Whether hunting in a rough environment or simply prepping your trophy for taxidermy, you need a sharp, durable knife. But not all knives are created equal.
Learn about the main types of hunting knives at Best Mouth Call Turkey to make an educated choice when buying your next knife. Consider factors like blade material, size and handle, and how it’s stored.
The blade is the heart of a hunting knife, and there are nearly limitless designs to choose from. Ultimately, selecting the right one for your needs comes down to the type of tasks you’re likely to be performing while in the field. For example, if you plan to skin game and perform other field dressing chores, a fixed blade may be a better choice for you, while a folding blade could be adequate for general cutting or for keeping in a pocket.
The length of the blade also plays a role in determining how suitable a specific knife is for hunting tasks. While there’s something macho about wielding a big knife, you’ll want to consider the size of the game you’re likely to encounter and the knife’s intended purpose.
For example, if you’re planning to skin game and perform other field dressing chores, you’ll need a blade that’s sturdy and sharp enough for precise cuts without damaging the hide or meat. For this reason, a drop point blade that’s strong and durable is a good choice.
Blade materials are another important consideration, as different metals and alloys provide a variety of benefits. Carbon steel is easy to maintain and keeps its edge longer than stainless steel, but it can rust when not properly coated. Stainless steel is more expensive, but it doesn’t rust and is easier to keep razor sharp than carbon steel.
While you’re shopping for a new knife, pay close attention to the blade’s tang. The tang is the backbone that extends down into the handle from the blade, holding it together and providing strength and durability. A full tang is the strongest, while partial or stick tangs aren’t as durable.
Once you’ve selected the perfect blade for your hunting knife, it’s essential to keep it sharp and conditioned. A quick wipe down in the field is a good start, but you’ll need to clean and lubricate the blade and handle as soon as you return home. It’s important to use a cleaner that’s safe for your specific knife’s material, as abrasive cleaners can damage the blade and handle.
Handles
A good hunting knife should work as a unit, with blade and handle working together seamlessly. In the past, hunters used bone, horn, wood, leather and other natural materials for handles, but most of today’s knives are designed with high-tech, moisture-resistant handle material that can withstand heavy use in foul weather conditions or when the handle is wet from blood or water.
Handle material is typically made of resin, which allows for full color and design customization to meet each individual user’s needs. Resin can also be molded to the contours of a handle to add extra comfort and grip.
Many manufacturers offer a wide variety of handle material options for the hunter. Popular choices include Micarta (a class of layered paper or fabric laminated with fiberglass), G10 and Zytel (a blend of polymer reinforced with glass fiber). These materials are durable and impervious to the elements, but they require special molds for manufacture so they’re more suitable for production knives.
For the more budget-minded, rubber handles are an inexpensive and effective option that offer a good grip even when the handle is wet or covered in blood. They’re common on mass-produced knives from companies like Gerber or Benchmade. Another cheap but durable option is a cord wrap, which can be anything from old-fashioned Jute twine to modern paracord. Cord wraps provide a solid grip but aren’t as comfortable as a Micarta or wood handle.
In addition to being durable and moisture-resistant, most hunting knife handles should be relatively warm to the touch. This is especially important in cold conditions, but it’s just as critical for hunters who skin game and gut the meat they harvest.
If a handle is too cold to comfortably hold, it will quickly become uncomfortable after extended use and make the knife unusable. In this case, it’s a good idea to consider a custom-designed folder with a molded sheath such as Kydex or Boltaron. These sheaths are shaped and sized to keep the knife securely in place without the need for straps that can get clogged with dirt, mud or blood.
Grip
The grip is the area of a knife handle where it rests in the hand. The grip can be made of wood, Micarta, a hard plastic or other material. The grip provides comfort and control during knife use. It may also have a lanyard hole for attaching a cord or lanyard.
The shape of a knife’s grip is critical to achieving the strongest possible grip and control. Some knife grips are designed with a forward curvature on the rear bolster or butt to help support the wrist during deep thrusting moves. This allows the knife point and edge to be pointed downward toward enemy targets with greater force than with a straight-forward grip. However, the disadvantage of this grip is that it places the hand and blade at risk of being trapped or pinned against something by an enemy or object. It also reduces the ability to lock the wrist squarely in a punching position, and it can increase the risk of accidental or self-inflicted lacerations.
Other knife handles are shaped to fit the palm of the hand in order to provide maximum strength and comfort while using the knife. Some have distinct cutouts for each finger, which are designed to improve grip strength. Others have minimal or no finger shaping, claiming that grip is stronger when the fingers are able to grasp together without any interference from each other.
A well-designed grip is especially important for hunting knives, because of the specialized tasks that they are designed to perform. For example, hunters will need to be able to skin and field dress game and cut meat for storage or consumption. They will also need to be able to cut through dense brush and other materials.
Choosing the right grip for a hunting knife is vitally important to its success as a tool and as an heirloom that can be passed down through generations of hunters. Experienced hunters know that even a simple hunting trip can quickly turn into a test of survival. Having the right knife will make the difference between life and death in those situations.
Safety
While knives are incredibly useful and versatile tools, it’s important to remember that they are also dangerous when not used properly. Hunters need to establish a “safety circle” around their knife at all times and ensure that the blade is not being used on anything other than its intended purpose. Failure to do so can result in serious injuries to yourself or others.
There are many different knives on the market, and it’s up to the individual hunter to choose the one that will best suit their needs. This will be based on the type of game they’ll be hunting, the specific limiting factors of their hunt and the amount of dressing that will need to be done in the field. The type of blade will also have a big impact on the knife’s safety features, with some offering more protection than others.
Having a sharp knife is always important, but it’s even more crucial to use the right one for the job at hand. Using a blunt knife requires more force, and this can lead to the knife slipping and cutting the hunter or anyone else who is nearby. It’s also a good idea to take breaks when working with the knife to avoid muscle fatigue and loss of dexterity, which can lead to accidents.
The handle of a hunting knife is another area that can influence its safety features. Some are designed with a guard, which protects the fingers from accidentally catching on the blade. This is particularly important for hunters who will be performing rough procedures on their game. Others are designed with a choil, which helps to provide a secure grip and assists in fine detailed work. Another feature to look for is a tang, which is the part of the knife that extends into the handle. The tang can be either full or partial, with the full version providing more strength and durability while the partial version offers less.
Another aspect to consider is how the knife will be carried and stored. A sheath or knife case should be used to keep the knife safe and secured when not in use, while a belt or pouch can be used to transport it between locations. It is also a good idea to store the knife in a dry place, as moisture can cause it to rust or crack.
