Coureur de Bois - "Runner of the Woods"
He had three knives. One was a small knife, either on his pouch strap or hanging from his neck, used for everyday chores. He wore another'n in his belt. It had at least a 6" long blade and served as his primary knife. But as anyone who has spent time in the woods a long way from civilization knows, a man can't have too many knives. So, he carried a third knife, not so obvious to the average eye. It was carried sometimes in a cross-draw fashion opposite his strong side... or low on his leg, through the garter just below his knee. Or it may have rested in a sheath that fit inside his moccasin boots when he wore them.
The blade was kept razor sharp and he could draw it in a quick fluid motion. The handle was smooth in his hand, coming out of the sheath in a flash, a light-weight but solid blade as deadly as any he carried. The French Coureur de bois of long ago were well armed fellows, and they never left anything to chance!
In that spirit we offer our Coureur de Bois knife. It is a solidly made 9" long knife made of 1095 high-carbon steel. It has a 5" blade and is 1/8" thick along the spine. The haft can be had in your choice of hardwoods (ebony, walnut or cocobolo), lightly stained bone or even stag. All three are epoxied in place and then reinforced with three small steel pins. The blades are aged a light grey color but upon examination the hardening line on the blade can be easily discerned. While the whole knife has the appearance of being used centuries ago, the edge bevel is left "in the white" to catch the light and show anyone who is close enough to see that it is, indeed, razor sharp!
The sheath for this knife has a longer than average 4 1/2" belt strap on the back side which allows the knife to be carried vertically in a high or low fashion on the strong side OR slanted on the opposite side in a cross-draw carry.
This blade is an ideal choice for a back-up knife, however you decide to carry it. You'll be smart to emulate our woods-wandering brethren of old...
As the Coureur de Bois believed... never leave anything to chance!
The elk-handled knife is priced at $205.00
The bone-handled knife is priced at $185.00.
US Shipping is $15.00.