What makes a good hunting knife?

M

mmtmatrix

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May 15, 2000
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Hello everyone, I don't do a a lot of hunting (went once recently, but that's a different story), but was wondering that makes a good hunting (skinning knife)? I know that there is a bit of debate and personal preference when it comes to this subject, but I am merely curious what is acceptable. Maybe a better questions would be what would not make a good hunting knife? I am more wondering about different blade styles (like spear point [single edge], drop point, clip point and feelings on recurves/bellies), on knives and how they will stack up in field use...

Thanks -- I appreciate any help,
mmtmatrix
 
The Shrade Sharpfinger is a great knife. I use mine for both big and small game. Best of all you can get one for under $25. The only problem is the sheath. Normark makes concealex sheaths for the Sharpfinger. It would be a good investment.

Paul
 
It MUST be sharp.
It must be easy to re-sharpen "in the field".
It must have a handle that is non-slipery.
 
A company bearing the name "Dozier".

Seriously, I like something that is very sharp with great edge holding ability. It must be maneuverable enough for work inside the body cavity of an animal. Needs to be capable of fine caping work, yet strong enough to disassemble joints. A decent amount of "belly" for skinning is also desirable.
 
First, what are you hunting? You need something very different for rabbit than say, bear

If we assume deer, there are the people who like the classic drop point hunter (Loveless style). This is for people who like to split the pelvis in the field

The second style uses a much narrower blade, and removes the lower intestine by cutting around the anus, without splitting the pelvis. This requires a blade that looks a lot more like a short (4" or so) fillet knife - The Kabar Lil Finn fits the bill, but it's not a great blade.

Me? I had a custom made to my specs (and yes, the engraving cost a lot more than the knife)
knife.jpg
 
A useful hunting knife IMHO has a sturdy blade about four inches long and a substantial handle that gives a good grip under less than optimum conditions, such as when it's cold and the grip is slippery with blood, fat, etc. I like a flat grind for ease of sharpening. A drop point is useful because it allows you to easily open the paunch without cutting the intestines. However, a clip or upswept tip can also do the job but require more care when doing the opening chore. The steel should be good quality and hold an edge for a substantial time. I prefer carbon steel (1095, Carbon V, 52100, or Roselli's excellent high carbon steel) but there are a lot of good semi-stainless (D-2) and stainless steels out there (AUS-8, ATS-34, VG-10). A finger guard is optional. Kraton grips are totally functional when it comes to giving good grip but some people don't like them. Roughed-up micarta grips are recommended by some professional hunters (Ross Seifreid), wood is great (I love the Arctic birch of my Roselli), stag works well, stacked leather does the job. I think Cold Steel's Master Hunter is outstanding, along with their Elk Skinner and American Hunter designs, all in Carbon V. My Roselli erapukko, Marble's Fieldcraft and Campcraft are also great hunting knives. Buck makes excellent hunting knives, too. One under-rated knife is Grohmann's Russell Belt Knife (made in Canada, yea!). I've used a Cold Steel SRK when skinning a moose and it worked great. Really, the user is the key. A useful hunting knife should also have a good sheath, but that's a whole other topic.
 
The other thing that's important in a hunting knife that others didn't mention is toughness. That is the ability to handle lateral stress (prying.) Carbon steel knives certainly meet this criterion (somebody mentioned Marbles as an example.) Another good production knife is the Fallkniven H1 or F1. These use VG-10 steel which is pretty tough as stainless steels go. What you want to avoid in a hunting knife is very hard high tech stainless steel which can be too brittle and too hard to sharpen in the field (as someone else correctly pointed out.) A Benchmade Nimravus, as an example, is a good tactical fixed blade but I wouldn't recommend it for hunting for those reasons. Take care.
 
Originally posted by Knife Outlet
The other thing that's important in a hunting knife that others didn't mention is toughness. That is the ability to handle lateral stress (prying.) <snip>
Click to expand...

Fred,
Why the heck would you be PRYING anything when working on a deer?:confused:

I guess I have an East Coast deer perspective. The ONLY thing that gets done to the deer in the field is gutting (field dressing). All the other stuff is done back at camp (In my case a friends house), and there we have a full assortment of butchers tools - Hand saw, cleavers, etc. Heck, I often use a different knife for skinning than gutting. Depending on how far it is into the season when we get the deer, it's possible that when we head home, the deer is in little white paper wrapped packages.

We can, and DO process the whole deer. It goes something like this

1)Gut deer in field
2)Drag back to house
3)Split chest and pelvis with cleaver
4)Wash with hose
5)Hang deer

Next day:
Skin
Quarter (This is where the saw comes in - it looks like a big hacksaw)
Put in Fridge/start processing meat:)
 
Thanks for all the help guys, I thought that I would get some responses like this, I guess that there is a ton of personal preference involved, and you don't need a certain knife. That's good, but for some reason I thought that there might be somewhat stricter guide lines. :) Would something like a Chris Reeve One piece in the 5.5 in range work (even thought there would be better suggestions)? Like a Project IV?

Thanks for all the help guys, that's the best part of this place, you can always learn more.
mmtmatrix
 
Mr. Gallo, that is truly a spectacular knife! Superb workmanship. Who did the engraving if I might ask?

It's my experience than a 10 point buck makes about any hunting knife just great... :)
 
Originally posted by Charles Gallo
The second style uses a much narrower blade, and removes the lower intestine by cutting around the anus, without splitting the pelvis.
Click to expand...

Wow! How do I "amen" that without starting a field dressing controversy!?! ;) That seems to be the best way (IMHO) to dress any animal where you do not desire to burst/cut/spill the contents of the bladder onto the meat. I always use a knife slim enough to cut inside the pelvis and pull the "external parts" through.
That said, a Chris Reeve Project IV is probably a bit big for most game. If you intend to dress the animal as deftly described by Charles Gallo!:D :D
 
Originally posted by Jerry Hossom
Mr. Gallo, that is truly a spectacular knife! Superb workmanship. Who did the engraving if I might ask?

It's my experience than a 10 point buck makes about any hunting knife just great... :)
Click to expand...

Never got a 10 - 8 max here

The engraving was done by Tiz Pozzobon of Engraving Arts - www.engravingarts.com

He's been featured in Blade Magazine. When I had that knife done, I had a 3 month wait - Now it's up around a year. I HAD a spot on line to have another knife done, but I had to skip it for budget reasons

And yes, I do take the knife in the field, and it does get bloody. You can guess where I stand on the "Do you use a custom knife?" question
 
A good hunting knife, would be one that is not to big or small. One that is a good quality, and holds a good edge. You need to go out, and feel and look at different blades to pick the one that is most comfortable to you that is durable, long lasting, and one that won't empty out your pocket book. You will need a good versatile blade that would be good for deer hunting, brown bear, to cleaning ducks and it may consist of a combo. My advice is go to a knife show, time holding and hours of looking. Good luck!
 
I use a Dozier Yukon Skinner and a Pro Skinner.
I'm not too experienced yet, as I've only done three caribou, a moose, several rabbits & beavers, etc., but I have a good friend who has hunted commercially in the past, and still processes a half dozen moose and two dozen caribou a year, not to mention the odd musk ox, bear, seal, walrus and beluga, plus lots of beaver and rabbits. We've been trying to find the best all around hunter, and the Doziers fit the bill.
The best style is a drop point, unless you don't mind spending alot more time on the job. Blades must have a thin edge, and a comfortable, secure grip is also a must. The blade length varies mostly with personal preferance. The fellow I mentioned loves the two Doziers I use, and has tried my 5" Elk Hunter, but he is going to order a Dozier Semi-Skinner w/3" blade, as he feels it is the optimum size for any game processing. For any work requiring a heavier blade, we have Grundsfor Bruks axes in the toboggan.

Jet
 
Thanks for all the help guys, I think that I have a bit of a better idea of what is actually necessary. Thanks again for the help, it is very much appreciated.
And, Charles nice knife there.
Thanks,
mmtmatrix
 
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