These handles rack up wins.

Graceful and majestic as the beast from which they originate, stag is a timeless material that, as a handle, enhances knifemakers’ sculpted steel. Be it the crown forming the butt of a hunting knife or a carefully selected section for a slip joint’s scale, stag racks up points with collectors. And we have a herd of knives with handles of stag and other antlers that are truly gripping.

Lin Rhea Scagel-Style Hunter

William Scagel was no stranger to stag in his work, so it makes sense that ABS master smith Lin Rhea’s interpretation of his work would include the material. Featuring a light selection of stag on the handle, it matches up well with the classic bronze guard, plate and hardware, as well as the clean lines of the hunter’s 6-inch AEB-L main blade and folding blade at the butt.

Daniel Olsen Bowie

The prince of the high desert makes an appearance on Daniel Olsen’s 12-inch bowie with a main beam of a mule deer antler, complete with its burr line. Olsen boosts the ergonomics of the hand by flattening the top section to gracefully mate with the mild-steel bolster and a 7-inch clip-point damascus blade—201 layers of 1084 and 15N20 over a 52100 core.

Shayne Carter Two-Bladed Trapper

The stag scale gives master smith Shayne Carter’s two-bladed trapper an enduring and classy look, making it comfortable in the corral or at a church picnic. Integral 416 bolsters frame the stag and an arrowhead shield of the same stainless steel gives it some pop. The blades, a clip main and spey second, are a wispy feather pattern that fountains from the handle.

Scott Gallagher Bowie

Plenty is happening with master smith Scott Gallagher’s 6-inch blade bowie, not the least its ample and absorbing, amber-dyed stag handle. Crowning the handle is a beautiful 416 guard with leaf engraving running its circumference and split down the middle by a fine loop of 24k gold inlay. The blade is 80CrV2, with a fine tip formed by a pronounced swedge.

Bobby House Axe-Handle Slip Joint

Bobby House gives his take on Texas Slip Joint Cartel member Bill Ruple’s axe handle slip joint. Featuring Bill Poor’s River of Fire feather damascus for its 3¼-inch blade, the knife features 416 integral-with-the-liner bolsters and a hound’s tooth shield. As to the handle, House delivers with natural red stag that has incredible light and dark contrast to give the work character.

Jeff Schafer Tinker Bowie

Jeff Schafer brings impressive scale to the workbench with a towering 12-inch flat-ground 1084 carbon steel blade, stretching to an 18-inch overall length. The Tinker Bowie is anchored by a stag crown handle that swells toward the butt. A nice touch, a copper spacer at the base of the antler.

Adam Shorts Scagel-Style Fixed Blade

At just 11 years old, Adam Storts proves talent has no age limit with a highly traditional take on a classic Scagel-style fixed blade. The young maker anchors the 10-inch overall build with a rugged stag antler handle, seamlessly transitioning into stacked leather and liberty wood spacers.

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