• Nylon Cord: A large quantity of 1/4″ nylon cord in a couple of different lengths is useful for steadying a carcass if you are on a hill and can be a second pair of hands if you are hunting alone. 
• Game bags: Purchase a brand and size you prefer, but in this case, price and quality do go hand-in-hand
• Lightweight-Tarp: A tarp can come in handy while dressing an animal, keeping the meat clean and away from potentially wet or dusty ground.
• Plastic Garbage Bag: A garbage bag or other vessel to carry away the internal organs will keep them out of the path of other predators. 
• Hunting Knife: Ensure you have a strong, sharp knife with a sturdy blade. Experts recommend you have two lockback hunting knives with a 3 ½’ blade with you when hunting big game.
• Knife Sharpener: Cutting through touch, thick hides will dull any knife very quickly.  Make sure you have a sharpener with you so that you can dress your animal completely.
• Folding Saw: A folding saw with a small-toothed bone blade will be needed to cut through the ribcage, pelvis and other tougher bone segments.

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Established as one of the most respected names in the knife business, Puma puts fine quality German design and workmanship into each of its sporting, collectible and pocket knives. For over 200 years, Puma has made knives in Solingen, Germany for hunting enthusiasts and knife collectors. This long-standing attention to detail has helped make one of its newer knife designs one of its most popular models.

The Puma Handmade Original Bowie has become one of Puma’s signature knives. This blade and design was created in 1956 but already has become world-renown for its wide fixed blade and genuine stag handle.  The 11 inch, single edge blade is perfect for hunting, fishing or camping. Like all Puma knives, the Bowie is made from premium DI.4 steel and individually forged to ensure the best cutting edge and ultimate blade strength.

This is the knife every father, grandfather or son will be asking for, for years to come.

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You are probably thinking that I should be relieved of my cooking duties and kept at least 10 feet from all cutting utensils everywhere.  I’d like to think that I am a strange, one time case but the real fact is that we all make unfortunate errors while working in the kitchen because we don’t use our kitchen knives properly.  I found a great tutorial for the proper way to hold and use your kitchen knife sets so that you can avoid such unpleasantness as gouging your fingers. 

The Cooking Enthusiast Web site provides How-To Guides and one specifically on Basic Knife Techniques.  Take a look and practice.  It will save you the Neosporin and embarrassment later.

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So I did a little research. Here’s what I found out. 

Paring knife: Usually 2.5-4 inches long, used for trimming, coring and slicing fruits and vegetables (in lieu of a vegetable peeler)
Utility knife:  Usually 6 inch blade, these are usually light, easy to handle and maneuver. These knives are the right size for slicing meets and cheeses
Boning Knife:  Used to cut large pieces of meat, these blades are usually fairly flexible and slightly curved so you can cut around bones.
Chef’s Knife: Usually the largest knife in the collection, this blade is 8 to 10 inches long with a wide blade for cutting large vegetables
Blade or Bread Knife: Long serrated narrow knife, commonly used for bread slicing

Take at look at your knife set and see if you can find these in your collection. 

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Here’s what I learned:

1. Do not use your kitchen knives on a hard surface.  When cutting vegetables or meat, you should always have a plastic mat or wooden cutting board underneath as the base for your work station. Your knives will dull quicker if it strikes a hard surface over and over again. 
2. NEVER use your knife to pry your way into a tuna can.  Knives are not chisels.
3. As cool as it is to see all of the Food Network personalities do it, it is best not to use the back or side of your knife to smash garlic or herbs.  This can loosen the handle making the knife less sturdy for future use and creates a safety risk in your kitchen.
4. Wash your knives with mild dish soap by hand and dry it with a cotton towel. Always dry your knives right away. Though stainless steel knives are far more resistant to rust, they are not rust proof. The more polished and smooth your kitchen knives are, the less likely they will be to rust.
5. If you are using a knife with a wooden handle, it is best not to soak the knife in water. This can cause the wood to swell and split.
6. Sharpen your knives every few years to ensure their longevity. If you have the skills and equipment to sharpen your own knives, great. Add “sharpen knives” to your spring cleaning to-do list next year. Sharpening your own knives will require a coarse, medium and fine cutting stones or you can purchase a power sharpener and save yourself some time (be warned though, using a power sharpener may void your warranty. Check before using).  If you are like most, you don’t have these things lying around.  There are a number of cutlery stores that provide sharpening services at a reasonable price.  Since you only need to conduct serious sharpening every couple of years, I recommend paying a professional to ensure they are properly honed.

I’ve followed the guidelines I was given for the last year and a half and I am pleased to report that I can still slice ripe tomatoes and carve prime rib with ease.  My knives still shine like the day they were brought home.  The care is simple and the on-going results are outstanding.  The word “maintenance” so often implies drudgery and additional work with little return. In relation to items like kitchen knives however, the return is incredible and, I’d say, dull and dangerous cutlery is the real pain.

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