How to Choose the Best Tactical Hunting Knife for You

Today I want to talk a little bit about tactical hunting knife blades. There are many varieties of tactical hunting knives both folding and fixed blade hunting knives and many, many manufacturers and makers. I always tell people than when they go out in the field for any period of time whether it is for hunting or just camping that they should take at least three knives with them and some way to sharpen their knives in the field.

It is very important to know what type of tactical hunting knife, utility knife, and small folder you want to have with you and to make sure that they are the right knives for the chore at hand. The wrong knives will just make your outing a miserable experience. Many people those who enjoy being outdoor hunting; don’t really know that there is more than one blade style available to them. In reality there are three standard tactical blade types that an outdoorsman can pick from depending on what the goal of the particular best tactical knife is to be. This post will address the types of tactical hunting knives that one has the option to take with them in the field for a good hunting experience.

The first type of hunting knife I want to talk about is the Drop Point Blade style of tactical hunting knife. Drop point blades are the most popular type of blade for the field in my experience in tactical knife sales. For many outdoorsmen the best tactical hunting knife is the drop point blade. The drop point blade is generally stronger than the clip point style of hunting knife blade and in many cases is thicker too. The drop point style of blade for those who don’t know looks like a double sided spear.

There are many variations of drop point blade and they are referred to as modified drop point blades. In my humble opinion the drop point blade tactical hunting knife is the most utilitarian and most durable of the three blade types that I will talk about here. It is excellent for slicing chores as is an effective skinner as well. Drop point blade tactical hunter knives come in both tactical folding drop point hunter and tactical fixed blade hunter varieties. Larger drop point bladed knives are referred to as outdoorsman’s knives and can accomplish chopping chores with relative ease.

The second type of hunting knife I want to talk about is the Clip Point Blade Tactical Hunting knife. The clip point style of tactical hunting knife comes in both a tactical fixed blade hunting knife and a best tactical folding knife style. It is not as popular as the drop point style of tactical hunting knife and most people are familiar with it when they see a buck fixed blade knife or folder as they use clip blades on many of the models they produce. The clip point is still quite useful in the tactical field.

In general terms the clip point blade tactical hunting knife is made using a thinner steel stock and is deeply hollow ground. The belly of the clip of the blade is excellent for skinning game in the field. The clip point tactical hunting knife is also great for other types of chores like rope cutting or stripping light branches from tree limbs and larger wood shaving chores. So if you are comfortable with a clip point blade tactical hunting knife then it is the best hunting knife for you.

The third type of tactical hunting knife I want to talk about is Skinning Knives. Skinning knives are extremely popular knives carried by many hunters today. They come in many varieties like the standard deep belly skinner and then gut hook skinner variety. There is also a light duty lightweight skinning tactical knife on the market today called a Wyoming Knife. The tactical Wyoming knife is the fastest skinner I have ever seen. If you have never tried one I would say try one! Skinning knives are just what the name implies, skinning.

A skinning knife is in no way a multipurpose cutting tool like its drop point blade tactical hunting knife or the clip point blade tactical hunting knife. Skinning knives remove skin from the flesh of game you have taken down. A tactical skinning knife allows you remove the skin from the flesh without damaging the flesh. If you seem to be damaging or losing a certain amount of game flesh using a tactical drop point bladed hunter or clip point blade hunter then you might want to consider using a single purpose skinning tactical knife instead.

Having the most reliable tactical knives with you when you are in the great outdoors whether hunting or camping is one of the most important elements to having a great hunting trip. It does not matter what type of game you are hunting for, if you are familiar with the different tactical blade types available to you, only then can you ascertain which tactical blade type suits your needs and your usage and comfort levels.

Extra Note: There are other factors to consider than just the style of the tactical blade or the style of the tactical knife handle. There are things to consider the overall quality of the craftsmanship of either custom or production tactical hunting knives. One thing to consider is the type of steel your tactical hunting knife will be made of? Will you want stainless steel? Will you want carbon steel?

I like carbon steel or chrome vanadium steel in my folding and fixed blade hunters as they are easy to sharpen and don’t take long to reshaping in the field. Will the tactical knife you choose be ergonomically comfortable in your hand when used for long periods of time? What tactical blade length will you want to use? These are just doing other things to consider when looking for the best tactical hunting knife that you can have.