Choosing the Right Hunting Knife
No hunter is fully prepared without a hunting knife. From skinning an animal to butchering meat, a hunting knife is one of the most important tools anyone can take into the field. Even after centuries of use, hunting knives are still part of our society. But for many people, like us here at Damascus1, the hunting knife has value beyond its usability. The knife has symbolic value and is designed to be passed on from generation to generation.
At Damascus1, we are confident in our knives and to help you choose the perfect hunting knife, we have compiled everything you need to know about the uses, shapes, and functions of a hunting knife.
The History of the Hunting Knife
A hunting knife is an ancient tool that has remained almost completely unchanged until today. The first metal hunting knives were made from bronze in the Bronze Age around 2000 BC. With the advent of the Iron Age between 1000 and 800 BC, the first knives were used to cut the skin. Iron began to be used in knife manufacture. Iron provided a sharper and stronger cutting edge than bronze. A major problem with iron knives was that they could be bent easily. The Vikings solved this problem by adding carbon or 'carburizing' the iron. This hardened the iron blade and improved its rigidity and sharpness.
Modern hunting knives are now a traditional tool used by both the active outdoorsman and the hunter, and a variety of models are available, ranging from 'full tang' models, where the uncut part of the blade or the pliers extend all the way through the handle to provide strength, to folding knives, lock knives and specialized skinning and reindeer knives.
Damascus1's range of handmade handbag hunting knives includes models for a number of different purposes, and although the names can sometimes seem misleading, all Damascus1 knives are suitable for hunters.
Different Uses of a Hunting Knife
A hunting knife must be able to serve several purposes and several uses, such as grooming, skinning, and butchering. Below are the purposes for which we recommend Damascus1 knives.
For Field Work
When field trimming, it is important to be quick to maintain the best quality meat. It is therefore important to have a sharp hunting knife to hand. When field trimming, you cut through the skin and belly of the animal - in this case, we recommend using one of our carbon steel knives, as they are best suited for cutting through bones and other hard nesses.
When you skin an animal, you separate the skin from the muscles of the meat. In this case, you need a sharp knife. If you use a dull knife of poor quality, you may tear the meat and also not get all the meat off the bone. A sharp hunting knife helps to make a clean and precise cut. In this case, we recommend using a knife from our supreme quality steel collection. These knives have excellent long-lasting sharpness, which ensures that you do not have to waste time sharpening the knife during the process.
High-Carbon Knife: High-Carbon Knife
After you've separated the skin from the animal, it's time to cut it and divide it piece by piece. Many people prefer a butcher's knife - we recommend you take a look at our carbon steel collection as it's perfect for the job.
Damascus1 Hunting Knives in UHC Steel (Ultra-High Carbon)
This exquisite collection of handmade hunting knives from Damascus1's UHC steel took decades to develop. The secret of the outstanding cutting properties and sharpness of Damascus1 UHC steel lies in the small carbides in the steel. The carbides themselves are almost as hard as diamond and make the blades of hunting knives extremely sharp. Damascus1's UHC steel knives stay sharp much longer and better than other hunting knives - which means you don't have to sharpen your hunting knife as often. In the Damascus1 UHC steel collection, you will find everything from the ideal hunting knife, a sharp skinning knife to the optimum outdoor knife.
Every hunting knife made by Damascus1 is handmade and will last a lifetime, and hopefully be the only hunting knife you'll ever need. That's why we offer a lifetime guarantee on all our handmade hunting knives and a free lifetime sharpening service.
Remember that UHC steel gives you an extremely sharp knife that stays sharp for a very long time, but keep in mind that hard UHC steel is not suitable for piercing bone or other hard materials.