How to Choose a Hunting Knife

Start by deciding what the knife has to do. For field dressing and skinning, a fixed blade of about 2.5 to 4 inches with a curved belly and a point you can control is the practical choice. A skinner is built for removing hide. A tanto or dagger is built more for piercing than for dressing game. After that, pick a handle that stays secure when wet and a sheath you'll actually wear.

Start with the job

A hunting knife is mainly for turning game into food: skinning the animal and cutting up the meat. That's why most hunting knives have a single sharp edge and a slightly curved blade. Ask yourself:

• Field dressing? You need precise control of the tip so you don't nick organs.
• Skinning? A curved belly lets you make long, sweeping strokes that separate skin from meat.
• General camp use? A versatile all-round shape matters more than a specialist one.
• Display or gift? Handle material and looks may matter more than the ideal field shape.

Blade shapes: drop point, skinner, tanto, dagger

Drop point

The spine slopes down toward the tip. That gives a strong point and a good amount of belly. Knife makers describe it as a versatile all-purpose shape for hunting, field dressing and everyday use, and hunting writers like it because it's easy to know exactly where the point is.

Skinner

A skinner has a pronounced curved belly for working through hide, often with a rounded or upswept tip. That tip lowers the risk of puncturing organs or the hide. The trade-off is that a skinner is less versatile outside game processing. In our range, the Skinner collection includes the 7" Skinning Damascus Hunting Knife with a buffalo horn handle, and the Traditionally Forged Skinner Knife 7" has a camel bone handle.

Tanto

A tanto has an angular tip and a heavier, reinforced point. It is built for strength and for piercing tough material. It's more than you need for delicate work like skinning. Our Tanto Blade Knife 10.5" has a grey Micarta handle.

Dagger (double edge)

A dagger, or spear point, is symmetrical and sharpened on both sides, and it is designed mainly for piercing. It's the least suited of the four for skinning, but some buyers want one as a collector's or carry piece. Our Double Edge Dagger Damascus Steel Hunting Knife comes with a leather sheath that has a belt clip. Knife carry laws vary by location, so check your local law before carrying any fixed blade.

Skinning knife vs general hunting knife

If you process a lot of game, a dedicated skinner makes hide removal faster and cleaner. If you want one knife for the trip, a general-purpose hunting knife with moderate belly covers field dressing, camp food prep and odd jobs. Some hunters carry both: a small skinner and a larger general knife.

Blade and overall length

Bigger is not better for dressing game. Experienced hunters often prefer blades of about 2.5 to 4 inches, even for large animals, because a short blade is easier to control. Longer blades suit general camp chores or buyers who want a more substantial knife.

These specifications come straight from our current listings:

The 7-inch knives, with 3.5-inch blades, fall inside the range many hunters prefer for dressing game. The 9-inch and larger knives suit buyers who want a bigger all-round camp knife. Browse the 9" Damascus steel collection for that size class.

Tang and handle material

A full tang means the steel runs the full length of the handle and is often visible along its top and bottom edges. Every knife in the table above is described as full tang in its listing.

For the handle, think about grip when your hands are wet or bloody, and about how much care you're willing to give it:

• Micarta is tough, stable and nearly impervious to water, and it's often described as grippy when wet.
• Pakka wood looks like wood but resists warping and cracking much better than natural wood.
• Natural wood, bone and horn look distinctive, but they are less stable than man-made materials and need more care to avoid cracking or drying out.

Our knife handle materials guide compares each material in detail.

Sheath and carry

A good knife in a bad sheath is frustrating in the field. Each knife in the table above comes with a leather sheath, and most of these listings say the sheath can be worn vertically or horizontally, so you can choose how it sits on your belt. The dagger's sheath uses a belt clip instead. Leather looks traditional, but it's harder to clean than a synthetic sheath like Kydex, which can simply be washed with soap and water. Our listings also advise against storing the knife in its sheath for long periods.

Care after the hunt

• Clean the blade and handle as soon as you can after use.
• Dry the knife completely, including the joint where the blade meets the handle.
• Oil the blade lightly to prevent rust. The listings say: "Wipe clean after use, lightly oil blade to prevent rust, avoid prolonged sheath storage."
• Store the knife out of the leather sheath.

For the full routine, see how to care for a Damascus steel knife.

Where to go next

If you mainly dress and skin game, start with the 7-inch skinners. If you want one bigger knife for camp, compare the 8.5 to 9.5-inch models in the hunting knives collection. To see what other buyers choose most, look at best sellers. These listings state that buyers must be 18+.

Sources

• Hunting knife – Wikipedia
• The Ultimate Guide to Hunting Knives – Outdoor Life
• 12 of the Most Common Blade Shapes – Buck Knives
• Knife Blade Styles Guide – Benchmade
• Knife – Wikipedia
• Best Knife Handle Material – KnifeCenter