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Hunting Knives
44 products
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A hunting knife has one job that decides everything else: it has to open, skin and break down game in the field without failing or dulling before the work is done. Every hunting knife here is hand-forged with a full tang in pattern-welded Damascus, 1095 high carbon or D2 steel, with a stainless option on a few larger pieces, from a 5-inch ulu to a 22-inch camp knife, and each ships with a sheath. The collection covers the whole outdoor range: skinners, bowies, trackers, clip points, a Nordic pattern and the blanks for anyone who fits their own handle.
Choosing a hunting knife
Patterns
The skinner is the short, deep-bellied knife for opening and skinning, 7 to 10 inches overall; there are a dozen here and the full range is in skinning knives. The clip point hunter is the all-round field knife, with a finer tip for the detail work; ours run 8 to 12 inches, in Damascus with bone or wood handles and in plain 1095. The bowie hunters at 10 to 16 inches add chopping weight, and the whole family is in bowie knives. The tracker puts a chopping edge and a fine edge on one blade, with a saw spine on some; see tracker knives. The D2 hunters at 16 and 17 inches, one with a buffalo bone handle, are the tool-steel option for hard use. The ulu is the Alaskan crescent knife for skinning and fine work. The Nordic hunting knife at 18 inches and the stainless camp knives at 18 to 22 inches are the large-blade end of the range, and the jungle hunting knife at 13 inches sits between.
Length
7 to 10 inches overall is the skinning and dressing size, and the knife most hunters actually use. 11 to 13 inches is the general camp knife. 14 inches and up is a chopper or a display piece. Overall length is on every product page; blade length is roughly four inches less on a hunter.
Steel and handle
Damascus is layered high carbon steel with a visible pattern, forged from 1095 and a partner steel; 1095 alone is the plain high carbon working steel; D2 is a tool steel that holds an edge longer at the cost of being harder to sharpen; stainless needs the least care and is chosen for the larger camp knives. Handles are hardwood, bone, antler, buffalo horn or micarta and are photographed on each listing, with the steel, the edge and the sheath. Carbon steel wants to be dried and oiled after a hunt; the cleaning kit is made for it. A hunting knife can also be built to your own blade, steel and handle in the custom knife builder.
Related
Skinning knives, bowies and trackers each have their own collection; the Damascus knives collection holds every pattern-welded knife in the catalogue; and the bowie versus hunting versus survival knife guide settles which you need. Every knife type starts at knives.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best hunting knife size?
For dressing and skinning, a 3 to 5 inch blade on a 7 to 10 inch knife. Longer blades chop better and dress worse; most hunters carry a skinner and, if they want a chopper, a bowie or hatchet as well.
Damascus, 1095 or D2?
All three are working steels that hold an edge. 1095 is the plain, easily sharpened choice; Damascus adds the pattern; D2 holds an edge longest and takes the most effort to resharpen.
What is a skinner?
A short knife with a wide, curved belly that keeps the edge sliding under the hide rather than into it. The most used knife in any hunting kit.
What is a tracker knife?
A knife with two edges on one blade, a straight chopping section near the handle and a curved fine-work section near the tip, often with a saw on the spine. A camp knife that does the job of two.
Do they come sharp?
Most Damascus, 1095 and D2 hunting knives are supplied with a working edge. The product page states the finish and the sheath that ships with it.