Heh....As it turns out, I happen to be a construction grunt in the state of Alaska that ocassionally beats through the woods, and hunts when possible. (admittedly, not very often)
My thoughts on the matter: Get him the hunting knife- reason is that when you are working construction, a knife is a simple TOOL, that's no more important that a measuring tape, hammer, screwdriver, or handsaw- it gets scratched, beaten dropped, lost, left in work areas and job sites- overall a hellacious share of abuse, which is not something most folks would want to subject a special gift knife to, even if it is can "take it" As much as I tend to be a knife nut, even I learned to leave the less expendable stuff at home (it only took me a lost AFO, and a badly abused Sebenza to begin figuring this one out...gee I'm a quick learner...
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A hunting knife on the other hand doesn't get that kinda day to day use and abuse- it's used for hunting and general woods loafin', which tends to be much more kind to a knifes prettiness. Also, I think just about everyone enjoys bragging rights for having the sharpest knife in the camp or whatever.
As to specifics...well...it's been a long day for me and I've currently got a narrow mindset. Myself and most of my friends and colleagues prefer something along the lines of a chisel ground partially serrated tanto for construction- my favorite was a CQC-7, but most of my friends prefer the humble CRKT M-16. a Waved Emerson would have that "golly gee neato" effect too. Oh...why that blade configuration...Serrations are nice for cutting hosing, tubing, etc. The chisel grind is nice for scraping spots of paint, or gaskets or whatnot, the tanto tip gives a modicum of prying and horsing ability.
Myself as far as hunting....I'm sorry, I just don't think you could beat a Bark River with a three to four inch blade. If Bark Rivers aren't your speed, I'd suggest taking a look at the offerings of Marbles, and if not that, then perhaps a decent Puuko, from Helle, or Kellam. I suppose I tend to be a little old fashioned in my tastes. In any case, I'd go with a convex edge, three to four inch blade, and preferrably a drop or spear point. Something that's medium thickness, not Strider thick, and not scalpel thin.
Anyhoo, hopefully I've provided a little food for thought. Good luck, and happy shopping, eh?
