Large boar knife?

[Denis]

Thanks, all!

First, off, never fear. I also subscribe to the "if it isn't dead, shoot it again (and use enough rifle)" school, and I have no absolutely no intention of wrangling piggies with my bare hands, or running them down with cold steel just for the heck of it!

However, I was warned by a very experienced professional to bring a knife, so bring a knife I will... I think I'll pass on a spear, though.

I can imagine situations where a big, strong knife might be necessary; approaching a downed porker which may or may not be deceased, and approaching a live pig held at bay by dogs. In either case, it might be difficult or impossible safely to fire a rifle round (depending on how the beast is lying, or where the dogs are). German hunters are allowed to carry a handgun for those situations but, as a visitor, I can't.

I met a Romanian gentleman at the gunshop last week who lost two fingers when he incautiously approached what he thought was a dead boar. It wasn't dead enough, and it removed his pinkie and ring fingers before expiring. Maybe a pig sticker would have helped...

[Precision]

Mil surplus rifle with built in pig sticker?

My MN 91-30 has a right nice nazi / pig sticker and so do a few of my others.

Glad to hear you aren't joining the "extra" crazy group and actively WANTING to slice a live pig.

[Denis]

Mil surplus rifle with built in pig sticker?

My MN 91-30 has a right nice nazi / pig sticker and so do a few of my others.

Glad to hear you aren't joining the "extra" crazy group and actively WANTING to slice a live pig.

No, siree! As far as I'm concerned, pigs are best sliced after a couple of hours in a hot oven with an apple in their mouths.

Actually, a K31 with bayonet attached has crossed my mind. At least for poking the porker to see if it's dead or just sleeping... Adding the rifle gives one that bit more reach

[Denis]

Were I forced to pick a large blade, the Cold Steel Trailmaster would be it.

Wow. I just had a minute to look that one up. It looks like a lot of knife for the money.

[Bob K]

FWIW, wild boar, at least the Russian boar / feral hog mix running amuck through much of the southeast US, have a gristle plate under the skin that protects the neck, chest, and sometimes the shoulders. In my experience, the older & bigger the hog, the thicker the gristle plate.

Biggest one I ever took went in the neighborhood of 500 pounds ... don't know for sure, as the scale at the lodge only went to 350 as I recall, and this guy was off the chart.

After skinning, I went at the skin and gristle plate with a scratch awl, basically an icepick made of tool steel.

Putting everything I had behind it (and this was 20 years ago, when I was still athletic ... and I'm 6-2, 185 pounds) I could not penetrate the gristle plate with the scratch awl.

Besides being nasty, and unafraid of humans, these buggers are armor plated.

[chrisb]

Thinking about actually going man to pig with one of those boars makes me want to wet my pants. No thanks. Of course, a knife would be better than nothing in that scenario.

[SeekHer]

Puma Knives carries a true pig sticker knife called the Hirschfänger l and ll, 11¾" blades with a double quillion and stag handles...model numbers are 809040 and 810029 respectively--difference is in either brass or silver finish...

They do have a lovely boar knife called the Keiler (112596) with a nearly 4" blade and stag handle with a sterling silver boar's head on the end...Would be perfect for a bar-b-que knife! There is another one called the Hirsch (112595) that looks quite similar...Just use their excellent search engine by name or number...

[SeekHer]

The Cold Steel Trailmaster is a very fine knife that is just a little bit overpriced...I had bought one in their regular steel with a stag handle when they were selling for just around $200.00 (Paid $140 IIRC) and about $250.00 with San Mai but only available then with the Kraton handles...I had used it for years at rendezvous and really liked it and had lots of people wanting to buy/trade it off me.

Their Laramie Bowie with the wooden coffin handle grip is just a regular Trailmaster with a wooden handle put on so that it would cater to the Cowboy Action Shooters…

For the $450.00 they want for one, I can get a custom designed and built knife--maybe (probably) with a Damascus blade and entirely hand forged, choice of handle material and sheath and still have $100.00 to $150.00 left over...

If they brought the price down to the prices I paid for them then they would be an excellent deal, until then, don't bother--no matter what Lynn claims his reasons to be so outrageously expensive, unless, of course, he is suffering from delusions of grandeur!

All the tests you see Lynn Thompson do to torture their knives is very true, I’ve seen them performed in person, but lots of other makers knives will do the same thing and for a lot less if a commercial maker and a little less if a custom maker to their top end knives. For their bottom end lines there are very few makers who would make a stronger folding knife but they are out there.

I absolutely despise claims of the “World’s greatest, strongest etc.” If Cabela’s is such a fantastic outfitter, why are the prices the same as everyone else’s on like products…You’d think with that buying power (ala Wal-Mart) they could command a better price for their customers but it seems that Gander Mtn. And Bass Pro Shop etc. can sell at the same price, yet, they aren’t the “World’s Greatest Outfitters.”

The same applies to Lynn Thompson and Cold Steel…Yes, they make a very good product, with fantastically strong folder pivot points, terrific steel that’s sharp and easily sharpened and lots of very well priced products for the design and usage they would be subjected too but their high end items are far too expensive for what you’re getting from a “Commercial Maker”…Excluding custom shop items, they’re just like Buck or Gerber, or Camillus or CRKT or any other non custom house and the aforementioned makers custom creations are for the most part much cheaper then Cold Steels…

[Denis]

Puma Knives carries a true pig sticker knife called the Hirschfänger l and ll, 11¾" blades with a double quillion and stag handles...model numbers are 809040 and 810029 respectively--difference is in either brass or silver finish...

They do have a lovely boar knife called the Keiler (112596) with a nearly 4" blade and stag handle with a sterling silver boar's head on the end...Would be perfect for a bar-b-que knife! There is another one called the Hirsch (112595) that looks quite similar...Just use their excellent search engine by name or number...

Oh, no! Another money pit... First it was guns, then hunting equipment, now it's sharp pointy things. That Hirschfaenger is really handsome... I feel a catalogue request coming on.

Hmm. Puma makes a real Saufeder, number 923590. and a take-down version, the 890029 PUMA IP wildboar.

Noooo!!! I looked at a map: the Puma factory is practically on my way to the hunt. I feel money draining away already.

[toad]

East Texas, a lot of guys just cut out the back strap. For a serious collection of meat some are taking along a small chain saw. They are considered to be varmints not game animals. Too damn many of them. They eat up timber seedlings, fawns, and anything else that is half-way edible.

In my opinion it is always a good idea to have a large fixed blade knife if you are going to poke around in the great outdoors. If it was in boar territory I'd want at least a 1/4 inch thick blade and large hammer to drive it in.
Still I wouldn't get within spear or sword range, let alone knife range of a boar having a bad hair day.

Unless you want the head for a trophy, I would give it an insurance shot between the eye and the ear before I got close to the dang thing.