“If you need anything, it’s a good knife… always have a good knife.” His ability to look at me, dish sage advice and simultaneously slice up an apple was uncanny. He never once cut himself but must have cut barrels of apples with that little Case knife — his everyday carry of choice. When we lost him, I stumbled upon a pile of those Case folders, and his advice rang as clearly as ever while I looked them over. Even today, I have a soft spot for those little Case blades.

Of course, I also understand as an outdoorsman that, like many tools, knives are purpose-driven, and what we choose to carry can be subjective — even represent our individual attributes to some extent, especially on the hunt. As retailers, helping customers determine the best knives for their purposes while also determining which features best check their personal boxes can be taxing, yet you want to be that one-stop shop. As such, knives can be a great way to sharpen sales skills and increase revenue, but you need a healthy assortment. Consider these 12 great hunting blades to up your cut of knife sales.

Outdoor Edge RazorGuide Pak

For most of us, the real work comes after the kill. Factors like the animal’s size may require numerous steps and several knives to efficiently field-dress game and process meat. For those moments, a field-dressing knife set like the RazorGuide Pak is a perfect solution. The RazorGuide Pak includes RazorBone and RazorCape knives, as well as a Flip N Zip Saw. The RazorBone knife measures 10.8 inches overall and includes five blades: a 3.9-inch gutting blade, two drop-point blades and two boning/fillet blades. The RazorCape knife measures 7.1 inches and includes two 3-inch caping blades constructed of Japanese 420J2 stainless steel. The RazorCape also features a Grivory handle with TPR inserts and a stainless-steel pocket clip. The Flip N Zip Saw measures 9.4 inches and is constructed of 6061-T6 aluminum handle and a chrome-coated steel blade. The RazorGuide Pak stores in a 6.5 x 2.5 x 2.5-inch nylon roll-pack. (www.outdooredge.com)

Outdoor Edge RazorMax

From multi-tool functionality to replaceable-blade designs and storage, Outdoor Edge seems quite comfortable on the cutting edge of the hunting knife industry. We like one-stop shopping, and Outdoor Edge remains laser-focused on multi-function, compact knife designs capable of handling A to Z hunting tasks — and the RazorMax is a great example.

Great for big game, upland birds and fish, too, the Outdoor Edge RazorMax multitasks with two blade types, a 3.5-inch drop point for field dressing and a 5-inch blade for boning and filleting. Of course, the RazorMax doesn’t stop with two blades; the set includes three blades of each type. The RazorMax is a fixed-blade hunting knife system measuring 8 inches (drop point) or 9.5 inches (boning/fillet), and it stores in a rugged nylon sheath. The textured, slip-resistant handle assures a confident grip even when things get messy, and the set includes a compact replacement-blade storage box. (www.outdooredge.com)

Case Utility Hunter

Case knives have been a household name, and household tools, far beyond my own years, and I now count my Pop’s aged collection of Case blades as my own. That said, the utility of a number of Case Knives as hunting tools cannot be overstated — they certainly earn their own places in this roundup beyond heirloom attributes alone. One such tool is the Case Utility Hunter; of course, it also definitely oozes heirloom quality. It’s the type of knife sure to be appreciated over multiple generations. The Case Utility Hunter boasts a 5-inch, Tru-Sharp, high-carbon, stainless steel, clip-point blade and polished leather handle, and includes a leather sheath. (www.caseknives.com)

Case Winkler Hambone

Forged from a collaboration between Case Knives and Army SSgt Clinton Romesha, a recipient of our nation’s Medal of Honor as a result of actions at the Battle of Kamdesh in Afghanistan, the Case Winkler Hambone knife is much more than a hunting blade — it is a master-crafted multipurpose tool. While the Case Winkler knife is full-size, the 4.9-inch, 80CRV2 hambone-shaped, Caswell-finished hunting blade and rich, curly maple handle create perfect balance in a lightweight, heirloom-quality knife system sure to deliver a lifetime of reliable cutting performance. The Case Winkler also is available with a textured, black, layered, laminate, slip-resistant handle, and includes a durable Kydex sheath, as well as a lifetime warranty. (www.caseknives.com)

Buck Knives 110 Folding Hunter

Since Hoyt Buck’s first knife in 1902 and the company’s subsequent founding in 1961, Buck Knives has certainly been a household name and outdoorsman favorite through several generations. And, while my Pop had acquired a number of Case knives, his collection also included a couple of iconic Buck 110 folders. Indeed, since 1964, the American-made Buck Knives 110 Folding Hunter Knife has been foundational to the company’s success and remains a top seller today. The Buck 110 measures 4 7/8 inches long, folded, and boasts a 3.75-inch 420HC steel, clipped crescent-tip blade and Crelicam genuine ebony handle. The 110 also features Buck’s famed lockback safety system and includes a black leather sheath. (www.buckknives.com)

Buck Knives 657 Pursuit Pro Large Guthook

True to Buck Knives’ words, today’s knife are the products of third- and fourth-generation innovations, and a great example of such focus is found in the 657 Pursuit Pro large Guthook model. Perfect for field dressing and skinning, the Pursuit Pro Knife measures 9.5 inches and features a full tang; 4.5-inch S35VN steel blade, heat treated using Paul Bos’ famed, proprietary process; and a hunter-orange and black, Versaflex glass-filled nylon handle with slip-resistant texturing. A razor-sharp guthook, positioned at forward edge of the blade’s spine, makes opening a game animal’s body cavity easy and prevents puncturing orangs in the process. The American-made Buck 657 Pursuit Pro Large Guthook Knife also includes a heavy-duty, black nylon sheath. If your hunting customers are looking for a quality knife capable of processing game from the field to the table, the Buck Pursuit Pro is a solid choice.  (www.buckknives.com)

 

Knives of Alaska Elk Hunter

Knives of Alaska (KOA) was founded in 1993 by renowned Alaska Master Big Game Guide Charles Allen. Of course, he lives part-time in Texas, a bit of a curveball in the company name, since KOA products are actually made in the Lone Star State. With costs of steel and other raw materials in Alaska, Texas certainly makes sense, and what is most important to Allen is the “Made in America” tag on every knife, sheath and accessory. Alaska, however, is not left in the cold. Allen still owns and manages his hunting and fishing lodge, Alaska Expeditions. Deep in Alaska’s remote, often brutal wilderness, Alaska Expeditions is the perfect testing and proving ground for KOA knives, including a couple of KOA’s most popular models, the Elk Hunter and the Whitetail Hunter.

A KOA favorite, the Elk Hunter has been the decades-long tool of choice for serious big game hunters. The Elk Hunter boasts a 3.25-inch drop-point blade constructed of D2 steel and a blade bevel of 18-20 degrees, perfect for field-dressing as well as skinning. The textured polymer grip provides slip-resistant peace of mind even in wet hands, and the nearly 8.5-inch combination of grip and blade delivers exceptional balance.  (www.knivesofalaska.com)

Knives of Alaska Whitetail Hunter

When it comes to getting what a customer pays for, Knives of Alaska products certainly make the cut. Like the Elk Hunter and true to its name, the Knives of Alaska Whitetail Hunter has been field-proven to make short field-dressing work of whitetail deer and virtually all other game animals roaming our wild places. The Whitetail Hunter features a 3.25-inch drop-point blade and guthook constructed of D2 steel. A slip-resistant, layered polymer handle rounds out this well-balanced, heirloom-quality, fixed-blade hunting knife. (www.knivesofalaska.com)

Gerber Myth Field Dress Kit

Founded in 1939, Gerber has dedicated more than 80 years to crafting bladed tools for all manner of outdoor enthusiasts. As a hunter, I have personally carried Gerbers through scores of hunting adventures and, where bang for your buck is in question, I have always found that quality and value far exceeded the expense. Even now, a Gerber caping knife remains, sheathed, in my pack. For field dressing, a solid choice for any hunter looking for surgical cutting performance, a blade that keeps a great edge, and a lifetime warranty is the Gerber Myth Field Dress Kit.  

The Myth Field Dress Kit is a two-knife system consisting of the Gerber Myth Fixed Blade Pro and a Myth Compact Fixed Blade. The Myth Fixed Blade Pro features a 3.75-inch drop-point blade with an integrated guthook and is perfect for primary field-dressing cuts on larger animals. The smaller, thinner Compact Fixed Blade Knife includes a slim-profile, 3.25-inch blade, ideal for detailed tasks. The Compact Fixed Blade Knife also is ideal for cleaning smaller game and birds. Both knives feature molded, textured, slip-resistant handles and store in a rugged plastic case with a built-in sharpener. (www.gerbergear.com)

Gerber Freeman Guide Folder

Another great Gerber value, perfect for nearly any customer’s budget, is the Freeman Guide Folding Knife. At its price point, customers would be hard pressed to find better knife performance and reliability. The Freeman Guide Folder includes the kind of creature comforts more readily found on premium priced blades, such as a stainless steel 4-inch drop-point blade with a razor-sharp guthook machined into the spine. For compact carry, the blade folds into a TacHide rubber-overmolded, slip-resistant grip, complete with finger grooves. For safety and security, the folding system includes a liner-lock system, while the back edge of the grip houses a lanyard slot. Open, the Freeman Guide Folder measures just over 8 inches and weighs just 6.6 ounces. Closed, the knife stores in a durable nylon sheath. For hunters looking for a value-priced hunting knife they can depend on, the Freeman Guide Folder also includes a lifetime warranty. Seriously, where is the bad news here? There is none. (www.gerbergear.com)

OKC Old Hickory Outdoor Folder 

Since its founding in 1889, Ontario Knife Company has been making award-winning knives and tools for generations of outdoorsmen and women. For 2022, a classic Old Hickory knife gets an upgrade in the form of the new Old Hickory Outdoor Folder. It has a slip joint, 2.9-inch, high carbon steel blade with a hardness rating of 56-58 HRC. The blade’s drop-point shape makes it perfect for most any task, whether you’re cleaning trout along the side of the stream or cutting a piece of rope to help make a OKC. This is a classic knife with old-world craftsmanship and style — the kind of knife that looks and feels as though it could have been handed down from your grandfather yet is somehow still superbly sharp. And it’s 100% made in the USA.

Browning Primal Kodiak

One important element lacking in virtually every knife included in this roundup is a bone saw. That said, what could be better than a bone saw as part of a complete single-knife field-dressing set? Enter the Browning Primal Kodiak. The Primal Kodiak is a folding multi-tool hunting knife boasting three purpose-driven blades: a 3.5-inch droppoint blade, a guthook blade, and a bone saw. All blades are constructed of 8Cr13MoV stainless steel, tuck perfectly into the Primal Kodiak’s textured, polymer, rubber over-molded grip, and stay there compliments of Browning’s lock-back system. The Browning Primal Kodiak Knife includes a nylon pouch and just might be the only field-to-table knife system your hunting customer needs. (www.browning.com)