A knife that fits your hand and has a large enough blade is essential says Maine Hunter Education for a deep woods hunt. It should be sharp and have a handle to fit your hand. Small gutting knives will not provide the function you may need when lost.

One of my many winter hobby projects is creating my very own big game hunting knifes. I purchased a stainless blank that is about 56 to 58 Rockwell for the build. It is razor sharp and fits my hand very well.

Below, this sheath will protect the blade but I will cover the white feather with removable camo tape if deer hunting. White is a no no in the deer woods.  A  small saw is highly recommended as well.

In addition, a smaller gutting and skinning knife helps if you are successful. Are you prepared in the deep woods if you are lost? What about starting a fire? Compass? etc. below.

https://www.hunter-ed.com/maine/studyGuide/Survival-Kit-Requirements-for-Maine/20102201_150873/

• Fire. You must have two different types of fire starters. The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife recommends blizzard matches and a good quality magnesium/fire stick starter. You might want to include a butane lighter; however, they are not always functional. To get the fire going, you should have a small ziplock bag with 10–12 cotton balls saturated with petroleum jelly. It only takes a couple of cotton balls to get your fire going. You should also include a couple of small pieces of birch bark, which can be used to start your fire. Being able to build a good fire is extremely important as it will deal with your fear and anxiety, get you warm, dry your wet clothes, cook food, boil water, and serve as a signal for those searching for you.
• Spare Compass. A clear, base plate compass is preferred. Having a GPS does not replace the requirement to have a spare compass. While GPS’ are great for navigation, batteries can die and leave you in the middle of nowhere with no method of determining your location..
• Whistle. Plastic without the pea in the center. A Fox 40 whistle is the loudest and marine whistles are also quite loud.
• Water Treatment Product(s). You have several options. There are tablets designed for purifying water. You can have a small bottle with an eyedropper with bleach in it. 3 drops per liter for 10 minutes. You can carry a 3 ‘ x 3’ piece of heavy duty aluminum foil and fold it into a container to boil your water. Fairly new on the market are survival straws which sanitizes the water as you suck it through the straw. You can survive without water for 3 days. You become dehydrated in a day or less.
• Light. A small flashlight or headlamp with spare batteries.
• Signaling Device. A signaling mirror is great. An old CD will do the same thing for free. Your fire will also serve as a signaling device—smoke by day and fire by night.
• Spare Glasses and Medication. Three days worth of meds you take daily. Make sure you rotate them out on a regular basis to keep them up to date and keep them in a waterproof container.
• Large Trash Bag and Paracord. Fold it up tight and wrap it with paracord to keep it folded tight. Trash bag can be used as a poncho or as a base for a roof of a debris tent. A length of 550 paracord will provide you with cordage to help build a shelter and lash things together as needed. Individual strands can also be used as fishing line.
• Food. Most people can survive without food for 3 weeks. You should have something you do not like that will provide you with protein. You can also pack some fishing flies and small split shot sinkers in a small container like a film canister and wrap it with monofilament fishing line. Wrap the line onto the container, cover with electrical tape and you also have the tape to close wounds with.
• First Aid. A homeowner’s first-aid kit does not perform the functions you may need. You need to be able to perform self help first and you will need items to control serious bleeding, stabilize a sprain or broken bones. A bandana and feminine hygiene pads can be used to deal with bleeding. By using sticks from the woods, and a couple of triangular bandage you can splint a limb and deal with bleeding. Completing a first aid course and CPR course is strongly recommended.
• Space Blanket. A Mylar® space blanket can be used to reduce loss of body heat and may also be useful in making a shelter.
• Duct Tape. A few feet of duct tape wrapped around a pencil or stick will provide you with the ability to tape things together as well as help with wound closure.
• Electronics. You are not required to have electronic devices in your survival kit. However, if you have a GPS and/or a cell phone, you should know how to use them and carry them with you. Make sure they have fresh batteries or are fully charged and remember that they do not always work everywhere.

Good Hunting!

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It was Crocodile Mick Dundee that said, “Now that’s a knife!” I like  a nice fixed blade for hunting. Perhaps not as big as Mick’s. Having said that; If you are hunting/camping or in a far off outdoor setting where you need a chopping ability to mark a trail or cut a branch in an emergency in say the wilds of Northern New England and miles from civilization like Canada or Alaska. I am comforted, in far off places, with a larger knife both for utility and for defense, like I am with a big bored rifle. 

Around home a nice hunting fixed blade that is mid-size, are a compromise, where you don’t look foolish for carrying a big knife locally and still have a point which has a measure of defensive capability. Below is a website that shares blade styles for our education. 

https://www.knifebuzz.com/knife-blade-shapes/

Some, like me, like a knife for its cool look, that is gonna still be part of how and why you choose a knife. 

Steel for your blade? What are you gonna do with your blade? General use?  Honestly, I think if you have difficulty sharpening it then I would not own it. Stainless 400 series stainless, 1095 and similar are great choices for sharpening. Yes, there are better steels but you will pay dearly for them as a finished knife.  From a hardening standpoint, I think that Rockwell hardness of around 57 to 60 HRC is hard enough yet can be  sharpened. 

Non- Stainless is great for sharpness but needs care to prevent rusting. Damascus blades are not stainless but that combine two metals and when etched they show a beautiful contrast.  Wide hunting drop point or straight back blades are pretty to look at and are ideal for gutting and skinning. 

Several years back, I purchased this full tang Damascus drop point blade blank made out of 1095 steel and 15n20 and I carved and installed a burl maple handle and fancy brass pins. Sheaths can also be a work of art so sought out a USA sheath maker and had this rattle snake skin sheath made. The knife stays sharp for my use on deer.

A better image of my hunting knife below.

I have several knives! I have a gut hook knife for deer hunting but there were times in far off places when I needed to cut a piece of wood for my drag rope or make a shelter from spruce bows if you are lost. A gutting knife does not chop wood job very well however. For deer hunting I carry both my Damascus Knife on my hip and my gut hook knife in my backpack. Today most knives come with a nylon or cheaply made leather sheath. I prefer a sheath equal to my knife thus I am willing to spend more on a custom sheath. 

The world is your oyster today. I like US made products if possible and I stay away from CCP made goods. German made knives are ones to consider if US made are not available. Or, do like I did,…  build your own knife from a blank.

This winter I am building a straight back bladed moose hunting knife from 400 series stainless where the handle material can be costly, like stabilized burl maple and the sheath is custom made for me in the USA with tooling on vegetable tanned leather.  The largest investment is time in your workshop.  And that can be rewarding and fun especially in winter. 

Here is the Moose Knife with 6.5 inch cutting edge “straight back” blade.  Notice the forward edge is a bit wider. I am still finishing the handle. I am pleased with its progress…Great camp knife too!

The Sheath is not yet designed but it will be as great looking as the knife with some tooling on the leather. 

Good Hunting!

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