Sharp edge of hunting and fishing
developed ingenious blades and tools from chipping rocks, but it wasn’t until the age of metallurgy with bronze and steel that knives blades and sharp tools really came of age.
Military weaponry probably assisted the development of all manner of new blades, daggers, bayonets, and fighting knives around the world, whether it be the Japanese Samurai sword or the Nepalese Gurkha Kukri.
The famed battle of Agincourt (1415) was a classic example of British supremacy with better blades and strategy when the numerically superior French army was annihilated by the English pikemen and longbow archers, with the French cavalry becoming bogged in a mire of Norman blood and gore.
The pace of modern cutlery development hasn’t abated since and there are any number and styles of modern knives for work and play.
Fishing and hunting are no different and I personally own many knives for filleting, skinning, boning, and chopping. My collection of blades includes axes, slashers, meat cleavers, knives for bait, scallops and oysters, and many other specialist tasks – all of which need sharpening from time to time.
I’m no knife expert, but after having gutted trout with a car key, and having watched my father Stuart field-dress a deer with a bread and butter knife, I’d suggest that you always carry one or maybe even two knives at all times in the field. I also recommend buying knives with bright neoncoloured handles so they are much harder to lose on riverbanks and in alpine boulder-fields.
Many years ago, I invested in a tool known as a ‘‘butcher buddy’’ which is really a knife vice which holds the blade firm and secure, while a sharpening stone is rubbed at a constant angle in a bracket attached to the vice.
It is a system that works well, and there are many other similar brands of sharpener out there. Many people still use the old style hand sharpening stone but it does take more skill to hold a constant angle and my sharpening system above holds a constant 17 or 20 degree angle, depending on what you are trying to achieve at the time.
Recently, I purchased a book from Peter Rigg at Page and Blackmore, Nelson’s awardwinning independent bookstore. Called Knife Sharpening Made Easy, Peter was almost apologetic as he wrapped the book in a paper bag and rang up the sale on the till.
Admittedly the book was a pretty thin tome, but I joked with Peter that the true value of a book is not how big it is but how much valuable information it contains. I wasn’t to be disappointed and I learnt a lot more about sharpening knives. The book really helped my technique with the ‘‘butcher buddy’’ sharpener and I’ve added new honing oil to lube the sharpening stones, more polishing with finer grain stones to finish the job, and most importantly sharpening both sides of the blade in the same direction and from the point downwards.
My knives seem to be much sharper and I’ve been using my sharpening gear everywhere lately, from Golden Bay to St. Arnaud, even sharpening my cousin’s kitchen knives in Christchurch over the school holidays.
You can always learn new tricks, and from my book I’ve learnt about colouring the edge of the blade with a black permanent marker so you can see what blade material you have taken off and where you have missed.
I’ve also learned that you should never use a bench grinder to sharpen valued knives too. If you can see sparks, the heat generated will be damaging the steel and blade.
Alloy steel quality and carbide densities also explain why some blades cut so much better than others.
Stainless steel blades are not always the best solution either, often being more difficult to sharpen than carbon steel knives. My book also shows how to use diamond steels, files and hones to touch up blades, but wasn’t too flattering about kitchen-style carbide pocket sharpeners which can easily damage a quality knife blade.
Some modern knives don’t even need sharpening, and I have several versions that have easily replaced disposable blades, much like a razor blade. When the blade becomes blunt, it is an easy task to replace the blade and experience incredible sharpness again in a matter of seconds. Such knives in different sizes and blade configurations are especially excellent for delicate work such as head-skinning trophy animals and removing capes.
Whatever blade you are using, the easiest way to test for true sharpness is to run the edge across a level fingernail. If it doesn’t slip and ‘‘sticks’’ then it is very sharp and will be a delight to use.
You can never own too many knives, and just recently I bought myself a couple of hi-tech Gerber ‘‘Gator Premium’’ hunting knives, made with CPM S30V high carbon steel blades. I don’t really understand what the numbers mean but both knives sure are sharp, slicing through hide and feather, like few knives I’ve owned before.
Some of the best knives in any family though are heirloom knives, passed on from generation to generation, whether it be trophies of war from WWI & II, family cutlery, or other fishing and hunting blades.
Of recent years, two of the most special knives to come our way have been the heritage hunting knife gifted to my son Jake by Terry Richardson of Hope, and the knife of my late friend and neighbour, John Bishop of Richmond.
John Bishop was a WWII veteran who served on the British submarine Ultor under the command of legendary Captain George Hunt. The Ultor sank perhaps more enemy shipping, by torpedo and machine gun, than any other submarine in the history of modern warfare. .
John’s stepson Mike Brough, kindly gifted me the knife John kept in his bedside cabinet, and the German Solingen steel knife holds a wickedly sharp edge. I don’t know the age or history of the knife but I value it all the same and look forward to using it occasionally over coming years.
Maybe one day my kids, and grandchildren as yet unborn, will fish and hunt using my cherished knives and blades. With a bit of luck, they’ll learn how to keep them sharp too.