This is a comprehensive guide on hunting knives. It covers everything from the types of knives available to the best way to sharpen them.
While hunting requires different types of gear, it is obvious that the most significant of them all is a hunting knife, and a passionate hunter knows his way around it.
Evidence suggests that humans have been creating knife-like tools for thousands of years which have continued to evolve to date.
While an all-purpose hunting knife is used for cutting, slicing, or general utility, humans have learned to modify different materials and blades for specific tasks such as skinning, gutting, deboning, throwing, etc.
Whether you are new to hunting and looking to get yourself a hunting knife or are a die-hard hunter hoping to get an upgrade, we have got you at the right place.
Before we begin discussing the types and uses of different hunting knives in the market, let me tell you a little about the history of hunting knives.
HISTORY OF HUNTING KNIVES:
We can’t exactly tell the date when a hunting knife came into being, but it is evident that it has been transformed for thousands of years during different ages to reach the point where it is today.
During the stone age, humans made sharp edge, knife-like weapons from shells, bones, and stones and used them for hunting purposes. The Egyptians were the first ones to install a wooden handle for their spears.
Hunting knives continued to develop over the years, but the person who truly revolutionized the anatomy of a hunting knife and made it what it is today was Jim Bowie. He was an American Pioneer of the 19th century who played a significant part in the Texas revolution.
The Bowie Knife is said to be Jim’s brother, Rezin B. Bowie’s invention, originally designed to defend his brother during future battles.
Jim redesigned his brother’s invention for hunting, skinning, cutting, and also combat. Bowie knives are typically large, clip-point fixed blades making them perfect for hunting and stabbing games.
As it was designed for hand-to-hand combat, a bowie knife also has a serpentine piece in between the handle and the blade for the user to protect his hand from an attack.
Another major development in history was the invention of swiss army knives. These introduced folding blades for hunting knives which are now very common.
The swiss army knives were used for various purposes including woodwork, hunting, slicing, skinning, etc. Because they were very practical, they rose to popularity during the 19th century.
ANATOMY OF A HUNTING KNIFE:
Point: You can define the point of your knife as the point where the spine meets the back of the knife. Puncturing and piercing are the best uses for this particular part.
Blade length: The edge of the blade is also known as the cutting edge. Slicing or cutting is accomplished by this part.
Belly: It is the curved portion of the blade that is known as the belly of the knife. Longer lengths allow for more cutting space, so the longer the length, the better.
Bevel: A bevel consists of two parts: the primary part and the secondary part. Primary bevels begin at the midpoint of blades, whereas secondary bevels are commonly referred to as sharpening edges. The steeper the secondary bevel, the sharper the knife.
Guard: As well as being known as the hilt, the hand guard prevents the user from accidentally slipping their hand onto the blade. The blade is located between the handle and the handle. During rough hunting procedures, it can be useful.
Choil: This part is located near the hilt and assists the user in maintaining a firm grip when fine details are required.
Tang: A metal extension that extends into the handle and is covered by wood, plastic, etc. Assuring that the blade won’t break off, it attaches the blade to the handle. An example of a tang is a partial tang, a full tang, or a skeletal tang.
Handle: The part of your knife that you hold is called the handle. Currently, it is made up of a variety of materials, but you must decide which material suits your needs best based on the application, the environment, and a number of other factors.
TYPES OF HUNTING KNIVES:
GENERAL-PURPOSE:
This particular kind serves a variety of purposes, as its name suggests. Almost anything can be cut, sliced, skinned, or skinned with it. Featuring a sharp blade of 5-6 inches, it is the ideal tool for cutting meat.
The majority of these knives are equipped with a full tang for additional durability. A knife such as this would be a good choice if you are new to the sport of hunting.
If you are interested in purchasing a fixed blade knife, you can check out Blade HQ. They have a great selection of high-quality fixed blade knives, so it’s worth checking them out.
SKINNING:
Taking an animal’s skin off is the second step after hunting it. As you can imagine, this is a very important process that calls for a steady hand and a certain level of skill.
A sharp skinning knife certainly makes it much easier, although you can master it with practice.
It has a short, thin blade with a very sharp edge, making it easy to skin off animals without damaging their flesh or tissues. A small curve may also be present for greater control.
GUTTING:
If you are unfamiliar with gutting, it is the process of removing an animal’s organs from its body. An example would be a deer.
Dressing it requires removing its organs in order to preserve it while it is still warm and fresh. It is for this reason that gutting knives are specifically designed.
To simplify the process, most of them are equipped with gut hooks.
THROWING:
Not most of the hunters enjoy this sport, but some of them who do will need a throwing knife.
If you want to scare an animal away or hunt one down the conventional way, you will need a throwing knife. These knives are designed to fulfill their purpose.
They have a perfectly balanced weight that helps them land on a surface, be it a tree, ground, or flesh.
CAMPING:
As a regular hunter, you should have a considerable amount of knowledge regarding camping as well. It is possible to modify a camping knife so that it can be used for a variety of camping tasks.
The knife serves many purposes, similar to an all-purpose hunting knife. A wide variety of camping and hunting knives are available at Knife Center, one of many stores that carry these items.
The type of knife I prefer is one that has multiple uses while looking aesthetically pleasing at the same time. The knife center is a great place to find stylish, killer-looking daggers.
CAPING:
Caping refers to the removal of the skin from the head of an animal you have hunted, such as a deer or boar. It is designed to serve this purpose by resembling a skinning knife. An extremely sharp and small blade with a slight curve makes skin removal easy.
BONING:
This particular type is self-explanatory in terms of its name. It features a very long, slim blade secured by a solid handle for a firm grip.
If you go down to hunt, you should have a boning knife with you. Deboning the animal becomes much easier and more efficient with this device. While the blade may appear flimsy, it certainly performs well.
BLADE SHAPES:
Let’s talk about the types of blades now that we have covered the common types of hunting knives.
DROP POINT:
There are many processes involved in hunting that can be handled by this blade type. With its thick fat edge, which is slightly curved, it can be gripped with ease. Due to its wide belly, this knife is ideal for slicing meat.
CLIP POINT:
Straight and curved edges are available. Stabbing is made easy by its sharp tip.
TRAILING POINT:
Blade type gives the name to the knife. As a result of the blade tip “trails” above the spine axis, the back edge of the knife curves. As a result, its tip is weak, but it is perfect for skinning and deboning.
SPEARPOINT:
I guess this one’s name pretty much says it all. There are sharp edges on both sides of the blade, which is symmetrical. The blade is extremely sharp, making it suitable for stabbing, piercing, and a variety of other uses.
TANTO POINT:
A tanto point differs from your usual blade shape in a few ways. Short swords are both referred to as short swords. It is from this origin that it receives its name. The blade belly is sharp, while the tip is even sharper, making it ideal for piercing.
TYPES OF KNIFE TANGS:
FULL TANG:
It is as its name implies that the blade extends into the handle as well. There is no difference in shape between the handle and the tang. In terms of tang types, this is probably the best option available as they provide a strong grip and will almost never break off during vigorous use.
PARTIAL TANG:
In contrast to a full tang, the tang extends partially into the grip or handle. As a result, it does not have the strength of a full tang and is lightweight. If you are rough with it, it may also break off.
Since Blade HQ and Knife Center never compromise on quality, I have never faced such a problem. It is therefore recommended that you purchase your tools from reputable brands such as these in order to avoid problems in the future.
SKELETONIZED TANG:
A portion of the tang has been cut out in the middle in order to reduce both the amount of material and the cost of the knife. As a throwing knife, it is excellent, but it would not be ideal for other rough tasks due to its lightweight.
TAPERED TANG:
Tapered tangs become narrower as they penetrate deeper into the handle. By doing so, the knife would be much weaker than other knives, however, this gives it the perfect balance you require for hunting.
BLADE GRINDS:
It is the shape of a blade that produces the cutting edge that is known as a blade grind. The type of blade grind determines the type of knife that is most appropriate for the task at hand.
Here are some of the most common types of blade grinds available on hunting knives.
HOLLOW GRIND:
Hunting knives tend to have this type of grind the most often. This blade has a concave edge that has been sharpened. An equal angle is formed by bending it from both sides inwards.
This knife has the sharpest blade – perfect for skinning. The disadvantage of these blades is that they are very thin. Thus, they are not suitable for tasks such as cutting wood.
FLAT GRIND:
There are three types of blade grinds, including the simplest one.
Full Flat Grind:
It is equally tapering on both sides of the blade, starting from the spine and continuing to the edge. However, it also has the disadvantage of producing a blade that is extremely sharp. The edge of this blade grind is brittle, and therefore it is prone to breaking, making it unsuitable for rough tasks.
High Flat Grind:
The tapering starts exactly at the middle of the knife and continues to the edge.
Scandinavian Grind:
There are a lot of similarities between this and the high flat grind. It is not as sharp as the other two types since it starts tapering very close to the sharpening edge. It is very strong and durable because the major part of the blade has the same width as the spine.
Despite flat grinds having a sharp edge, they lose their edge fairly quickly and must be resharpened frequently.
SABER GRIND:
Despite the fact that the Saber grind has a secondary bevel, it is very similar to the Scandinavian grind. A secondary bevel is evenly formed on both blade sides. Sharpened edges are formed by the final tapering.
CONVEX GRIND:
Convex grinds curve oppositely to hollow grinds, instead of evenly tapering to the edge. As the blade has a large amount of metal in its width, it is able to perform rough tasks like cutting firewood with ease. There is a common practice of grinding axe blades with a convex shape.
Those are the main characteristics of hunting knives that you should be aware of before making a purchase.
There are a variety of options and varieties available with these in today’s society. You can choose from a variety of handle materials, blade types, and shapes to suit your needs and preferences. If you are interested in fancy stuff like that, you can even obtain folding pocket knives.
Maintaining your knife is an important consideration. As a result, cover it up with a sheath and sharpen it every now and then to ensure it lasts a long time.
