What do you use for a hunting knife?

 

I had gone around and around trying to find the right knife to field dress and skin out a deer. Couldn't find the right one. I had straight knives, folders, hook knives...at one point I was carrying all three in my hunting pack.

 

Then I started reading up on a fella named George W. Sears. He was a 19th century outdoorsman and writer. Many of his writings were used to put Forest & Stream magazine - an early predecessor to Field & Stream - on the map as an outdoor, and conservation magazine. Sears wrote under the pen name "Nessmuk", and was known for being an avid proponent of solo ultralight camping and for his self-guided canoe trips in the Adirondacks.

 

A few years before he died, he wrote a book camping book called Woodcraft, in which he described in detail much of what he had learned...including his description and a small illustration of the two knives and the double-bit hatchet that he always carried on his trips (original illustration below). He purchased the folder on the left - known as a canoe folder, but the hatchet and the straight knife were both of his own design.

 

The knife on the right, known now as the "Nessmuk Knife", fits extraordinarily comfortable in your hand, and the blade should be fitted custom specifically so while holding the knife with your index finger running up the back of the knife blade, your finger tip touches just at the knife tip.

 

4 years ago, I sat down with a fella I know from through the Kentucky Corps of Longriflemen, and designed a Nessmuk knife to have him make it fit right to my hand. We thickened the steel on the backside of the blade to give the knife a little more heft (I can actually chop with it to cut through and separate a deer's pelvis bones when I'm field dressing), and then instead of using stag antler, we used curly maple knife handle scales in order to have the blade tang extend the entire length of the hadle - which balanced the blade absolutely perfectly. The blade length is fitted to my index finger so I always know where the tip of my knife is when I'm dressing a deer. The curve on the blade is great for skinning, and with the high quality blade steel I had Charlie forge the knife from, it stays "out of the box" sharp even after dressing 3 deer in a single day.

 

I would put this knife up against absolutely any hunting knife anyone would ever show me.

 

Here's the guy that made mine: Charlie Wallingford Knives, Union, KY

 

Everything is 100% custom, hand forged in his back yard shed. He's making duplicates of the knife straight off of the design-blank we came up for mine, although I'm sure he'd tweak anything you'd like if you asked.

 

(spindoc, Whackem, dd734, woodsrider...thought it might be of a little interest to you guys, in particular.)

Wow, I may look into that one. Right now I have a very nice fixed blade Case that I love. I also have a Kershaw I like. Both are very sharp, but the Case is better, IMO.

 

Those things are a bit steep but I trust that they are high quality. How would you compare it to some commercially available knives Colonels?

I've never had a Kershaw. I've tried the Gerber Gator (folder), a Benchmade Bone Collector (folder), a Buck Ergohunter (folder), some Buck fixed blade that I don't know the name of, an old Ka-Bar fixed blade hunter, and some cheapie Schrade/Frost hook blades. My brother had a drop point Case fixed blade that he uses...but like I said, I'd put mine up against his any day, and I feel like mine would win out as a better knife.

Then it's settled, I gotta have one.

I have a folding Buck that I bought 16 years ago. I love it. Wouldn't trade it for anything else. $25 bucks then...not sure what it would be now.

 

Lock blade, 5 inches long with a hickory handle..........sharpen it once a year at BPS using their cardboard sharpening wheel.

 

Keep it in the door of my truck in a leather holster. Use it for everything and it is on my hip when ever I am in the woods.

Funny, I was thinking about this thread last night when I got out my Nessmuk knife to help a friend that's new to hunting skin out and butcher a doe that he took yesterday.

 

Doc, did you end up trying to get one? (I'm speaking about the knife...not the doe.)

Funny, I was thinking about this thread last night when I got out my Nessmuk knife to help a friend that's new to hunting skin out and butcher a doe that he took yesterday.

 

Doc, did you end up trying to get one? (I'm speaking about the knife...not the doe.)

I got on the site, and I looked at them. I still haven't pulled the trigger on one yet. But I'm still planning on it.

Not sure how I missed this thread when it was started. Funny that it's come back up now. I've been looking to get a new knife and almost positive I'm going custom. CWB, your knife looks sweet, I'm going to check that guy out.

Not sure how I missed this thread when it was started. Funny that it's come back up now. I've been looking to get a new knife and almost positive I'm going custom. CWB, your knife looks sweet, I'm going to check that guy out.

 

I'd definitely recommend him. I'm sure he'll work with you on a design if you've got a particular idea you're looking for. He's a GOOD guy.

 

For what it's worth, I was amazed how sharp my knife was when I used it last night. Hadn't used it on anything since last deer season, and I'm not even sure I sharpened it then, either...but man oh man that bugger was razor sharp.

I have about 40 knives to choose from. I pick and choose upon my mood. As long as they are sharp they work good enough for me.

My godfather showed me how to field dress my first deer 20 something years ago. He took my beautiful Case knife and beat the heck out of it with a rock to break the pelvis of the deer. I about cried! I carry an ax in my truck now for that job. He uses an old knife that hardly has a blade left with duck tape on the handle (old farm boy). His brother was using a thick scalpel knife this year. Pretty cool knife.

Not sure how I missed this thread when it was started. Funny that it's come back up now. I've been looking to get a new knife and almost positive I'm going custom. CWB, your knife looks sweet, I'm going to check that guy out.

Maybe we can go together on a design and we can get a "discount".

Here's the guy that made mine: Charlie Wallingford Knives, Union, KY

 

Everything is 100% custom, hand forged in his back yard shed. He's making duplicates of the knife straight off of the design-blank we came up for mine, although I'm sure he'd tweak anything you'd like if you asked.

 

(spindoc, Whackem, dd734, woodsrider...thought it might be of a little interest to you guys, in particular.)

How much did you pay for yours? If you'd rather not say I understand. I was just noticing the ones he had for sell on his site are pretty pricing. The other custom knives I've looked at were probably half of what he sells his for.

How much did you pay for yours? If you'd rather not say I understand. I was just noticing the ones he had for sell on his site are pretty pricing. The other custom knives I've looked at were probably half of what he sells his for.

 

I believe I paid $220. He was trying to sell it to me for a little less (because my uncle and and my late grandpa are very good friends of his through the Ky Corps of Longriflemen), but I told him I wanted to pay full price. I just looked over his current knives for sale, and mine is relatively similar in size to the "#411 INTEGRAL BOLSTER BAG/PATCH KNIFE" he's showing at the top of his Knives Currently Available page - so I'd guess the price I paid is fairly close or right on full price. I guess I looked at it as a usable, impeccable quality, hand-made, made to order work of art that I can pass on to my kids someday. For what it's worth, I'd do it again.

 

Still, I can certainly understand not wanting to pay that much...that's a lot to invest for a knife, and I wouldn't knock anyone for not spending that much on one.