Knife hunting

[Blackhearted]

Not really what people are talking about :

http://www.lonesomepineknives.com/hunt.htm

-Cliff

that is one sweet looking knife

 

[Gossman Knives]

Yep Larry Harley was the inspiration behind the name I chose for my knife business. I read an article in Tactical Knives in maybe their third issue (when they first started the magazine) about a maker named Larry Harley. It was about hunting boars with a knife. I was in awe that anyone would pursue this type of hunting. I am still fascinated with this animal's attitude and tenacity. Folk's, boar hunting with knife, gun or spear is a very fast and popular growing sport in the U.S. If anyone is interested in finding out more about hunting boars, go to the links page of my website and click on to the Boar Hunter magazine link. I'm real close to doing this myself when I can get the cash to set it up. I'm still tossing around the design of a boar hunting knife and spear in my head, just haven't put it the works yet.
Scott

 

[Jeff Clark]

Where is good old Snickersnee when you need him? He's the man for this topic. I've done a little rabbit hunting with a throwing knife. Where they are plentiful they will often stand still and hope you don't see them. If you can spot their hole you aim between them and the hole. When you move they will head that way. Here's an interesting old thread:
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=150660

 

[the possum]

Ah. Boar.
Never done it. Wish I could, and will if I ever get the money, but so far all I can do is read the accounts of others. ( I do try to pay attention when someone experienced mentions it.) There are guys in Texas who do this too, and I recall one guy who got a bit more specific on blades. He was saying most of the knives they use are not overly big by my standards. 5"-9" blades, mostly. Apparently there was one guy who brought along a great big bowie, and the others actually ridiculed him, at least on another forum. I can understand that, since they are stickin', rather than cutting. I use a longer blade on smaller critters so I can keep a bit of distance and deliver a debilitating blow- but I figure you'd need a decent sword before you had enough power to make cuts worthwhile on hogs.

Without dogs, I figure it would be a hard proposition to get much bigger game with a blade. I've stalked within 5 yards of a deer before with my bowie, but that still ain't close enough. With smaller critters, if you can outrun them or get 'em cornered, you can have success with a knife.
Someone mentioned throwing-
It does work. I've gotten several critters this way, but I'm not good enough to do it at longer ranges. I can make the blade stick with plenty of force; I just don't have enough hand/eye coordination to actually hit what I'm aiming at. Never was too good at baseball, either.

 

[DC KNIVES]

My nephew is my main knife tester and he only hunts hogs with a knife and two dogs.Now I admit that I think its a bit crazy jumping into a mix of pitbulls and a large hog with big tusks and trying to dispatch it without getting hurt,he does it all the time.He even designed a special knife for getting between the ribs for a good heart kill.This is not an uncommon practice here in Florida.Right now I am waiting for some four inch tusks he has coming to me for handle material.Dave

 

[steve4765630]

There is knife throwing book that talks about a guy killing a 270 pound boar with throwing knives in FL. The same guy killed another 150 pounder by throwing tomahawks on the same day. They called him Tony C. I think. C is for crazy in my book. He must have good aim. They said the boar died instantly with the tomahawk throw in the shoulder. That would hurt to get hit with a thrown hawk, but you wouldn't last long enough to tell the story. I can throw the "hawk" very well, but I wouldn't bet my life on it.

 

[Nixelplix]

I'm still tossing around the design of a boar hunting knife and spear in my head, just haven't put it the works yet.
Scott

If I remember correctly, boar spears have a good sized crossbar at the base of the spearhead to keep the animal from forcing its way up the spear shaft to get you. I imagine that catching one on the charge might knock you on your ass, though.

 

[sevilla]

Here in Spain we have what we call 'remate' knives: the ones you use to "finish" or "dispatch" a wild boar or deer once he's been shot, caught and more or less inmovilized by the dogs. The name of this kind of hunting is 'montería'..
Here´s a handful of these knives.

And my personal one, handmade specially to my requirements.

 

[maximus otter]

In Anglo-Saxon England, the wild boar was a symbol of courage and aggression. The famous Benty Grange helmet has as its crest an effigy of a wild boar.

"...hamere geþruen sweord swate fah swin ofer helme ecgum dyhtig andweard scireð."

"...a hammer-forged sword, stained with blood, mighty of edge, shears through the boar-crest above opposing helmets."

Beowulf 1282-87

maximus otter

 

[Gossman Knives]

If I remember correctly, boar spears have a good sized crossbar at the base of the spearhead to keep the animal from forcing its way up the spear shaft to get you. I imagine that catching one on the charge might knock you on your ass, though.

What I had in mind is similar to what you're saying. Basically, a double edged blade, double guard on a long handle. 3 to 4 foot long handle. It will be a double convex grind, 8 to 9 inch spear blade.
Scott

 

[Blackhearted]

what i would really love to see would be more knives designed to be converted into a spear. something like a cold steel bushman, for example, albeit with better materials, a double edge, and better made.

now i am not saying that a bushman is poorly made - but it is an economy knife. it performs excellent and is one of the best bang for the buck knives around at the present time, but it could be improved on.

id love to see some utility knives like the Ranger line, Swamp Rat line, etc designed with a tapered hollow handle and a crossguard/double edge sturdy blade that would function on their own as an excellent survival blade, but in a pinch could be converted into a very effective spear. i believe this is one of the best selling points of the Bushman, and id love to see this design incorporated into higher end knives.

cheers,
-gabriel

 

[Rat Finkenstein]

what i would really love to see would be more knives designed to be converted into a spear. something like a cold steel bushman, for example, albeit with better materials, a double edge, and better made.

now i am not saying that a bushman is poorly made - but it is an economy knife. it performs excellent and is one of the best bang for the buck knives around at the present time, but it could be improved on.

id love to see some utility knives like the Ranger line, Swamp Rat line, etc designed with a tapered hollow handle and a crossguard/double edge sturdy blade that would function on their own as an excellent survival blade, but in a pinch could be converted into a very effective spear. i believe this is one of the best selling points of the Bushman, and id love to see this design incorporated into higher end knives.

cheers,
-gabriel

Spearing logs in your backyard is why they designed the spear function of the Bushman.
SwampRat or Ranger knives would never make a gimmick like that.
If you are in a survival situation, you would have to be a complete fool to throw away your knife.
SwampRat has a clear policy against making fantasy knives, I would be willing to bet ranger Knives has a similar outlook.
If you are in a survival situation, and need a spear, carve one out of a stick- using your knife.

 

[Blackhearted]

it was just an idea. a spear doesnt necessarily have to be 'thrown'.

razorback was toying with the idea of creating a boar knife/spear... my suggestion was rather than create two separate weapons, why not try and create one that fulfills both purposes? would be an interesting project.

surely you are not suggesting hunting boar with sharpened sticks?

 

[Cliff Stamp]

surely you are not suggesting hunting boar with sharpened sticks?

He was mainly bringing up survival senarios which are different as you have no means of immediate aid and if you lose or break your hunting implements you can't just go home.

But you can easily lash a knife to a stick secure enough that the stick or knife will break before the lashing will break/release, it doesn't need to be hollow handled.

People did use flint spear heads for a long time.

-Cliff

 

[the possum]

what i would really love to see would be more knives designed to be converted into a spear. something like a cold steel bushman, for example, albeit with better materials, a double edge, and better made.

I would like to see the same. I actually did this with a stilleto I made- I'd carry it in my boot, and then I could quickly stick it in the end of a length of big bamboo, secured with a pipe clamp.

Rat-
Though I can see where you're coming from about losing or breaking your most valuable tool in a survival scenario, that's not really what we're talking about here. But then again, you ever tried sticking a critter with a sharpened stick? The point usually breaks off just trying to get through the skin, and if you hit the shoulder blade or something, you're going hungry. Probably a better solution would be to carry a gun, but if you're down to using a sharpened stick, it would be far better to at least knap a rudimentary point out of a broken bottle or steel can or something. You do know how to knap glass, right?

 

[Franciscomv]

In Argentina we practice "montería" (knife hunting) quite a bit.
I hunt wild boars and mountain lions with my knife (I use a Muela Montero, similar to the ones in the above pictures). There's nothing as exciting. Forget about bungee jumping, facing one of these guys with your knife is a real adrenaline rush! Together with bowhunting, this is my favourite method. I don't like hunting with rifles very much.

There are some local gauchos that are real experts. One of them uses a huge kitchen knife!

I try to use as few dogs as possible, I don't like them getting hurt. So far I've had better luck with boars than mountain lions. Big boars have the tendency to face you and try to attack you if you provoke them enough, while the mountain lion is sneakier and tries to avoid confrontation.

I only got hurt once, and it wasn't too bad. A couple of stitches and a week's rest took care of it.

 

[Rat Finkenstein]

I would like to see the same. I actually did this with a stilleto I made- I'd carry it in my boot, and then I could quickly stick it in the end of a length of big bamboo, secured with a pipe clamp.

Rat-
Though I can see where you're coming from about losing or breaking your most valuable tool in a survival scenario, that's not really what we're talking about here. But then again, you ever tried sticking a critter with a sharpened stick? The point usually breaks off just trying to get through the skin, and if you hit the shoulder blade or something, you're going hungry. Probably a better solution would be to carry a gun, but if you're down to using a sharpened stick, it would be far better to at least knap a rudimentary point out of a broken bottle or steel can or something. You do know how to knap glass, right?

Actually, that was exactly what he was talking about- Something

that would function on their own as an excellent survival blade, but in a pinch could be converted into a very effective spear.

Also, I was pointing out that SwampRat wouldnt make anything like that- (They wont even Produce Their War Hawk.)

 

[the possum]

Ah. Thanks for clearing that up, Rat. Missed that.
But, either way, I wasn't talking about a survival scenario, and neither was Razorback when he brought up the spear idea.

 

[500jefferyDK]

Gentlemen

Hunting Wild boars and feral hogs with knife is grand sport.

When you kill with your hands there is a reverence!

Questions?

Cheers,

André

 

[Rat Finkenstein]

Ah. Thanks for clearing that up, Rat. Missed that.
But, either way, I wasn't talking about a survival scenario, and neither was Razorback when he brought up the spear idea.

I realize that, sorry to get off topic.

500jefferyDK- Nice pics! What knife are you using?(assuming that is you)