Skip to main content

What Makes a Good Hunting Knife?

All blades aren't created equal. Choose your hunting knife wisely.

What Makes a Good Hunting Knife?
Options are seemingly endless with modern knives. Pick what knives suit your needs best and become proficient with them. (Photo courtesy of Joseph von Benedikt)

Affiliate Disclosure: This page contains affiliate links. We earn from qualifying purchases.

Just a couple of centuries ago, American hunters carved up big game from deer to bison with sharp hand tools made of obsidian and flint. The blades we use currently have come a long way, but here’s a fun question for you: Would you trade in your modern tools in a swap to experience early American game populations and hunting? Would you cape, quarter and bone bighorn sheep and grizzly bears with sharp rocks, if it meant you could hunt them regularly? I know I would.

I digress. We’re here to talk about how to choose the best hunting knife for the West, not how to flake a fresh edge on your favorite hunk of volcanic glass. In the so-called modern era, we’ve evolved from hefty belt knives such as those Jim Bowie perfected, to pocket-sized mechanical marvels with replaceable, disposable blades. More recently, there’s a movement into state-of-the-art custom backcountry hunting blades; ultralight, ergonomic fixed-blade hunting knives made of premium steel and carbon fiber. Let’s take a deep dive into the various types and unpack the characteristics of each.


When I was a kid, receiving your first proper hunting knife was a bigger rite of passage than getting your driver’s license. Back then, and still today, hunting knives were commonly configured by human conceptions of what The Great White Hunter would look good carrying and using. Blades were frequently thicker than necessary; hafts were bulky and not particularly ergonomic and blade length was often longer than practical.

Those knives were, and are, cool. However, they’re not what I’d call purpose-designed. A few of the quiet, understated hunters (you know, that same 10 percent that usually shoots 90 percent of the deer) opted for light, sleek little knives such as Shrade’s Old Timer Sharpfinger.

MODERN REPLACEABLE-BLADE KNIVES

replaceable blade knives
(Photo courtesy of Joseph von Benedikt)

Modern times and mankind’s thirst for labor-saving devices led to the development of folding, replaceable-blade knives. It was a timely evolution, because the old-guard knowledge of how to put a proper razor edge on a traditional blade was largely lost around the same time.

Most popular of the replaceable-blade brands is Havalon, closely followed by Outdoor Edge. Havalon knives utilize scalpel-thin blade inserts. They’re known for having extremely sharp, if not durable, edges. Generally, a hunter will replace the blade at least once while quartering up and caping a deer, and more for an elk. Meanwhile, savvy hunters exercise profound caution while using Havalon knives.

Why? I personally know several experienced hunters—who have a lifetime of wisdom and practice cutting up deer, elk and bears—that have slipped with their Havalons and caused catastrophic injuries. Most uniquely, very few of them were aware of the extent of their injuries until a minute or two after they occurred—apparently the razor scalpel edge flashes through tissue, tendons, arteries and more so effortlessly that it fails to alert nerve centers right away.

Probably the most common Havalon model is the Piranta. It’s super light—only a few ounces—and it folds up small and compact. That’s perfect for far-traveling hunters. However, because of its small nature and the somewhat industrial contours of its handle, it’s not real ergonomic in the hand. That fact, combined with the truly scary sharpness of its scalpel-type blades, makes the Havalon a frightening tool.

hunting knives
Hunting knives come in all shapes and sizes, each serving their own specific purpose. (Photo courtesy of Joseph von Benedikt)

I’ve come to prefer Outdoor Edge brand knives, which are typically a bit more robust in size, both in the handles and the thickness of the blades. In my opinion, Outdoor Edge replaceable blades are not quite as crazy sharp when new, but hold their edge longer and are more easily touched up for continued use. Because they’re bigger in the hand and are not quite as scary sharp, it seems that less injuries occur.

Modern, replaceable-blade knives are prime for caping skulls and around the paws of bears, mountain lions and other predators. I carry one in my pack at all times, because they’re so light, and the replaceable blades are convenient if it’s dark, storming or windy, particularly when sitting down to methodically hone an edge on a traditional knife is a challenge.

Recommended


However, I confess the purist in me is slightly adverse to replaceable-blade knives; I feel like any outdoorsman worth his salt should know how to sharpen a hunting knife, and for me, disposable blades sort of symbolize much of what is wrong in our fast-paced modern world.

MODERN ULTRALIGHT FIXED BLADES

custom quality knives
Sleek, semi-compact, lightweight fixed-blade knives such as these by Montana Knife Company and Siembida Custom Knives are ideal for western hunting from the plains to the high country. (Photo courtesy of Joseph von Benedikt)

Here’s where edged hunting tools become really cool. These knives embody all that is good about the passionate modern hunter: Extreme quality, capability and ergonomics combined with state-of-the-art materials and true craftsmanship.

You’ll find this type in the lineup of knife company giants such as Benchmade, Buck, Gerber and CRKT. They’re good, serviceable tools. Benchmade’s Saddle Mountain Skinner and Raghorn Carbon Fiber are particularly nice.


The best of the modern, fixed-blade ultralight hunting knives are custom, or at least semicustom, and are made of state-of-the-art steels and handle materials. The best semicustom blades I’ve used personally are made by Montana Knife Company (MKC), which was founded and is headed up by Josh Smith, who was the youngest bladesmith in history to earn the coveted Master Bladesmith qualification from the American Bladesmith Society. Today, the company produces several different knife models for hunters. Check out the Blackfoot, Stonewall Skinner, and Mini Speedgoat models on MKC’s website.

For a fully custom, handmade knife, I’ve never found a craftsman that can match Evan of Siembida Custom Knives. He’ll walk you through steel characteristics and help you select exactly the right type. If desired, he’ll skeletonize and taper the tang for ultimate weight removal. He’ll build your knife using your choice of space-age modern materials such as carbon fiber, G10, Glow Carbon (a super-cool product that glows neon green after being hit with a flashlight) and so forth. Siembida’s Meadowlark model is an extremely light, ergonomic, compact backcountry hunting knife that’s ideal for quartering and caping and can bone an elk.

THE VERSATILE HUNTER

fixed blades
(Photo courtesy of Joseph von Benedikt)

So, what’s the ultimate knife—or combination of knives—for Western hunting? Here’s my take: you should have two. That way, if you lose one, you’re still equipped to take apart an elk, bear, or muley buck. Plus, you can carry two types, using each for its optimal tasks.

Purist though I am, I cheerfully recognize the usefulness of a modern, replaceable-blade folder. My pick is the $30 Outdoor Edge 3.5-inch RazorLite EDC with easily visible orange handle inserts.

My go-to fixed-blade knife will always be a compact, lightweight tool with the best steel and ergonomics I can afford. Top picks, in ascending order of quality and cost, are Benchmade’s Saddle Mountain Skinner, MKC’s Blackfoot, Benchmade’s Raghorn Carbon Fiber, and Siembida 
Custom Knives’ Meadowlark.

knife and slugs in hand
(Photo courtesy of Joseph von Benedikt)

We may not hunt bison and grizzlies much these days, or cut them up with tools made of volcanic glass—that glorious era is past. On the plus side, it’s the day of the modern hunter, and without doubt, today’s human predators have better blades than ever before.





GET THE NEWSLETTER Join the List and Never Miss a Thing.

Recommended Articles

Recent Videos

Sighting in a thermal optic is similar to a traditional riflescope. However, a thermal does require the target to give o...
Gear

New MagView Mount from Warne

Sighting in a thermal optic is similar to a traditional riflescope. However, a thermal does require the target to give o...
Gear

New Browning Firearms for 2025: Citori 825 Shotgun, X-Bolt 2 Rifle

Sighting in a thermal optic is similar to a traditional riflescope. However, a thermal does require the target to give o...
Gear

New Rings and Accessories from Warne

Sighting in a thermal optic is similar to a traditional riflescope. However, a thermal does require the target to give o...
Gear

Steiner's New ePredator 8 Riflescope and LRF Binocular

Sighting in a thermal optic is similar to a traditional riflescope. However, a thermal does require the target to give o...
Gear

Wonky Whitetails, Wind, and Weatherby Rifles

Sighting in a thermal optic is similar to a traditional riflescope. However, a thermal does require the target to give o...
Hunting

Ireland's Whistling Stags

Sighting in a thermal optic is similar to a traditional riflescope. However, a thermal does require the target to give o...
Gear

Silencer Central's New Modular Titanium Suppressor

Sighting in a thermal optic is similar to a traditional riflescope. However, a thermal does require the target to give o...
Hunting

Endless Bugles

Sighting in a thermal optic is similar to a traditional riflescope. However, a thermal does require the target to give o...
Gear

Weatherby's New Model 307 Alpine CT

Sighting in a thermal optic is similar to a traditional riflescope. However, a thermal does require the target to give o...
Gear

Aero Precision's New Solus Lightweight Hunter

Sighting in a thermal optic is similar to a traditional riflescope. However, a thermal does require the target to give o...
Gear

How to Sight-In a Thermal Optic

Petersen's Hunting Magazine Covers Print and Tablet Versions

GET THE MAGAZINE Subscribe & Save.

Digital Now Included!

SUBSCRIBE NOW

Give a Gift   |   Subscriber Services

PREVIEW THIS MONTH'S ISSUE

Buy Digital Single Issues

Magazine App Logo

Don't miss an issue.
Buy single digital issue for your phone or tablet.

Get the Petersen's Hunting App apple store google play store

Other Magazines

See All Other Magazines

Special Interest Magazines

See All Special Interest Magazines

GET THE NEWSLETTER Join the List and Never Miss a Thing.

Get the top Petersen's Hunting stories delivered right to your inbox.

Phone Icon

Get Digital Access.

All Petersen's Hunting subscribers now have digital access to their magazine content. This means you have the option to read your magazine on most popular phones and tablets.

To get started, click the link below to visit mymagnow.com and learn how to access your digital magazine.

Get Digital Access

Not a Subscriber?
Subscribe Now

Enjoying What You're Reading?

Get a Full Year
of Guns & Ammo
& Digital Access.

Offer only for new subscribers.

Subscribe Now

Never Miss a Thing.

Get the Newsletter

Get the top Petersen's Hunting stories delivered right to your inbox.

By signing up, I acknowledge that my email address is valid, and have read and accept the Terms of Use