Hunting Knife for the Wife

bratch

bratch

Gold Member
Joined
Jan 10, 2005
Messages
50
My wife has decided to join me hunting for the first time and we are working to get her outfitted before October. Next on the list is a good fixed blade. I’m looking to get her something of her own and not just one of my hand-me-downs.

I got the knife box out tonight and let her handle a few with the following feedback:

Liked:
Benchmade Steep Country
White River M1 Pro
White River Small Game Knife

Didn’t mind but doesn’t like:
Houge Extrak
Buck Paklite

Didn’t Like:
Buck Vanguard
Mora Garberg
Spyderco Moran

The knives she didn’t like all had too big of a handle for her so we are looking for something with a smaller grip. We also prefer something high-vis.

Buying an old Steep Country or a new M1 Pro is an option but is there anything else out there we should look at? The Buck Small Pursuit looks promising but I’ve never handled one so I’m not sure on the grip size.
 
I have tried a lot of different knives over fifty years of hunting. Paul Rasp’s 4” Kephart is my favorite and most used in recent years. His business name is CPE Knives. Highly recommend. A Case Bose Bullnose in 154cm is the other I carry in my pocket most of the time. Those two should be comfortable in her hand. Gene Ingram makes a wonderful knife, but he is semi-retired. Phil Wilson is the pinnacle if you can get one.

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Buck pursuit pro, the little one, could be a good choice. Orange, rubber handle with a good hunting blade grind and profile, IMO. The large is pretty good for average man hands, the little is almost like a big B&T knife handle. If I still had it, I would compare it for you. I think it would've been pretty close to the Cold Steel SRK-C handle, which is noticeably smaller than the SRK.

I tried looking up pictures from when I sold them a few years ago, but I've deleted the photos now so only have my memory. I think the small will be pretty good though if the buck vanguard felt big. The knife handle is slimmer for sure.


A mora kansbol could be an interesting pick. Not the flashiest knife but functional.
 
Another is the TFK T9, which has a relatively slender grip. I gave one to a young nephew and it is a really nice size that should work well for her.
 
bikerector said:

A mora kansbol could be an interesting pick. Not the flashiest knife but functional.
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Thanks.

The Small Pursuit Pro was my original thought as well. I may just order one and if she doesn’t like it I’ll use it.

Does the Kansbol have a smaller grip than the Garberg? She touched the Garberg and disliked it instantly, I was thinking of the orange Kansbol when I handed her the Garberg. I have some Companions she could try if the grip is closer. The Kansobol has been on my watch list for a while
 
bratch said:
Thanks.

The Small Pursuit Pro was my original thought as well. I may just order one and if she doesn’t like it I’ll use it.

Does the Kansbol have a smaller grip than the Garberg? She touched the Garberg and disliked it instantly, I was thinking of the orange Kansbol when I handed her the Garberg. I have some Companions she could try if the grip is closer. The Kansobol has been on my watch list for a while
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I think it's the same handle, so a nope for her then.
 
jeffbird said:
The Bark River I had was a poorly ground, poorly finished piece of crap and had horrible edge retention. Maybe Bark River is better now, but I will never buy another.
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Sounds like an anomoly. I've owned, and still do own, dozens of BRK's, and never had any such issue. However, all of mine were bought pre-2016. Was yours more recent than that?
 
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If possible to obtain in time, I cannot recommend enough the Bird & Shark by David Mary David Mary . A roughly 3.5" blade and 4+" handle, it probably qualifies as a bird and trout knife but feels and functions like a larger knife while being compact enough to carry effortlessly.

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Otherwise, a Buck 117 pro in S35VN might be a good option to consider.

Even better, the Becker BK16 or BK72 would both be excellent options, the only difference being that the BK72 is made in Magnacut.

If she likes the White River models then I see no reason why not to get one for her.

The Cold Steel Master Hunter is an excellent hunting knife, although she may not like it if she doesn't like large handled knives.


Edit: some more inspiration:

Attention deer hunters

I'm on the never ending search for the perfect deer knife. Obviously something that works for skinning and gutting is most important. However, given we are on a knife forum, aesthetics, steel, history/maker, pretty much anything you would value come into play. I've spent a bunch of bored nights...
www.bladeforums.com www.bladeforums.com
 
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What about a Brisa Kephart? Or any of the smaller Brisa fixed blades? Good luck, and let us know what she gets.
 
Montana Knife Company has some nice offerings, they might be worth a look. I also like the look of the Goat Knives Chamois.

Beyond that I'd talk to some custom makers here on the forum. David Mary is extremely highly regarded, and I've seen some really nice stuff from Deer Rock Knives as well. You can find some of his work in his post here.
 
Benchmade Pukko 200. Good grippy handle, great steel (3V), compact. The factory sheath doesn't live up ti the quality of the knife but it's functional (I used it as a pattern to make a better one out of heavier leather).
 
Horsewright Horsewright
David Mary David Mary
deerrockknives deerrockknives

I agree with checking out the Makers section.

All three above, and Many more here are very capable of what you want.
Many makers will work with you on Your design, and maybe even work off your exact tracing/profile that you draw up.


*Before you start bugging any makers though...... make a list exactly what is important to you....(It helps not wasting Their time going back and forth) :)
Stainless or not
Blade thickness
Edge Durability? Sharpen ability?
Blade length
handle size/shape
Carry options

Etc....etc....
 
The White River M1 is part of my hunting gear and a handy knife. If she likes then it might be the way to go. Another White River knife, the Sendero Pack Knife is small and lighter than the M1 and has a slightly thinner blade.

If you're looking for similar sized knives that work a few to look at ...
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LT Wright Small Northern Hunter (top)
White M1 orange G10 & Burlap (middle 2)
A Horsewright knives in AEB-L (he is a maker on the forum here ... bottom) I can't recall the model name, but several of his models might fit the bill as he makes small sized working knives and many are a bit smaller than the model pictured.

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These pictures shows a Bradford Guardian 3.5 with the White River M1. A very similar knife ... the Bradford does have a slightly thicker handle and is a little heavier than the M1.

Montana knife company has a couple smaller models that may be something to checkout also.

If stainless isn't a requirement the Esee JG3 is a very handy comfortable smaller lightweight knife that might be worth a look, although the factory leather sheath needs wet formed for retention.

And right now there is a Caper in the exchange by a maker here JJSmith that you may like. I don't have his caper model, but I own a couple of his knives and carry one of his often while hunting.
 
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I too appreciate the shout out. I try to keep a selection on my website so there is something ready to go. Many of my designs work very well for ladies with many being used all over the world by cowgirls and sports women.

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My daughter in law (not the young lady above) grew up hunting in elk country. She uses one of my Poco's similar to this one to process elk.

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The Poco has a bout a 2" blade so kinda gives the lie to the old deal about having to have a large knife for hunting. My wife, although not much of a hunter, has cut about a zillion critters in the branding pen. A lot of similarities to what you are asking a knife to do and what you are asking it to cut. She uses a Vaquero model similar to this one. The Vaquero runs a 2 3/8" blade.

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