn't a pond, it was little animals, and I wasn't throwing stones, I was throwing a hawk... and the little animals were dying... and there were no ripples... only sadness...... snif snif :( .... and then I ate them and wore their skins for clothing... and I was happy again. :D

:p Rick
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Mag, you're my hero! I'd like to hear a bit more about the circumstances of you getting these kills, but it's probably best done in a separate thread ("Hunting with a Hawk"?).
 
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