Knife for defence against wild critters ?

pit I hear you but predatory creatures.. Got a lot more mucle insulating there vitals than people do...As a slashig weapon I think the roach belly would do great.. however slashing is not al;ways the best attack strategy against a focused and aggressive attack..even if you are lucky enough to hit a major artery you still have close to 2 minutes of fending an animal off before it bleeds out... That's allot of time.. to have to fight..a good organ stick will do it in under 30 seconds..but still allot can happen in 30 seconds... a spear type weapon as mentione would be the best bet. personally I carry bear spray if I;m concerned and I don;t worry about it...but you got some more dangerous beasties up there than I do here.
 
Machete 12 inch blade with modified drop point and lanyard loop to keep it in your hand. Or any good pig sticker. My mineral mountain bowie would be a good one as well. Plenty of heft to make a good heavy chop to the spine. Sharp point and plenty of width to thrust into the side and make a wide wound channel. I could use my Western 49 for the same thing. My kukri would be great as well. The problem with a blade on a pole is that when the animal closed the gap it would be too close to you to do much good. Same thing when knocked to the ground.
 
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I'd prefer something like my Koster K-Boar.

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As others have said though, definitely not a bush knife, though it would work in a pinch I suppose.
 
I have a hard time justifying anything other than a kukri for all-around use, including woodcraft, camping and defense. The HI M43 being an excellent example:

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It even comes with a sharpening steel and this in the same sheath:
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So fine tasks are covered! :D
 
The trooper's sword I would consider too big. The hunting swords I could handle.

I hear what everyone is saying about excessively large knives- but!

1: there's a long history (especially before centerfire cartridges) of hunters and various outdoorsmen carrying larger knives and using them. From the iconic Bowie and Spanish Dirk to the european styled hunting swords- you'll find anything from 7-8 inches up to 24 inches of blade. My personal minimum for the consideration is 7 inches for a utility blade, 10 for a dedicated hunting blade. Not a ton of rhyme or reason, but I look at historical examples and modern pig sticking.

2: What you carry, in a SD outdoors knife as much as in a SD pistol, is a highly personal choice. But it needs to be well thought out and considered. (No, I don't make a habit of carrying one everywhere.) If you feel there's a need, there's no reason to half-ass it. If you really think there's enough danger that you need a knife to defend against something, then take a proper knife for the task.


- blade types- I can't say anything about a khuk. Wouldn't be my personal choice as I like thrusting too much. Most of the examples I have found have a strong resemblance to a short backsword, a spanish dirk, or a short falchion/grosses messer.

- guards. There are period examples of anything from a regular large crossguard hilt to a full D to none at all. Take your pick, know your weapon.
 
Condor Hog Sticker would do ok, too, while still being useful. :)
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RescueRiley said:
If I where t pick a knife specificaly for SD against animals.. I;d want something with a double edge so could slash on the back swing I'd also want something wiht an exces of an 8 inch blade so on thrusts I'd stand a better chance of getting through muscle and fat to hit the organs. Now we are getting out of Bushcraft capapble knives here.. but as a thought some spyderco type serations on the very last 2 inches of the tip might help it form binding if it should make glancing contact with bone (on stick).. also a large pommel so after a stick, your blood slippery hand doesn't slip off the grip.

That being said wouldI pay for or carry a knife that looks like the one I just mentioned? No,,,

But Scotts knife looks awesome.... (all of his do)
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A cheap knife with the above mention specs would be the CS 12" Bowie machete.Not quite double-edged but it does have a 5.5 inch false edge which you could easily sharpen. Good handle too and flared end. Strong and relatively light for its size.
For thrusting purposes a Rondel dagger type knife would work.
Of course the machete could actually be put to practical uses the Rondel is not really meant for bushcraft,lol!
 
Judging by accounts of other people surviving animal attacks, it seems not to take a huge piece of steel. There was that guy, in Alaska I think, who was attacked by a young 800 pound grizzly and killed it with a Buck folding hunter. Buck gave him a new knife for it. Then I read in one of the Ken Warner knives annual, about a game ranger in South Africa I think, who was attacked by a male lion, and killed it with a 5 or 6 inch butcher knife he had in a homemade sheath.

Best one of all, was on a Tv show about people surviving animal attacks, and a 70 something couple were walking about out in Glacier Nation Park with thier binoculars nature watching, and a griz attacked the husband. The old lady went and clobbered the griz in the snout with her binoculars and the griz ran off.

Maybe it just needs to be really sharp, and be able to be drawn fast from any postition, even laying down with the critter on top of you. The guy in Alaska got the griz in the neck, and the ranger in Africa got the lion in the neck. Something to think about there.
 
I would say if you want to carry something for defense I would go eith the bear pepper spray as mt first line of defense. Second I would think would be a large bladed karambit. I don't know that you'd need as much penetrating as you would slashing, plus the hole will help with sweaty hands and or blood. I'm thinking if you can inflict enough muscle damage with enough cuts whatever it is will likely bug out. I's be focusing more on soft tissue areas like neck and belly and would prefer not to stab. Animals move way quicker than us if you get lodged in a bone and the animal moves I would think there is a good chance it gets pulled out of your hand.
 
jackknife said:
Best one of all, was on a Tv show about people surviving animal attacks, and a 70 something couple were walking about out in Glacier Nation Park with thier binoculars nature watching, and a griz attacked the husband. The old lady went and clobbered the griz in the snout with her binoculars and the griz ran off.
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Binoculars work, but so does a kick to the shin :D

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My new G.L. Drew bowie less ugly would do well. It is in a thread in the makers gallery titled "Design In progress".
 
The Busse Jackhammer or Bark River Bravo 2 would be excellent anti-critter knives.
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They're both NASTY fighters.

A Battle Mistress would dispatch almost any critter out there with one whack- but wouldn't be much good in a grapple, and they're not very fast or handy.
 
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For critters, a sidearm. My Glock 30 does nicely =D

Norcalblacktail,
I love that Waki!!! Nice work!! You're going to be getting really busy soon.
 
I'd probably want to take something like a Khukuri, but anything with a nice point will work also. (Nice meaning strong, but sharp)
 
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