Bushcrafting fundamentals

I hold the opinion that nothing is more personal in a hunter’s kit than a knife. It’s an ‘up close and personal’ tool. It receives way more use than my rifles when I’m out hunting, even on extended trips. On a weekend red deer hunt I may only fire three or four shots (I’m a meat hunter, predominantly). Sure, my Winchester Model 70 in 7mm/08 puts venison in the freezer multiple times each year, but that firearm plays a supporting role. It’s the knives which do the lion’s share of the work.

My late father was a butcher’s apprentice when he was a kid and although he did not go on to become a butcher (conscription took him), he