Construct and Sharpen a Knife in the Wild

Knives are essential for cleaning and skinning animals, some can even help start fires. One of the best knives to use is a good old fashioned lock knife. Not one that folds and could break and become useless. If you are one of the people who tend to worry about not being able to get a fire started maybe a knife with a flint and steel built into it is ideal for you. A knife sharpener is good to always have on hand as well as a piece of leather can also be used to sharpen your knife should it get to be dull. You can also use a smooth stone for sharpening. You may not always have a knife in a survival situation when you need it. If this is the case, you can use a piece of wood and try to splinter the end to use as a dagger of sorts.

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If you are looking for something to clean and skin an animal with a piece of wood might not do the trick. In this scenario, your best chance is to find a sharp rock. Good places to look for knife like rocks would be in and around rivers and streams because water carves rock. If you find a good rock, and it is nice and sharp, you do not want to cut yourself, so it is advised to also construct a wooden handle. To attach a rock to a wooden handle make a groove on one of the tops of the wood and places the sharp rock in between the groove. To really secure the rock in place you could use tree sap before you wedge the rock into place. Otherwise, tie it off with a piece of cloth or your shoe string or some other material you've managed to utilize. Knives can be used for self-defense in the wild, but if you are using a knife for self-defense, I assume you're pretty tough, so you have a fighting chance.