What is a "trapper knife"?
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Absintheur
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It is the nickname for a knife pattern, normally 1 or 2 blades. A classic trapper is a jack knife that has two blades of the same length; usually consisting of a clip master blade and a long spey blade. This pattern was developed around 1920 and was quickly embraced by fur trappers as well as cattlemen. The spey blade was useful for turning bulls into steer as well. The blunt tip help prevent accidental piercing when working with either animals or skins. You will find the spey blade on stockman patterns as well.
I used to have a friend that was old enough to be my grandfather. I would hunt on his land and in exchange I would help him tend to the livestock and farm chores.
He had a trapper style slippie and would peform magic with the spey blade when it came time to "cut" the bulls and boars. We would run them in the chute, out would come that patina spey blade, and in a flash he would have the deed done. A little shot of some blue areosol stuff to disinfect and we would release the animal back into freedom.
He would also help me skin the deer I would harvest from his fields. Old man had tons of money but wouldn't spend any of it on meat from the grocery store. I kept his freezer full of venison and he could flat clean a deer out in no time flat, again using his trapper style knife. It's been so many years ago I don't remember what kind it was.
But I do remember how effective that knife was as a general all around utility blade for farm chores.
He had a trapper style slippie and would peform magic with the spey blade when it came time to "cut" the bulls and boars. We would run them in the chute, out would come that patina spey blade, and in a flash he would have the deed done. A little shot of some blue areosol stuff to disinfect and we would release the animal back into freedom.
He would also help me skin the deer I would harvest from his fields. Old man had tons of money but wouldn't spend any of it on meat from the grocery store. I kept his freezer full of venison and he could flat clean a deer out in no time flat, again using his trapper style knife. It's been so many years ago I don't remember what kind it was.
But I do remember how effective that knife was as a general all around utility blade for farm chores.
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To my mind, a trapper is a sturdy jack knife, with one or two blades, with a (semi)squared bolster at the pivot end, and a rounded bolster on the other. If there are two blades, then they are of equal length. Usually, the pattern is upswept a bit at the non-pivot end. Often, there is a hump on the top edge of the handle to mirror the (internal) hump of the springs.
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Just a note here--although the trapper pattern usually has a clip and a spey blade, there are alternatives. Many folks do not find the spey balde all that useful, and Tony Bose has come out with a "Wharncliffe Trapper" pattern, in which the spey blade is replaced with a wharncliffe. (At least I think that Tony (and Reese) were the first; there are a few makers doing these now. I would love to hear about production models of this pattern).
I have to say, I find that Wharncliffe Trapper an extremely handy pattern for everyday tasks, to the point that I always have one in my pocket.
I have to say, I find that Wharncliffe Trapper an extremely handy pattern for everyday tasks, to the point that I always have one in my pocket.
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That's odd. I swear there used to be a sticky describing some different patterns that I think waynorth started that would be a good place for that but I don't see it. Hmmmm.
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Case has made some wharncliffe trappers- CK.net has several in stock right now, in tiny, mini, and full-sized versions. Check the "New Arrivals" section.
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Very well stated..
The spey blade is a very well designed tool for its intended hard use chores set and is invaluable in that roll.. Some 30 or 40 years ago the spey blade was actually marked with the words, "flesh blade" or "fleshing blade" by several of the pocket knife production company's like Case and others.
Best,
Anthony
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The shape is blunt, but the edge is not. It's commonly referred to as a "trapper" blade, and a Trapper knife most usually contains one trapper blade and one clip blade. Some "trapper" knives only have one blade, or a blade and a saw.
who is the maker of the single blade trapper on the bottom?
Yep. Those are all from my Old Timer collection. The bottom knife is not a standard model though, it's an odds-and-ends knife from the final days of the Schrade factory production. That particular knife has plasti-stag ("staglon") handles and an Old Timer blade.
Having skinned a few animals, I'll take a shot at answering.
When it comes to making the initial cuts to open the pelt, the spey's lack of a tip is a handicap. You can do it, but it is slower than using a clip blade. From that point, a spey blade shines at skinning. The goal is to separate the pelt from the carcass without damaging the skin. Due to the shape of the tip, a spey blade can be used more aggressively for this than can a pointed blade. You work the hide loose, then use the knife to sever the connecting tissue. The rounded tip keeps you from poking holes in the hide.
Folks who engage in competitive skinning (of muskrats, for instance) tend to use a very sharp paring knife. In practice, this isn't much different from the old trappers' muskrat pattern, with a clip blade on each end.
When skinning larger game (deer for example), a spey blade works the same way. When using a trapper to dress and skin a deer, I usually just make an initial cut with the clip blade, then do the rest with the spey blade. It reduces the chance of penetrating the stomach and intestines, and yields a clean hide and carcass, but mostly, it is what I'm used to.
I always liked the idea of wharncliffe trappers, but I'd prefer a wharncliffe/spey combination. To me, a clip/wharncliff combination doesn't seem to offer any usable advantages.