A couple of years ago, my son-in-law gave me two Fremont Knives hunting and skinning blades for Christmas. One was called the Gentleman’s Skinner, and the other was called the Farson Hatchet. The next Christmas, he sent me a little but very sharp skinning knife called the 5 O’clock. The 5 O’clock comes with an inscription on the handle that says, “Don’t cut yourself, but if you do, send us a picture. We are proud of our work.”
All of the Fremont Knives are also referred to as Farson Blades after an ancient tool that was found in the Red Desert near Farson, Wyoming
If you subscribe to American Survival Guide Magazine, Survivor’s Edge or Sports Afield, you may have seen advertisements and articles concerning Fremont Knives, which is headquartered in Riverton, Wyoming. Michael Jones, the company’s president has been in the knife-making business for many years. The name, Fremont Knives, comes from the fact that Riverton is located in Fremont County.
To date, Fremont Knives makes at least nine different skinning products it sells to the public:
- the Farson Blade
- the Farson Hatchett
- the Farson Hunting Combo
- the Hide Glider
- the Popojia, named after a creek near Lander, Wyoming
- the Baldwin Creek
- the 5 O’Clock
- the Hunters Tool Kit, which contains three knives — the Jim, Slim and Fatty — as well as a pocket knife, called the Draper Folder, that is as sharp as the others.
The Draper Folder is more of a conventional design, while the other skinning knives the company produces will probably seem like unconventional designs to most people. Jones even admits that Fremont Knives look a little unconventional, but adds that his knife designs come from his extensive experience making skinning knives as well as ancient skinning implements found in the Red Desert. The bottom line is that they are the sharpest skinning knives commercially available and the design really works well.
Now that I carry the Farson Hatchett, the Gentleman’s Skinner and the 5 O’clock in my day pack when I am hunting, I can leave the saw and other knives at home or at least at base camp. I am seriously considering adding the Popojia and the Hunters Tool Kit to my pack because it wouldn’t add to the weight of my day pack or take up any more space.
My Farson Hatchett seems to be a close copy of the Farson Blade, but it has a handle. It still retains the hole in the blade so it can be used for much of the skinning one does to remove the cape. It is 9.5 inches long with a 5.5-inch cutting edge, is made of 1095 Carbon Steel and is coated with a titanium nitride coating. It is a quarter-inch thick and weighs 9.6 ounces. It will chop right through bone with very little effort. It is sharp enough to shave with and like all Fremont Knives holds an edge while working.
The Gentleman’s Skinner comes right out of the box sharper than any skinning knife I have ever purchased and is easily as sharp as a Japanese Tanto I purchased many years ago. It has a trapezoid hole in the fat blade that will accommodate the thumb of those who like to choke up on their skinning knives while processing game. The Gentleman’s Skinner is made from stainless steel and is glass beaded with a rosewood handle. The blade is 4.5 inches long, .140 inches thick and weighs 8 ounces.
The 5 O’clock is a very small and very sharp little knife that really makes it easy to get into small places when processing game.
I have had enough experience with the Fremont Knives I own to recommend them to any one who would like better skinning knives than they are presently using and would like to reduce the weight of their day pack by carrying less cutlery that will still do the job.
If you are interested in learning more about Fremont Knives and their products, they have a pretty informative website at fremontknives.com.
Smokey Merkley was raised in Idaho and has been hunting since he was 10 years old. He was a member of the faculty of Texas A&M University for 25 years. He can be contacted at mokeydo41245@hotmail.com.
