A good hunting knife is one of the most important items to a hunter. Not having a good knife is like having ammo that doesn’t shoot half the time. Everyone should have a good knife. I have tried many knives and I will tell you the most important factors in a good hunting knife. 

Sharpness.

Not having a sharp knife is like not having at all. I can’t tell you just how many times I have heard someone say  “bring a sharp knife”. Now your knife needs to stay sharp. There are many ways to do this. One you can get a knife sharpener or get a replaceable blade knife. There are tons of knife sharpeners on the market. Remember to get a good sharpener, as cheap sharpeners take a long time to sharpen a knife. One thing to keep in mind is whether or not the sharpener is guided; with a non-guided sharpener, you will get an uneven bevel on your knife.

Durability.

Having a durable knife is important because you can’t go cutting bone with a thin knife. But you don’t want a knife that is big on the spine that it will be hard to cut in small places, such as joints. Choosing a good brand also comes into play here. Buying from name brands like Gerber, Buck, Benchmade, and SOG are all brands you will want to consider. You don’t want to buy some cheap Chinese knockoff. Buying from name brands makes it more likely that your knife will last longer and more durable. brands like the ones listed above use better steel which goes a long way in a hunting knife.

Folding vs fixed.

Another important difference is folding knives vs fixed knives. With a folding knife, you can fold and store the knife better. If you go fixed, you lose space but get more durability, but you can attach a fixed blade to your belt. Fixed blade knives are more durable, easier to use, and clean.

A huge downside to folding knives is that they are way less durable than fixed blade knives. If you choose a folding knife I would lean on the bigger side of folding knives; not to say you can’t use a small folding knife, but if you were to have one folding knife you would want a bigger knife as they are better at cutting large parts of an animal. Another consideration to make when getting a folding knife is that blood can get into the knife, and it won’t open or close.

Lightweight and compact.

 Having a lightweight knife is important on backcountry western hunts where ounces are pounds. You may be hiking 8-10 miles a day; so in the long run, having a heavy knife could keep you from getting to that other ridge where the elk are. Having a compact knife will keep extra space in your bag you may need later.

Getting a compact knife may just save you from buying a bigger backpack to store your gear.

How many knives should i have?

In your arsenal, you want 3-4 different knives. I think you should have 2 all-around hunting knives, a filet knife, and a skinning knife.

Skinning knives traditionally have a shorter blade. Skinning knives are your general knife, to where, if you were to have one knife, you would want a skinning knife. 

Bone and filet knives. Fillet knives are thinner knives meant for cutting along the small bones of a fish. Fillet knives are also used for boning out animals when you need to get the tip of your knife in small places. 

Regular knives. Regular knives also do it all knives that are used for processing an animal, rather than skinning or boning. These knives are slimmer than skinning knives, but bigger and thicker than fillet knives. They would be used after you skinned and gutted an elk and you began taking the meat off the carcass.

Ideally, you could find a knife that could do the skinning and gutting so you don’t have to carry two knives

So before you buy a knife, do your research and buy something good. Make sure it meets the requirements above so you don’t waste money. You want your knife to last you years so I will list some brands you might want to look at Buck, Benchmade, and Gerber