My brother wants to borrow a knife for pig sticking...

Tom Krein said:
A simple Marine Kabar will work better than any of the knives you have and they are relatively cheap.

I recommend a 7-9 inch blade and a sharp swedge or better yet a doulbe edge. A big hog can be a tough stick. Make sure you have a good double guard on the blade as it IS going to be a bloody mess.

Tom
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A big +1 on the KaBar. All of the knives you've posted are nice, but I wouldn't recommend any of them for sticking an angry pig. A narrow, 7-9" blade with a double guard is probably what you are looking for. Any solidly built, "bowie" type "fighter" would work- like a Randall, or a Marble's Ideal. A Bravo-2 would be great.
 
I have been through those kinds of hunts. They are a wild experience. We used a short 10-12 machete with the tip reground into a spear point and sharp as heck on both sides of the blade. This would be cheaper than loosing one of those nice knives in the event the hog were to get loose and run off with the blade stuck in its side. Other than that I would go with the Falkniven S1. Just my $.02.

-frank
 
While I would've liked a bit more blade, but I stuck and bled out a 200 lb. hog with a #760 Mora, with NO problem at all. I did go under the shoulder though, and in about 3 heartbeats it was over, and bloody as all get out.

Beckerhead
 
Its gonna be a PITA lugging that thing around and chasing the dogs though blackberry and other tangles. But once he gets to the caught pig it should be pretty ideal. 9" is definately the upper limit on lengths though. Any longer and you'll be stabbing your dogs on the other side of the pig.

Make sure he studies a pigs anatomy before he goes out, its not as easy as it sounds finding the heart.
 
michaelmcgo said:
He just purchased one of these: http://www.cheaperthandirt.com/ZAA353-1.html
I am going to sharpen it up as much as possible so that it cuts on the sides. I feel a lot more comfortable with him using a knife with a decent guard.
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Let me know how that works for you. I tried sharpening mine and it was an exercise in futility. They are plated or case hardened. After some effort I managed to make it pointy on the tip, but you could see where the shiny outer layer was ground away, with duller steel underneath. It is not designed to be sharpened.
 
tabeeb762 said:
How about an SKS spike Bayonet? The cost no more than $5

SKS-028.jpg
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They don't have an edge or a handle. Would be a good choice if it was attached to a rifle.
 
Rat Finkenstein said:
Let me know how that works for you. I tried sharpening mine and it was an exercise in futility. They are plated or case hardened. After some effort I managed to make it pointy on the tip, but you could see where the shiny outer layer was ground away, with duller steel underneath. It is not designed to be sharpened.
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Just like the pictured SKS bayonet, they are hard chromed. And you're right, they aren't meant to be sharpened.
 
Another vote for the standard Kabar. From what you've listed, I'd let him use the Fallkniven.

EDITED: I see you've order him a Swiss PE57 bayonet. Excellent choice, as they were made for bayonetting (stabbing) living targets of course. It will become sharp with a lot of effort, but it should be reserved as a knife just for the task (not very good as a woods knife). I have to ask: is he using dogs when he goes on his hunt, or will he be without them? I only know of two people who go hog hunting with a knife and no dogs.
 
technique matters more than the knife...though a good sharp knife definitely makes it easier!


How big of a hog/pig is he going after?


Here's an anatomy pic, by the way:

anathog.GIF


as you can see....the heart is low, right behind the front leg. Which is why technique matters so much...too high and you hit the "shield" and your knife might not even pierce the skin! Too far forward and you hit the shoulder...too far back and you pierce a lung and then you got 250 lbs of angry tusks on your hands..:eek:

Best wishes!

Dan
 
Throat slitting a pig is a good way to get slashed in the wrists. If you're going to throat slash do as folks I've seen do in Georgia, wear 'archers forearm guards' on both arms. It offers some protection under a long sleeved shirt from getting gashed before you get the pig.

I'd go for a heart stick myself as you can use a longer blade giving yourself a bit of distance from the front end of the pig. If you have time why not make your brother a knife for this purpose? It does nt have to be fancy, just functional. It'll make the hunt more memorable for both of you, and give you both a sense of satisfaction with the hunt.
 
Ive seen things get their throats slit and others stabbed in the heart. I can tell you through lots of experience a heart shot is a much more humane kill. It's also a lot easier to stab the heart than to cut the jugular. Especially when theres dogs piled on the pig...the throat/head area isn't a very hospitable place...the armpit is a much more accesible area away from the sharp end and away from your dogs jaws. Go in behind the shoulder, angle forward. Don't stab...place the knife point and push...Once your in, thrust the knife in and out and find the heart. Don't stop until your covered up to your wrist in blood...that's when you've hit the heart. Game should be over in 5-10 seconds. I've seen many omproperly throat cut pigs live minutes with the dogs still attached while they basically drowned. Cruel stuff.
 
I REALLY think you would have been better served with a Kabar for not much if any more $$. Those bayonets are simply not sharp and just about impossable to get sharp due to their extremely poor geometry.

Poking a hole in a big pig is not all you want to do. You want to stick it in and then pump it like a jack handle. IF your knife is sharp you will be doing major organ damage and this also increases the likely hood of cutting the aorta or heart if you don't hit it on the first poke.

A used Kabar at a surplus store won't set you back much. I would pick one up as they are a good knife in the field and makes for a GREAT low buck hog knife.

Tom
 
Tom Krein said:
I REALLY think you would have been better served with a Kabar for not much if any more $$. Those bayonets are simply not sharp and just about impossable to get sharp due to their extremely poor geometry.

Poking a hole in a big pig is not all you want to do. You want to stick it in and then pump it like a jack handle. IF your knife is sharp you will be doing major organ damage and this also increases the likely hood of cutting the aorta or heart if you don't hit it on the first poke.

A used Kabar at a surplus store won't set you back much. I would pick one up as they are a good knife in the field and makes for a GREAT low buck hog knife.

Tom
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Slaughtered 200+ HOGS an hour for 11 years. Just like the ladies say it is not always about length but width for a larger cut and blood letting. A bayonet just punctures without cutting a lot of arteries and vital structures. Kabar is a good choice or any semi-wide blade with a very sharp tip and cutting edge. You need a hilt, the rtak would be a good option from your knives with some back edge sharpening of about 3 inches. I just got my RTAKII yesterday and was noting the thin tapered tip would do the job and it locks in the hand enough to not need a hilt, over an inch of steel and micarta in the way. Nice post on the hog anatomy previously.
 
The Bayonet should be here any day. I have a belt sander, bench grinder, right angle grinder, etc. at work, I will let you know how the sharpening goes. If not, then it will definitely be a Kabar. I've been wanting one for a while (had a nice D2 one a while ago), so this will be an excuse to get one. Either way, I will be putting an edge on both sides.

BTW, he is not using dogs. He is going for a 100-150 lbs. feral pig on a large ranch in Northern Michigan. The ranch is for boar and buffalo hunting, but it has a population of feral pigs that escaped from a farm that the owner wants off the property. My brother's plan is sneak up on it while it is sleeping (he's seen many of them sleeping during previous bow/boar hunts). I told him he is probably going to get hurt, but he doesn't care, he lives for this kind of thing. I will let you know how it goes and possibly post the video.

His friend is going as camera man and backup. I am thinking about going as backup as well. We will probably bring guns, but not use them if he is too close because of the possibility of a ricochet or misplaced shot.
 
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