Defend the large hunting knife!

Dr. Sandman said:

What would one do with such a large knife on a hunting trip?

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A longer blade is more efficient for some butchery tasks. Handy if you butcher in the field and don't want to drag the entire slaughterhouse with you.

I may very well be moving up north and need to do backpacking type hunting trips. Up where the weather can get nasty quickly I'd want a knife that was big enough to construct a quick shelter if need be. I am considering such a knife...

I carried a Kabar not unlike that in the Navy.The less fancy issue version.
Unless they have redesigned the tang don't use it for anything other than slicing and cutting.
Just saying...

My dad used to say, "The bigger the knife,the bigger the tenderfoot." His big game knife was a green handled Buck 105 he bought in the early 1950s. One of his hunting buddies dressed 100s of deer (not all taken legally) with a Case stockman. In those days, they weren't worried about bushcrafting, batoning, or making shelters. They carried a match safe and a hand axe, right tools for the job. As far as I know, neither one of them ever spent an unplanned night in the woods. Most of my working knives are 4" blade or under - Buck 107 or 102.

A lightweight tarp makes a better shelter than anything you can build with a bowie knife and probably weighs less. A folding saw will work better than a knife if you need to cut tent poles.

Coyote3855 said:

My dad used to say, "The bigger the knife,the bigger the tenderfoot."

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Obviously.





"Hunting" knives are butchery tools. Tools need to match the job. Sometimes smaller is bigger. Sometimes bigger is better.

I have a 10" overall length knife as my primary camp knife. It's also the main knife I take in the woods with me, unless weight is a major issue. Can't speak for hunting, but I prefer the larger knife for it's durability. You can pry easier with it and process wood. The large handle fits my hands better and because of that, it's more comfortable to use. Comfort means more safety, utility and efficiency.

I have to agree with Dr. Sandman. A good knife with enough belly for skinning, and a good point for cutting the hide in all that is really needed. Of course I always carry at least one pocket knife also, when hunting it is a version of the old fashion Boy scout knife. There are people who can skin a deer with a large bowie, and I guess I could too if need be. It is so much easier with the right knife. As some one posted, when you see a kid with a big bowie knife you have to turn away and smile. With a good knife ( mine is a D'Holder with a 4 inch blade of D2 ) I fell I could make do under any circumstances. However, I also feel, to each his own.

Ron James said:

There are people who can skin a deer with a large bowie, and I guess I could too if need be. It is so much easier with the right knife. As some one posted, when you see a kid with a big bowie knife you have to turn away and smile.

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Big honkin' camp/trail knives are a different critter entirely and their primary purpose isn't butchery.

Observe these couple pages:

The book is Woodsmanship by Bernard S. Mason, ca. 1945.

Food for thought, if you had said "hunting knife" to a 17th century european, he might have imagined something like these trousse kits.



Or if he was a fancy pants:


http://www.christies.com/lotfinder/arms-armor/a-rare-saxon-trousse-for-a-member-4953365-details.aspx

I rather like this one:

A 5 7/8" blade is a large knife?

You need a big knife, don't you know, so that all the other hunters know that you don't need no stinkin gun for your bear and hog hunting. But the knife needs to be big enough to reach the vitals.

jdh said:

A 5 7/8" blade is a large knife?

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John and I were discussing that very thing a few weeks ago. The what constitutes a "large" knife seems to be very subjective.

A 6" knife doesn't seem big to me at all.


Meanwhile, on the pampas of Argentina:

If it's not big enough to paddle the boat, what good is it?

I love the expertise of the pros... get out of the arm chair, turn off the discovery channel and try out some of what your touting. Real world experience will speak volumes. Blades have different purposes in their design. Some blades are designed for heavy chopping type task and others for the more specific cutting. I don't limit myself to a specific genre in what I use. I've got both and use both for what I need them for.

Dont do much deer (I'm pretty bad at it), but I have done boar and farm pigs, I always prefered a butcher's cleaver and a stiff fillet knife or even a paring knife. I have never actually "field dressed" anything, I prefer to drag them out of the brush and then start on them.

Do most of you break through the deer's sternum when you field dress? What about the pelvic bone? I've seen it done both ways, and I'm inclined to think that it would influence one's choice of a "large" fixed-blade hunting knife as opposed to a smaller one or even a folder.

Shanghai McCoy said:

I carried a Kabar not unlike that in the Navy.The less fancy issue version.
Unless they have redesigned the tang don't use it for anything other than slicing and cutting.
Just saying...

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If your knife had "black" non-reflective blade, guard and pommel; and a handle made of treated dark wood slabs, it was a Model 1206 PX knife. Ka-Bar made them specifically for sale in PX'es around the world. They can be pretty hard to find these days, particularly if you want one in collectible condition.

The "civilian" version with bright metal and leather handle was the Model 1207. Here's one on eBay: http://www.ebay.com/itm/KA-BAR-KABA...934?pt=Collectible_Knives&hash=item5d477a7006

The knife in the original post is apparently a Model 1235. Other than for the differences in handle composition I'm pretty sure the only structural difference between it, and yours, is the model number. And I agree -- its a general utility blade only.

-- Nighteyes

Nighteyes said:

If your knife had "black" non-reflective blade, guard and pommel; and a handle made of treated dark wood slabs, it was a Model 1206 PX knife. Ka-Bar made them specifically for sale in PX'es around the world. They can be pretty hard to find these days, particularly if you want one in collectible condition.

The "civilian" version with bright metal and leather handle was the Model 1207. Here's one on eBay: http://www.ebay.com/itm/KA-BAR-KABA...934?pt=Collectible_Knives&hash=item5d477a7006

The knife in the original post is apparently a Model 1235. Other than for the differences in handle composition I'm pretty sure the only structural difference between it, and yours, is the model number. And I agree -- its a general utility blade only.

-- Nighteyes

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It was the issue Kabar with the leather handle and round steel butt with the fibreglas sheath with the cotton snap strap. Still have the blade somewhere in my "souvineer stuff" pile but the handle is long gone due to the salt water...

For field dressing big game it is true that you don't need a huge knife. If you are hunting out of a canoe or boat or in very remote areas de-boning a moose or deer makes life a lot simpler and a 5" or 6" knife sure comes in handy.

If you wonder what sort of knife is good for processing game just look at what a butcher uses.

Maybe - maybe Not

Personally, I carry one of those that shows I am a green horn, with about 40 years of hunting in the NW for deer, elk, bear, squirrels, hog, and whatever other game is available.
My blade happens to be a 10 1/2" long 1/4" thick Solingin Steel, 15" overall, made in the 1920's, I also carry a Case pocket knife with a 2 1/4" blade / 1 1/2" blade, + 2 Leatherman multi tools. (one of the later never seems to be enough when there is a nut on the other end of that bolt).
I like big knives, my guess, most think of big as 6" overall, lets talk big as starting at an 8" blade.
A deer can be dressed with a piece of broken glass, and cut to packable size with a pocket knife if you know how. An average small elk or a bear are going to require a larger pocket knife, but it can be done, skinning an anything with a pocket knife is a hassle, break a rock and use the sharp edge to skin.
The point is, you can get by with what ever is handy so you really don't need a knife then, do you.
Get whatever size knife you think you will need.
Bigger is certainly better, but not always needed or practical.

Ray

Dr. Sandman: I have not done such. I was only a kid when I lived just outside of Colorado Springs. Having been a military brat I've been around some, but most of it was not in or near mountains as a youth who'd learn such, and my step dad is a tenderfoot who's idea of camping is renting a cabin w/o A/C.

It may seem silly to many, and it's obvious I'm not skilled as far as survival goes, but I'd rather attempt what I think I know than to do nothing.

Were I out hunting I'd have with me my skinning knife combo in addition to this large hunting knife. When out backpacking with the family there are always a few knives among us. My typical knife has been a Gerber Gatormate. But I also have a small cheap folder in the "kitchen" supplies for cutting cheese and summer sausage and such.

This knife' purpose would be more of a workhorse, cutting firewood, making kindling, chopping smaller branches were I to want a quick shelter of some kind or even to make an impromptu camouflage, as well as a weapon if need be. Since there are so many places that don't allow the carry of a pistol it seems a knife and hardwood walking stick are the next best thing. And I do mean to get bear spray. Maybe my hatchet would be the better tool… But having multiple knives to choose from is always a good thing isn't it?

Oh, and I do have a tarp that I usually bring when out camping, but I'd be wanting a much smaller one were it just myself. But all of this crap to carry along with a deer seems to be a bit more cumbersome than I'd probably want to deal with. It amazes me those who backpack hunt. Maybe I'll make a hunting friend and we can go out and share the load, meat, and experiences...