What is the right hunting knife for me? Knives?

H

headwatermike

Joined
May 22, 2010
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6
So, I came to this site for clarity, now I've more confused than ever. Maybe some folks here can shed some light on the choices out there in manufacturers and steel for today and for future purchases.

My wife bought me a new hunting knife for our anniversary. She picked out a Knives of Alaska Light Hunter. She picked it b/c it had hard steel and a big gut hook. I don't like it enough b/c it has a very thick blade, hardly a point, and the edge is more like a hatchet than the hollow ground type edge I would prefer for sharpening. I love the feel of it in my hand, the tool steel, and the big, wide guthook. I'm very unimpressed with the fit and finish. The metal is pitted, the handle pieces are loose, and the handle fit is simply poor and ugly. At the butt, you can see where the injection points are for the mold. It is tough and tool-like, which suits my needs.

So I decided to return her kind gift, and pick out something else. I would like something to pass to the kids, but it will get years of hard use first (the best kind of gift). I hunt alot, and use the crap out of knives for this purpose. However, I don't do alot of the things I read about on this site. No prying, chipping, digging, batoning (had to do a search to find out about what this is--and I guess I have smashed through some rib bones/sternums, but I use a saw or hatchet if I need to cut wood). I use a knife for cutting. In a typical year, I process around 3 elk, maybe 5 deer, same for antelope, untold birds, and some fish. The big game are sometimes a long ways from a road, and they are often quartered and packed out--something I do with a knife by cutting the quarters loose and then cutting the meat from the remaining "frame" (neck, backstrap, loins, rib meat). Sometimes I find myself with two elk down doing this work all at once. By the time you skin back as needed and make all of the cuts through the hide, you are cutting meat off with a pretty dull knife. Also, I have two knives with guthooks that work well on deer and great on antelope, but they are simply too small for elk, as they clog with hair every few inches. If the knife had a larger hook like the Knives of Alaska, I think it would really speed up the process. The larger hook would be easier to sharpen, too.

For the deboning and cutting the hind quarters loose a shorter, handy blade is perfect. For cutting the netherlands a long blade is better . Often for deer and antelope, my Buck Zipper is just fine with about a 4" blade, but for elk I have to hold the butt of the knife and struggle to get the job done completely--sometimes I have to use my leatherman saw to split the pelvis which is alot of extra energy.

Knives I have and like are an old Buck 110, a Buck Zipper, a Browning model 697 (has a gut hook), and an "NRA" skinning knife supposedly by Benchmade that is marked Hinderer Knives and is in D2 steel. I usually end up carrying some combonation of these, but the zipper is always along. I like the way the Buck knives sharpen to a razor edge easily, but wish they cut longer. I am not crazy about sharpening the NRA knife, but I definately don't have to as often. It is hard to get really sharp like the Buck or the Browning knives. The Browning loses its edge fastest.

What makes do you recommend? Any to stay away from? I really prefer made in USA, or another reputable country as a second choice (no china, Taiwan, etc!). Is Boker any good? Anyone heard of Silver Stag? Fallkniven is a bit pricey, and no gut hooks. Bark River with a hook?

So what steel do I need? I often put a wet blade in a sheath and leave it for hours before it can dry out, but I do take good care of my equipment (clean, sharpen). I don't mind spending some time to sharpen hard steel, if it means I can carry less knives up the mountain. D2, ATS 34, AUS 8, VG-10, CM 154? I don't really know the differences entirely, but I've been reading alot here.

I like a nice looking knife, but ultimately it will be used hard. I like leather sheaths. I've never noticed that I need a checkered pattern grip, but finger grooves seem to help me best; so I would prefer a prettier, higher quality grip over, say, the cold steel master hunter grip.

I really like the looks of the Knives of Alaska designs, maybe the Magnum or the Whitetail hunter with the guthook. They have combos that include a little caping knife that might be the ticket. Maybe I'll just carry an ugly knife that gets the job done. I know alot of folks here don't approve of the guthook, but I get alot of use from one, so I don't really need the "I don't like a gut hook" bit, it won't help me. I've thought about carrying a separate gut hook, but am trying to lighten/simplify my kit. I know I'm not talking about one knife here, but specific knife suggestions would be appreciated. Opinions on the Knives of Alaska?

I will definitely buy more knives over the years, as I would like to have a few well-worn blades to pass on for kids, nieces, nephews, etc. I think a knife that has been over the mountain is the best gift you can give. I would like to purchase quality, high value knives of timeless designs. My budget is probably $200 at the high end, maybe closer to $100. Any more and I'll hesitate using it as described. No safe queens for me!

Thanks to anyone who made it through this and will give a thoughtful response. I really appreciate any helpful advice.

Mike
 
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My first thought when reading was browse through the bark river selection and see what one tweaks your melon the most... but if you need a gut-hook, they don't have anything for you... should you decide you don't care about the hook... check them out, they are all top notch knives.
 
maybe this Buck from Cabela's? Buck Alpha in s30v with guthook. It's got great ratings on cabelas site (4.9 out of 5) and the Paul Bos heat treat is said to be top notch. If you don't want to spend that much Buck makes several guthook knives for under $100. Cabela's carries a few differentl guthook skinners you might want to take a look at, and Kabar makes a guthook knife with stacked leather handles that would be nice to pass down to the kids some day. Cabela's has the Kabar for only $35. Personally I'd just buy a good solid camp/hunting/survival knife and buy a separate gut-hook like the Gerber EZ Zip, which uses disposable razor blades.

Edit: sorry I missed the part about you not wanting to carry a separate guthook, disregard that last bit of my post.
 
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Carrying a seperate gut hook isn't completely out of the question. The buck guthook is a bit small for the larger game, and I would prefer to try new manufacturers. I've always loved the look of the stacked leather handles--any experience with the steel? Are the leather grips difficult to get clean after getting bloody?

Why are the Bark River so popular?

Thanks for the feedback.
 
Cabela's lists the steel on the Kabar as AUS-6, which isn't the greatest steel around. I believe it is commonly considered to be somewhere between 440a and 440c in edge holding. It is quite easy to sharpen, and very stain resistant. Some people might consider it sub-par for a modern skinning knife, but the same could be said of Buck's 420HC and it's been getting the job done for decades now. It really comes down to the user's opinion.

As for the stacked leather handles, I've never gotten blood on any of mine so I can't really say.

Bark River knives are very popular around here because they are simply very good knives. Good materials, and excellent craftsmanship.

you may also want to check out the Gerber Freeman here. It's made in the USA and has s30v steel and stag handles for $99.

if you want to some more variety check this link. they have guthook knives from benchmade, browning, boker, buck, case, cold steel, muela, gerber, kabar, kershaw, leatherman, sog, and a few others. a pretty good selection.

The Benchmade Bone Collector looks very nice as well, in D2 steel for $98 it would be hard to beat.
 
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+1 on the Bark Rivers, I'd just opt to carry a separate gut hook if need be like the wyoming knife one. They have great F&F will keep their edge a long time especially with that convex grind and have a great warranty to back them up. I have a Gerber Freeman that I got as a gift, 420 steel w/o the guthook, I actually really like the feel of the handle, it would be better if the handle was a little bigger around though, it would be good if you have smaller hands, but I do like the blade shape and full tang. For Fallkniven I'd recommend the H1, you can get it in vg-10 for around $105 if you look around. You could also look at the Benchmade Michael Waddel Bone collector http://www.knifeworks.com/benchmade...hook15010d2steelblackg10handlesplainedge.aspx D2 steel for good edge holding and better corrosion resistance than most carbon steels, also comes w/ a guthook, haven't handled them or anything so can't vouch for it, but looks pretty good, also well priced at probably around $75 after the coupon code. Also this knife from buck maybe worth a look http://www.knifeworks.com/buckalphahunter420hcguthookblackrubberhandle.aspx... just some ideas.
 
You would likely have to up your budget a bit, but have you considered a custom made knife? Instead of an off the shelf compromise you could have exactly the blade you want (big gut hook and all)--one that will last several lifetimes if taken care of. Just a thought.
 
How much do you want to spend? There are lots of knives out there if you can work without a guthook. I have processed lots of animals every year (deer, elk etc) and never needed one. I know guys who do use them but if you can get by with a secondary guthook I feel your options will open up a heck of alot. Some good options have already been posted and I am a big fan of Bob Dozier. However as already mentioned you can really do well by ordering a custom knife. Some makers may not want to make a guthook though if you go that route. The Bark River knives are great knives and many people like them because of the steel the blade shapes, many handle choices and the convex edges.

I use a Gossman 4" hunter in D2 and its been my go-to knife for some years now and has processed alot of game. I can usually get through several white tails without sharpening (field dressing, skinning, getting the meet off the carcas....save the meat processing at home for diff knives).

If you go to the Makers section of this forum and check out the Fixed Blades for sale area you can see alot of makers work and prices and you could go with one of them too.
 
My suggestion out of the one you named and with your budget get a Bark River. They have any size and shape knife you can imagine and will get through a few elk and still be sharp. To go along with that Gerber makes a gut hook that uses replacable exacto knife blades and it only costs about $12. I don't like my gut hook on the end of my knife because it snags when doing anything else besides opening up the belly.

Here is the gut hook
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There are a lot of options here.. I do a lot of hunting and a typical season between bow and gun I average handling 10 to 15 deer a yr. I am no expert, however I have harvested over 300 whitetails and every big game animal in Alaska. There are only 3 makers that ride on my belt and in my pack.

Dozier,Crotts,Ingram

Depending what I am chasing dictates what I carry..If you want high end performance to the point where you shake your head and say " how can that knife still be sharp?" then I promise you these 3 makers are a safe bet. If you ever go hunting with a guide..bring 2 because part of your tip will end up being the extra you brought along.. these makers a all slightly north of your budget..but worth every cent IMHO..
 
I'd suggest go to Cabela's and see if anything at their knife counter would meet your needs (since you already have the KoA knife to trade in for credit). Knives of Alaska has a good reputation with a lot of hunters, and if I remember correctly most of their knives are made out of D2. (if you find it hard to sharpen, try a diamond stone) One of their 2 or 3 knife sets (magnum & muskrat or bearcub comes to mind) along with a "Wyoming Knife" for gutting may meet your needs well.

If you can't find what you like at Cabela's, and have any skill at drawing, sketch out your ideal hunting knife and post a picture in the knife makers forum here and see what kind of bites you get.

Good luck!
 
Get this one from Ragweed forge or many other internet sources.

Roselli Hunter (Erapuukko). 4" Krupp W75 Carbon Steel, right about 60 hardness, scandi grind. 5" arctic birch handle which is remarkable slip resistant and is large enough to handle with bulky gloves.

$96.

Roselli_hunter_02.jpg
 
mmarkh said:
Nice knives but the OP wanted to be mid $100 with a $200 max
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Understood.
A bit of a thread jump,I know. And in response to the previous poster that mentioned them. I just thought he would appreciate seeing some knifes that would make very nice functional knives that would also be treasured as gifts down the road.
Perhaps for a future purchase, or other lurkers that might be able to swing the price.
The combo sets, Skinner plus "trout knife", would make a nice set to go hunting with , plus a gut hook.
 
Mr. Bad Example said:
You would likely have to up your budget a bit, but have you considered a custom made knife? Instead of an off the shelf compromise you could have exactly the blade you want (big gut hook and all)--one that will last several lifetimes if taken care of. Just a thought.
Click to expand...

+1 :thumbup: Try the maker's section on our forums. NWA Knives have some great large hunters, like the Safari Skinner.
 
Thanks alot for the suggestions.

The knifeworks site is great. Wow, there are alot of choices. This immediate choice is settled; it turned out to be a political choice, as staying with the make of the original purchase proved to be the wisest decision (the wife was proud to see I stuck with her selection, more or less). I picked up a set from Knives of Alaska: the whitetail hunter w/ guthook in D2 and their bear cub that is in 440c I think. I wish the blade length was a touch longer, and the fit and finish is about like a framing hammer, but it should provide years of good service.

This search has inspired me, and I will start collecting knives that I admire. I didn't realize there were so many great knives I have been missing. I have alot of nieces and nephews, as well as a couple of kids, all of which will be getting out in the field in the coming years. I look forward to having a quality knife to use and enjoy, then pass on as warranted.

Bark River will probably be next.

Does anyone know of Silver Stag? They have offerings in D2, and in "tool steel", which is purported to be from the same material as leaf springs. When I was young I hammered a couple of knives from leaf springs, and one I worked on alot kept a great edge. Is there a standard steel that is similar and is available today? Is it 1095?

Most here seem to give greater credence to knife make than to the actual steel.

I love the idea of having the knife made, b/c I know what I am looking for but have had trouble finding the exact knife. This is definately something I will pursue.

Thanks again.
 
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