Hog hunting knives question

[skullworks]

I have a customer that wants some. What would you all consider a minimum for killing a hog? Blade length, thickness, blade shape, full tang/hidden tang, type of guard, handle material, etc. Thanks in advance!

[Jeremy]

Having talked to someone (must remain nameless here now) who's done this quite a bit, he recommended a 7" blade, clip or drop point, only sharpened on one edge (ie no sharpened back edge or daggers).  He recommended a substantial double guard.  His favorite pig sticker was a converted Old Hickory butcher knife.  Fairly thin and flexible.

I highly recommend you take a look at old fighting knives.  Not the recent "fighters" with the highly contoured grips, but the actual fighting knives where people depended on them for their lives.

The two most popular fighting knives of all time (each being popular for around 500+ years) are the broke-back seax and the rondel.  Neither have substantial guards, though some of the rondels that were made for fighting in armor have a pretty big disk guard.  

Handles on both of them were pretty straight and plain.  This allowed you to hold it in what we consider the "normal" grip or the "ice pick" grip... which is by far the most widely used grip.  It allows for more powerful strikes and is the natural position you'd be in when quick drawing a big knife.  (also allows for more effective defensive actions)

The wedge shaped tip of broke-back seax excelled at penetrating the heavy leather armor of the time.  It seems like it'd be ideal for getting through the shield of a hog.

Full/hidden tang doesn't matter as long as you make it strong enough and properly heat treat the blade.  Handle material shouldn't matter either.

If you're thinking of designing a knife for killing hogs, your best bet is to copy a design that excelled at killing people.

[tippit]

Here's one I did for a friend when I first started making knives.  A little rough but big finger guard and very textured grip...I think I'd use paracord now though.  It seemed to work just find although I sure don't want to be that close to a hog and dogs. I know Hunt it used one of Karl's knives with success too...tippit.

 

[d. ward]

Hey tippit you think the one in your pic would work on a black bear ???? bowdoc

[Ray Hammond]

I disagree completely with your friend, Jeremy, on the thin and flexible. Thin maybe, but you need the toughest steel that won't bend you can find. The blade should be 10-12 inches long. A 7 inch blade, after going through 2-3 inches of the shield, means you are only hitting one lung. I want more length, so I can strike through both lungs on one plunge.

A hog, even a sow, once it reaches 150-200 lbs, has a thick, almost impenetrable shield that is like a giant callous underneath their hide.Think of bacon, only its bacon you can bounce a hammer off of.

To kill a pig, you have to drive through 2 sometimes 3 inches of that stuff to get to the goodies..and if you strike a rib under that....well, you get where I am going with this.

I wouldn't necessarily use a Bowie Knife in the classic sense... I would want a full guard that extends above and below, like an elliptical guard, and I would want a sharpened like you ain't never sharpened anything before blade- with the top of the blade sharpened as well for about 1/4 of the length, tip toward the rear.

I'd want a no nonsense very tactile grip..nothing smooth or fancy, and a wrist tie to keep that thing in my posession after I stick the hog..you are probably going to need to get it at least twice.

Close quarters with 200 lbs of steel trashing its head around (make no mistake- a true wild hog only has fat on the outside layer...inside, he/she is all muscle and full of true grit!!!)

[d. ward]

Hey Ray after reading your post I may pass on the hog sticken with a knife this year...bowdoc

[Ray Hammond]

I feel about sticking pigs with knives like Biggie Hoffman feels about turkeys hunted with arrows. He thinks they are perfect shotgun prey... and I think hogs are great for bows and guns... and not so hot for knife hunting them.

I only want to stick a hog when its my last resort.

If I can put another arrow in it that's my choice.
If I cant, I'm looking for a pistol. If I can't do that, then a knife, but in that order only.

I had a buddy jump out of his treestand on a mortally wounded arrow shot 2 1/2 year old eight point buck with a bayonet.

When things were all sorted out, the buck was laying dead about 15 feet away from my "buddy". His knife was on the ground, unsoiled.

Buddy was laying on the ground too, with about 40 deer tracks "burnished" into his hide from the flailing hooves of that mortally shot deer...he was bruised from head to toe, with a stove-in skull....and the buck died from the arrow wound after he kicked my buddy's axx...the guy never even got the blade close to the inside of that deer.

A hog is waaaaay tougher than a deer ever thought of being.

[Ray Hammond]

Unless you have four dogs latched onto that pigs extremities to keep it in lock-down knife hunting a reasonably large pig makes you "Mother Q's" foolish child.

And if you do have dogs latched onto the pig, who hunted it- YOU OR THE DOGS????

[Lin Rhea]

I think a good hog knife should have at least an 8 inch blade and have good push/pull features built in. There's lots of ways to get hogs. Using dogs is just one way. Lin
 

[tomh]

Lin what are the particulars on that hog knife?

[d. ward]

Wow Lin that is a beautiful knife right there.bowdoc

[Lin Rhea]

Tom,
     The blade is 8 inches long X 1 1/4 inch wide X 1/4 inch thick of Carbon steel. The handle is Micarta and the guard is stainless.

Thanks, Lin

[HARRO64]

G'DAY Lin,
does it come with a pouch,is made in the U.S.

                  BOB

[theunluckyhunter]

rheaknives.com

[kbaknife]

Originally posted by Lin Rhea:
I think a good hog knife should have at least an 8 inch blade and have good push/pull features built in. There's lots of ways to get hogs. Using dogs is just one way. Lin
   

I have just always LOVED that knife!
Looks like it would get me out of whatever predicament I got myself into.
Well, most of 'em anyway.......

[Ray Hammond]

Lin,

That looks a lot like MY perfect hog knife...I'd just like one a little longer but it looks great.

I think where I got the dog thing was from Tippit's post as I was reading through the thread, and thought the initial person had mentioned dogs.

Sure there's other ways to kill hogs besides dogs..as evidenced by our trip together.  I sure could have used a knife like that in my recent "chinese fire drill/goat ropin'" adventure!

Beautiful knife, as always!

[Danny Rowan]

Hey Ray, here is a pigsticker I got from Rob!

Beauty I think!

 
 

Danny

[Ray Hammond]

beauty!

[Lin Rhea]

That knife is gorgeous! Love it. Lin

[2Knives]

Nice Danny!
Get any of those Guam hogs with it yet??