@@cosmoscience2092I know bears have thick skin and fat but you’re delusional if you don’t think even the cheapest large size knife could wound a bear pretty significantly, not saying a human would win but I can guarantee a bear doesn’t want to get stabbed(especially in muscle or stomach tissue) regardless of the knife… humans hunted bears with sharpened sticks for centuries. People seem to be vastly overestimating the toughness of bears and or they are underestimating how formidable humans can be.
James Bowie's older brother, Rezin - is generally credited with the original concept of the Bowie knife, albeit the early Searle's style. He was attacked by a bull & used his large belt knife to kill it. The bull had him pinned (against a pasture fence, if I recall correctly). However, his knife didn't posses any kind of guard & his hand slid up the blade as he tried to stab into it's brain, severely slicing his fingers' tendons. He finished by literally pounding the pommel with his fist to drive the blade home. During his recovery he designed a blade which dropped below the hilt, giving a knuckle-sided stop guard to protect the hand from progressing forward during hard stabbing actions. This is commonly called the Searle's style Bowie. Both Rezin & Jim had been taught sword fencing as children & Rezin began modifying his initial design over the next couple of years. This is where the quillon cross guards began to be incorporated into the Bowie Knife design. Rezin then gave one of his blades to his brother, Jim, when Jim started to receive threats against his life from other folks in the area. Still thought to be a Searle's style - straight spined - blade but with some kind of cross-guards, although it may have been what is now referred to as a Musso Style, or early iteration of it - that was the knife Jim Bowie carried & used during the Sandbar Duel. Jim was severely wounded during that fight, although he survived & his sword wielding attacker did not. Much like Rezin had used his recuperation time after killing the bull, Jim used some of his recuperation time to refine the knife's design - including MUCH LARGER GUARDS - and a forward extension to the guard's ends became a critical component in Bowie's future designs for trapping an enemy's sword or knife blade. He also began to reduce the length of the blades - down from around 13" to his final acknowledged design - the Bart Moore Bowie - with an 8 & ½" or 8 & ¼" blade - double forward hooked guards and an inset strip of soft brass along the spine of the blade, to further enable capturing an enemy's blade. The clipped point design was intended, as Bowie said himself, "...to pierce like a dagger, slash like a scimitar and chop like a cleaver"! Bowie used his blade in an edge-up saber-style grip - this put the brass strip down, toward the knuckles. He was famously good at catching an opponent's blade, forcing it down; across the body toward his enemy's left side, grabbing the opponent's forearm as he disengaged his knife & then instantly ripping his edge-up blade into his enemy's guts & up into the heart & lungs for an almost instant kill. Just an American's Historical Four Hae-pennie's worth! Keep up the great work, Matt! 👍👌🖖🤺
@@BBE22oooowh-in5hi: I wish I could remember all of them. I've been studying knives for 5 decades and have read tons of trash as well as good historical research. I just don't recall where I picked up all the pieces but I'm pretty confident I have the data correct. Sorry I couldn't be more help but most of my personal library has been packed away for several years as I work on the road nowadays. There are numerous articles online that can fill in the blanks & corroborate what I posted above.
I actually have a relevant comment about this topic. The Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources updated their bear safety recommendations for staff doing backcountry work about 15 years ago and one change was to recommend that belt knives have a blade of 6 inches in response to the particulars of a recent (at the time) black bear attack in NW Ontario in which a knife was used in defence. Normally bear spray is the main direct deterrence but this occurred when a crew of two OMNR staff left their spray in the truck while making a short foray to do something (I don’t recall what). They split up and a bear began stalking one crew who was a young woman (small people are more likely to get attacked). She radioed for help and tried to work her way back to the truck but didn’t make it before getting knocked down and attacked. Her partner arrived to find her being mauled and chased the bear off but it returned and charged him several times to try to get its prey back. The partner stood over her and used his belt knife to fend off the bear. I don’t remember how exactly they got to safety but they did and both were ultimately OK but the woman had some fairly serious injuries to her back and shoulders (she was able to protect her face and neck). Anyway, the bear was later killed and necropsied and it was discovered that the 4” knife had not penetrated beyond the subcutaneous fat. So updated guidance is a 6 inch blade and don’t leave the bear spray in the truck. Edit: People keep replying to me about legality of weapons for some reason. In Canada, you are not legally prohibited from carrying bear spray and a belt knife in the woods. If you can walk into any Canadian Tire store or Cabella's and buy it, it's probably not illegal in Canada. So, my first piece of advice is to go touch grass and stop getting angry about fake stuff you imagined or saw on tic toc. I am not a lawyer but as far as I know, and I've never had issues following this: in Canada you are generally not allowed to carry something that is reasonably interpreted as a weapon against other people. Saying it's for self defense (against other people) doesn't matter. But if you have it for a legitimate purpose in an appropriate context then you're good. If you have an axe in the woods you're fine. If you bring an axe into a shopping mall you're not. If you're hiking in bear country you can carry bear spray, but don't bring it into the post office. If you're in your kitchen you can have an 8" chef knife but don't walk into an elementary school with it. If you're trying to push the line to see what you can legally get away with don't ask me, I am not that interested in that stuff. Common sense goes a long way.
This is part of my contention as well. While designs that limit overpenetration prevent overpenetration, they also tend to reduce the likelihood of sufficient penetration as well. Broadly speaking, the bigger the organism, the larger the wound needs to be to act as a deterrent, let alone disabling or incapacitating. And while, yes, a smaller knife is better for wrestling range, you would preferably fight most animals from striking range and not wrestling range in the first place.
As an avid black bear hunter, you are going to need more than 4”. This “4 inch standard” seems to be taking only human anatomy into account. It is odd that @mattEaston mentions 4”, when he knows full well that hunting “hangers” were capable of significantly deeper penetration.
And Ontario has real bears? I live in both Alberta and Zimbabwe. This argument is silly and stupid. My bush knife fails in all places expecialy size. It’s a folder and 3-1/2”. I died when Lynx was added as an animal. Lynx = smash with your body/fist. You live in Canada and have the same rules as I have. Just take a rifle. In UK even my pocket knife is illegal
@@markwalker4485 I've been wondering just what a legal pocket knife in the UK is. Is even one of those tiny Swiss Army knives you can put on your car keys banned. The blades like 25mm.
As someone that has hunted for well over 40 years and have very much knowledge about animals like wild boars, bears and many many others, and having experienced a few attacks, do I have a few comments about this. First of all is a 4 inch blade close to useless to use in defence against most of the animals that might attack you. 6 inches is the minimum and even if that can be a bit short against animals like big wild boars, male lions, tigers and brown bears, does it work well against animals like dogs, black bears, cougars hyenas and smaller wild boars. You need to reach deep enough to do enough damage to vitals to incapacitate the attacking animal as quickly as possible. To just tickle a vital organ with just an inch of your blade can make it take way to long before the attack stops. The more damage you do to one or more vital organs, the quicker it takes. And seconds can be of extreme importance if you experience an attack. An ideal blade length for the larger animals, is 7 to maximum 10 inches in my opinion Personally I prefer 7.5-8.5 inches. Long enough for everything and not longer than needed. Anything longer than 10 inches is pointless and can often be counterproductive. Of the knives you showed, then the Muela is the closest to what I consider to be an ideal self defence knife against animal attacks. I think some sort of hunting/fighting dagger where the blade is 5mm thick at the thickest, 40-50mm wide, 7.5-8.5 inches long and a similar blade profile to that Muela is perfect. I prefer to have both edges sharpened all the way down to the guard and they need to be razor sharp as it is VERY important that the knife/dagger slides as easy as possible in and out as you might be in a position where it can be hard to use much force. And by having the edges very sharp, you can also cut very easily if that is needed or the best solution. It is important to have a grip where you have full control of where your edges are and that you can use both an icepick grip and a hammer grip very well. The grip needs to have some sort of solution at the back to avoid your knife/dagger to slip out of your hand when you draw it or pull it out after you have stabbed with it and it is also great if the grip has some sort of texture that makes it easy to get a good hold onto it even if it gets wet from sweat, water or blood. Some have very well textured grips, making it not needed to have some sort of pummel or larger "diameter" at the back end to avoid the knife/dagger slip out of your hand. This is typical of some of the synthetic grips that are on daggers, knives and even some swords today and this is the type of grip I prefer even if it doesn't look as good as other grip materials. The Cold Steel Tai Pan is an example of a good design for a self defence knife/dagger against dangerous animals. I am no fan of the sheath and when considering the price, then the sheath should be much better in my opinion. But the point is not the brand or the exact knife/dagger or the price, but what type of blade profile that works very well. There are many similar blade designs that are very good, but way to often is the grip and/or sheath lacking in my opinion. I have needed to defend myself against animal attacks with a knife 3 times in my life. A large wild dog, a warthog and a medium sized wild boar. Only the medium wild boar managed to injure me a bit with a small cut. Most likely would I have managed as well with a knife/dagger with a 6 inch blade, but I didn't regret that I had a 7.5 inch blade. The chances of surviving an attack from a lion, tiger or a polar bear with only a knife/dagger for defence are EXTREMELY small, but they are still higher than if you don't have that knife/dagger. Those animals usually attack you because they regard you as food and they do not hesitate or play much with you and they are extremely strong. Your chances against a brown bear with a knife/dagger are not high, but they are not to bad either. Often brown bears take a rather long time to dispatch you and this is specially the case if it is an attack that is not motivated by hunger. A friend of mine is a bear expert and he has done research on bears for decades and once he and a colleague experience to be attacked by a brown bear and my friend shot the bear with his colleague's 44 magnum that his colleague managed to drop on the ground because he fumbled to draw it from the holster in full panic as the bear charged him. And my friend was so "smart" that he had brought no gun or knife with him, so he had to get the gun from almost underneath his colleague that had the bear on top of him. It took a rather long time from the bear charged till my friend put a bullet or five in the brain of the bear and still his colleague was not that badly hurt and he had in reality "much" time to defend himself with a knife if he had one on him. My friend has learned from that time and since then has he always had 3 weapons with him when out in the bush on bear country. A shotgun with slugs, a 10mm Glock and a hunting dagger with a 9 inch blade. Against black bears, cougars, leopards and a single hyena are your chances rather high if you are an average sized man that is not to weak and you know what you are doing and don't panic. Against a single dog, a single wolf and a medium to small boar are your chances very high if you know what you are doing. Yes, you might get injured, but the chances of you dying are very small. Against large wild boars can it be a matter of good or bad luck and it is one of the animals I am the most stressed about tracking if it is wounded by a hunter. They are big and very strong animals and they can have very long and razor sharp tusks, so they can quickly do a lot of damage and they can very quickly and easily cut off your femoral artery and if that happens, it is goodnight in seconds and no knife will help you. They are also much harder to grapple against because of how they are built compared with other animals The fight I had against the medium boar was a proper challenge before I managed to dispatch it with my hunting dagger and I am not sure how it would have ended if it was a proper large boar. It managed to knock the gun out of my hands before I got time to shoot it as it attacked me from under a thick spruce while I was following it's blood with a tracking dog after a hunter had wounded it. The dog was a wirehaired dachshund, so it was not exactly big enough to fight the boar, even if it tried to help me as they think they are the same size as an elephant and scared of nothing. Sorry for the long essay, but I hope at least one or two thought a bit of it was of interest and helpful.
I note the way you dance around the whole topic of hunting. Is this in deference to the foolish concepts held today of this noble and thrilling activity?
I think I would choose a letter opener. You see, if I had a fancy letter opener, I would want to use it all the time. Thus, putting me in my office instead of out in the wood with the bears.
Sadly, bears don't always stay in the woods. In times of scarcity, bears will follow a trail of garbage cans into inhabited areas. Many a suburban person has gone out to his car only to find a bear rooting around in his garbage can.
so i was going up to SE Alaska to help a friend clearcut a large part of a property he had just bought so he and his family could homestead it, so i figured i would make a big knife for the trip to carry in case i ran into a bear (i didn't own a handgun att.) so i made a big Scottish dirk out of some 1090, clay hardened the blade so it has a beautiful hamon line, notched filework on the spine, brass fittings, the handle is some big leaf maple branch from my backyard that i ebonized with a blowtorch, it's a beautiful knife, and i would sleep with it in my right hand or tucked into my left armpit every night i was there. so the logging trip is coming to an end, i'd been sleeping in a little one man backpacking tent for a few months without any sign of big wildlife (makes sense, we were running chainsaws all day everyday) and i'm laying down in my bedroll texting my mother when this big black dog sticks its head in the door of my tent right over my own head and starts sniffing around, and i'm laying there looking up at this big black beast going "whos fucking dog is this?" then my brain puts two and two together and i realized a few things, one: it was not a dog, i was in smooching distance of a black bear, and two: i had absolutely no idea where my knife was... so i dropped the phone and threw the hardest uppercut punch of my entire life right into this bear's nose. it worked, the bear must have been as surprised as me because it made fast tracks and left me alone and roaring as loud as i could in my tent with that knife now "magically" in my hand. i figure i'm alive today because A) it was a black bear not a brown bear B) it wasn't really that hungry, my beautiful knife has nothing to do with it.
You're not the only one who punched a bear hard enough to reconsider... The thing is that even though bears and tigers are not exactly the smartest animals, they do know that they need their eyes and fangs... They all want easy prey and not something that might incapacitate them enough to prevent further hunts, which would mean a slow death to them... In that respect, some prey animals fight more relentlessly, as they are used to fighting for their survival and not to hunt! Also, it matters if you're in his territory or stand in between a mama bear and her cub... PS: I can't tell you such a heroic deed from my life, but I had two grown men fleeing from me after they tried to rob me. All it took was that I made a few steps (literally!) to foil their plan (one talks to distract me and the other sneaks up to KO me). It was funny seeing the moment they realized that I caught on...
Great story. I can imagine myself mistaking a black bear for a dog. I can imagine my brain simply not accepting reality. I wonder if the knife you made is as beautiful as the one I imagine.
Assuming you can’t have gun or you missed or it’s malfunctioned and out of the fight. 4” probably isn’t enough to reach the vitals of a Bear or other large predators. 6-8 is probably more likely to actually reach vitals You probably should choose a larger 8-12 inch blade with a diamond cross section and a significant guard and robust grip and pommel. So a rondel dagger would probably work or a d guard Arkansas toothpick. Or a d guard large Bowie with the false edge sharpened
Oldfashioned huntingswords , Hirschfänger ' has become rare in Germany and Austria. But for reason of large boar problem in Germany, for about 15/20 years there is a Comeback of long knifes , for Fangstoß/ final stab 20 cm/ 8" is seen as Minimum length for boar. And, believe it or not, also boarspear has a small Comeback, there are even new constructions.
@@brittakriep2938 I've seen replica Gladii used for that purpose here in Texas and it fits with what Matt is saying in the video, that classic triangular point gives you a natural slowdown and go in far enough to be deadly without as much risk of getting it stuck.
@@joel466 Also, since the area below the triangle is sharp, that helps it cut it's way out. However, I think the value of penetration outweighs the fear of over-penetration.
I think about this topic all the time, being a government archaeologist in a Canadian province with three large bear species (black, grizzly, polar), though black bears are by far the most abundant and most likely to be encountered. I never go out into the wilderness without bear bangers (sound like a gun shot), bear spray and a sheathed knife on my belt. The belt knife I carry is a 10cm /4 inch Moraknil fighting knife with a rubber grip and stainless blade (for ease of maintenance in the wilds), though I have considered upgrading it to something bigger. I own a sharp rondel dagger from Landsknecht Emporium, but being on the longer side, it would be a real nuisance in the woods, always getting caught in the thick undergrowth or getting in the way when I have to climb rock faces or cross marshes. A shorter knife is a good choice, because people who are attacked by bears (and cats) are often surprised and don't have time to deploy a larger weapon (a good many people killed by bears are hunters with guns - they never got a chance to use them or they panicked and missed). My assumption is that if enough things go wrong in my life that I have to fight a bear in hand to hand combat, then that thing is likely already on top of me and I will be aiming at the eyes, neck, throat, mouth and stabbing repeatedly until it decides to stop. I have been on two projects where people were killed by bears - black bears, both times - so this is always on my mind when I go out into the wilderness. Love this video!
Also forgot to mention, I always have a sturdy shovel in my hand, which aids with hiking on rough terrain and could be used in keeping large animals at a distance. Most importantly, my colleague and field partner is a Cree archaeologist who grew up hunting and trapping in the north, so he has an incredible wealth of wilderness know-how and survival skills.
@@Naptosis Thank you, buddy - I hope so, too. If you make good choices and stay alert in the wilds, then the chances are typically pretty remote that anything bad is going to happen. Still, everyone's luck runs out eventually, so best to be prepared.
One reason hunters are often attacked by bears is that you or I aren’t likely to challenge a bear with just a knife. A hunter with a rifle will probably dispute ownership of a recently shot deer carcass with a bear.
In historically drawings long daggers are often shown hanging on the right side of the back pointing towards the left, presumably because it kept them out of the way but in easy reach of the dominant hand. Probably helped that the belts were quite high up on the body, like the Russian wore them until recently. Not sure how convenient it would be as in depictions such noblemen on the hunt are usually mounted.
When I lived in Anchorage, Alaska, a man in the city heard a crash and went downstairs to find a bear had broken into his living room through the patio door. He ran the bear off with a sword. Unfortunately, the news article didn't provide any information about what type of sword it was. I think this was around 2006, but it's been a long time and I may have the year wrong.
I remember that. I was living in Anchorage at the time. If memory serves he was 19, into martial arts, and the sword he pulled off the wall looked rather mall ninjaish. He didn’t make contact with the bear, just charged it yelling like a mad man fueled by teenage male levels of invincibility complex. It worked out for him.
50 years ago, when I lived in Idaho, USA, and was an avid deer, bear, elk, and coyote hunter; and a predator control hunter for some grange associations? The knife I always carried on my belt was a Buck Model 124 Frontiersman. A full tang, 6.25" bladed Bowie-style knife. It was only ever used as a camp chore knife - fortunately - but, it was perfectly capable of saving my butt if necessary. Still have it, too...
@@fjalarhenriksson David Crockett routinely dispatched bears with his knife. When your life depends on it an that is what you have the you got 2 choices. Be food, or use that knife to make the bear be food
You don't want the blade not to go in much, it is a bear not a human, there is substantially more to get through before you hit anything important. You'll want something fairly long (8-12 inch blade), pointy and with a handguard so your hand doesn't slip onto the blade. The Victorian boar daggers are good, but medieval huntsmen of often depicted with extremely long daggers with a bollock or early rondel type handle, and that would also work. The next thing would be knowledge, knowing were the bears organs are and the bones that would be in the way. If you were prepared then being mounted, and armed with a lance and bow would be a better bet than even lower calibre guns.
Best knife for defense against bear or tiger? The one that is securely attached to a long, sturdy pole. Tall tales aside, people don't know how big tigers and bears are, or how quick.
In Asia they used tridents for tiger hunts, because knocking a spear of target was to risky. So having 3 points to keep them away from you is very useful. It's very much an area denial weapon that has a higher hit percentage chance. I think they are greatly underappreciated.
@@woutvanostaden1299 Yes, tridents or boar spear would be my weapon of choice if going for a low tech self defense weapon against something like a Tiger or Bear. A knife is a silly idea as it seems far too likely that even if you managed to kill it so wont you walk away from the encounter alive either.
@@946towguy2bayonet was my response but if you’re going to have one why pick a spike bayonet. M44 cartridge is plenty big enough better than Sks I’d go with M1 garand myself fast 8 shots of a decent sized caliber and long wide last resort.
@@dustyak79 The SKS and M44 have attached folding bayonets. For the SKS, they were available as either a trefoil spike or a blade bayonet. I've taken big game with a Yugo (m59/66) SKS in 7.62x39 and it is fine as long as you use quality ammo, have good shot placement and keep the range inside 150 yds. A 12+" spike bayonet easily penetrates deep enough through flesh and bone to puncture vitals and doesn't get stuck.
Matt, this topic is different from your usual, in that there are still people who do this today. There are people in the American South and in Hawaii and in New Zealand who have killed a great many hogs with different knives. I think it would be worth your while to interview a few about the mechanics involved.
Absolutely. Couple of years ago I was taking the trash out, in small town suburbia, and turned to see the neighbor's dog in an aggressive pose. Chest puffed, wide stiff stance, not growling but definitely staring at me. Thankfully he was still on his territory, technically, though out of the (inadequate) fence. Obviously my Bowie and kukri were still safely inside, and I was in gym shorts and a t shirt. I broke eye contact instantly of course, and walked back to the house at a steady pace. They got rid of that dog shortly afterwards. I've seen it out of the fence before, and guaranteed it'd also bowed up at someone jogging or cycling or something, probably several someones.
Big difference between a pack of 60 lb dogs and a 600 lb bear. I'd vastly prefer a can of bear spray against either and wouldn't even consider a knife as defense against the bear.
@@johnrechtoris9796 even a sword would be too risky.... bear just needs 1 swing to knock the fight out most of us while we will probably need to incapacitate if not outright kill to stop the bear
Matt, you kept bringing up boar and bear skulls as if they are easy to pierce. They are not. Bear skulls evolved to fight other bears, the same with pigs: huge forces requiring thick bone. See if you can find a butcher shop to save you a few different sized hog heads (like from a 600lb 'heirloom' breed) and do some tests with Tod's Workshop. I'd agree on the Bowie knife is optimized, the boar knife looks really interesting. I'd want a boar knife at the end of a boar spear, reach plus blocking. I have seen a few daggers with hollow handles suitable for field tipping spears.
The head of a large brown bear alone can weigh more than a man. Their skulls are covered with enormous jaw muscles, and they've evolved so that attacks to the head deflect off. Plus there's a huge mouth between your arm and the head. Bit of a problem.
I was thinking the same thing... Matt seems to be thinking about soft tissues when discussing penetration, but a bear or tiger will never expose its soft side to you, unless it's already biting your neck/arm, in which case you're already in big trouble. You'll be facing the head, shoulders, and front paws, all of which have thick bones and fur. I doubt that any knife can penetrate thick bone. In addition, my experience wrestling with my German Shepherd has taught me that animals are insanely quick, so the bear will likely bite your hand before you can stab it. I don't see any plausible way to inflict a lethal wound without being mauled. Your best bet is probably to hope that it impales its mouth on your knife (or give it a slash on the nose) and decides that you're not worth the trouble...
I'm on Vancouver Island, and cougars are common. An elderly man used just such a knife on a spear to kill a young cougar that attacked him in his backyard about 10-15 years ago.
In 1979 a Colorado bowhunting guide named Ed Wiseman was attacked by a grizzly down in the southern San Juan mountains. He wound up killing the bear Tarzan style by stabbing it to death with an arrow. Grizzlies had been thought gone from Colorado since the 1950s.
@@genustinca5565 Believe me, they documented the heck out of the case, some wanting to prosecute Wiseman. It was ruled self defense, and it was definitely a grizz, an old female. The story's out there, Google is your friend. BTW, her teats showed signs of nursing... meaning they weren't gone yet, as had been believed. You might try the book The Lost Grizzlies by Rick Bass.
For boar hunting the recommendation is usually a 6-8" broad, wedgeshaped and double edged blade and with a crossguard in order to not have your hand slip down over the blade. I find the double edge important as a quick kill often requires you "moving the blade around" in the heart of the animal. As Scolagladitoria I find the medieval dagger is too long and too unhandy and you will just make a long narrow hole and not the "cut up" of a shorter and broader blade. I would truely hate to have only a knife as defence against a bear or a tiger. But anything pointy is better than nothing 🙂
In Germany Puma company still produces a Hirschfänger, also Eickhorn produces for some years a long knife called boarhunter. Also some companies produce boarspeard.
@@AlarionSchmidt-xc2ro : I am no hunter, or person which needs a long knife for using it often, so i can' t say anything about quality. The Hirschfänger currently is not the one i own for a number of years . But you are right, most Hirschfänger are today more a Dress Weapon, than realy intended for original purpose. Old ones of parforce hunt area are now antiques.
I spend 100ish days every year hunting/ fishing and hiking the back country of British Columbia. I always carry 2 fixed blades and a folder. The folder is a spider co tenacious. A cold steel master hunter is always with me and the last is either a cold steel SRK or the trail master depending on the area. Love the channel, thanks for this video. Cheers
I'll try to find the book, but there was a professional hunter in Africa who killed a lion with a hunting knife. He was horribly bitten and barely pulled thru by using a syringe to repeatedly inject antiseptic into the bite wounds, keeping them open and draining. If I recall correctly, the lion had grabbed him by the shoulder and was dragging him into the bush when he got his knife out, reached back and stabbed it in the side. He survived after a long battle with infection, the lion did not.
Big cats are one of humans' worst 1x1 match-ups. Humans are unusually vulnerable to sharp and pointy things relative to their size on account of our thin, naked skin, and sensory specialization towards sight, and being smaller than a lot of big cats. Big cats can offend with claws and teeth from nearly every angle and their stealth strategies are a fairly hard counter to human perceptual faculties; it is especially bad in environments where there are lots of things to obstruct human vision in the immediate-medium proximity, such as forest, bushes, or especially tall grass. On the other hand, humans with javelins/spears in groups counter pretty much everything other than swarms of small animals like rodents and insects.
There is actually a knife that is designed to kill a lion, creatively called the lion killer knife. The one wielding the knife may be the same guy youre talking about. Its a very simple and long bladed knife that basically looks like a large steak knife.
Even in some parts of Europe you can still find yourself a bear. Some years back, a man in Bosnia got attacked by a brown bear that went for his sheep. Fortunately, he was a pretty large and strong fellow so he ultimately managed to kill it with a small hatchet he was carrying to make kindling. He had some lacerations on his arms and shoulders but it wasn't anything too serious, he was more worried about the fine that you have to pay for killing one.
The reason the rondel loses out, imo, is that the other knives are also tools. The rondel would be a thing for a single situation that you shouldn't be getting into in the first place vs a thing for that situation and also a bunch of other things you actually want to be doing.
About three years ago, I was walking my dog in a wooded area (North America) and a very large wild pig came out of the tree line onto the trail. It was dusk, and visibility was not ideal, but my impression was that its head was about even with my chest. I was not unarmed, and I was really, really tempted to try and drop it from where I was, but due to the low light conditions I decided to just back out and let it have the trail. Part of that decision was because most of the time when I have seen wild pigs, they were not alone. About a week after that, after dark, I was walking my dog near there, and on the other side of the creek there were 3-4 wild pigs that size and probably 10-12 smaller pigs. I generally carry a stout fixed blade when I'm in that area now. It's not my first option, but its easy to carry and it is legal where I live. Matt I would suggest that the Muela (sp?) is more of an Arkansas Toothpick than a bowie. Thanks for the video!
> Muela (sp?) That's the correct spelling. They're a Spanish company, but they're pretty popular here in Oz as well (generally with modern synthetic handles instead of that nice looking bone handle) as general hunting. (including pig hunting, which is often done on foot with knives)
Speaking as an Albertan here.... I regularly walk in the woods whether JUST hiking, or as a hunter with either bow or rifle. I carry a spear as a monopod, walking stick, and to check footing, if I'm walking through muskeg. We aren't permitted to carry pistols, and bears seem to understand what a pointy thing on the end of a stick is. And if a grizzly which i probably don't have a tag for gets close enough that I end up ramming a spear through it, it CAN'T be argued that I didn't NEED the spear for self defense. Take that, Fish cops.
Another disadvantage for rondel: if you're carrying something for a hunting trip you probably want something multifunctional. Bowies and toothpicks are primarily weapons like a rondel, but have more use as a tool.
A good bowie is more tool than weapon. They're made heavy and wide so that they can be used in lieu of a hatchet, but with enough of a clip point and belly that they're still capable of use for field cleaning wildlife.
@@MonkeyJedi99 Can't beat the Cold Steel Gladius-Machete. Exceeds at both a weapon, and a machete. Most who watch Matt probably look down their noses at Cold Steel, but that piece of work can't be beat other than some high-buck $$$$ Gladius.
Meh not really. Better to have primary, backup, and tertiary unless you pack half a toothbrush. Multi function in the bush usually doesn't do half of anything well
This is exactly the kind of content that sets your channel apart and one of the main reasons I subscribe as I particularly like your knife/hunting content especially as it pertains to Colonial India, Africa etc…………….
A few miles from my house in Northern California a young guy was killed by a mountain lion and his brother badly hurt, just a few months ago. My son and I do carry big knives and make plenty of noise in the forest.
THAT is why I will never live in Kommiefornia; in Michigan big cats are almost non-existent, bears are not overly aggressive, and the law allows the carrying of effective weapons, which are also handy for dealing with predators of the two-legged variety.
I get this is just brainstorming. Being someone who lives in northern USA, a knife is a great tool, but if someone is concerned about bears or mountain lions we typically carry a firearm. Knives are absolutely essential in the outdoors. Nothing gives you peace of mind like a quality pistol or shotgun.
This is obviously on the condition you can't get to a firearm anybody with any sense would want a gun against a bear bore or a tiger absolutely this is just if you don't have one and you have no other choice nobody with any sense either wants to get hand-to-hand with an animal that weighs 3 to 700 lb with some bears going as much as a thousand pounds
@@charlottewalnut3118 That works SHOCKINGLY well! I've seen videos of Indian people with the painted face mask on the back of their head throw tigers completely off their game.
@@Saint_Sigismund A hunter/guide in India was taking a film crew out for wildlife photos. He gave the crew the hat-with-eyes-on-the-back that hunters and woodcutters always wear in tiger country. They were out setting up and the hunter told them "There are tigers around here" took his hat off to wipe his brow, and a tiger popped out of the bushes right beside where they had been working for half an hour and grabbed him from behind.
Wonderful video and topic, Matt! What a treat! Btw, the famous Lewis & Clark Expedition to explore the far west of the baby United States in about 1803, ended up using the military spontoons they had with them to defend themselves from grizzly bears! They write in their journals about having to use them more than once, and being very grateful for the fact that they had them! I think the weapons of the Lewis & Clark Expedition in general might actually be a very interesting topic for you to cover!
Not necessarily. Their are people who fought off Alaskan brown bear and even others that killed the brownies with a buck 110 . Super steels eat your heart out.
@@fjalarhenriksson There are quite a few reported cases of humans using modest knives to drive away & sometimes even kill bears. Compared them with the number of reported fatalities from bear attacks, it's really not one in a million. The odds are much better than that, though people who survive bear attacks often have horrific wounds.
@@fjalarhenriksson It's not one in a million at all. The idea that you should just give up if a bear attacks you is ludicrous. You have a very good shot at surviving, especially if you have a knife or some kind of tool. Odds are still against you, but far from one in a million. Tigers I'm not so sure. They're far deadlier and kill quicker.
I remember a story - and it may just be a story - of a man who chased off a bear by throwing rocks at it. Of course, the man had been a pitcher on his college baseball team, so he probably threw harder and more accurately than most people.
Humans are the only animal that can do accurate ranged attacks. It's completely foreign and probably scary and confusing to any other animal how an ape over there can hurt it over here. A tennis ball sized rock to the face should add new factors for any animal not just mammals. Maybe even honey badgers.
There is a video on You Tube that viewers of this channel should be interested in. A man uses a dagger to kill a Cape Buffalo that is trying to kill his father: "The Cold Steel OSS... this knife is truly a life-saver."
I am a total noob when it comes to fight off wild animals but I would think that reach is of essence in these cases considering the sheer force of a bear or Tiger paw. So my weapon of choice (if I had to ) would be a lance with stable broad tip to keep my distance from the animal at least for the first hit. Nowadays bear spray or a high caliber gun is of course the better choice. The problem with shorter weapons is that these will not kill fast enough and you have to be in reach of the claws and teeth. Poking from a distance might demotivate the animal enough for both parties to survive. I hope to never be forced to test my thesis.
I have never thought about carrying a knife for defence while hunting, but almost two years ago while hunting wild boars with my uncle did he get attacked and he reached for his knife a Mora Garberg and managed to stabb the boar before I could safely shot it, after that incident we decided to get us some knifes better suited so I looked around after some large knifes like a Bowie and a guy on some knife forum recommend a BeggKnifes large Filoso which is a 35cm long and 4cm wide dagger. So I bought two one for me and one for my uncle so now do we both feel a little more safe hunting boars.
I feel like if being hunted by coordinated pack animals like wolves or hyenas (or even lions in a pride) then luck is much more of a factor because you might, just, fight off one... and then a prepared second or third will bring you down.
3" blade slip joint, Hmm ! while you're digging for an artery, I'll be legging it. If they ever reintroduced the brown bear here, you'd still be stuck with our street legal edc, and the bears would be given a house and social security payments !
My first priority when selecting a knife for defense against a bear is that it has a very good sheathe that keeps it secure and avoids it flopping around while I run like hell, because that is absolutely my first pick.
@@dashcammer4322 Yep, bears are very fast, in fact having watched videos of them going UP trees I would say they are faster than me running on the ground.
Zulu spear is a very good weapon against bears and leopards , it can be used as a knife and a sword , I forged it two years ago . I feel it is light and versatile . Need hasn't risen but I feel safe carrying it .
im glad you mentioned the katar eventually, i was thinking of it the whole time, seems best to me, and easy to use in a high stress situation where the natural movement of a punch is easier than most stabs.
I think the notion of only wanting to stab a bear or a boar only four inches is one of the sillier things that matt has ever come out with. By which i mean nonsense! Even the guidance provided by the Scottish deer stalker suggests that you need a knife with a minimum five inch blade to administer the coup de grace (Ideally cutting the aorta) for a relatively small uk deer.
Yeah, "pig sticking" knives are generally a fair bit bigger than 4", and for good reason. His overall conclusion that the Bowie or Muela would be the better knives is correct though at least.
Based on a picture, Colin Dowler used a tiny pocket knife to drive off a bear. The blade looks around three inches. He did attack the bear's neck, would require little penetration depth to inflict a serious injury. But yeah, four inches would not be enough on many parts of a bear or boar.
There was a backwoodsman named *Ben Lilly* who regularly killed both bears and panthers with a hand-forged knife style of his own design, which was s-shaped and sharpened on both sides, but more extremely curved and shorter than the Malayan Kris. Lilly typically hunted bears with dogs and would typically wade in while the dogs were actually fighting the bear and dispatch it via stabs. More information is available at Wikiepedia.
If a grizzly bear wants to eat you, it will. The rondel dagger would be the one to piss the bear off the most and you might be able to wound it so it dies later after it kills you first.
Last ditch against a bear or big cat? Pretty much which will cause it to die after it finishes you - seriously doubtful could pull off a Hugh Glass moment. Hugh was a mountain man who had a bad encounter with a bear and survived. IIRC, he shot it then stabbed it some before his buds arrived. Interesting story!
There's a bit of a myth around "That'll just piss the bear off" which is mostly said by people who have no context of knowing that. I'm not saying a knife will save you every time but a predator by nature doesn't want to be injured. I've studied a lot of encounters where people have wounded a bear enough to drive it off, some of them did it with just a four inch pocket knife. Bears are out to eat, not out to kill, so if you can hurt it enough it may stop its attack. But like I said, it may not save you every time but it gives you a chance at least.
He is referring to a specific event in which A drop went wrong (the smuggler jumped out of the plane without a functioning parachute and deposited his remains on someone's front porch wrong) and a bear ended up eating an entire drug drop package (the type police like showing off) which fell into the woods, unsurprising the bear went on a rampage and then had a heart attack. It was later stuffed and now resides in a bar as a tourist attraction.
I'd say that the question is a bit broad, since tiger, boar and bear have a very different anatomy and different ways of attack. Also I'm a bit surprised that you count out the cut and thrust sword. I'd like to hear more of your reasoning about that. I guess a reasonably trained sword fighter would have a chance to disable a wolf, dog or boar with a sword cut. You could carry out some fast follow-up attacks and won't have the problem of overpenetration. For very close range you could use a dagger or hunting knife as a secondary (tertiary) weapon. Against tiger or brown bear your chances of survival are near to non existant anyway, but against a big and tough critter I would prefer a weapon with longer reach (could your thrust a knife in the head of a standing brown bear?). I, personally, in modern times would combine a Cold Steel Bushman with a walking stick. An improvised spear which would be legal to carry in the woods without a license in my jurisdiction.
damn right, I was at a park that had lions in a large enclosure I was about 3 or 4 feet from the lions, (with a thick perspex sheet between us), the feet of the male lion was massive, as large or bigger that a dinner plate, you would have no chance against something like that, it was so big and powerful, it was scary, talk about humans being fragile, and tigers and grizzly bears are bigger than lions. Best wishes.
Interesting video. I live in the Pacific Northwest West USA, where there are bears, wolves, and mountain lions. Of course encounters are not common, but its better to be prepared, than to want it and not have it.
Not a kirpan... "Three weeks later, a Sikh Jemader (supervisor) named Ungan Singh was seized from inside his tent by a lion in front of horrified workers. The following morning, Patterson went to the scene and came across several pools of blood. When he stumbled across Singh’s corpse, nothing remained except scraps of flesh, several bones and the largely intact head of Ungan Singh who died with such a terrified grimace on his face that it traumatized Patterson"
Believe it or not, up to the beginning of the 20th century, in the French department of Ariege there were people that actually HUNTED bears with knives. The knive they used was more a hanger, with a blade up to 50 cm. They used a sort of armor made with 3 bearskins superposed, and with pine bark between the layers. The technique they used is utter madness: they went to the forest, searched for a bear and then provoked the bear to attack them. Then they laid on the floor and, when the bear came onto them, ripped the bear's belly open. Yeah, mad as a hatter, but it seems it worked.
Wolves. Whenever wolves where sighted nearby my mother-in-law armed herself with walking sticks of the winter/ice variety (with a metal point). She lived in Eastern Finland near the Russian border. My granny had a bear in her garden tearing bark from an old pine tree - 30km from Helsinki. She stayed indoors.
Love the video! I’m from Arkansas where the Bowie knife was invented and I’ve always heard it called pronounced closer to “bouy” like the thing that floats on water.
A rondel dagger would be more effective when being attacked by an armoured bear. Against a crocodile, dragon, rabid armadillo or a beligerent tortoise, a rondel dagger would be more effective as these foes have natural armour.
I used to carry a 12" bowie with a wicked moon type clip point, and a 9mm loaded with deep penetrators (I'd rather riddle with holes to the vitals than get one or two chances with a big bore that is actually only bringing .223 energy to the table) and a 35' range 9oz OC cannister. These days I carry a 5.5" .357 if I'm in higher elevations where the critters are bigger than my neck of the woods at 4000'. This is all for black bears, on the off chance I have a problem (those things run 9 times out of 10, even a sow with cubs, in my experience,) and the odd cougar. I've switched to an ESEE 4 on the blade.
for my money, it'd have to be an Arkansas toothpick. it's basically a dagger with a broad blade to limit over-penetration and widen the wound canal. it has a guard and a well tapered (coffin) grip, and/or with a pommel. y'know, assuming a good rifle or large-caliber revolver is off the table...
Ok, just before the video starts, The best is the one you have on you. (As opposed to bare handed or left in the car) And before even that, dont expose yourself to the situation. Ok. That said, i know there may be a time when it happens despite precautions and situational awareness. On to the video, this'll be interesting. Edit after watching: I think youve pretty well nailed it Matt.
This reminds me of the story about an old Alaskan wilderness guide. The 44 Magnum pistol was a new thing in those days. He was asked if the Magnum would be a good side arm in grizzly territory. He said it would kill a bear, but the bear would probably kill you before he died.
Thanks for a fun and well thought out discussion of the topic. I'd suggest a lanyard that your hand goes through as well. When you lose your grip on the knife you'll have a much better chance of re-acquiring it again. The lanyard may also help withdrawing the knife if you get lucky enough to get a stab in up to the guard. I can imagine getting a lucky stab in, and the animal and you moving with such violence relative to each other that you lose your grip on the knife. I'm thinking that hopefully as you're flung about, having the knife tethered to your wrist, it may be pulled free.
A two-handed axe would be useful in some scenarios but if not if ambushed by a large predator like a bear. Knives come up because a person can draw & use a knife while being grappled & mauled. A big axe would be hard to wield in such a case
The problem with the Atlantean sword is that it's far too heavy for its size. Even Arnold complained about the weight. A falcata can do some serious damage to the limbs and has a good point for thrusting into the vitals. A good boar spear would be my favorite. I don't want to get too close to the bear.
Here in the US we have a traditional weapon usually referred to as an Arkansas Toothpick which resembles the Rumble Dagger that is a traditionally popular choice and sometimes is referred to as a "pig sticker" although any knife large enough for hog hunting can also be a "pig sticker".
Okay Matt, this is your strength… researching historical written accounts of knives against large predators. I can remember one news article about a man who killed a mountain lion with a 5” bladed knife. There must be many other incidents that were documented. There are also hunting outfitters who do knife hunting with dogs against wild boars. Information from interviews from those men would be helpful too. I would question the length issue. I stopped carrying a Bowie knife because they were hard to drive deeper than the clip point.
I think I'm going to stick to my current plan: stay away from where bears live. I may not going to be able to apply that same strategy to tigers, because tigers live where Asian women are, and they are worth risking my life.
I would argue that it is, somewhat famously, a KA-BAR (or basically Bowie) styled knife, it's in the name, kinda😅 I do actually know of someone (an acquaintance of my Dad) that killed a black bear with a knife near hometown in Northern Ontario, Chapleau (keep in mind, we would drive two hours to get to the theatre, so we have maybe different definitions of nearness). Was not the plan, he was canoeing with his dog, and when he ran from the bear the dog didn't so he went back and stabbed it repeatedly. News article I can find is that it was a 15cm (6") hunting knife, I think I was told a (folding) jackknife knife, but nearly 20 years ago, so my memory is not so reliable.
The best weapon against predators? Bear spray. It's got a range of about 30 yards and you don't have to be perfectly accurate. Once that bear, tiger or boar gets a hold of you, you're not gonna walk away without some injuries. Most people have no concept of how strong these animals are and how resistant to injury they are.
@@jackrice2770 Training focusses amongst other things, on wind direction, trying to position yourself upwind from the approaching bear to minimize spray back and try to get a tree or other obstacle between you and the bear. 40 year Canadian field geologist here.
@@vernshein5430 Thanks for that. I would add "situational awareness" to that list, which is the first thing one needs for self-defense against any aggression...after all, way more humans are attacked by humans, not animals.
I live in northern Idaho USA. We have all manner of big game animals especially predators. I have had close encounters with nearly every variety of local predator, lucky for the animals and myself alike, there has been minimal confrontation. Whenever I go into the woods I carry a pistol and a Hunting knife at a minimum. Great information! Thanks!
These topics, alongside the idea of "Armored man against beast" its so interesting to me. I wonfer how many historical records of such encounters are out there. It would be interesting to read some. Specially around the time of the discovery of the American continent. As a Spanish historian (or at least keyboard historian) said: "Imagine growin up in Iberia, the most dangerous wildlife around are wolves and wildcats. Then you are in a Jungle with snakes in the brushes that can kill you in minutes wth a single bite, 3 meter long Crocodiles waiting for you or your horse anytime you go for water and Jaguars that can kill and Drag you away before you or any of your comrades notices"
@@M4TCH3SM4L0N3 that’s one way to look at it… However I intended it as I got mauled… survived, came here for bear defense suggestions just in case for the next time I stumble on the bear again.
For Filipino blades there some notable blades good for hunting: The Visayan Plamingko knife is with a convex belly and straight back used for butchering pigs and livestock till this day. The Gunong of the Bangsamoro with its Kris-like blade and wide built-in handguard is great for tight spaces. And the Luzon Pinahig( bolo) with sockets are all metal,sturdy and can be repurposed as a spear due to its socketed construction. So far only crocodiles, boar and giant pythons are you main threats in the Philippine Islands. A possible weakness of some Filipino blades is that some have no guards and the rat-tail construction may not be as strong.
I don't know what kind of bears you have in the UK, but here in the United States if you get attacked by a bear it doesn't matter what kind of knife you have, you're dead.
Is there any example of an individual that has successfully defended himself against a bear or a tiger using a knife? I know that spears have been used successfull against bears, because they solve the problem of range and can use the bears momentum against it. But those are not factors at all with knives.
im pretty sure it has been done throughout history i do remember a man fought off a attack from a bear using a flash light one of those huge footlong maglights way back in the 90s i think still was severely injured
There was a hunter that was attacked by a Kodiak bear, and stabbed it with his hunting knife. He used the time that bought him to get to his rifle and shoot it to death.
In the movie Revenant, Leonardo DiCaprio fights a bear with a knife. The bear shrugs off the stabs and knocks the knife away. I think a better hand to hand weapon would the long iron tipped Massi spear or the short stabbing spear of the Zulu.
I like that you explain things from the perspective of an experienced fighter with this kind of weapons. Whenever I hiked in bear country, I would have liked something with a long shaft like a spear as it might help to keep the bear at a certain distance. I guess it wouldn't help much if it decided to kill me though. So I feel like the dagger might be helpful with its longer reach. If I ever felt pursued by an animal like this, I'd consider attaching a dagger to a stick and use it as a makeshift spear. I've heard of hiking sticks with integrated blades and I knew an old Frenchman who showed something alike to me. I'd like to know if this is a thing or an exception.
