BLADE Magazine

Top knife observers decipher the best custom huntering knives ever made.

It’s an ongoing discussion, or maybe a debate, slightly contentious but always cordial. When the question is pondered regarding who made the best custom hunting knives ever, a few names quickly come to mind.

Of course, there is no right or wrong answer. It’s a matter of interpretation, fit and finish, design, form and function, and the feel of the knife in the hand when it’s time to get down to the business of skinning and dressing game. Each respected and well-traveled knifemaker and observer consulted below can tell the stories that back up his top few. But in the end there is no doubt. Each of these revered custom makers and/or bladesmiths has got game. It’s proven in their work.

Bruce Voyles’ Take

BLADE Magazine Cutlery Hall-of-Fame® member and knife auctioneer Bruce Voyles accompanied his fellow Cutlery Hall of Famer, the legendary George Herron, on a few hunting trips and experienced his work in the field.

“George was a fantastic hunter,” Bruce remembered. “When a group of us would go with him, we might kill three deer in a four-day morning and afternoon hunt, but he could get eight if he wanted to.”

Bruce tells the story of an Outdoor Writers Association hunt Herron organized after an invitation from a South Carolina country gentleman that George had helped change a tire. It seems the man owned a large tract of land, and in return for Herron’s kindness he was allowed to hunt deer on the property.

“When we got to that plantation, every guide there was carrying a George Herron knife,” Bruce commented. “The thing about George’s knives is that when you held one and used it, you were using a knife made by a man who had been there. He made tremendous skinning knives, and the balance and feel in the hand are unsurpassed. The balance, shape of the handle, and minor nuances of the tilt of the blade, its thinness, and the tapered tang set Herron knives apart.”

According to Voyles, the knives of Herron, Jerry Fisk and Cutlery Hall-of-Famer Bill Moran feel like an extension of the hand. Herron also made knives that were affordable for a hunter to purchase. Since he put many knives in the hunters’ hands because of a reasonable price point, the praise of his work in the shop spread far and wide. Today, there are several quality custom knifemakers contending for recognition, and they include Ralph Smith, Larry Page and Wayne Hendrix to name just a trio, Bruce says.

“Wayne was one of the guys who trained in George’s shop, and while we were hunting he had his own shop set up on the grounds making knives to sell directly to hunters,” he noted. “He was a guide in South Carolina and approaches making hunting knives the same way George did. He’s the closest to George’s knives now.”

Jim Sornberger’s Take

Cutlery Hall-of-Fame knifemaker Jim Sornberger remembers the days years ago when names such as Harry Morseth and Cutlery Hall-of-Famers Bo Randall and Rudy Ruana were synonymous with excellence in hunting knife craftsmanship. He also mentions the fine work of Corbet Sigman and other contemporaries of the 1960s and ’70s.

“It goes back to when I was a kid and my uncle had a gun store in Redding, California,” Jim said. “Those names were famous, and I met Harry Morseth in the ’50s. His Cascade Skinner was my favorite hunting knife for many years with a great handle shape in leather or stag for a good grip and a guard, which is really important in a good hunting knife because you’ve got to hang onto an animal or fish if you’re working and you can’t afford to have the knife slip in your hand. The blades were laminated Brusletto steel from Norway, and the knives came with a safety sheath. Mine was copper-lined leather in the shape of the knife, and later models had a fiber material liner inside.”

Sornberger also mentions Cutlery Hall-of-Famer Gil Hibben, Ruffin Johnson and Clay Gault as makers of outstanding hunting knives. However, trying to identify custom makers that are in that rarefied air with the masters these days requires some reflection. “It’s tough because a lot of guys follow trends nowadays and they find it’s cheaper and faster to make a knife without a guard,” he opined. “Randy Lee has been around a long time and still makes a lot of good using knives. Dave Pitt in Redding, California, does as well, and that’s hunting country. Randy has a stubby little hunter with a 3.25-inch blade and nice guard, and that’s plenty of knife for most hunting applications.”

Tom Krein’s Take

Veteran knifemaker Tom Krein is upfront with his thoughts on the best maker of hunting knives.

“I actually worked for Bob Dozier and A.G. Russell from the mid-1990s to 2001, and honestly this is a tough one. We all use hunting knives differently in the field and for different things, but I would put Bob Dozier forward. He grew up hunting in the bayous and providing for his family, [and] he has a lot of experience making knives. He is an exceptional craftsman, and in the 1980s I feel one of the pioneers in the style of distilling everything down to make hunting knives easier to make and get them in everybody’s hands.”

Krein likes the reasonable price point of a Dozier hunting knife and the attributes that characterize the maker’s outstanding work: a full tang, thinly ground blade, Micarta® handle, and often a Kydex sheath system for safety. “Dozier’s knives check all my boxes,” he related. “The Dozier Personal with a 2-inch blade works great on game, and an investment of $300 will get you a fine Dozier knife.”

Tom also has seen the Morseth line continue with A.G Russell and has tremendous respect for the maker’s legacy. “The first new model A.G. made when he acquired Morseth Knives from Harry was the Model 1, also known as the Ozark Hunter,” Krein noted. “It is a drop-point camp and hunting knife with a 3.5-inch blade, hidden tang, nice guard, and thin-shaped Micarta® handle that make the knife extremely light.”

Tom tips his hat to custom knifemaker Brian Goode, whose hunters and skinners are gaining notice, while he also acknowledges the great work of Jerry Fisk, whose Sendero served as Krein’s own inspiration to begin making knives. And then there’s the geometry and thinness of the blade in ABS master smith James Rodebaugh’s hunting knives that Krein calls “beautiful work.”

James Rodebaugh’s Take

Speaking of Rodebaugh, his thoughts on the best maker of hunting knives include George Herron, whose work he describes as “superb,” and two more greats, D. E. Henry and Cutlery Hall-of-Famer Jimmy Lile. “The first knife I ever owned was a Lile hunter, and he made one heck of a hunting knife,” James remarked. “That knife was my primary hunter before I even started making knives, and it did all I ever asked of it.”

According to Rodebaugh, edge geometry is critical in a hunting knife, along with the design and profile of the handle and proper Rockwell hardness. Each of these characteristics is essential, and the Lile knife was “about as perfect as I’ve ever held, and I’ve dressed well north of 300 animals, not counting small game.”

Rodebaugh’s own knives are reflections of his hunting experience. He has been lauded for the field performance of his Raised Swedge Hunter, which some refer to as a harpoon point, that was actually inspired by a Marble’s hunter design. He has been making the Outfitter hunting knife for about 15 years, forging the blades in batches of five with O1 tool steel hardened to a Rockwell of 60-61 HRC, and a Micarta handle with a palm swell for added comfort.

James has been impressed recently with the work of Missouri-based maker Jason Coy and ABS master smiths Adam DesRosiers and Jason Knight. “Jason saw my raised swedge years ago and asked to use it, and I said ‘absolutely!’ Nobody has probably designed a ‘new’ blade in the last 1,000 years or so. Adam has worked with it as well, and now everybody in the country produces that design feature.”

Of Course, Bob Loveless

The names of custom makers past and present conjure images of their outstanding hunting knives. But no story on the topic would be complete without mention of Cutlery Hall-of-Famer Bob Loveless. While some have said Loveless was a fine maker, some have also said his fit and finish were reasonably good—not great. Nonetheless, the thing about Loveless was his eye for design.

“Loveless went to design school,” Voyles explained. “He made a knife with eye appeal. It was different, and a lot of people don’t understand why, but it was the natural French curve. It was the design. People say Loveless made the perfect hunting knife because of the drop point, and to me it doesn’t work as good as one of George Herron’s knives.”

Sornberger knew Loveless well. “Bob was a good friend and signed for me to get into the Guild,” Jim began. “I think Bob found a universal handle shape that he used on all his knives, and it was a combination of a good kitchen knife and all with a guard except for a couple of models he made later on. All fit well in the hand. Bob got a lot of publicity. He could sell snow to Eskimos.”

Krein sees the Loveless drop point as iconic. “But there is a difference with the variance in game animals from squirrels to rabbits to deer, elk and moose. So best at what? I personally think the Loveless drop point is a fine design, but I wouldn’t take it into the woods,” he observed. “It’s just bigger than I like, and I like hidden tangs for hunting knives.”

Rodebaugh reminds that Loveless is a giant among custom knifemakers, and his hunters are noteworthy to say the least. “I met Bob many years ago and didn’t live far from him in California,” James recalled. “He made a good knife, and the drop point had a lot of impact on the industry, but contemporary with Bob were guys like Herron that produced excellent knives. Loveless made a solid working knife and took that to great heights through pretty good marketing, along with his popularizing of ATS-34 stainless blade steel.”

All hunters have a favorite knife, a trusted companion in the field that is handy, dependable, and built for the jobs encountered. While discussing the topic of just who might be the best custom maker of hunting knives is a never-ending exercise, suffice it to say that hunters are fortunate to find such steadfast companion tools when they are needed most.

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