Puukkos for hunting?

T

Timberdoodle

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Dec 14, 2018
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From what I read, puukkos are supposed to be excellent for bushcraft from a blade & handle geometry perspective, etc. I haven't ever used one, but I love the look of them, especially with the wood handles, the simplicity, etc. I know that they've been used for hunting purposes in the scandinavian countries for 1000 years, but I'm wondering if anyone has perspective on how they work for quartering/gutting/skinning big game in the field (e.g. do those beautiful wood handles get slippery, does a drop point or clip point work better, is a blade with more of a belly more useful, etc). Any input would be appreciated.
 
It would be hard to not poke through a hide skinning it with a pointy puukko. They work for everything else and handle materials vary but the traditional design has no finger guard.
 
marchone said:
It would be hard to not poke through a hide skinning it with a pointy puukko. They work for everything else and handle materials vary but the traditional design has no finger guard.
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Good points. If you had a lanyard tube, you could mitigate the "slippage" potential a little.
 
I know it's not a traditional Puukko but I used a Mora Companion to skin and quarter two deer last year. It may not be optimal but it was no issue at all. I didn't have any concerns about puncturing too deep, I put my finger on the spine of the blade to keep the point away from everything. I can't speak on the handles being slick, that rubber grip grabs even when it's bloody.

If you like that style of knife but are not sure if it's for you, try one of the Classic Mora knives with the wood handles. They are inexpensive workhorses that perform well, especially at their price point.
 
I would rather process meat with a scandi or convexed scandi blade like a Mora than to baton or make feather sticks with a hollow ground hunting knife.

With commitment and practice, the decision doesn't matter that much other than preference
 
I don’t find a scandi grind knife best for processing deer or hogs. There are better blade shapes than a Puukko for that work. Yeah, they can be used, but there are better options.
 
It doesn't take much knife to skin, quarter, or butcher something like a deer. A puukko works just fine, even the pointy ones. It's much less about the knife than it is the person using it, which is why there are myriad blade shapes on 'hunting' knives. If you're worried about your hand riding up on the blade just curl your little finger behind the pommel. If you're worried about puncturing through the skin while skinning, stop using a knife to skin deer and start using your hands (it works better anyway). If you're worried about puncturing the guts while cleaning your game just put a finger on the spine extending past the tip.
 
I raised cows, sheep, pigs, emus, and variety of fowl. Killed and processed most on my own, I learned how to properly process from a butcher.

My 2¢ is I don't like any knife for processing that doesn't have adequate finger protection.

Can it be done? Yes. When your hands are covered in fat and or blood and it's cold out or one of many other common instances mistakes occur and the finger protection is appreciated. I'm sure Daniel Boone will be along soon to say otherwise so I'll leave it with a YMMV.
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There are reportedly over 300,000 hunters in Finland out of a population of about 5.5 million people, and up to 50,000 Elk (we call them Moose) are taken in a year's hunt. A lot of those hunters are using puukkos and have for a long time so as NaplamCheese said above, it is more about who is using the knife, than about the knife. John
 
pinnah said:
I would rather process meat with a scandi or convexed scandi blade like a Mora than to baton or make feather sticks with a hollow ground hunting knife.
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I'm the opposite, but then again I'm not that fond of a scandi grind either.

The puukko's I've had have more of a convex, high saber type of grind than a true scandi. The couple scandi's I've had were acceptable at cutting but only excelled at hard surfaces like wood. The cheeks created a lot of discontent for me for other uses. Puukko's that tend to have more of the rhomboid blade shape do not have the problem. Maybe it was the moras and custom I had that was designed with the bevel that created more pinching than I liked. I'm really a fan of high savers for most cutting anymore, but the grind certainly isn't the only aspect of a knife to consider.

Slipping off the front of a puukko could be a concern if you get excited and careless. Use pull cuts and the worse that happens is you drop your knife. Contoured handles would mitigate that some too. Guards make it safer what I tend to prefer for such a situation. I've probably slipped more with fillet knives than hunting knives though, and I've not seen a guard on a fillet knife. Cutting gloves can be your friend if you have the option.

I'm not sure why you wouldn't want a point knife. Thinking of a very common hunting design, the buck fixed blades with clip points, are all very pointy and highly regarded for cleaning game. Maybe, we've worked in different fame as I've not had to clean anything larger than a white tail where taking skins off can pretty much be done with brute force.
 
You can field dress and break down game with about any knife ... I have done so with a whitetail deer with no more than a slipjoint ... are there better options? absolutely ... but on that surprise day it was all I had on me ...

but as some mentioned it's much more about the skill ofthe hunter doing it than the knife itself ...

I do understand and will say in blood and such a guard is a nice added safety feature ... but again if you are careful and know what you're doing a Pukko or just about any knife can field dress and clean game ... I'm sure there are alot of deer, stag, elk, etc. cleaned with a Pukko every season ...

and skinning or caping a hide out I use both a skinning knife and a very fine tipped caper ... and you just have to watch what you're doing.
 
bikerector said:
I'm the opposite, but then again I'm not that fond of a scandi grind either.

The puukko's I've had have more of a convex, high saber type of grind than a true scandi. The couple scandi's I've had were acceptable at cutting but only excelled at hard surfaces like wood. The cheeks created a lot of discontent for me for other uses. Puukko's that tend to have more of the rhomboid blade shape do not have the problem. Maybe it was the moras and custom I had that was designed with the bevel that created more pinching than I liked. I'm really a fan of high savers for most cutting anymore, but the grind certainly isn't the only aspect of a knife to consider.

Slipping off the front of a puukko could be a concern if you get excited and careless. Use pull cuts and the worse that happens is you drop your knife. Contoured handles would mitigate that some too. Guards make it safer what I tend to prefer for such a situation. I've probably slipped more with fillet knives than hunting knives though, and I've not seen a guard on a fillet knife. Cutting gloves can be your friend if you have the option.

I'm not sure why you wouldn't want a point knife. Thinking of a very common hunting design, the buck fixed blades with clip points, are all very pointy and highly regarded for cleaning game. Maybe, we've worked in different fame as I've not had to clean anything larger than a white tail where taking skins off can pretty much be done with brute force.
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If one can slip off of a puukko, one can just as easily slip off of a Buck 110.

Buck makes a boat load of drop point hunting knives (following the trend popularized by Bob Loveless among others). Clip vs drop point is a matter of preference like beer vs ale, imo. I think familiarity with one's knife is the most important thing.

My favorite all around knife is a thin high conveyed saber grind. But it's super old and nobody makes blades like that anymore that I know of.

We all have our preferences and I stand by mine. I carry a Buck 110 for EDC so I'm super familiar with hollow grinds. I'm just much better at working wood with a high saber or scandi (convexed). I'm sure that's just a failing of my own skills though as lots of folks make shavings with hollow grinds just fine. YMMV territory.
 
pinnah said:
If one can slip off of a puukko, one can just as easily slip off of a Buck 110.
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That is correct, I almost added that in as well. Plenty of people using knives without guards but finger guards are generally safer. I grew up around a buck 110 even though I only started only my own within the last year. I used a 118 for most of my childhood.

I pointed out the stabby part because post #2. I should've done better with the quotes, only my first line was really aimed at your post.

I will say, a high saber with a convex would be pretty interesting. I have a high saber LT bushcrafter Mark II that I'm very fond of. Makes me wonder what that would be like with a little rounding behind the final bevel. I don't do nearly the amount of hunting I used to but I carve a lot more wood than I used to so my preferences have changed a lot. Used to be I had to have a slicey blade and it had to be a clip point if I was heading to the woods.
 
Roselli's erapukko is a superb hunting knife. I've used mine to field dress moose and caribou in subzero weather -- that big birch handle works great with gloved hands and the blade with its subtle drop point and elegant curve works great for both opening and skinning; it is the result of hundreds of years of evolution in knives IMHO.
 
I've never met a deer that needed a skinning knife .Just pull with an occasional cutting of membrane. My early Helle, 1947, feels fine works well
 
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