The Complete Hunting Knife Buying Guide

A knife is essential for any hunter. The hunting knife is essential gear for any hunter, whether you are skinning or cutting meat. Hunting knives have been around for centuries and are still a common part of our society.

There are many styles, uses, and variations of hunting knives, just like any other product that has been around so long. We know how overwhelming it can be to sort through all the options. This comprehensive guide will help you to choose the right hunting knife for you. You can also read our companion article about the best hunting knives.

Are you ready to be an expert? Continue reading.

The Hunting Knife: History

Because the knife has been around for millennia, it is difficult to pinpoint when it was first created. The hunting knife is believed to be the second-oldest tool ever invented. Early man made blades out of stone, bone, and shell to be more deadly during hunts.

The ancient Egyptians used knives for hunting, and even made wooden handles for their stones blades. Although these spears might not look like modern hunting knives, they were used to hunt while smaller stones knives were used to skinne and cut meat.

The hunting knife remained relatively unchanged throughout thousands of years, except for the game-changing birth of metallurgy. Jim Bowie revolutionized the knife.

Bowie, an American frontiersman and folk hero, modified many knives to suit his needs. He also took cues form different styles of the time such as Spanish and Finnish hunting knives, as well as butcher knives.

Bowie knives are large, sheathed knives with features such as a cross guard or a clip point.

People began to request Bowie knives after the Sandbar Fight, Bowie’s famous brawl.

What does this all have to do hunting knives? The Bowie knife was popular among trappers and hunters in the 19th and 20th century due to its ability to butcher and skin game. Many hunting knives still draw inspiration from the Bowie knife.

The Swiss Army knife was the next major development in the history and popularity of hunting knives. Hunting knives are no longer required to be carried in sheaths. The smaller hunting knives were not multi-functional. They were more focused on skinning. Importantly, Buck’s Model 110 Hunting Knife became a huge success in 1964 and is still one of the most popular knives.

R.W., the legendary knife maker, was the first to develop a drop point hunter. Loveless in the middle of 20th century. While drop points are commonplace nowadays, Loveless was the first to popularize them and they have since been the standard for hunting knives.

Modern Definition

Nowadays, hunting knives don’t always refer to knives that are used to kill animals. Wild boar hunting is still possible with knives, but it is often done with a hunting knife, which is designed to stabbing.

Modern hunting knives come in many different forms, but are optimized for cutting and slicing, rather than stabbing. There are many hunting knives available, so it is difficult to find one design that will work for all hunting knives.

Hunting knives: What are the uses?

Although a hunting knife can serve many purposes, it is most commonly used for butchering, gutting, skinning, boneing, and skinning. We’ll give you a little more information about each use.

Gutting

A modern hunting knife can be used for field dressing. This is the removal of organs from game in order to preserve meat. The first step in dressing a deer is to gut it. To remove the organs, a hunting knife is used to cut open the animal. The gut hook is a simplified method, but we’ll discuss it in the gut hook section.

The Buck Guthook Knife is an example of a knife that can be used for gutting.

Skinning

Skinning is another function for the hunting knife. A knife is used to cut the skin of an animal without tearing its muscles or tissues. Ideal skinning knives should have a very thin, curved blade.

Deboning

Once a deer has been gutted and skinned it is time to remove the meat. A hunting knife is needed to help you remove meat from bones, no matter how large or small the game or fish.

Butchering

Next, you will need to cut the meat. There are many ways to butcher meat, but it is important that the knife can make clean cuts.

Bowie knives can be used for many purposes and are great for butchering meat. The KA-BAR Bowie Hunter knife is a fantastic example of a butcher’s knife.

Caping

Caping refers to the act of removing the head and neck from an animal, such as a turkey, deer or bear, in order to create a hunting trophy. Capturing an animal involves removing the skin from the neck, chest, and shoulder areas with a knife.

Hunting

Hunting knives are often not used for hunting, but that doesn’t make them any less useful. Hunting hogs is still a popular method of hunting with knives. The modern hunting knife that we are mainly discussing in this section isn’t necessarily the best for this job.

Instead, use a knife to pierce the animal’s heart.

Different types of hunting knives

Camp Knife

The camp knife is the most common hunting knife. The multi-purpose hunting knife known as a camp knife can be used for most of the tasks required by the following hunting knives.

The camp knife has some of the same attributes as the hunting knife, but it is generally a larger drop-point knife that can be used for different purposes around the campsite.

Bowie Knife

Although we’ve talked a lot about the Bowie knife already, it’s a large fighting knife with a blade with a clip that was popular among hunters in the 20th and 21st centuries. Many hunting knives are still modeled after the Bowie knife.

Popular Bowie knife is the KA-BAR Bowie Knife.

Caping Knife

You will need to preserve the neck when creating a trophy for an animal. A caping knife with an upturned blade has this feature. Caping knives are used to cape animals, but they can also be used for other tasks.

Buck Ergohunter Caping Knife is the best example of a capping knife.

Skinning Knife

A skinning knife must carefully cut the skin, without tearing the hide. A skinning blade is typically a thin, straight blade. Blades must be sharpened straight out of the box, and maintained at an edge even after repeated use. It is important to have a non-slip, grippy handle.

The KA-BAR Skinner and the Victorinox Curved Skinning Knife are two examples of a skinning blade.

Boning Knife

Boning knives are another special version of hunting knives that make it easier to remove meat from carcasses. Specialized knives for deboning usually have a narrow, flexible blade. This knife is similar to a filet knife but it can also be used to remove skin from fish and other animals. The fillet knife is not given its own category because there are often combo boning/fillet knives.

Buck Knife

Buck knives are the general term for the knife design popularized in 1960s by Buck Knives. This knife is specifically modeled after the Buck Model 110 Hunting Knife. It is a large, folding knife that is perfect for hunting. Some knives made by off-brand brands may not have clip points. Although originally intended for hunting, the buck knife is now used to carry a variety of tools.

Hunting Knife

A hunting knife, also known as a hunting knife, is primarily used to kill. However, as we have discussed, it is not the same as a traditional hunting knife. True hunting knives, used mainly in hog hunting, have a sharp blade. They are usually longer because the goal is to puncture the hog’s heart.

Buck 120 General’s 7.5-inch blade is long and has been used successfully to stick pigs in the past.

Hunting Set

The hunting set, although it doesn’t include a single knife, is an excellent option for people who love specialized tools that make dressing and caping animals easier. You may find a set that includes a skinner, bone saw, boning/fillet knives, and a caping knife.

Hunting knives with optional features

Gut Hook

The gut hook is an optional feature on hunting knives. Gut hooks are a unique type of knife that hunters use for field dressing.

A sharpened semicircle is embedded in the spine. This allows hunters to effectively ‘unzip the skin’ of an animal to clean it.

We have already covered the pros and cons a gut-hook in our Picking the Best Hunting Knife Guide. So we won’t repeat the discussion. However, a guthook is a matter for preference. You can often find the same model without or with it.

Although some people prefer a gut hook, most hunting knives can open the stomach of any animal.

Blade Style

It is up to you what type of blade you prefer, but there are three types of knife points that you will find on a hunting knife.

Clip points have been used for centuries on Bowie knives and hunting knives. Clip points are named so because they look like a part of the blade has been cut off. The blade reaches a point that is ideal for puncturing, and it’s considered an all-purpose style. Unintentionally puncturing gut sacks while field dressing can be a risk. The Buck Model 110 Hunter is a great example of a clip-point knife.

The drop point is not as well-known as the clip point. Bob Loveless first used it in his designs. Drop point runs from the spine down to the tip and curves downwards, creating a lower point. This gives you more control and longer durability. The drop point knife is the most popular hunting knife style. It has a wider belly, which makes it easier to slice and a tip that’s more manageable to avoid nicks.

The modified semi-skinner is another style many consider ideal for hunting knives. Loveless also made it popular. It features a spine that curves upwards and backwards toward the point.

Fixed vs. folding

This topic was covered in greater detail in our companion guide. However, a fixed blade is not necessary. A folder is much smaller and can contain multiple blades for different tasks. Folders aren’t as common.

The KA-BAR Folding Hunter is a good example of a folding hunting blade.

Hand Guard

A hand guard is another feature that hunting knives often have. This is because it can be very slippery when dressing animals. A good guard like the one found on Bowie knives will protect your hand from sliding onto the blade, resulting in a nasty wound.

The Schrade Uncle Henry Pro Hunter, a superb example of a handguard on a hunting knife that was inspired by the Bowie knife, is an excellent example.

Non-slip, ergonomic handle

A hunting knife should have an ergonomic, non-slip handle. An uncomfortable handle that slips when wet is not a good idea. A ergonomic handle makes dressing game easier and more secure.

Hunting knives have a wide range of handle material, which can include anything from bone to synthetic materials.

Serrations

It’s not uncommon to find serrations on hunting knives, but it is possible. Even though serrations are not necessary for field dressing, knives like the Gerber Gator Clip Point Combo Edge have them.

Hunting Knife Sheath

The sheath is the last optional feature on a hunting knife. While sheaths don’t need to be worn by folding hunters, they are essential for fixed-blade knives. They protect your knife from the elements, and make it easy to carry.

The best hunting knife sheaths made from leather or Kydex are highly recommended. They are impervious to weather.