Hunting Ground is an independent gear and field-craft site run by hunters across the American West and South. We carry the gear, test the blades, and write up what held and what failed. No anonymous staff, no scores handed out for a free sample.
How we started
The site began in 2013 as a shared notebook between three friends who hunted different country and argued constantly about gear. One chased elk in the Rockies, one ran upland birds in Idaho, one sat whitetail stands in Texas. The arguments were useful. They forced every recommendation to survive more than one kind of season, one kind of terrain, and one kind of hand.
Thirteen years later the format has not changed much. We buy or borrow the gear, use it hard, and report back in plain language. If something fails, we say so, and we tell you what we reach for instead.
What we stand for
Field first
Nothing gets a recommendation until it has been used on a real hunt, in real weather, far from a warranty desk.
Plain talk
We explain steel, optics, and fit the way we would to a friend who asked, not the way a spec sheet reads.
Honest about trade-offs
Every choice costs something. We name the price, not just the upside.
Why a hunting site cares about custom knives
A knife is the one piece of kit a hunter touches on every single trip. Field dressing, caping, cutting cord, prepping camp food: the blade does quiet work that a hunt depends on. After enough seasons you stop thinking about brands and start thinking about steel, grind, and how a handle sits when your hands are cold and wet.
That is where the craft side of this site comes from. We respect a good production knife, and we also pay attention to handmade blades, where one maker controls the steel, the heat treat, and the fit from spine to edge. Understanding how a knife is built makes you a better judge of any blade you carry, factory or custom.
Meet the team
Wade Coburn
Backcountry editor, Colorado
Elk hunter and former wilderness EMT. Tests packs, optics, and fixed blades on long solo trips at altitude.
Hannah Westcott
Field-to-table editor, Idaho
Upland bird hunter and camp cook. Learned blade care in her grandfather’s butcher shop and never lost the habit.
Cole Brunner
Steel and edges editor, Texas
Whitetail hunter and former machinist. Breaks down steel types and edge geometry so they make sense.
Where to start
New here? The Field Journal holds our gear guides and field write-ups, and the Gear Lab collects the hands-on reviews. Questions or a correction? The contact page reaches a real person.
