Home Forums Gear Knives and Blades Hatchet for hunting

Would like to purchase a small hatchet to carry in day/back pack when hunting.
Any suggestions? Not looking for something custom or expensive. Function is more important than looks.

G-B Wildlife.......A tad pricey, but worth it.......

Grandfors Is the only choice... Huntsman's dead on target pay once reap the benefits for a lifetime.

I'll never go back to a rig axe.....

GB makes a fine axe but so does Wetterlings, same owners - both hand made in Sweden, I would recommend either and have a few by each maker.

http://www.wisementrading.com/knifeandsaw/camp_axes.htm

I also have this one and can recommend it with one caveat, make sure you get one with a handle that has proper grain alignment, I have seen some that are pretty bad.

http://www.baileysonline.com/Forest...varna-Hatchet-1-2-lbs-with-15-Handle.axd

Been looking myself and just read a guys review on this very thing.
He was comparing a GB to a Fiskars X7 and was actually sounding pretty impressed with the X7 and with it's low price point much as he likes his classic GB hatchet he said for wet weather abuse he'd not hesitate to recommend the X7 and said it was actually better in some respects.

I know this will not be met with kind regards espescially by the diehard GB fans. I believe it was a write up on Blade Forums.

Not a GB but Whetterling. Still a well respected traditional, and he does mention his GB.
Rocky Mountain Bushcraft review

Depending on your need. If backpacking and weight is a large concern.
This is what I have used in the past about as light as you can go and still be useful. This hawk has cutting power far greater then it's size would indicate.
I have used it to break down deer carcass several times. Goes through deer bones like a hot knife through butter, without knicking or chipping and keeps a very good edge. The thing I like about hawks is for super light carry is that a handle can be cut in the field.

http://www.coldsteel.com/Product/90TH/TRAIL_HAWK.aspx

search of the internet will produce some good prices on it.
I will be the first to admit it is not the best as far as hatchet goes, you can get heavier, and more expensive models. But for the price point, weight, and pure utility pretty hard to beat.

Wetterlings small hunter ax. There is not a better ax.

So, does that mean you are a skatchet fan, too?

Very true,,,,,,,,,,, providing you're partner's carrying a hatchet you can borrow to cut the handle with.

Sorry 2dogs, just messing with you;) but it seems to me like you'd need to carry something fairly heavy to cut and shape said handle with which kinda negates the "lite-weight" part.
I'd also add that you don't really need to be chopping any bones to dismantle a Deer, course that's another thread.

Back on topic, if I were going to carry a hatchet I'd splurge on a good one. It's doubtful that cheap steel would stand up very well where chopping's concerned.
That's JMO since I don't carry a hatchet. I have owned some cheap steel though.

J B Wildlife hatchet it is. Thanks for the suggestions

Why not consider a Husquvarna Hatchet...Wetterlings is making them for Husquvarna....I saw a field test on the web and they are regarded very highly...just my 2 cents worth. http://woodtrekker.blogspot.com/2011/08/husqvarna-hatchet-2011-model-review.html

Because I just ordered the J B before you posted that:)
I don't mind spending $112 on something that should last me the rest of my life. I did go and read some of the reviews on the Huskie hatchet and some were not that good.
Buy the best and only buy once.

My GB Wildlife Hatchet came today. Picked it up off of fleabay. Still paid $96 for it but it looks brand new. I sharpened on my Worksharp and it will shave hair. Handle is perfect, the grain is about 10deg off of verticle, no runout. Cutting fuzzsticks or tentstakes or the like is a breeze. The head is thin enough that botonning to split should not be an issue, unlike a tommahawk. Money well spent.

I decided to try the Husky/Wetterlings "Hudson's Bay" size axe, it'll be here in a few days. We'll see how they compare.

A good bushcraft knife (Which I would not be caught in the wood without, unlike a hatchet) can get you a hatchet handle in short order. I was using the deer to illustrate that the metal of this particular hatchet was not the cheaper sh*t that so often likely to chip or ding. I don't carry one either. But for a long back pack where every ounce counts I would not choose anything heavier.

When I was younger I would don a full pack and hike from daylight to dusk, with tent, sleeping bag, and dehydrated food stuffs. Stay for days. Now that I am older I do well to put a day pack on and climb to a couple of ridges.
But when I was "Full packing" I can remember no matter how useful an item was, if the weight was prohibitive it got left behind. Never did carry a hatchet, but did carry a folding saw and a good heavy carbon well oiled blade of moderate size, which seemed to be all I needed.

That hasn't' been the case for several years now, since Wetterlings changed ownership. The new Husky produts are pretty roughly made.

Note the reviews you cite are 2 years old. They had already changed suppliers by then.

A little off topic but I picked up a new Husqvarna splitting axe just the other day. Agree the head was a tad rough but it was hung near perfect. Took about 5 minutes with a file to clean it up and concave the edge. Half the price of my GB small forest axe and far better for splitting the smaller stuff.

Just curious if any of you gentlemen have ever considered a good kukri to replace a hatchet. while it may not suit most of you its at least in my case been what Ive found to be a decent swap, I generally carry
the sharade woodsman
http://www.knifeoutlet.com/shop/10Expand.asp?ProductCode=SCH165OT



this is a darn good value in a skinning and dressing game knife, and a kukri for camp chores a hatchets used for in most camps, its no replacement for a good axe but I feel its got advantages over most hatchets

Ive found this Kukri far more useful than a hatchet, for various reasons and if you ever dress out out elk you know that theres times where that a heavy blade or a hatchet can be useful and can be used to make the job easier