Hunting Knife Sharpening Tips – Best Way to Make the Knife Razor Sharp

Having a sharp-edged knife is an utmost essential for a successful hunting expedition. It ensures how smoothly you can process your prey after a successful catch. If the blade has a dull edge, you need to apply extra force while cutting.

Afterward, you could be seriously injured if the knife accidentally falls out of your hand. Hence, you must learn how to sharpen a knife in addition to other hunting skills.

It comes in handy even if you might not plan to use your hunting knife.

Sharpening a hunting knife is not as difficult as you think. But it requires little skills and effort because you are risking chipping the edges. One misstep can make an uneven surface on the knife, which might be blunter than before.

You can use a High-Quality Hunting Knife Sharpener to make your knife blade wicked sharp. However, there are more ways a professional hunter follows.

Before you know the process, it is essential to what types of knives you want to sharpen.

Types of Knives

Hunters use different types of knives for hunting, from small to large. Some are used for skinning while others for cutting. The sharpness of the blade relies on the size, materials, and brands.

Below Are Some Of The Commonly Used Knives For Hunting:

• Folding Knife – A perfect pocket knife used for basic hunting needs, not ideal for chopping or cutting.
• Serrated Knife – Used for cutting fibrous materials.
• Fixed Blade Knife – It is perfect for any outdoor chore from chopping wood to skinning deer.
• Gut Hook Knife – Perfect for skinning.

Last update on 2021-01-20 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Let's See How to Sharpen a Hunting Knife in Different Method

Now comes to the point. There are many ways of knife sharpening that uses different sharpeners. A few of them you can use at home before hunting, while others on the hunting site. However, they all aim to give your blunt knife an impressive sharpness. Which one to choose depends on the type and scale of your knife blades.

Here we are describing 5 best way to sharpen a hunting knife:

A. Sharpen A Hunting Knife With Waterstone

Using Waterstones is the most affordable way. This method requires a little bit of effort to sharpen a knife. Besides, it can be natural or artificial. Artificial stones cut faster than natural ones. Both types come with a double-sided design.

One side feature coarse grit is used for sharpening while another side has fine grit for finishing and shaping. Both types of stones are ideal for sharpening carbon steel as well as low-to-mid grade steel.

You shouldn't sharpen a blade that has a fragile edge. Now follow the steps below to sharpen with Waterstone:

B. Make A Knife Razor-Sharp With Oil Stone

Oil stones comprise quite similar characteristics to Waterstones. But, oil stone uses oil as lubricants instead of water. The use of oil makes it an expensive method. You will need additional honing oil for better results.

At the same time, it takes little effort than Waterstones to sharpen a hunting knife. Due to the use of oil, it creates slick friction. So, you can sharpen a knife without needing high pressure.

However, oil stones are equipped with natural abrasive rocks. It also has two sides – one is coarse grit used for dull knives, and another side has fine grit for polishing sharp knife. The method of sharpening is similar to Waterstones, and it uses an equal sharpening angle.

C. Knife Sharp Enough To Shave With Diamond Stones

Diamond stones are an advanced version of Waterstones but more durable. Also, they are suitable for high-grade steel sharpening. Diamond stones come in many sizes and grades. Like others, these stones have two sides.

Gross grits side is used to shred large layers of metal, while fine grits polish the bottom. The best diamond sharpener uses mono-crystalline diamonds. It ensures easy and long-lasting sharpening.

Moreover, these stones are different than other rocks; they are scorched. So you need water or oil while sharpening. Follow a similar method of sharpening with Waterstones. Use 20° sharpening angle and diamond stones to get many useful results.

A Few More Options

i) Pocket Knife Sharpener

A pocket knife sharpener is a handy option but not a very reliable method for sharpening. Due to the size and lightweight, you can easily carry it in your pocket. They are perfect for skinning.

Another reason you can consider it is a beginner can use it without much sharpening experience. But, these sharpeners cannot handle large knives.

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1		SHARPAL 101N 6-In-1 Pocket Knife Sharpener &...	No ratings yet	$9.99	Buy on Amazon
2		Smith's Abrasives PP1 hunting-knife-sharpeners	No ratings yet	$9.82	Buy on Amazon

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ii) Ceramic Stones

Ceramic stones are suitable to sharpen kitchen knives. Also, it works on a knife that already has a sharp edge. So, it gives better sharpness to the blade. You can use it to sharpen a skinning knife, such as a gut hook knife in hunting.

iii) Electric Knife Sharpeners

An electric knife sharpener is a speedy process of sharpening knives. It comes with preset angles, so you just have to slide the blade through the slots. Mostly, these sharpeners include three slots – extreme sharpening, honing, and polishing.

Though they are mainly used for kitchen knives, some can sharpen hunting knives.

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1		Chef'sChoice Trizor XV EdgeSelect Professional...	No ratings yet	$159.99	Buy on Amazon
2		EdgeKeeper Electric Knife Sharpener, Gray	No ratings yet	$39.99	Buy on Amazon

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iv) Sharpening Rods

Hunting knife sharpening rods are suitable for sharpening serrated blade and gut hook knife. It is not the right choice for straight-edge blade knives. Some pocket sharpener comes with a built-in rod for sharpening.

Hunting Knife Sharpening Tips

1. Use the Right Grit

The most sharpener comes with two grits, including coarse grit and fine grit. Some sharpener includes coarse grit, medium grit, and fine grit. It is not always true that you have to use coarse grit at first and then fine grit.

• If the knife is made of lighter material, you should start with coarse grit. Then move to the fine grits,
• If the knife is made of a more rigid material, using finer grits does the job.

2. Sharpen Your Knife before It becomes Dull

The duller blade is harder to sharpen. It requires more effort to get the sharpness. Also, it can be dangerous, so you should sharpen your hunting knives routinely.

Final Verdict

Thus far, you've learned how to sharpen a hunting knife. So now you should be ready to get down the job of sharpening your hunting knife. The process of sharpening starts with choosing the correct method, depending on the type of knife.

It is essential to know as most hunting knives are expensive, and the wrong sharpening method can damage your knife. However, you can try cutting through a paper sheet after a thorough sharpening session.