I have hunted, fished and foraged for over fifty years. I feel naked without a knife in my pocket or on my belt. Ive made, bought, sold, given away and lost dozens of knives.
Ive been setting traps for feral pigs and brushtailed possums. A few weeks ago I decided that the knives Id sometimes use to dispatch an animal were either too short, or too unsafe to tackle a big pig with. Thats when I bought the new knife as my hunting and butchery companion. It cost me less than NZ$30.
When I set traps I sometimes need a sharp blade to slash through weeds, vines or twigs that need to be cleared away from my snares. I also have to sharpen the occasional peg, or carve a notch in the release toggles of my spring snares. If I catch something, it needs to be killed, skinned and butchered. My new knife suits me well...
Ive often said that a three or four inch blade is all that is needed for an all-purpose knife. And while that is largely true for many activities, I prefer the longer blade on the new knife. At about six and a half inches long, it is much more likely to reach the vitals in the boiler room of a large hog when I have to stick it behind the shoulder. Sticking a pig in the artery alongside the brisket can be done with a very short knife, but it is hard to get at the brisket of a big boar thrashing about in a snare. The extra length makes it easier to chop through brush too. Although I havent done it yet, I can tell that this knife would make a pretty good job of filleting a fish if a narrower blade were not available.
The blade shape is similar to that of the traditional Sami leuku. It is great for skinning, and the shape helps, slightly, to keep the weight forward for chopping. While some might choose a more pointed knife for sticking pigs, I found that my knife worked just fine on the two small animals I recently dispatched with it.
The relatively thin blade (about 0.095), is tapered from spine to edge. This makes it ideal for cutting meat, clearing light scrub... and re-sharpening. Folks may argue that there are better blades for hacking and levering your way out of a locked trunk, but I seldom find myself in such a situation while hunting.
A guard (quillon) on a knife undoubtedly makes it safer to use when sticking a pig. But guards can get in the way, and they may also make it difficult to use a simple sheath. The handle on this knife has a pattern of raised truncated pyramids which really help to prevent my hand slipping, even when wet. The moulded shape of the handle also creates a integral guard that slips easily into a simple sheath while still preventing my hand from sliding forward. I once had to get into the water to cut away a monofilament net that had fouled our boat propellor as we were being swept toward a rocky beach. The only knife I had was fitted with a brass guard which kept on getting caught in the netting. I managed to remove the net before the boat was damaged, but I might have done it with less stress if Id had my new knife with the moulded guard.
I like the white handle. If I drop the knife in the scrub, it is much easier to find compared to a darker handle. And the polypropylene (I think) plastic is a good choice for someone like me who thinks that hygiene is very important for a food-preparation knife.
Continued.......
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