Bowie Knives Vs. Hunting Knives

Isn’t a Bowie knife a hunting knife? The answer to that question is both “yes” and “no.” Why such an ambiguous answer? To understand this, you will need to look closer at the reality of the Bowie knife as applied to the realm of hunting. Most certainly, you can take a Bowie knife along on a hunting trip. In fact, it’s recommended. However, that does not make this a hunting knife.

Bowie knives usually have a blade with a clipped point. If you haven’t seen this before, think of a cavalry saber. The intent is the same. When this point is thrust at an opponent, it penetrates easily and can rupture vital organs with almost no effort. Hunting knives usually have much less severe points, as piercing organs can ruin meat by tainting it with urine and feces.

What Bowies and hunting knives do have in common is a sturdy blade. Bowies that are made of high quality steel can be as sharp as any hunting knife and, provided that the knife blade is short enough, they can be remarkably agile, almost scalpel-like. The clipped point may be intended for its lethality, but it is also a find cutting implement if the blade is sharp enough. This will come down to your steel. Stainless steel blades are harder and more durable, but much harder to sharpen. High carbon steel blades can be incredibly sharp.

You should also consider a few other differences between a Bowie knife and a traditional hunting knife. The average hunting knife rarely exceeds five or six inches in blade length. However, Bowie knives are usually at least 12 inches long, though there are designs that exceed eighteen inches in length. This large size is part of what makes this knife such a formidable force in the realm of hunting. Bowies are ideal solutions to solve multiple problems at the same time, enabling you to lighten your load on the trail.

You can most certainly use Bowie knives as hunting knives and there are many hunters who do. If they have a good quality blade and are of an appropriate size-meaning not too large-they make great knives for skinning and field dressing. Some of them have features such as gut hooks, which make them even more useful in this regard. If you want something different from a hunting knife, you may consider trying a Bowie.

Blake is a business consultant for an online bowie knives store featuring SOG bowie knives.