The Right Khukuri

sawgrass

sawgrass

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Mar 27, 2014
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Ok, if you were a big game guide in the Northwest or Kodiak Island, would you carry a khukuri across your chest or where and given the size of the game, which khukuri would you carry for protection? Just curious and appreciate your answers.
 
I'd carry one, probably a smallish CAK or M43. I'd probably carry it in a Baldric setup like Pugs makes so it kind of hangs like a shoulder holster.
I'd not give it a thought as a protection tool other than chopping to make a fire, helping to process an animal, build a shelter.

I got no interest in taking on a Kodiak or Brown with a knife.
 
I wouldn't want to rely on any knife for animal defense other than a last ditch tool.

That out the way I'd carry a 16-18" 23-28oz WW2, M43, or CAK.
 
"given the size of the game, which khukuri would you carry for protection"

With 100% ignorance, 0% experience and 100% imagination:

Minimum length 18 inch
Minimum weight 27 ounce

The aim would be a knife with sufficient reach and weight to be able to stop the "game" in a single blow or two in the event of an attack while being compact and light enough to be carried around with me.
I would favour my 18 inch 25 ounce Thamar dui chirra, though my non-Hi 19 inch 27 ounce GAK would be a close second choice - don't fancy carrying it around for any extended period of time though. I would prefer hidden tang to full tang to decrease the weight I am carrying as it should be strong enough for this purpose.

That said, if I was 6 inches taller than my 5’7” and built to match, a 20-22 inch 30 - 34 ounce knife would be my preference
 
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Protection only means bear. I mean you are on Kodiac Island. Given you only got one chance. There aint no time for sawing or chopping action id take my 25" Sirupati. If I had a Janawar Katne I'd take that.
 
Since the emphasis is on "the size of the game" I assume we're talking about a large kodiak bear, say 1000 lbs or more.

Here is the problem:

View attachment 545790 View attachment 545791 View attachment 545792

One picture shows the hopeless matchup in size and strength. This is an animal that can take your head off with one swipe of its paw, and can run at you about as fast as a horse.

Another picture shows the bear armed with five khukuris on each paw.

A third picture shows an affectionate kiss from bear to man. The bear could bite his face off if they weren't friends.

So what would be best for protection? Many people would say a handgun or rifle, but I think a can of bear spray is most effective, keeping in mind that bears have an incredibly powerful -- and sensitive -- sense of smell.

View attachment 545793

"A rifle apparently doesn’t work as well as a cannister of red pepper spray. Dr. Smith and colleagues report in the Journal of Wildlife Management that in encounters during the past three decades where humans used the spray against black, brown and polar bears, the spray stopped the bears’ “undesirable behavior” more than 90 percent of the time — and in none of the incidents did any person suffer serious injury."

"Many hikers and park rangers have been skeptical of the bear sprays, fearing that they wouldn’t deter a bear or might not work in the wind. But the cannisters, which can be carried in holsters and work like fire extinguishers, eject the red-pepper spray at more than 70 miles per hour, and the new study showed that they reached bears even in windy conditions. It’s a lot easier to aim a spray than to fell a bear with a rifle shot, said Dr. Smith, who found in a previous study that rifles were effective only two-thirds of the time in human-bear encounters."
 
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Bear can sprays are clearly the best defense up close and personal and they are powerful. My case was a hypothetical case which I am seeing some interesting opinions of which khukuri to carry and how to carry it if a big bear wear coming on you and the blade was last resort. Thanks for bringing up the bear spray, it is great defense.
 
If you were able to get one blade thrust or one blow to the bear, I would want a blade heavy enough to stop an animal but light enough to carry with you. It was this combination that I was curious about with my hypothetical situation. Thanks for the great replys.
 
I think there was a story here about a nepalese man using his kukri to take down a mountain lion. I don't think he had time to take it out of his sheath.
 
Well, yes. That was pointed to me as well, it's nice that if you run into a bear it's not the biggest one in the State :). I commend that man's clear had and...balls of steel.

However, as a general rule, you run into a bear willing to put in the effort to kill you, you're toast...I have seen up and personal what a single bear claw with short swipe behind it can do.
 
David nailed it with Pepper spray, that's the best thing for bears.

For a Khukri to use around camp, to clear shooting lanes, process wood and such, I'd reach for my 18" WWII.
 
Heber,
Which khukuri do you carry for use against the Great Spotted Timpanogos Grizzly?
Those can be NASTY if you piss 'em off.
(Striped Nebo Devilgriz cousin is reputedly even worse.)
Denis
 
DPris said:
Heber,
Which khukuri do you carry for use against the Great Spotted Timpanogos Grizzly?
Those can be NASTY if you piss 'em off.
(Striped Nebo Devilgriz cousin is reputedly even worse.)
Denis
Click to expand...
Just wait until you meet their wives :eek:
 
Well since the OP asked "which Khukri" then i didnt consider bear spray but I can definitely understand that. Id rather simply run off a bear than kill it unless I was starving but if I had to carry a Khuk rig as a guide for general use as made by HI then Id have to say the YCS would get the job done. Two full size Kardas and a punch which would serve as a chakma. That'd be my choice.

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Next or very close would be my 18" AK by Bura.

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OK, for the sake of the discussion, below is a picture of an HI replica of a khukuri made by Kancha Kami, who made the knife that a farmer used to kill a bear that attacked him in his fields. There's a writeup of the story somewhere at the HI web site. It was probably a Himalayan bear, typically much smaller than the Kodiak giants, but a bear nonetheless.

This is a Sherpa Knife, 18.5" OAL, 38 oz, by Sher Kami:

View attachment 546051 View attachment 546052

It's heavy but well balanced, and the handle is very comfortable as well as good looking.
 
Our joke about city folk and bells and sprays was you could tell the city folk had been in the woods because the bear scat had little bells in it and smelled like pepper spray...
The khukuri would be left alone after being swatted around a few times for after-dinner exercise...no hunting guides carry spray but rather things such as chopped off .45-70 leverguns weathered like fenceposts..
 
davidf99 said:
OK, for the sake of the discussion, below is a picture of an HI replica of a khukuri made by Kancha Kami, who made the knife that a farmer used to kill a bear that attacked him in his fields. There's a writeup of the story somewhere at the HI web site. It was probably a Himalayan bear, typically much smaller than the Kodiak giants, but a bear nonetheless.

This is a Sherpa Knife, 18.5" OAL, 38 oz, by Sher Kami:

View attachment 546051 View attachment 546052

It's heavy but well balanced, and the handle is very comfortable as well as good looking.
Click to expand...

http://www.himalayan-imports.com/assets/images/Animals.htm
 
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