CHOOSING THE RIGHT HUNTING KNIFE

CHOOSING THE RIGHT HUNTING KNIFE 1. CLIP POINT KNIFE The tip on this knife curves upward and allows you to pierce the hide and cut a pattern. The pattern is the initial cut you make down each leg and up the belly before removing the skin. You can skin your animal with this knife but the shape of the blade tends to cut holes in the hide while skinning. This particular knife is a folding model, easy to carry in a pocket. 2. DROP POINT KNIFE This is your skinning knife. You’ll notice the tip doesn’t sweep upwards like a clip point knife. A drop point knife is less likely to accidentally poke through the hide. You can skin faster, without being as careful. Also notice the blade length. You don’t want too much blade on a skinning knife, it will just get in the way. This little knife has skinned an entire elk on more than one occasion. 3. CAPING KNIFE If you’re going to keep the hide or mount the head you’ll want a caping knife. A caping knife has a shorter, narrower blade with a distinct point which allows you to make difficult cuts around the eyes, lips of your big game animals, or while skinning the feet on bears. 4. BONING KNIFE When I was a kid we would section deer using a big old basic hunting knife. Years later after working in meat-packing plants I discovered a real boning knife. What a difference! To cleanly remove meat from the bone you’ll want a semi-flexible blade but not too flimsy or you can’t control the blade while working. I like a six-inch blade for this purpose. 5. RAFTING KNIFE For comparison, here’s a rafting knife for camping and general outdoor use. You’ll definitely want one of these for cutting cordage, chopping and making shavings for a campfire, but this design is unwieldy and difficult to use on game.