By John Markwell | Contributing Editor
Tyler Wilkins has been making his custom knives for a couple of years now and his prowess in the community of knife makers continues to rise.
We’ve been toting one of his small EDC fixed blade knives for the better part of a year now. It has served well, holds a great edge and is as tough as nails. Recently our son Brock approached Tyler about a project; a pair of knives for hunting; one for general use, field dressing and butchering game; the other for caping heads. Here are the results.
The larger of these two knives, the general-purpose hunting knife, is one of Tyler’s first and most popular designs; the Mountain Top Hunter. With its 3.5-inch cutting edge, the flat ground blade has a slight drop point. Cut from a .1295-inch blank of 52100 high carbon bearing steel (known for its’ toughness and abrasion resistance) the blade is heat treated to a hardness of approximately 60 on the Rockwell scale.
This is the same steel that Tyler used in our little EDC fixed blade that we’ve been using for the last year and we can attest to its’ edge holding ability.
The blade has a “forced patina” from a ferric chloride treatment. This helps reduce rusting and, quite frankly, just adds a kind of cool look to the blade.
The MTH’s cutting edge terminates at the substantial quillon as the blade blends into the handle of the knife. This quillon allows for very good thumb placement (and power) when the knife is used in an edge-up attitude; inverted if you will. The handle scales are International Orange Micarta to prevent loss in the field. The scales are attached to the full thickness tang with two rivets. At its’ thickest point the handle measures .665-inch across the scales. Most folks we know have “misplaced” a favorite knife in the field when working up a game animal. Some of these misplaced knives amounted to no great loss while others have bordered on emotional tragedies. The orange scales on the MTH should keep the knife from being one of these stories.
Tyler’s unique texturing of the Micarta is not so aggressive as to abrade the hand yet still provides a secure grip on the knife, even when wet with assorted gore.
One’s first impression upon handling the Mountain Top Hunter is comfort in the hand. No matter the attitude at which the MTH is held it has a feel of purpose and usefulness; it’s a solid knife capable of tackling the most demanding tasks of the game fields. It should serve Brock well for decades and the orange scales should help it stay around.
Brock learned to cape heads while guiding for Dave Hannah in the Wyoming Range west of Bondurant. Finding the perfect knife for the job has been an ongoing quest ever since he returned to the Alleghenies.
The second knife shown here is a product of Brock’s ideas and Tyler’s creative skill as a knife maker. We’ll just call it the Caper. With a handle big enough to offer good control of the point and edge, and a blade tip narrow enough to get into all those tight places, this little knife may just be the answer. The blade is the same 52100 steel used in the Mountain Top Hunter.
The Orange Micarta scales, riveted to the full-length tang, provide a comfortable grip with a subtle finger groove just behind the reduced quillon. The handle is not too big and not too small; it nestles in the hand securely no matter how it’s held. However, there are a few sharp corners on the scales at the butt end of the handle. These can easily be de-horned with some fine sand paper.
The caper’s blade is a mere 2.5-inches in length and measures just .80-inch at its’ widest point. The flat grind tapers down to a razor-sharp edge and the previously mentioned narrow blade tip. The Caper is a nicely detailed little blade designed for the precise and delicate work of caping out heads. Whether used in camp, in the field, or on a taxidermist’s bench, the Caper from North Mountain Knives should be a necessity in starting the preservation process of many treasured trophies. Proper caping of heads requires a comfortable to use blade designed for and able to the task; this little knife has all the bases covered.
The Caper and the Mountain Top Hunter combo come in a dual Kydex sheath. The sheath has no provision for belt carry as it would take up too much real estate at the waist. Instead, the approximately 1-pound set-up is destined for carry in a hunting pack. Hopefully these knives will cover many a mile, and many days, with Brock on future hunts and adventures. Tyler is currently “struggling” with his pricing structure but quotes a current price for the MTH and Caper combo at $350 which, for a pair of custom cutters, isn’t too bad in todays’ market. For a complete look at the offerings of North Mountain knives go to: northmountainknives.com
