Best Hunting Knife Reviews and Ratings 2024

Best Hunting Knife Set – Butcher-Lite Butcher Kit by Outdoor Edge

This hunting knives set comes with nearly everything you need to process your next harvest, with the tools you need for field dressing all the way to deboning and packaging. The Butcher-Lite Butcher Kit is an 8-piece kit that also comes with a rib spreader, knife sharpener, nylon roll-up carrying case that can be attached to your belt in apron fashion, and game cleaning gloves.

The combination of caping knife and all-purpose hunting knife has a blade 3 inches long and a drop point so it can cover all general cutting needs. The skinning knife blade measures 4 ¼ inches and has a gut hook. It also has a great upswept point that adds some depth to that belly to really make it a great choice for skinning. The boning knife has a blade 6 inches long with a thin trailing point so you can maneuver around bones to separate the meat. There is also a bone saw with a blade about 10 inches in length.

Each of these knives (and the rib spreader) is made of 420 HC steel that brings all of the benefits of 420 stainless steel, only with greater strength, edge retention, and corrosion resistance. The handles are made of black rubberized kraton, with the knife handles featuring a dropped heel and forefinger groove. This choice of handle material and design ensures that these knives and the saw won’t slip out of your hand even in wet conditions.

Big Game Hunting Knife Set by Get

This 5-piece Big Game hunting knife set is great as both a starter set for a beginning hunter or for a complete kit for a more experienced hunter who favors simplicity. It comes in three styles:camo that includes camouflage patterned handles and blade, black with black handles and blades, and standard with black handles and silver blades. It comes with 10 ½ inches long butcher knife with 6 inches long blade. The blade point is entirely rounded and edged. 

It has 9 ½ inches long hunting knife with 4 ½ inches long blade. The blade has a gut hook and clean edge. There is also a 6 ½ inches long caping knife with a 3 ¼-inches long blade that doubles as a small boning knife. There is 8 inches long honing rod with 5 inches long sharpening surface to help keep your knives razor sharp. This hunting knives set also comes with a black nylon belt sheath that holds each of the knives and the honing rod comfortably.

2-Piece Hunting Knife Kit by Elk Ridge

If the previous two hunting knife kits were a bit more than you were looking for, this 2-piece Hunting Knife Kit set might be just the thing. It comes with two knives that can easily handle all field dressing, skinning, and processing needs for the skilled hunter. It comes with a combination hunting and boning knife that measures 7 inches in total, with a full tang blade length of 3 ½ inches.

This knife features a trailing point that allows you to cut up meat efficiently while processing but it can also easily handle any general knife use. The skinning knife measures 6 ½ inches long with a 3 7/8 inches long blade. The blade has a gut hook and a deeply concaved belly that is perfect for the natural movements you’ll make while skinning your next big game harvest.

The point is swaged, but not sharp, and the rear of the blade features a finger hole for better control while skinning. Both knives are made of black 440 A high carbon stainless steel. This particular steel is pretty standard among knives as it is a right balance of edge retention, strength, ease of sharpening, and corrosion resistance. The handles are made of green camouflaged ABS that is texturized for a more secure grip.

The hunting knife does have a lanyard hole while the entire set does come with a nylon sheath that holds both knives comfortably and attaches to your belt.

For Deer Hunting: Skinner Fixed Blade 103 Knife by Buck Knives

When looking for the best hunting knife for deer, you don’t need a huge hunting knife but having a little bit of length is definitely convenient. This Skinner Fixed Blade 103 deer hunting knife measures 8 ¼ inches overall, with a blade length of 2 ¾ inches.

Before you go scoffing at that shorter blade, remember that these deer hunting knives are designed primarily to be the best hunting knife for skinning deer. That shorter blade allows for more efficient skinning and less of a chance of errant strokes.

The blade has a great upsweep to the edge, giving it a deep belly that is perfect for skinning. While the point is pretty rounded, there is still enough of a should you need it.

This Skinner Fixed Blade 103 Knife is a full tang knife, and the blade is made of 420 HC steel. This one is a high carbon steel that has excellent wear resistance and resistance corrosion. This blade will stay sharp long enough for you finish whatever job needs to be done and still be sharp enough to keep going. But, that means that when it does come time to sharpen this knife, it may take you a while. But, that’s the tradeoff.

The handle is made of Cocobola Dymondwood – a stabilized wood with rich wood grain. The front and rear bolsters are both polished brass, and the rear bolster has a solid quillon. This is an American made hunting knife with outstanding quality and a great price, easily making it a strong contender for best deer huntingknife for the money.

It comes with a leather sheath with belt loop and snap button closure. Please note that while the knife is made in Port Falls, Idaho, the sheath is made in Mexico.

For Elk Hunting: Blood Moon Hunting Knife by Armory Replicas

One of the big things that sets apart elk hunting knives from other hunting knives is that the knife will be designed to allow you to field dress, skin, and quarter quickly the animal so you can more easily bring in your harvest. The Blood Moon Hunting Knife is a bowie style knife, measuring 11 ½ inches overall with a 7 inches long blade.

The blade has a trailing point, while many bowie knives feature a clipped point. But this allows for a greater sweep on the blade edge -making it more efficient for skinning. The spine is serrated to allow you to crack the pelvis and rib cage more easily with this elk hunting knife. The blade also features a full tang with large forefinger choil, jimped thumb rise, and jimped thumb groove.

This knife makes this the best hunting knife for elk as you can securely grip the knife in a variety of positions depending upon what the job you’re doing requires. 

The handle has natural wood scales, a slight forefinger groove, and a lanyard hole. There are four additional tie-down holes along the choil that allow this knife to be converted to a bayonet or spear. It comes with a nylon sheath.

For Pig Hunting: Wild Pig Hunter by Tops Knives

When you’re looking for the best knife for pig hunting, you usually end up having to narrow your choices down by features and figuring out which knife can get the job done. But the Wild Pig Hunter hunting knife has made the process easier with a knife specifically designed for pig hunting.

Partly based off of the style of a Russian fighting knife, this pig hunting knife measures 13 inches overall and has 7 ½ inches long blade. While it’s not necessarily a huge hunting knife, it is still a long hunting knife that some may find a bit more knife than they need. However, that extra length is what makes it perfect for pig hunting.

The blade is made of 1095 stainless steel. This type of steel is relatively inexpensive and can be sharpened to a razor’s edge with ease. It has a clean edge with an unsharpened swaged spine that gives it an almost spear-like point. It is a full tang blade and is a beasty ¼ of an inch thick. The blade has a Black River Wash finish.

The handle is comprised of two green canvas micarta scales with a lanyard hole in the heel. It has a Rocky Mountain tread pattern for a textured grip as well as finger grooves. The handle is 5 ½ inches long and comes pre-strung with a length of paracord.

This is a big hunting knife but not so big as to be cumbersome. It can easily double as a survival knife thanks to its larger size and heft.

For Duck Hunting: Bird & Trout Hunting Knife by Silver Stag

This Bird & Trout Hunting Knife was a natural choice for the best knife for duck hunting due to its gorgeous design and workhorse performance. The lines and coloring of this knife are sure to make it the envy of your hunting group. But make no mistake, this knife is built for continuous high performance and longevity.

It measures 8 inches in total length and has 4 inches long blade. That blade is made of D2 steel, a semi-stainless steel that has excellent edge retention and good resistance to corrosion. While it takes a bit more work to sharpen, this metal polishes up nicely -as seen in the near mirror finish on this blade.

It has a clipped point and good belly with a thick spine, making it a perfect duck hunting knife. The handle is made of genuine shed crown antler, either from a deer or elk. It has a decent sized guard to keep your forefinger from slipping forward and comes with a handmade leather sheath with a belt loop. The sheath is lacking a strap or snap closure to maintain the knife securely in the sheath, so while the quality is good, the design may leave you looking for a replacement sheath.

With Gut Hook: Omni Hunter Guthook Knife by Buck Knives

A hunting knife with gut hook can make the difference for your hunting season with the added convenience that this simple feature brings. This knife measures 7 ¾ inches overall with a full tang blade length of 3 ¼ inches. The blade is made of 420 HC steel. This is a high carbon stainless steel that combines the corrosion resistance of high chromium stainless steel with better wear resistance thanks to the higher carbon amount.

The Omni Hunter Guthook Knife makes for a tough blade that holds and edge well but may be more difficult to sharpen. The blade has an upswept point that deepens the belly to provide an excellent edge for skinning.

The handle on this gut hook hunting knife is coated in alcryn rubber that allows for a firm yet comfortable grip. This comfort is increased by the dropped heel, recessed forefinger groove, and texturized edges. There is a lanyard hole in the heel.

This knife is available in black, orange camo, and real tree camo. It’s also got a great price point and is made by one of the best knife manufacturers in the world. It weighs just 4.6 ounces and comes with a nylon sheath. This is a great American made hunting knife that will provide years of faithful service.

Best Hunting Knife Brands

With so many hunting knife makers and custom knife makers throughout the world, finding the best hunting knife brand can be quite the challenge. While we’ll take a look at individual hunting knives and the performance they have to offer later on, for now, we want to give you a little history behind some of the best hunting knives brands.

Of course, this list isn’t the be-all and end-all of hunting knives brands. However, it will give you an idea of the level of commitment that goes into producing the best hunting knives and will show you that a good hunting knife can come from a company that’s been in business for over a hundred years just as easily as it can from a company just 30 years old.

Buck Knives

With over 110 years of continuous knife making history, Buck Knives was born when Hoyt Buck developed a new way to temper steel so that it would an edge longer. He produced his first knife in 1902, using old files to create a high quality hunting knife. In 1945, he and his son went into business as H.H. Buck and Son. Buck Knives was officially incorporated in 1961 and completely changed the knife making industry with their revolutionary Model 110 Folding Hunter. This was the first folding lock-blade knife and seated Buck Knives position as one of the best hunting knife manufacturers in the world.

Today, the tradition of innovative ideas and designs continues, with Buck Knives producing a range of various knife designs and styles suitable for hunting, recreation, fishing, survivals, and cutlery use. In addition to their custom made hunting knives, many of their products are both customizable and are personalized hunting knives.

W.R. Case & Sons Cutlery Company

Based in Bradford, Pennsylvania, W.R. Case & Sons began in 1889 when four brothers began making quality knives and selling them along a wagon trail to would-be pioneers headed out West. The company was incorporated at the turn of the 20th century thanks to Russell Case, the son of W.R. Case and one of the original four brothers.

Together, they laid the foundation for a company that quickly became known not only for producing high-quality knives, but also for being dependable. Today, the company is owned by Zippo Manufacturing Company, yet it continues to produce the same outstanding knives that have earned Case the reputation of being one of the top hunting knife brands.

Their knives are a favorite among collectors, thanks to the pioneer spirit that exists in their knife designs, the large variety of handle materials available, and the attention to detail exhibited in every knife. In fact, it takes 125 pairs of hands to complete just one knife, giving you an idea of the amount of craftsmanship and effort that goes into every single Case knife.

Benchmade Knife Company USA

Although lacking the breadth of history some of the other hunting knife brands on this list have, Benchmade exhibits the American spirit in its commitment to producing quality hunting knives and determination to keep going despite obstacles. Benchmade was founded on the desire to use the latest in technological advances both material and techniques to produce high-quality knives that you can count on when you need them most.

Based in Oregon City, Oregon, Benchmade knives are one of the few hunting knife brands that are both designed and manufactured in the USA. They revolutionized manufacturing processes to allow for more custom knife designs. They were also the first company to own and use a high-power laser cutter that enabled them to begin using metals that are too hard to stamp. This was what helped them establish themselves as one of the world’s leaders in automatic knife manufacturing.

Gerber

Created by Joseph R. Gerber in 1939, Gerber Legendary Blades quickly grew from a company producing small batches of handmade knives into one of the leading and most trusted hunting knife brands. Based in Portland, Oregon, Gerber remains committed to producing functional and affordable knives. Each of their knives is designed and engineered at their base of operations in Oregon, and many of their knives are also produced there.

However, to keep up with the demand for affordable yet quality hunting knives, Gerber does outsource some production to make their lifetime warranty backed products available to everyone. In addition to hunting knives and machetes, Gerber has expanded their product offering to now include a broad range of products to support the outdoor enthusiast, including survival kits, digging implements, and handsaws.

Types of Hunting Knives

Hunting knives come in a variety of different designs and styles. While there are some general hunting knife designs, it’s not uncommon to come across a hunting knife that features some elements common to more than one style.

Different hunting knife designs reflect the specified use of what the knife is for. As you’ll see in the list below and later on in our hunting knife review, a small change in the blade shape and sweep can make a hunting knife better suited for skinning or better for quartering animals.

So, the best hunting knife design will vary depending on what you plan on using the knife for, as well as your preference.

All Purpose

An all-purpose hunting knife will have a shorter blade, with most being around four to six inches. The blade tends to have a drop point, meaning that the point of the blade curves down slightly so that it is lower than the spine of the blade. This creates a strong point that won’t get in the way too much while skinning and also allows you to sheathe and unsheathe this blade very quickly. The blade edge will generally be straight but may feature a slight upsweep, giving it a slightly larger belly that also makes the knife better suited for skinning.

Bowie Knife

The quintessential wilderness knife, this style of blade tends to be larger, usually between six and twelve inches. It will very likely feature a clipped point, with the point of the blade lower than the spine due to part of the blade being cut off. That clipped point is frequently concave and may or may not be swaged (i.e. sharpened.) Some Bowie knives will also feature serration along the spine of the blade.

There aren’t any specific requirements for a knife to be considered a bowie knife, but most commonly these knives resemble knives from the 1800’s, are heavier, and larger. Modern renditions typically feature the clipped point and a straight edge.

Caping Knife

When looking at a caping knife blade, there are two styles. The first is actually a skinning knife while the second is a real caping knife. The caping blade, about three inches in length, is thin to slide beneath the hide and gently separate it from the animal. It frequently has a finger groove and thumb groove at the end of the blade right before the handle, creating a narrow neck appearance. This design allows you to maneuver the blade better across the shoulders of the animal without tearing the hide.

Gut Hook

The Gut Hook is truly more of a feature on a knife blade but treated commonly as its own design style. A gut hook is found on the spine of the blade, usually nearer to the point. It is a small rounded and sharpened notch in the spine. It allows you to gut better or field dress an animal by sliding beneath the skin and cutting it -yet without risking damage to the internal organs. Hunting knife blades featuring a gut hook are frequently skinning blades, with an upswept point and deep belly.

Serrated

Like the gut hook, serration isn’t so much a blade style as it is a feature that improves the performance of the knife per certain tasks. On a hunting knife blade, the serration will frequently be on the spine of the blade, often near the handle, or on the blade edge, also nearer to the handle. While this does give the blade a cool Rambo hunting knife look, it’s useful for opening up the rib cage and splitting the pelvis of large game animals. This can be incredibly useful while hunting elk and needing to quarter your trophy to bring it in out of the wilderness.

Skinning

These blades are short, with a good skinning blade about 3 1/2 to 3 7/8 inches long -never more than four inches. The blade will be fat, with an upswept point and deep belly that allows for longer strokes on the short blade. This deep belly also better coordinates with the natural movements you make while skinning, allowing you to work more efficiently and with less risk of damaging the hide.

Trapper’s Knife

A trapper’s knife is the ultimate hunting knife for skinning. It features the deeper belly of a regular skinning knife; only the point is entirely gone. Rather, it has a rounded end that makes it virtually impossible to poke through the hide. It’s important to note that there is a style of folding knife commonly called a trapper’s knife. It features two blades, one a standard, clip point, pocket knife kind of blade, the other featuring a steep drop point that provides a rounded point, but there is still an obvious sharp point on the end of this blade.

Hunting Knife Blades

Steel is the most commonly used material for a hunting knife blade. However, different types of steel are made by varying the proportions of carbon and iron, as well as altering the production process and adding other metals to the alloy.

The result is that each of these metals will differ in terms of strength, corrosion resistance, edge retention, and how easy it is to sharpen. Strength is frequently determined using the Rockwell Hardness Scale which assigns a number to the metal that lets you know how well it can hold up under stress.

Identifying the best hunting knife blade steel is not an easy task. For example, when the hardness or strength of a steel goes up, it also becomes more brittle.

However, a softer steel that is less brittle (and less likely to chip or warp during heavy use) is less likely to hold an edge. That means it will need more frequent sharpening which will impact the life expectancy of the blade. So, determining the best hunting knife blade material is more so a matter of looking at what best suits the task at hand.

Also, it is deciding what factors you’re willing to trade-off in order to have other beneficial qualities (such as trading off edge retention for a knife that can withstand a beating or trading off durability for a knife that will stay sharp longer.)

It’s important to remember that the tempering process can also affect the performance of the knife blade. So, two knives with the same steel type for the blades, yet the blades underwent different heat treating, will differ in terms of performance. Often, too, manufacturers will apply a coating to the blade of the knife to offset corrosion and increase the life expectancy in lower quality steel – resulting in a more affordable blade that can still offer excellent performance.

Hunting knife blade material falls into three categories: tool steel, carbon steel, and stainless steel.

Tool steel tends to be harder and more durable. Carbon steel is commonly used for hunting knife blades as it is strong, able to take a beating, and holds an edge well. However, it is more susceptible to corrosion if it’s not treated, so you may want to keep the blade lightly lubricated to help prevent corrosion.

Hunting Knife Handles

When looking at the best hunting knives review below, you’ll notice that there are a surprising number of different materials that can be used to make a knife handle. What type of material you look for in a knife is more than just aesthetic in nature, as the material used can determine the suitability of the knife to certain tasks.

In other words: the handle material does affect the performance of the knife just as the blade material does. Although to be fair, an inferior handle can always be replaced with a high-quality blade -the same cannot be said in reverse!

The best hunting knife handle material will vary depending on how you plan to use your knife. If you do a lot of hunting during the winter, you may want to choose a material that warms quickly, such as wood, Kraton, or micarta.

If you hunt where it’s pretty humid, then a handle material that can withstand the humidity and won’t slip in your hand would be a better choice, such as G-10, Kraton, or Zytel.

​While this is in no way an exhaustive list of materials that can be used for a hunting knife handle, this list will give you an idea of what types of materials are available and what you may want to look for. You’ll find natural, metal, and synthetic materials listed with a look at some of the pros and cons of each.

Aluminum – lightweight, durable, corrosion resistant, can be uncomfortably cold in winter, will scratch

Antler – traditional handle material, similar to bone, porous, able to dyed, easy to work with and ideal for making your own knife

Bone – an ancient and traditional handle material, beautiful presentation, frequently made of cow bone, porous and so can be dyed any color, prone to cracking with age, slippery during heavy use

Carbon Fiber – made of tightly woven graphite fibers that are fused together with a resin epoxy, usually has a woven appearance, lightweight, strong, can be brittle and break from sharp impact, expensive

G-10 – aka Garlite; able to withstand exposure to water, oil, and acid; fiberglass composite; by far the strongest of all of the fiberglass resin laminate handle materials, more brittle than Micarta; similar to carbon fiber but much cheaper; very lightweight, perfect for tactical knives

Gemstone – stone is a very traditional handle material, expensive, beautiful presentation, durability depends on the exact type of gemstone used, but most are very durable, slippery for heavy useKraton- thermoplastic elastomer, excellent grip due to memory elasticity, ideal for tactical knives, frequently molded over a harder material

Leather – traditional handle material either wrapped about the handle or a number of leather washers are stacked together, cemented together, shaped, and finished; great presentation, comfortable grip, not terribly strong, not overly durable​

Micarta – made from linen clothes that are soaked in resin and then layered until the desired thickness is achieved, requires additional carving to texturize it, so it’s not slippery, strong, durable, scratch resistant, lightweight, expensive due to the amount of handiwork it requires

Mother of Pearl – beautiful presentation, strong, expensive, slippery

Stainless Steel – makes the knife noticeably heavier and will be slippery in wet conditions, corrosion resistant, sometimes has plastic or rubber incorporated into the handle to provide a better grip, scratch resistant

Titanium – strong, durable, lightweight (though not as light as aluminum,) more expensive, has some undue hype associated with it, will scratchWood- traditional handle material, variety of woods used that are better or less suited for certain purposes (soft and fine-grained woods aren’t suitable for wet conditions,) inexpensive;

Wood – stabilized wood (wood injected with plastic) is highly durable and able to withstand wet conditions and high humidity, pricing varies based on wood type, very comfortable grip, the best wood for hunting knife handles is either stabilized or a fine-grained hardwood

Zytel – resistant to bending, tough, durable, very inexpensive, practically indestructible, made of fiberglass and nylon, great surface grip as it can be injection molded into any shape and/or texture