Hunting is not a simple walk in the park or a camping trip with your friends. It needs some preparation and having the right gear with you. Besides the basics like your rifle, navigation tools, proper clothing, comfortable boots, and food and water, you'll need some hunting blades and other sharp tools. They'll help you throughout the trip and make it simpler and safer.
Hunting Knives
Every hunter needs the proper tools when going on this adventure. They're the essentials that will make their hunting trip much easier. What do hunters need the most? Well, hunting knives, of course. They’re the most versatile piece of them all. The market is filled with different types of knives and they all have their own purposes. Understanding what each one is best for and what it does, will make your decision-making easier.
The first knife you should know about is the bowie knife. It has a long, wide blade and a sharp point. Its blade is fixed and it’s usually 15-30cm long. The single-edge blade is curved and the cross guard will protect your hands from accidental cuts. This is a very versatile knife that’s also good for camping. It’s one of the best camping tools to have at hand when you’re out in the wild.
Hunters use it for butchering, skinning and, in some cases, chopping wood. It's like a multipurpose hunting knife. The second one is the skinner knife. This one is small and sharp and used to skin animals (just as the name suggests). It's 20cm long in total, with 10cm of blade and 10cm of handle. This way, you get a well-balanced, easy-to-control tool to work with.
The skinning knife can also remove the fur from the hide to make it appropriate for clothing. Some hunters also use the skinner for cleaning small game and gutting fish. Nex is the bushcraft knife. It has a very similar design to the skinner. The only difference is the longer blade. It's very versatile and good for handling bigger game.
You can also find a gut-hook knife. This one is a specialized tool that’s specifically made for gutting animals. The curved blade with a sharp point is perfect for the job. It can go through the animal’s stomach and open it. If you don’t want to get your hands dirty, invest in this knife. The gutting will be done in just a few seconds.
The deboning knife is the one you need after you’ve gutted and skinned the animal. You take the knife and separate the meat from the bones. The blade is thick, rigid and short to make your work much easier. There are also larger knives that can be practical for your hunting trip.
The clip point is one of those knives. It has a clipped front, which is perfect for meat processing and piercing flesh. You can also find a spear point knife that has a long and symmetrical blade. It's perfect for clean cuts around the organs and the flesh. No matter which knives you decide to buy, make sure they have a good grip and an ergonomic handle that won’t tire your hands when using them.
Multitool
When you’re out in the wild, it’s not a wise decision to take a toolbox with you. It's heavy, robust and takes too much storage space. Fortunately, people came out with a much smaller but equally practical piece of equipment, called the multitool. It's one of the most widely used hunting and camping tools all over the world.
There are several types of multitools you can choose from depending on your needs and preferences. They come in different sizes, have different tools and can be made of different materials. The keychain type is the smallest of them all. Just as the name suggests, you can carry it around on a keyring. It's lightweight and won’t take up a lot of space.
Because of its size it doesn’t have a lot of tools on it. It's usually the essentials, such as screwdriver, bottle opener, can opener, pry bar and box opener. This is a limited selection compared to bigger multitools. The pocket multitools are also self-explanatory, they fit in your pocket. They’re medium-sized tools and are easy to carry around.
They can fit more tools than the keychain version, such as scissors, blades, whistle, files, and many more. Full-sized multitools are the biggest of them all and can fit the most tools. Their only downside is their weight. They're heavier and can be hard to carry around all day during the hunt.
When it comes to materials, stainless steel is the best option. It's rust and corrosion resistant, it’s strong, durable and can withstand a lot of wear and tear. Look for a multitool with a liner lock that will keep the tool you’re working with steady. Before buying this tool, make sure you know what the tools you’ll be using the most.
Axe
The axe has been a hunting weapon for a very, very long time. Nowadays, it’s not used as much for hunting, but for other purposes, especially with hunters. There are a few things to consider before buying your first axe. The head shape is the first thing. One of the most popular head shapes is the spike/flat shape. It's very versatile and can pound and hammer things easily.
When it comes to the cutting edge, the longer the edge the heavier the axe. But when you swing it, the weight and lengthened edge will give you additional force. This makes chopping wood much simpler and easier. A narrow edge can pierce deeper and will have less resistance.
The handle’s length can vary from 20 to 50cm. A longer handle will give you more swing force and more leverage when prying. However, it’ll be heavier and not very compact. A smaller handle is easier to carry and handle. No matter which one you choose, make sure that you have a nice grip, it’s made of durable materials and it’s easy to handle.