If you’re not sure which would be the best hunting knife for you, it’s time to look at some hunting knife reviews to narrow down your decision. Every knife comes with some distinct advantages.
Our Top Best Hunting Knifes
| Picture | Hunting Knife | Review |
|---|---|---|
 | Elk Ridge ER-052 Hunting Knife | Our Review |
 | Outdoor Edge 8-Piece Butcher Kit | Our Review |
 | Elk Ridge ER-252 Hunting Knife Set 3-Piece | Our Review |
 | Tactical Hunting Survival Knife | Our Review |
 | MTech USA MT-086 Hunting Knife | Our Review |
What to Consider Before You Buy a Hunting Knife
The best knives for hunting are the ones that allow you to do all the things you want. Some people use traditional hunting knives, while others prefer to work with knife kits.
Some people would rather use a bowie knife for hunting, preferring the thick blade. There are even folding top hunting knives.
When you’re hunting, what tools and features would make your life easier? This should be on the top of your list of considerations.
The 10 Best Hunting Knife Reviews
These hunting knife reviews showcase the pros and cons of many top rated hunting knives.
Elk Ridge ER-052 Fixed Blade Hunting Knife
This is the very definition of a traditional hunting knife. It has the timeless western inspired design, featuring a durable, classic pakkawood handle.
Not only is this one of the best hunting knives, it’s one of the most beautifully crafted top hunting knives. It’s a functional piece that you’ll love to show off.
PROS
- Straight edge hawksbill blade is perfect for hunting tasks. Elk ridge is perhaps the best hunting knife brand, and they’ve perfected the iconic hawksbill shape.
- This knife is full tang. Even the hand guard is part of the same piece of steel as the blade. This is solid.
- Comes with a leather sheath that will last for decades.
CONS
- Only a 4 ½ inch blade. It may take longer to work on a bigger project with a compact blade.
CONCLUSION
This is the best fixed blade survival knife for a multitude of reasons. It’s beautiful to look at and a dream to work with. You’ll be delighted to take this blade out in front of other hunters.
It’s a real show stopper, and it keeps an edge for forever with relatively little maintenance.
Outdoor Edge Butcher-Lite BL-1 Lightweight 8-Piece Butcher Kit
If you’re looking for the best deer hunting knife, you’ll find it in this kit. You can do absolutely everything with this kit. It’s light to carry and boasts 4 highly functional deer hunting knives that can also be used for hogs or rabbits, depending on the season.
PROS
- Comes with a caping knife, a skinner with a gut hook, a boning knife, and a bone saw. It’s every knife you’ll need to fully clean a deer.
- Comes with a carrying case, a sharpener, a brisket spreader, and even gloves. You won’t need to bring anything else.
- Incredible value for money. You can’t beat the convenience and price of purchasing all of your hunting knives in a bundle.
CONS
- Knife case is made of nylon. You need to be sure to properly clean and sanitize your knives before putting them back in the carrying case.
CONCLUSION
If you are a deer hunter, you absolutely need this. Once you get it, you’ll wonder how you ever lived without it.
Rather than getting a single knife and trying to do every task with it, you’re getting a comprehensive variety. There’s no compromise in quality.
MTech USA MT-086 Series Fixed Blade Hunting Knife
This is a rather compact knife that works just as well as a much larger one. It’s one of the best hunting knives for people looking for a fixed blade knife on a budget.
MTech makes some great affordable cutlery, and this hunting knife is no exception.
PROS
- Knife is black coated, so it won’t stain or rust.
- 7 inch blade is perfect for handling larger hauls without taking up too much space. It’s still small enough to wear around your belt.
- Grip inserts in the handle make it easy to use this knife when it’s wet.
CONS
- Not good for working with wood. You’ll want a different knife for that.
CONCLUSION
This is the perfect budget fixed blade knife. The features it comes with and the reasonable size make it the best of both worlds for a lot of hunters. It’s perfect for a starter knife, especially if you aren’t sure what kind of hunting knife will work best for you.
It serves double duty as a great fishing knife, thanks to its versatile shape and wet grip features.
Elk Ridge Hunting Knife Two-Piece Set
This is a neat little set. It comes with the two main knives you’ll need the most when hunting something with a straight edge, and something with a gut hook.
If you don’t want to carry around a bunch of tools, you can clean a whole deer with these two if you’re willing to put in the hard work.
PROS
- Comes with a dual holster. It’s just as easy to carry these on your belt as it is to carry a single knife. You’re getting double the capabilities without taking up additional space.
- Blades are made of 440 stainless steel, making them easy to sharpen and home out on the hunting grounds.
- Sized to work just as well on a chicken as they would on a hog.
CONS
- Gut hook is compact inside. It will work beautifully, but it works better when you skin from the inside out.
CONCLUSION
These hunting knives are a dynamic duo. It’s both things you’ll need – not a single knife attempting to be able to do both things at once.
With two dedicated tools that are easy to carry together, you can get double the work done in half the time.
Yes4All 9-Inch Tactical Hunting Survival Knife
This is the best hunting knife for quick field dressing. It’s one piece, relatively compact, and features a multitude of surfaces. On the back of the blade is a small serrated portion for sawing.
The rest of the blade is fine edged and tapers up to a sharp point. On the top, there’s even a small gut hook.
PROS
- Handle comes with an ergonomic finger grip that allows you maximum control when working on a difficult task. Your fingers won’t slip, and you can put your full strength into whatever it is you’re doing.
- You’re getting a little bit of everything with this knife. You won’t have to carry multiple tools.
CONS
- 9 inch blade is perfectly long in most cases, but it may be difficult to handle larger animals with just this knife.
CONCLUSION
It’s one tool that does everything. If you don’t like to carry a bunch of stuff around with you, this is one of the best hunting knives as far as convenience goes.
For a short trip or some speedy field work, you’ll appreciate being able to pull a single knife out of the sheath and handle all the things you need to handle.
Jungle Master JM-001L Fixed Blade Hunting Knife
This one finds itself among the top rated hunting knives due to its giant size and powerful level of versatility.
This is just as good of a hunting knife as it is a survival knife, making it a great choice for people who want to be able to handle the majority of a hunting or camping trip with a single multipurpose knife.
PROS
- Ten inch blade is 4 millimeters thick. There’s nothing impossible for this knife. It’s thick and very large. It can cut through tree branches and bones with the same ease.
- Knife features a full saw back and a finely honed point. This isn’t like other knives with a small serrated section – you’re getting a full serrated knife right on the back.
- Grip is rubberized, so it won’t give you calluses with rigorous use.
CONS
- Comes with a nylon sheath that will eventually need to be replaced. The knife is too sharp for long term use with a woven sheath.
CONCLUSION
This knife can handle more than just a hunting trip – it can handle an entire campsite. You can clean a deer and build a shelter all with the same knife.
You just can’t beat that kind of versatility, and you won’t find it in any other knife. It’s the best fixed blade survival knife.
Elk Ridge ER-252 Hunting Knife Set 3-Piece
This is a compact set that comes with three quintessential hunting knives – especially during deer season.
You’re getting a regular knife, a wide knife with a gut hook, and a bone saw. It’s easy to do a total dress with this great kit.
PROS
- Bone saw has a special ergonomic handle for ease of use.
- Comes with a single sheath that fits all three pieces of the knife kit.
- Kit is lightweight. You can carry it with you all day and it won’t weigh you down.
CONS
- Knives are a little smaller than full sized hunting knife.
CONCLUSION
These are the best hunting knives when you want to carry everything you need without adding a lot of weight to your hunting bag.
This is perfect to carry with you around a campsite or hunting ground for whenever you might need it.
Schrade Old Timer 152OT Fixed Blade Knife
This is a simple, full tang portable hunting knife. It’s shaped like a skinner, but it has a traditional point. Though there is no gut hook, this can still be used for some light dressing work.
It’s solid high carbon stainless steel, and designed to look like the original classic hunting knives.
PROS
- Comes with a full leather sheath that will last for decades.
- Full tang keeps the knife durable for rough tasks.
- Thick steel blade is easy to sharpen and maintain.
CONS
- Knife is only 3 inches long.
CONCLUSION
This is great for the hunter who really loves gentleman’s knives. It has an antique charm to it that mimics classical construction, but it’s made using top of the line modern technology.
This probably looks just like the hunting knife your grandfather used, and it’s made to last just as long as his did.
Outdoor Edge Razor-Lite Folding Hunting Knife
This is the best folding hunting knife you’re going to find. Most hunters stay away from folding knives, preferring something with a solid handle that’s made to be rough and rugged.
This knife is just as rough and rugged as any fixed blade hunting knife, and it comes with a few cool bonus features.
PROS
- This knife comes with six different hunting blades, including a gut hook. All you need to do is push a button to release the old blade and pop a new one in. It’s one knife that transforms into whatever you need it to be.
- Because this comes with everything you need, you’ll only need to bring one knife with you.
- Grip is ergonomic and heavily textured.
CONS
- Different blades may require different sharpeners. You’ll want to grab a multifunction knife sharpener to take with you.
CONCLUSION
You can’t find a better folding hunting knife anywhere, no matter where you look. This is a unique concept that allows you to do so many things with one small tool.
It’s almost like a Swiss army knife designed specifically for hunting. This is one of the best hunting knives for a hunter who loves gadgets.
Timber Rattler Western Outlaw Bowie Knife
Bowie knives can be used for a variety of things, but many people specifically prefer the shape of the blade for hunting.
These aren’t traditional hunting knives, but there are a lot of things that make them a worthwhile alternative to tradition.
PROS
- Blade is a staggering 11 3/8 inches long. If you need a longer hunting knife, they don’t get much longer than this.
- This knife is full tang, making it solid and durable.
- Comes with a leather sheath. Leather sheaths last years longer than nylon sheaths.
CONS
- Bowie knives are trickier to sharpen.
CONCLUSION
This is a great bowie knife for hunting. If a regular hunting knife won’t tickle your fancy, you’ll adore thinking outside of the box with this bowie knife.
Which is the Best Hunting Knife for You?
What is the best hunting knife for one person may be less than ideal for another. After reading the hunting knife reviews, it’s easy to see what exactly makes all of them different. Choose the best hunting knife brands.
Maybe you’ll find that the combination of several is exactly what you need.
