Home Forums Gear Knives and Blades Blade Design for Big Game Hunting

Fellas, for the last six months, I have taken my addictive personality down the rabbit hole of custom knives. One of the things I am having a hard time grasping is the superiority of a given blade shape as a hunting knife for big game.

Some time ago, I started a thread on my home forum, Alberta Outdoorsmen, asking what the best skinning knife for $200 or under was. On that thread, it is pretty darn clear that two guys in particular, Coiloil37 and Pathfinder76, both of whom are also members here, have a strong preference for the semi-skinner shape that Crotts and Dozier offer in a number of their models. Their posts on this thread have been great, tremendously informative, and many of us really look forward to hearing their thoughts, as they are born out of extensive real life experiences, not internet conjecture. That’s worth something. This is the one they sing the praises of.



My quandary is that big-game hunters in North America, have had access to that pattern for eons, as it is essentially a re-jigged sheep skinning knife, yet they opt overwhelmingly for more traditional drop point, clip point and/or trailing edge designs. Just look at any production or custom maker’s website.

Why is that?

I totally get how a masterful heat treat, coupled with modern steels, and a great grind can result in a knife that can skin 6 animals and still be sharp enough to give your buddy a vasectomy.

So, my question is, is there anything about that semi-skinner style blade shape that is measurably better than any of the other blade styles below for looking after a downed animal from start to finish?

Thanks in advance for your thoughts.

Finally, Happy Independence Day from a Canadian neighbor! Without your fine country being next door, we are speaking either German, Russian or Chinese!