Damascus Gut Hook Skinning Knife with Rosewood Handle and Leather Sheath

A gut hook skinning knife does two jobs. The sharpened notch in the spine opens the hide from the inside out, and the broad rounded belly then takes the hide off. This one is a 3.5 inch Damascus blade with the hook cut into the spine near the tip, a rosewood handle over a full tang, and a tooled leather belt sheath. It suits hunters who want a shorter blade.

Specification

The blade

The steel is Damascus, pattern welded over a high carbon core and etched so the layers show. At 3.5 inches the blade is short, which helps because the belly stays under your hand. The gut hook is the crescent notch cut into the spine near the tip, sharpened on the inside curve. Hook it under the hide and pull, and it opens the skin with the point clear of what is below. The hook takes a round file or a tapered rod, not a flat stone, and the carbon core can rust if left wet.

The handle

Rosewood is dense and close grained, dark brown with darker streaks running through it, and it does not turn slick in a wet hand. It warms up quickly once you are holding it, which matters on a cold morning. The handle is 3.5 inches, full in an average hand without extra bulk. Behind the scales the tang runs unbroken from tip to butt, with brass pins set through. Wood grain is never the same twice, so no two handles match.

The leather sheath

The sheath is cut for this exact knife, hook and all, so the blade drops in clean. It is vegetable tanned leather with a wide belt loop stitched to the back, a strap over the handle with a snap, and a welt sewn into the edge so the stitching stays clear of the blade. All of the stitching is done by hand. The face is hand tooled with a basket weave stamp inside a carved border, one of the oldest patterns in western leather. Most sellers stop at the words leather sheath.

Who it suits

A shorter blade suits close work, and the hook means you are not switching knives partway through.

• Hunters who prefer a shorter blade for control
• Anyone who wants a gut hook and a skinning belly on one knife
• Buyers who like plain wood over antler or horn
• People who process their own venison
• Someone shopping for a gift for a hunter

What comes in the box

• The gut hook skinning knife
• The tooled leather belt sheath
• A care card
• A free laser engraving quote on request

Every piece is different

Each knife is forged, ground and finished by hand in small runs, so no two match. The Damascus pattern, the grain of the rosewood and the tooling will vary from the photographs. Yours will come out as its own piece.

Looking after it

Wash and dry it by hand, including inside the hook. Never the dishwasher, since dishwasher damage voids the warranty, and never leave the knife wet in a pack. The gray patina that builds with use is normal and protects the steel. Oil it lightly before storage, and let the leather dry away from heat. Whetstone at roughly 20 degrees per side, then strop. More in our knife care and sharpening page.

Put a name on it

Laser engraving is 20 dollars per blade and you add it on this page. Around 30 characters fits on a blade, and a longer message sits better on the sheath. We send a proof image before the laser runs, and it adds 3 to 5 business days. Free on orders of 10 pieces or more. See the engraving page.

Questions buyers ask

What does the gut hook do? It opens the hide from the inside out, with the point clear of what is below.

How do you sharpen a gut hook? With a round file or a tapered rod, not a flat stone.

Is a 3.5 inch blade long enough for deer? Yes, skinning is done with the belly of the edge, not the tip.

Will this steel rust? It can, so dry it after use and oil it before storage.

Is it full tang? Yes, unbroken steel from tip to butt, with brass pins.

Will my knife look exactly like the photo? No, the pattern, the grain and the tooling differ on every piece.

The same hook on a longer blade is the Damascus gut hook skinner in stag antler, and for a plain spine the hand forged skinning knife in rosewood. More sits in skinner knives, in Damascus steel, and in rosewood handle knives.