Knife for Hog Hunting and Dispatching…What Would You Choose?

N

Nalapombu

Joined
Oct 26, 2001
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298
Hey all.

I might be going on a hog hunt in the coming months. This is the kind where you use a few hog dogs that bay it up, turn a catch dog on it to hold it and then come in with a well placed blade to the heart or largest vessels in the neck area. I’ve never done it. I have watched several videos on it though.

If I do go, I’ll need a capable knife. I have a Kabar that’s old, but in great shape. I think the tip would have to be sharpened though. I’d prolly screw it up if I tried something like that.

If you were going to go in a hunt like this and needed an appropriate knife to do the job, what would you pick?
If you have knives that would do the trick, please post pics as I’d like to see them too.

What knives would you suggest if the budget was $150 ???

thank you for your time.
 
Pig-dogs.jpg


Any pointy knife 7"+ would do the trick on most hogs. For a full grown boar you'd want the traditional bayonet-style or other super-pointy knife because they have a lot of 'armor.'

Make sure the knife isn't longer than the hog is wide - there's a chance you'll stick your dogs. Dogs get real close when they're bailing, and everything is moving around in a frenzy.

A fuller can help introduce air into the heart. This will kill it much quicker.

The idea is to twist the knife around so you cut both the heart and lungs, which both sit in the same area (directly behind the shoulder).

Stay behind the hog. Pick up its back legs if you can so it can't move around. Don't stand in front of them, they bite just like dogs.

Take a belt or something, a dog collar will do. You thread it between the bones in the back legs, and use it as a handle while dragging it out (if you want to keep the meat). Much easier than just grabbing the legs. Hogs are heavy!
 
Currawong said:
Pig-dogs.jpg


Any pointy knife 7"+ would do the trick on most hogs. For a full grown boar you'd want the traditional bayonet-style or other super-pointy knife because they have a lot of 'armor.'

Make sure the knife isn't longer than the hog is wide - there's a chance you'll stick your dogs. Dogs get real close when they're bailing, and everything is moving around in a frenzy.

A fuller can help introduce air into the heart. This will kill it much quicker.

The idea is to twist the knife around so you cut both the heart and lungs, which both sit in the same area (directly behind the shoulder).

Stay behind the hog. Pick up its back legs if you can so it can't move around. Don't stand in front of them, they bite just like dogs.

Take a belt or something, a dog collar will do. You thread it between the bones in the back legs, and use it as a handle while dragging it out (if you want to keep the meat). Much easier than just grabbing the legs. Hogs are heavy!
Click to expand...
This is a great answer.

As mentioned, seven or eight inches is good. Anything shorter and you have to work harder to get to vitals.
 
I have yet to go on my first hunt, but I had a very similar question in my mind last winter when I picked up my own hog hunting knife. Mine will be more for humane dispatching if neccessary after a gunshot, but the needs are the same. I chose the Kabar "modified" tanto. 8 inch blade, hand guard, grippy handle, and the tip of the knife is very thick so losing it if I hit bone shouldn't be a huge concern. That plus you get a very nice sheath for a production knife considering the cost.
 
Guys I know use those plastic handled f dicks or variants. I have one friend who uses a boning knife.

F. Dick ErgoGrip 8.5 in. Sticking Knife | knifemerchant.com

The F. Dick ErgoGrip 8.5 in. Sticking Knife is also known as a pig sticker. This is a two sided dagger designed for bleeding an animal after they have been killed and hung. Getting as much of the blood out as possible makes the meat more white.
www.knifemerchant.com

Apparently you do a bit of running. So weight is an issue.
 
I don’t hunt, but I am a fan of Anza knives, so the Anza Pig Slayer would be my choice. Most sellers have it for $170.00, but I have found other similarly-priced Anzas for quite a bit less, so I would expect to do the same with the Pig Slayer.
 
T
Drop bear said:
Guys I know use those plastic handled f dicks or variants. I have one friend who uses a boning knife.

F. Dick ErgoGrip 8.5 in. Sticking Knife | knifemerchant.com

The F. Dick ErgoGrip 8.5 in. Sticking Knife is also known as a pig sticker. This is a two sided dagger designed for bleeding an animal after they have been killed and hung. Getting as much of the blood out as possible makes the meat more white.
www.knifemerchant.com

Apparently you do a bit of running. So weight is an issue.
Click to expand...
The F. Dick sticking knife is very popular on Australian and New Zealand hunting supply websites for hog hunting. They probably do more of this than Americans.
 
Just curious . . . I've never been hog hunting (yet) but WHY would you want to "dispatch" a hog w/a knife?

Aren't you using a rifle (308 or better) to shoot it?

If so, if it's down but not dead yet, why not just hit it again w/another round from the rifle (or a handgun that you're carrying for backup) to keep you out of harm's way?

Then, the only knife you'd need would be one that to skin, gut and segment it, unless you're "hunting" at one of those places where they can process the hog for you.

I suppose you can argue that a knife is more "humane" and will minimize the damage to the meat but personally I'd just shoot it again.
 
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sgt1372 said:
Just curious . . . I've never been hog hunting (yet) but WHY would you want to "dispatch" a hog one w/a knife?

Aren't you using a rifle (308 or better) to shoot it?

If so, if it's down but not dead yet, why not just hit it again w/another round from the rifle (or a handgun that you're carrying for backup) to keep you out of harm's way?

Then, the only knife you'd need would be one that to skin, gut and segment it, unless you're "hunting" at one of those places where they can process the hog for you.

I suppose you can argue that a knife is more "humane" and will minimize the damage to the meat but personally I'd just shoot it again.
Click to expand...
When hunting hogs with dogs, a knife is the way to end things. Dogs don't get shot that way. As to why, some folks like hunting up close and personal. Gives one a good adrenalin rush.
 
Have no clue why you would want to get that close to Hog/Bore. They can gut you in a hart beat. That being said I am a bow hunter. Lived is SC for 23 years. Any time big game was open you could hunt them. And they are nasty. They tare up the land. In SC, NC and GA they want them dead. They are moving north. Adapt to new environments very fast.

Rich K.
 
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