It wouldn’t be until a couple years later that we’d learn the trophy bull moose a trio of hunters was high-fiving over had been killed illegally.
It was discovered during a later investigation that the hunters stumbled across the bull after shooting a smaller moose just after daylight, which they left to rot in the woods.
Several hours earlier I had teamed up with Game Warden Dave Simmons to work opening morning of the October moose hunt in the northern reaches of his district, and the hunting party we were now standing next to had been our focus since well before daylight.
One of the party’s members was a prolific illegal night hunter, and his involvement in a moose hunt was a potential enforcement opportunity not to be missed.
Unable to articulate any violations at the time, we congratulated the hunters as the well-known night-hunter began field dressing the bull. I watched as he struggled and cursed the large knife in his hands, angrily commenting on how dull it was.
He looked surprised when I handed him my Buck 110 from the sheath on my warden’s duty belt, and as he started his first cut, the blade cleanly sliced through several inches of hide effortlessly.
Impressed, he looked up and said “Holy (expletive), is that thing sharp!” Nefarious character or not, I took the compliment with a sense of pride, and we all had a good chuckle as Simmons commented on field dressing activities being easier during the daylight.
Far too often, I have watched folks struggle needlessly through simple cutting tasks such as field dressing, butchering or camp chores with dull knives.
I’ve seen injuries, frustrations and wasted time, most of which could have been prevented. Proper care, sharpening and maintenance are crucial to ensuring knives and other cutting tools remain safe, efficient and effective.
Blades are simple tools, and purpose-built to serve simple functions. Today’s outdoor space is flooded with flashy custom and production knives, many of which are beautiful examples of craftsmanship worth every penny of their steep prices.
But regardless of price, age, style or gimmick, at the end of the day, a knife is a knife, and it needs to be kept sharp.
New knives typically come with an adequately sharpened blade. Many of them even sport a razor edge that seems to defy logic. Blades are constructed from a variety of materials, which affect their hardness and dictate their ability to hold an edge. But with any amount of use, inevitably that edge requires attention.
Knives can often be sent back to the manufacturer or elsewhere to be resharpened for a small fee, or even for free. I have never outsourced any sharpening needs, but I understand the appeal, especially in the case of a high quality, expensive blade that deserves a professional’s touch.
An edge on the average hunting or camping blade that most of us commoners lug around can easily be maintained and sharpened at home or in the field, saving time and money.
While properly sharpening a blade decades ago may have seemed like a highly specialized skill learned over time, and maintained through repetition, it is far easier these days thanks to a multitude of products that can be mastered in just a few minutes.
The older I get, the more suspicious of and opposed to technology I become, but not when it comes to keeping an edge on my favorite knives.
I’ve used several different products including whetstones, electric sharpeners, Lansky sharpening systems, pull-through sharpeners and many more. But for my purposes, I’ve taken a shine to Work Sharp’s Benchstone knife sharpener.
The sharpener comes with flat stones in 320 grit, 600 grit and fine ceramic. Aided by changeable blade angle guides, with a little practice, it’s easy to put a near razor’s edge on almost any knife, or even an ax, in just a few minutes by hand.
The only downside is the product’s size and weight, which make it just large enough to remain on the work bench instead of finding a place in a pocket or pack. Fortunately, a smaller, more compact version is available, which I plan to purchase for use in the field.
Sharp knives are safe knives. They require less pressure to cut, which means they are more easily controlled. They instill confidence, and make quick work of simple tasks. To an outdoorsman, they are a point of pride.
And sometimes they even earn you a compliment from a cagey night hunter.
