Non scientific hunting knife survey

[hstdist]

The hunting knife for a gift question reminded me I wanted to post this.
I work in a popular hunting area for big game - moose and black bear. Various programs we operate require stats. Potentially during open season for these two animals approx. 24 000 hunters can be in our patrol area. Lots of blades . Anyways, the times I unchained myself from a desk and got out in the field I did check out some blades and makes a few notes of interest.
The majority of folks I spoke to had both a folder and a fixed blade
- some Buck 110 types ( I say types because I just saw they were big brass bolstered ones in a sheath)
- the ones with clips were Spydie military, and a police
- All others were pretty much Gerber Gators
No one had any SAK's with them, but there were everyone seemed to have leatherman type tools ( but kockoffs mostly) in the cab of thier truck.
Fixed blades saw again Buck knves being real big.
Lots of Vangauards with the gut hooks
Lots of Outdooredge knives
Lots of Scharde - saftey grips
Saw a Karbar USMC along with a smaller Buck 102 on on chaps belt as his woods kit.
One other chap I bumped into who was heading into the woods was "knifed " up had a Cold Steel trailmaster, a CRKT Bwana and a small slipjoint.
Saw a few Becker Patrol machetes on stands used to clear shooting lanes along with cheapo no name ones.
Eastwing hachets seemed popular
For you Dozier fans nada seen

Only 2 customs seen this whole season both on older chaps, both who weren't really hunting, they were at different camps one was from MI, the other from NY. Both had older Randalls.
The guy from MI had to the best of my knowledge ( he didn't know) a Mdl 5 7" camp and trail with leather handles. He got it from a hunter he guided in the UP in the 50's as a bounus.
The other chap had a real nice Pathfinder staghandled knife. This he purchased as a retirement gift for himself some years ago.
Both knives were nice and used with that patina only years of hunting use can give.
Just thought you'd like to know some of what I saw in the field this fall.

 

[bruce]

Good observation!!

I used to be a professional game processor (skinning, ageing, cutting, wrapping, freezing, and did some curing/smoking also.) I used to see lots of knives -- very similar to your profile. I always wondered why someone would spend a fortune on a fine rifle, then buy a cheap knife. I suppose hunters spend more time with their noses in the Remington/Winchester/Ruger catalogs than in knife catalogs. A guy probably memorized the balistics and trajectory of his particular hunting load, but doesn't know squat about the steel, hardness, or blade design of his hunting knife.

I got so fed up with the design of most hunting knives that I had a custom one built by Matt Harildstad in Canada. I haven't harvested any big game since he made it, but I'm looking forward to the next hunt.

Bruce Woodbury

 

[glockman99]

Back in the day when I was still a hunter I carried the true rednecks' knife; A Schrade (Old-Timer) Sharpfinger.

 

[hstdist]

Even quality rifles ( imho ) have taken a kicking.Now days and maybe through no fault of anyones, all the $$ is tied up in $50 000 pick ups and atvs. Few and far between are the nice model 70 wice good walnut for factory stuff and I don'y recall any custom guns. Lots of synthetic stocked stuff. But todays hunters have developed into ambushers imho, where the ability to get to a productive stand are is more important than a good rifle hence the value on items like atv's but thats a topic for another thread