Peace River (Pre-Order)

• Blade Thickness: .100 inch

• Blade Length: 3 inches

• Overall Length: 7.5 inches

• Weight (Approximate): 4 ounces with sheath, 2.5 ounces (knife only)

• Steel: AEBL

• Hardness: 60-65 HRC

• Sharpening Angle: 15 degrees

• Grind: Flat Saber
  

The Woodsman Knives Peace River is an ultralight hunting knife that can do just about everything from field dressing to quartering to caping. It has enough blade length for elk without being too big for small game. It's my ideal hunting knife and I hope you like it too. 

These are available in OD green micarta or blaze orange G10. Occasionally we'll do a run in wood, carbon fiber, or other specialty materials. Sign up for the email list if you're interested in those handle materials. 

The primary blade steel for the Peace River is AEBL, which was originally designed for razor blades. It takes a fine edge and has excellent toughness for a stainless steel. The properties of AEBL allow us to grind the Peace River very thin at the edge without fear of chipping under normal use. The thin edge means they cut exceptionally well and continue cutting after they're dull. We'll occassionally do runs in Maganacut, carbon steels, san mai, and damascus. Again, sign up for the email list for info on those special drops. 

These come with a Kydex sheath and you can choose either scout carry straps or a Discreet Carry Concepts clip to be included with your sheath. 

Most knives are designed around a hammer grip. But, you grip a hunting knife a lot more like a culinary knife. You might have your index finger on the spine, you might have the blade up as you make an initial skinning cut, and you'll use a  pinch grips as you skin and debone. I designed the ergonomics to be versatile and comfortable while processing game. The knife also has Coke bottle sculpting, which conforms to your hand and it helps the knife grip your hand back. 

The Peace River has two sets of jimping. The jumpng closest to the handle is to give your thump some added traction. The jimping near the point is to give you an index spot. When you're reaching into a chest cavity to cut the wind pipe, it's nice to know your finger won't slip up onto the point.

These knives are made by Brent Stubblefield and his team at Join or Die Knives in Richmond, Virginia. I've known Brent for years and I learned to make knives from him. His work is impeccable and I trust him completely to heat treat, grind, and finish every blade. I personally make about one knife per week and you can find those in the Garage Made section.

Origin

I started sketching designs for this knife after an elk hunt in British Columbia's Peace River reginoal district. I was deep into week two of the hunt and I'd seen more grizzlies than elk. This is the hunt where I also developed a deep disdain for deadfall after climbing over my one thousandth tree. 

While scouting for mountain goats — also had a tag for a goat — we spotted an elk way above treeline at about 5,300 feet. There was only one way up to the bull and it involved climbing up a hell hole of a ravine.

Eventually we made it to the same elevation as the elk and we heard two bulls. We loaded guns and headed in there direction then stopped with a steep ridge about 20 yards in front of us that blocked the view beyond it. A single squeeze of a Hoochie Mama brought a 6x6 to the top of the ridge. He towered down over the group at atlatl range. I leveled by crosshairs on his chest and popped him and then once more as he ran down hill. He died right there.

My buddy with an elk tag, Mike, went off after the second bull as I kept a watch out for grizzlies — we had just seen two only 1,000 yards away. I heard two shots and I knew we had just done something impossible and daunting. Two big bulls down on top of a mountain, but we had to get both out in one trip. Nobody wanted to come back to a carcass with grizzlies that close by. As we rushed to break down the elk, my ultralight replaceable blade knife ate shit. 

The blades kept snapping or popping off as tallow and meat built up around the locking point. I ended up using a Benchmade Bugout to wrap up the butchering. I came home from that hunt thinking about knife designs. 

What It Does Best and Worst
The Peace River is ground thin and it’s made specifically for processing game. It’s not meant to carve wood, break down boxes, or chop through nails. It’s a razor knife in fixed blade form. Please keep that in mind when deploying it in the field.