Your thoughts on hunters...

Matthew Gregory

Matthew Gregory

Chief Executive in charge of Entertainment
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Jan 12, 2005
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The weather has broken here. As I sat sipping my morning coffee, looking out the windows at blue skies with hope for temperatures consistently above fifteen degrees (!), the thick growth of trees brought my mind to time spent hunting last season...

I don't make too many hunting knives, which isn't to say I haven't made any, just that it's not something I make. Much. Nevertheless, I've field dressed and skinned every deer I've ever taken with a knife of my own making. This does NOT mean to imply that I make a particularly good hunting knife - in point of fact, I'm deeply resentful that I don't own a knife made by someone I feel likely makes the finest hunting knife, period. Perhaps, a rant for another time... :mad: :D

I'm a late-comer to the realm of hunting, having picked it up late in my life, so I'm not steeped in years of experience, and don't want to imply that I'm an expert, by any metric. It's because of this, in fact, that I've elected to start this thread!

As I sat pondering the results of my hunts, it got me thinking about what other folks might use, and why. I'll wager there's more deer and other game dressed with Buck 110's, Schrade Sharpfingers, and Case folders than all other blades combined, but there's a wide disparity betwixt 'good enough' and 'excelsior'.

For myself, I prefer a smaller blade, perhaps three-and-a-half inches long, preferably with a guard, and a decent point. A bit of belly is good, but I find that the bulk of what I use is within the first inch or so of the tip. I don't split the pelvis, finding it unnecessary to do until I'm butchering.

I skin the game as soon as I get it hung, and I use the same knife that I used to field dress, and once again the first inch or so is what's most important.

Once butchering is commenced, I switch to dedicated boning knives. So far, what I've used are standard Forschner stainless blades which you'd find in a commercial environment. The handles are contoured well, but the steel is positively miserable, as one may expect.


SO...

What do you use? What's your preference, and why? Do you skin your game? Do you butcher your own game? What tools do you use?

I guess it's not important to me whether or not your answer includes a custom knife, but I think the answers I'm fishing for would include one...;)

What say you, gang?
 
I reckon I'll catch hell if I don't post a photo or two of what I've used, so here it is. This is a knife I made in haste, back when I was working so much I couldn't breathe, and knew if I showed up at deer camp -with a bunch of other knifemakers present- carrying the SAME knife I used last year I'd never hear the end of it. Made entirely in one quick weekend, it's a very simple stock removal knife of .125" 1095, hollow ground, with a goofy looking integral guard of sorts that works surprisingly well, with some of BillF's gorgeous curly koa:




Atop the lil' doe I took late last season:



A gratuitous shot of my Master Venison Taste-Tester and Chaser:
 
Matt,
Here's a little knife I made to keep and personally use. I'll admit I've cleaned more than my fair share of deer since I was a kid. I like a 3.5" blade fine, thinner rather than thicker. Actually I like a pointier blade more like a puukko for purely game processing.
This one's more of a skinner/all purpose....1084 and micarta.

Tad

Added a deer pic...



 
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Under 4 inch blade, No guard or bolsters other than integral guard- skinner
5 inch boner to take apart
 
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Matt, I think you've covered it, bud! The knife you made, to me, is just DEAD ON for a hunting knife. Your integral guard drops down just a tad much, and pointed, for my taste, but that is not a performance issue at all, but simply cosmetic. I think the thickness should be somewhere between may be .090" thru over sized 1/8". Thinner than .090" can certainly make for a more efficient cutter, but not by much, and thinner is not always better on a hunter, simply because they are often pressed into other use. Blade length should be 3"-4", which should be enough to field dress any North American game. You are absolutely right....the last 1" sees 95% of the work, and as such should definitely be tapered to a point. Can be dropped or trailing, leaning heavily towards drop tip. Saber grind, or full flat grind, or hollow grind, too! I tend to prefer FFG. Handle, IMHO, should not have much in the way of "bumpage". Finger grooves and such should be kept to minimum. Matt's knife is a great example of a finger choil that will not get in the way of different grip styles. Good looking handle and wood!

Steel should be able to be touched up with minimal effort. AKA carbon/tool steel or AEBL type stainless. What I mean by that is a stainless alloy that doesn't have the reputation of being a b---h to sharpen in the field. It is very nice to have some wear resistance, too! Usually white tail deer don't present much of a challenge to wear resistance. Feral hogs.....that's another ballgame. But if you DO process the animal beyond simple field dressing, it's nice to have an edge that will last longer than one field dress. But even if it doesn't have the wear resistance of S90V or whatever, if it responds well to quick touch ups on stone or "steel", you're good to go!

I use G10, non textured, on my knife. I don't ever notice an issue of not being able to hold on to it while coated in blood. This is a concern, and rightly so (what kind of handle material should I use so it isn't slick when bloody). But I go back to handle design. Keep it simple, make it fit the hand, and blood should not be too much of a concern.

This is an example of how I make most hunters. As a matter of fact, my own is exactly the same, but with solid blade orange G10 scales, so I can more easily spot it once I've set it on the ground and then lose track of it!

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I'm sure you're right about Buck 110's, Sharpfingers and Case hunters being used by most, and that was certainly true of me for the first 20 years of my hunting life. And for field dressing, a couple of inches of blade is all you need, I agree. I grew up hunting in south Texas where it can be in the 80's in December--just not cold enough to hang deer to cool out after field dressing. So I learned to butcher in the field and put the meat directly on ice. Once I became proficient at that, I learned to handle a bit more blade and save time and strokes. I later lived and hunted in Colorado and New Mexico, where those same field-butchering techniques are useful to "de-bone" larger animals before packing out meat from inaccessible terrain.

I like clip or drop-point blades, 4 1/2" to 5 1/2" depending on size of animal, with no choil, 3/16" thick or thinner at the spine/ricasso with good distal taper to a fine point and plenty of belly for skinning, mortised-tang handles comfortable in all positions, with a good, secure single guard. And I value nimble, lightweight blades over "clunkers".

On clip points I prefer a straight clip rather than "dished". I don't like trailing points, stubby, spindly guards or double guards.
 
Show me, Will. I want to see your FAVORITE hunting knife. That goes for everybody!!!:)

Excellent explanation, too, btw.

Great input so far - thanks, gang!
 
Matthew Gregory said:
Show me, Will. I want to see your FAVORITE hunting knife. That goes for everybody!!!:)

Excellent explanation, too, btw.

Great input so far - thanks, gang!
Click to expand...

Thanks for your interest. My avatar photo shows interpretations of my hunter design built by several custom makers--enlargement of the photo with caption below. Details about the design and much better photos of the knives can be found in the following threads:

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/703461-The-Perfect-Hunter

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/759545-Stuart-Branson-Hunter

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/888929-John-White-Hunter

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/899273-Don-Hanson-III-Hunter

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/618415-Damascus-ivory-hunter

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/900617-Hunter-by-Stuart-Branson

In addition, the following two threads describe a collaborative effort with Gayle Bradley which led to a hybrid custom based on the design. The pattern was later picked up by Sal Glesser and will be produced by Spyderco:

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/943998-Gayle-Bradley-quot-Competition-Hunter-quot

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1207307-New-Hunter-Design-Development

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Starting clockwise with the knife at the top, it's by Master Smith (MS) Rick Dunkerley in amber stag and forged CPM10V, heat treated by Phil Wilson to 64 HRC; then MS Don Hanson III’s ladder damascus and mammoth ivory bark; next is by Stuart Branson in desert ironwood and S90V heat treated by Phil Wilson to 62 HRC; then MS Bailey Bradshaw’s example with French-greyed, deep-relief-engraved guard and ladder damascus blade under pre-ban elephant ivory; then MS Jason Knight’s interpretation in W2 with bronze guard and fossil walrus ivory; then another by Stuart Branson in 1095 and ironwood; and finally MS John White's 4-bar Turkish twist damascus under Merino sheep horn with a fileworked collar behind the guard.

As for my favorite, the closest rendering to what I had in mind is Stuart's S90V knife, but any of these would be so far beyond anything I had experienced before that they all qualify as favorites. :thumbup:
 
im not a hunter but i use hunting style knives as general utility knives. i love the look, that's all. I like a guard but not such a pointy and prominent one. A super long guard inhibits good cutting and slicing on a flat surface. i like the guard to not be too forward in relation to the edge. My one and only custom hunter by R. Dark. Photo from him too.

I like guards even a little larger than the one on this knife but you can't have everything.

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I like where this is going! Knives and hunting... two of my favorite topics :)

That being said I don't feel like I've got enough experience with any of this to have a solid opinion... I have butchered deer, and I have made hunter-style knives, but not enough of either to really have an educated opinion...

That being said, I'm interested to hear insight from the experienced hunters and makers here!
 
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The picture explains it all. I am used to whitetail in Texas.

80CrV2, brass, and curly maple. Not everyone likes brass, but I like it fine. This was made for a good friend, and it is what he wanted. The blade/handle design is my favorite (sort of a Nessmuk, but a bit more curve).


works good for me. Excels at skinning (just under 1/8" at ricasso, with serious distal taper). O1 may have been a little better, but I can not be certain that it won't see some pretty significant lateral forces at some point with my buddy using it. He is the impulsive type.


kc
 
Buck 110 was my first true hunting knife my Dad bought me I still use it to this day at times. I field dress, skin and process my own game from deer, bear, elk, turkey, rabbit, pheasant, squirrel, grouse. My 110 handles the small game though. When hunting big woods I like little bigger knife on my side but usually carry a couple. Processing I like my mora, br candian, an filet knife in conjunction with one of these. Busse groove master, br gameskeeper, buck vanguard. uploadfromtaptalk1425948409298.jpeg
 
I like a knife of 8½ to 9 inches with a half guard to keep from sliding up onto the blade with slick, bloody fingers. Haven't used this one yet by "Big Chris" Berry, but it's the same basic style I've used in several others through the years that works great for me. 8.9" OAL in G10 and S90V @ 61 with a very thin edge will slice all day without needing sharpening.

BCSH_zps530ee50f.jpg~original
 
Matt,

Tend to favor single lugged full guards.
3 1/2" to 5 1/2" blades.

Don's W2 Missouri walnut bronze guard/pin.
Back when Don used to take orders, I think this was the last order he took.

I was SO pleased to get a new Sunfish from DH3. :cool: :thumbup:

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Doug
 
Matt,

I don't hunt, but here is am O1 and G10 knife that one of the guys I used to work with designed and had me make for him. He's a life long hunter, and said he intended to use it for deer.



By the way, I like your hunting knife, but I'm shocked to see that it's not flat ground! :eek:
 
This is my favorite, maybe, though there is another that's a contender. OAL is about 7.5", and the blade around 3". I like a small knife for hunting, and in fact the last time I killed a deer I was without a dedicated hunter and used my daughter's 3 inch (OAL!), pink, cheap Buck lockback for filed dressing, skinning, and boning out the whole thing. It actually perfomed pretty well, all things considered, but wasn't exactly ideal. I mention that to illustrate what a lot of these guys have said: you only use the first inch or so. At no point did the tiny blade limit me, though more handle would have been nice, and maybe not pink.

The below is more like it, though it might could use a slightly longer handle.

Ivory-Smithwick-Forum.jpg
 
Matt, you're certainly an expert on the practical aspects of hunting knife design as compared with me!

The main takeaway for me from my outings with you and Dan is how little knife is really needed to dress and skin a deer. I think you are right about blade length. A well designed 3 1/2" will get the job done. 3 1/2 to 4" is ample. A dropped point, a bit of belly toward the tip (I like it when the first two inches from the tip going back describes a generous arc) and a single guard round out my preferences.

I bet that little knife of yours works a treat! You need to make me one - you can probably find some scrap walnut for the scales.
;)

The lower knife below has worked exceptionally well on everything from pheasant to deer:

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