Description
Thirteen inches of knife with seven of blade, and a handle that stacks stag antler against two bright bands of turquoise. The Nordic Stag Hunter is the size you reach for when a folder is not going to be enough.
| Overall length | 13 inches |
| Blade length | 7 inches |
| Handle length | 6 inches |
| Steel | 1095 + 15N20 Damascus, 352 layers |
| Weight | 1 oz |
| Handle | Stag antler with turquoise inlay |
| Included | Hand-stitched leather sheath |
Good in the hand of: a camp cook, a packer, or anyone who wants one knife on the belt instead of three in a pack. A seven inch blade with a ladder-figured flat and a long clip does more than dress game. It splits kindling against a baton, it quarters a chicken over a fire, and it clears brush out of a trail without complaint. A leather sheath is included.
Ladder pattern
Ladder Damascus is made by cutting or pressing grooves across the billet before the final draw, so the layers surface as regular rungs running perpendicular to the spine. It is one of the most legible patterns there is: you can count the bands from arm’s length. Against the plain white of stag it reads clean rather than busy, which is why the combination has been a standard on hunting knives for as long as people have been making them.
Stag and turquoise
The handle is antler, which is a working material before it is a decorative one. Its natural surface is irregular and slightly ridged, so it stays put in a wet hand where a smooth handle would rotate. Two turquoise inlays break it up, one at the pommel and one at the throat, and there is a steel bolster between the antler and the blade. Turquoise is soft — softer than the antler around it — so it will pick up marks with hard use, and buyers should treat those bands as decoration rather than structure. Every antler crown is different, so the shape and shade of the handle will vary from the photograph.
A large fixed blade around the house
Knives this size draw attention. It is worth checking your state and city rules on open carry and blade length before you strap it on for a hike, and worth thinking about storage if there are children in the house. Long fixed blades are best kept sheathed, out of reach and out of a damp basement.
Care. Dry the blade before it goes back in leather, every time; the sheath is the enemy, not the weather. A film of light oil across the flats once a month is enough in a dry climate and worth doing weekly on the coast. Antler needs almost nothing, but avoid soaking it and avoid leaving it in a hot vehicle, where it can check and split along the grain. Wipe the turquoise with a dry cloth only, and keep solvents and polishing compounds away from it entirely, since both will dull the stone permanently.
What buyers want to know
Is seven inches too much blade for hunting? It depends what else you carry. Sizes are compared in the Damascus hunting knife guide.
How should I store it out of season? Not in the sheath. See how to store knives properly.
Is there a stag knife with a guard? The twist Damascus stag skinner with a brass guard takes a different approach at the front end.
Model: BMK-887
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