Knife shape/style for stalking?

bowji john

Well-Known Member
A friend of mine has taken up knife making

He makes them for 'friends and family'

A builder by trade he is one of these people who is good at anything he turns his hand to

His products are excellent - comparable with anything I've found in the custom knife market

He can't yet afford/justify the purchase of hardening equipment so sends them off in small batches to a specialist for hardening

I have 2 of his bushcraft knives in high carbon steel.

He is making me a third in RWL 34 with handles from an old oak tree that blew down in one of our fields few years ago

He has been asked to make one ''suitable for stalking'' for a mutual friend

As far I am concerned there is no particular shape that I would choose over and above a standard 4" drop point bushcrafty knife with Scandinavian grind

Anyone here suggest an alternative?
 
To my mind it depends on your intended usage, particularly with regards species, but my own personal preference is always for a full flat grind.

In saying that I have a box full of production knives, fixed and folding from Mora to Helle and all points in between, and whatever is on my belt is generally whichever is taken out of the box first.

The one exception is my slightly larger "stag" knife which was made for me by a good friend in Ireland. He does very small scale production and when still early in his hobby agreed to do a full custom to my own specification, even down to ensuring the balance was exactly what I wanted.41168115-740E-4EA9-8E69-300EB86FA9EF.JPG
 
I personally find 4 inch blades a bit lacking when bleeding and much prefer a 5 inch blade on Roe and Reds. I really like the upswept drop point without too much belly in the blade as this interferes with finer work around the pelvis. The contour of the Fallkniven PHK is about ideal for me. Regarding type of grind I would generally go for a flat grind with secondary bevel given the choice.
 
So far there appears to be a preference for a longer (5 inch?), slimmer blade with a flat grind and perhaps a micro bevel (easier to sharpen)

Spine thickness?

I'm suggesting 4mm rather than thinner?

Handle material?

My preference would be micarta
 
It has to be around 4-5" long, full tang, easy to clean, easy to spot in bad light, have a point, and be sharp. That's all really.
Widely available from around £5.
Everything in addition to the above is just 'peripheral benefits' as the marketing-men would say. You'll pay a lot more money for a hand-crafted product but it will do the same job. Look at all the custom 'stalking' knives and they are all virtually the same size and shape. There is a reason for that, because that size and shape works just fine. But best of luck to your friends' new venture - Tell him to design a beautiful deer-head logo and Branding he can engrave in the knife, and use lots of pictures of 'Royal' Stags and Master Bucks in his marketing, and he can charge £150 extra - as some people will buy in to that.
 
It has to be around 4-5" long, full tang, easy to clean, easy to spot in bad light, have a point, and be sharp. That's all really.
Widely available from around £5.
Everything in addition to the above is just 'peripheral benefits' as the marketing-men would say. You'll pay a lot more money for a hand-crafted product but it will do the same job. Look at all the custom 'stalking' knives and they are all virtually the same size and shape. There is a reason for that, because that size and shape works just fine. But best of luck to your friends' new venture - Tell him to design a beautiful deer-head logo and Branding he can engrave in the knife, and use lots of pictures of 'Royal' Stags and Master Bucks in his marketing, and he can charge £150 extra - as some people will buy in to that.

Your cynicism can be applied to any generic product line, anywhere in the world.

Yes, a Mora will do the job.

An old BSA or PH will kill deer, but still people prefer Tikka, Sako, Rigby, Blaser...

A basic pick-up truck will allow you to get there, but people still prefer top of the line Hilux or Amarok or Ranger...

An Ikea pressed steel kitchen knife will do exactly the same job as a hand-forged Japanese santoku...

Flat pack furniture does exactly the same job as hand-built bespoke furniture...

Your contention, or rather implication, is the same one trotted out ad-nauseum by many people. "I don't see the point in such and such, therefore it is pointless. People only buy them to show off."

There will always be a market for a well-made, bespoke item. Always. People like nice things, and it is not always about one-upmanship or a name or a "logo". Sometimes it is about appreciating the skill, or design, or craftsmanship of an item. If there are people who wish to pay for that, then who are others to judge?
 
Depends whether this is to be a truly versatile "one knife does all", a proper stalkers' knife that comes readily to hand in all situation, whether that be cutting your lunchtime bread-and-cheese, gralloching a red stag, skinning a muntjac or butchering a roe.
Or is it to be something more specialised? Maybe a gralloching knife or a skinning knife or a butchering knife but not all three rolled into one.

I know which I'd rather. But then, I do shoot a Parker-Hale so what would you expect? 😉😁

I think this one by @David T ticks all the boxes:
 
Having been in a similar situation myself and having recieved lots of feedback, might I suggest a slightly different approach?

Everyone has their own personal preferences over all things in life and I tend to agree with Island's comments above. As such I suspect it will be impossible to decide on the 'right' design. ANY knife (if sharp) will gralloch a deer and you can choose any shape, length, bevel, thickness, steel type, scales, liners, depth and style you like, doesn't really matter. I'd suggest your friend works on maybe 2 or 3 designs that HE likes and gets feedback on them by passing them on or selling. Some punters will like one, some the others.

Take EL knives...personally I really like the idea of the Garron but really dislike the Cael (yet they sell loads and I'm sure are truly excellent knives). Yet I'd never buy either as I don't need a knife that costly. Horses for courses.

As ballpark I'd agree with those above. 4 to 5 inch blade, 3-4mm thickness full flat grind + micro bevel and stabilised wooden scales (I don't like kirinite personally...looks cheap and can get slippy).

And lastly, if he has the confidence why not suggest he does something a little different? There are loads cloning the big names out there as they are fashionable...but a great knife could last several generations, way outliving the latest trends.

I wish him the best of luck! 😀
 
Depends whether this is to be a truly versatile "one knife does all", a proper stalkers' knife that comes readily to hand in all situation, whether that be cutting your lunchtime bread-and-cheese, gralloching a red stag, skinning a muntjac or butchering a roe.
Or is it to be something more specialised? Maybe a gralloching knife or a skinning knife or a butchering knife but not all three rolled into one.

I know which I'd rather. But then, I do shoot a Parker-Hale so what would you expect? 😉😁

I think this one by @David T ticks all the boxes:
Nice but a bit chunky for my taste - more of an Africa knife. I think would struggle tunnelling a muntjac with that

S
 
Nice but a bit chunky for my taste - more of an Africa knife. I think would struggle tunnelling a muntjac with that

S
And that's it isn't it VSS...its what the individual wants/needs for their particular circumstances that matters. Try bumming out a Munty with a US style 12" bowie! But maybe they're great for plains Buffalo etc...I wouldn't know...😆
 
As a general multi purpose knife I’d say 4 inches is about spot on. Longer blades are useful for bleeding larger deer, I alternate between a Moki Banff with a 3 inch fine little samurai blade for smaller deer, and a monster puma elchstag with a lumpy 5 inch blade when I’m focusing solely on reds, but for years prior I had one 4 inch blade, that did everything and more besides. If it’s primary use is deer and not bushcraft I’d go for a slimmer blade profile and it doesn’t need the thickness you would want from a bushcraft blade used for battoning wood for example. In essence there is no right answer to your question. Too many scenarios.
 
Knife for deer in the field
31/2" min - 5" maximum
point dropped to centre for piercing
full flat grind with a primary bevel ( micro bevel)
4" will adequately bleed the biggest stag
at a push , someone who holds the skills can do the job with a broken bit of glass, just like when we used a shard of flint! Yes there are folks who actually enjoy making and using flint tools today - very good luck to them ! Personally speaking I like nice kit and hold onto it making the investment far less than many have in their not used anymore collection
 
Knife for deer in the field
31/2" min - 5" maximum
point dropped to centre for piercing
full flat grind with a primary bevel ( micro bevel)
4" will adequately bleed the biggest stag
at a push , someone who holds the skills can do the job with a broken bit of glass, just like when we used a shard of flint! Yes there are folks who actually enjoy making and using flint tools today - very good luck to them ! Personally speaking I like nice kit and hold onto it making the investment far less than many have in their not used anymore collection
This one from your website appeals to me:
 
This one from your website appeals to me:
some English oak burl over a decade air dried then vacuum resin stabilisation. Brass bolters and AEB-L stainless SGR model the actual cutting edge measured along the bevel 4 1/4" and i had to measure that even though i have made hundreds of SGR knives.
 
So, a little known fact is that I make a few knives under my own name and sometimes I use the brand Venator Blades. I tend to only gift or sell them to other hunters / outdoors folk who I beleive know their craft. I use 3 blanks that I designed for my own use and now form the basis of my range. I then adapt the blank profile to suit the customer so no 2 knives are ever quite the same.

I don’t pretend to be at the same level as those who produce large numbers of knives as a way to make a living but dare I say I think part of why people buy from me is because my knives are one-off.

When I started I thought I knew exactly what would make the ultimate stalkers knife…..then as soon as I started building the knives I realised that I could find a use for every knife I made and they all have a place in the stalkers armoury.
below are my blanks and a picture of each one made up. Feel free to guess which one is the most popular and then I will tell you which one I recommend and that despite buying a different one, most people come back to buy once they actually get out and use the knives.
 

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So, a little known fact is that I make a few knives under my own name and sometimes I use the brand Venator Blades. I tend to only gift or sell them to other hunters / outdoors folk who I beleive know their craft. I use 3 blanks that I designed for my own use and now form the basis of my range. I then adapt the blank profile to suit the customer so no 2 knives are ever quite the same.

I don’t pretend to be at the same level as those who produce large numbers of knives as a way to make a living but dare I say I think part of why people buy from me is because my knives are one-off.

When I started I thought I knew exactly what would make the ultimate stalkers knife…..then as soon as I started building the knives I realised that I could find a use for every knife I made and they all have a place in the stalkers armoury.
below are my blanks and a picture of each one made up. Feel free to guess which one is the most popular and then I will tell you which one I recommend and that despite buying a different one, most people come back to buy once they actually get out and use the knives.

I see that you have included a choil on one of your blades

I quite like a choil and have one on several of my working knives
 
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