Colter Hand-Forged Damascus Steel Skinner - Walnut

John Colter was fur trapper, mountain man and frontier explorer. Colter was picked for the Lewis and Clark expedition of 1804. While returning from the expedition in 1806, Colter was given permission to leave the expedition and explore the Missouri and Yellowstone rivers. Colter spent most of the following year trapping around what is now known as Yellowstone. In 1808, Colter was captured by the Blackfoot Indians. The Blackfoot stripped him naked and told him to run for his life while a large pack of young braves pursued him. After several miles Colter was able to outmaneuver one of the braves and killed him. Colter was able to elude capture from the pursuing braves by hiding in a beaver lodge. Once night fell Colter left the safety of the lodge and walked for eleven days until he reached a trader’s fort on the Little Big Horn. Upon returning to St. Louis, Colter sat down with William Clark and provided a detailed description of the area, which Clark turned into a comprehensive map of the Yellowstone and Teton areas. No one believed the stories Colter told of geysers and boiling mud until Clark confirmed their existence.

A skinner knife was a necessity to a trapper and hunter. Designed in the manner of its time, the Colter is easy to maneuver and allows you to work precisely, even with gloves on.

For a larger skinner we also offer the Hunter, a skinner with a durable orange and black G10 handle.