Are hatchets good for hunting?

Nevermiss1

I would like to add one blade while hunting and I was confused if a hatchet is good for hunting.  A knife is too small and was thinking to buy a hatchet. This article gives me some options  https://www.toolazine.com/best-axes-hatchets-camping-backpacking-hiking-survival/   the Husqvarna 13-inch looks cool. Any suggestions, please?

earlyagain

They come in handy for cutting wood for fires and shelter. The blunt end makes a good hammer. Ive not had good results using them to dismember a carcass. It may be bacause Im clumsy. Knives and saws are more precise for me. Also a good bow saw cuts more wood faster than a hatchet.

dld

get a Machete it will serve you better all around

Jayhawker

Depending on what you want to do with it...a short axe is darned handy...my favorite is the Estwing Cruiser axe...there is nothing to break on this axe when you're in the middle of nowhere...

BUT...the Woodmans Pal is are far better multi-use tool, and way better than a machete....I've been packing one for about 40 years..the only difference between the one in the ad, is that mine has a stacked leather handle and a knucklebow... I have quartered a lot of deer with it, not to mrntion clearing brush around my blinds and chopping wood for fires.
https://www.woodmanspal.com/

JerryBobCo

If you had asked me this 10 years ago, my answer would be a definite no.  For things such as breaking the pelvic bone of a large animal I preferred a good Sierra saw.  I've used them before with success.  I even used a stockman pocket knife to do this on the first elk I ever killed.  It was a large cow, and I broke the main blade in the process.  Still, it got the job done.

However, when killed the elk you see in my avatar, Linefinder was there with his hatchet, and we used it to split the pelvic bone.  I tried my saw, but it just didn't cut it (pun intended).  It's fair to say he made a believer of me. 

Also, you can use one for more than just field dressing an animal.  If you need to build an emergency shelter one some mountain, it's nice to have.

So may answer now is "depends".  If you plan to hunt a large boned animal such as elk or bigger, a small hatchet is nice to have.  

sakodude

I keep one of these on my hunting pack. Light enough not to notice but great for field dressing uses and other camp chores. https://www.gerbergear.com/en-us/shop/cutting-tools/all-cutting-tools/9-black-hatchet-31-002648

Linefinder

Estwing hatchet, honed razor sharp. If after big game......don't leave home without it.

Caveat....if it's that sharp it's not a camp tool...it'll dull too easily. But as a field dressing tool, it's darn hard to beat.

Mike

Varmintmist

As a camp tool, hatchets are too heavy and a lot less useful than a tomahawk. I havent worked a deer with my tomahawk, but that is on the list.

Linefinder

Varmintmist said:

As a camp tool, hatchets are too heavy and a lot less useful than a tomahawk. I havent worked a deer with my tomahawk, but that is on the list.

I've never owned a tomahawk, but due to the thinner blade profile I've always figured they'd work better than a hatchet. And I've no complaints with a "skinning-sharp" hatchet but a "skinning-sharp" tomahawk is probably "mo better".

Mike

sakodude

I have a CRKT Tomahawk, it’s a little heavier and the long handle makes it a bit less handy to carry in my opinion.

Nevermiss1

JerryBobCo said:

If you had asked me this 10 years ago, my answer would be a definite no.  For things such as breaking the pelvic bone of a large animal I preferred a good Sierra saw.  I've used them before with success.  I even used a stockman pocket knife to do this on the first elk I ever killed.  It was a large cow, and I broke the main blade in the process.  Still, it got the job done.

However, when killed the elk you see in my avatar, Linefinder was there with his hatchet, and we used it to split the pelvic bone.  I tried my saw, but it just didn't cut it (pun intended).  It's fair to say he made a believer of me. 

Also, you can use one for more than just field dressing an animal.  If you need to build an emergency shelter one some mountain, it's nice to have.

So may answer now is "depends".  If you plan to hunt a large boned animal such as elk or bigger, a small hatchet is nice to have.  

@JerryBobCo Thank you for sharing this wonderful experience.  Now, a hatchet is really my top pick. This is a good place.

Nevermiss1

Jayhawker said:

Depending on what you want to do with it...a short axe is darned handy...my favorite is the Estwing Cruiser axe...there is nothing to break on this axe when you're in the middle of nowhere...

BUT...the Woodmans Pal is are far better multi-use tool, and way better than a machete....I've been packing one for about 40 years..the only difference between the one in the ad, is that mine has a stacked leather handle and a knucklebow... I have quartered a lot of deer with it, not to mrntion clearing brush around my blinds and chopping wood for fires.
https://www.woodmanspal.com/

Thanks, @Jayhawker I'll try soon this Woodmans Pal machete,  pretty cool to have this too, At first, I thought that it was just for grass clearing because of the hook. 

Six-Gun

I like a hatchet as a field tool if carrying weight allows.  In the whitetail woods, where a truck is seldom more than a mile away, I love it.  Even one with a surprisingly small head will make fast work of whitetail pelvic bone splitting.  In deeper, more mule deer/elk back country, you'll definitely want to weigh (pun intended) your options, and a larger, heavier head becomes imperative. 

If you have a spike camp close to where you plan to hunt in the backcountry, having a tool that doubles for wood cutting/splitting and bone work duties with sharpening tools (read: draw file and a couple of small honing stones) available, can be a big plus.  Once you kill a mulie or elk, you can hone it up sharper and cut through big bones with ease. 

Again, size does matter when you're dealing with bigger game...and that might not be a feasible trade-off if miles of mountain hiking are in play and every ounce counts.

snake284

earlyagain said:

They come in handy for cutting wood for fires and shelter. The blunt end makes a good hammer. Ive not had good results using them to dismember a carcass. It may be bacause Im clumsy. Knives and saws are more precise for me. Also a good bow saw cuts more wood faster than a hatchet.

Bow saws are amazing. You can prune big trees with a good sharp one. But in my opinion you can't beat a good sharp hatchet for busting pelvic bones. I think a tomahawk is too light. That may be the only thing they're useful for cleaning an animal for but for that reason I think they're indispensable.

earlyagain

I would never use all the time needed to split a pelvic bone. That much meat on the ground is a time sensitive task.

I just seperate the rear legs at the joint.

Six-Gun

earlyagain said:

I would never use all the time needed to split a pelvic bone. That much meat on the ground is a time sensitive task.

I just seperate the rear legs at the joint.

Where the pelvic bone thing really matters is in the early season when taking whitetails to a processors.  A lot of the ones I've seen or used have wanted it split for easy proof that the animal is completely field dressed.  A lot of guys, for some reason, neglect to remove the bladder, etc. and only take out the rectum, which is a no-go for a lot of shops.

bullsi1911

For the type of hunting I normally do, a hatchet would just be extra weight.  But that is because I am not that far away from a fully equipped skinning area, and I don’t split a whitetail pelvis anymore if I don't have to.

HOWEVER- at the new property, there are no improvements.  A hatchet will be in the hunting kit I bring.  Along with a hoist, machete, rope, extra knives, etc....

Depends on the hunt is I guess the best answer.  

dld

if you want a pack axe the CRKT Jenny Wren Compact 10" Tactical Tomahawk will work, it weighs 1.12 lbs. The spike to puncture some thing and axe to chop

https://www.bladehq.com/item--CRKT-Jenny-Wren-Compact-10-Tactical--103913