Every Yaak River knife is crafted from the finest materials and conforms to the most exacting standards of the knife maker's art. We make only fixed blade knives with a full tang for maximum durability.
Blades are high grade stainless steel or damascus, tempered for maximum tensile strength and excellent edge quality.
Handle materials are stabilized wood or bone, selected for their durability, as well as beauty.
Each knife comes with a high quality cowhide sheath.
Sportsmen can purchase blades from the inventory on hand, displayed on the Inventory Page, or order a knife from a variety of available blade designs and handle materials. Refer to the Order Page for details. Samples of our knives are displayed in the Photo Gallery.
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"I kin survive by my wits n' skill, but not without a good horse,
a fine Sharps, n' a keen blade." Jim Bridger
Limited time offer: Buy any knife in stock, and order
a second knife at half price!!!
The Yaak River flows through a valley in the rugged Cabinet Range of remote Northern Montana. "Yaak" is a Kootenai Indian word which translates "arrow", a name given the estuary because it is a tributary of the Kootenai, which means "bow".
Knife maker Richard O'Leary was raised on the banks of the Yaak in the 1950s and 60s. The family's ranch nestled in the upper Yaak Valley, 50 miles from the nearest town, over hazardous gravel logging roads.
The O'Leary family, James, Barbara and their seven children, lived a spartan life in the wilderness, and depended upon the fat of the land to put meat on the table. Young Richard assumed the responsibility of hunting and fishing to help feed the family, while his father worked as a Fire Dispatcher for the U.S. Forest Service.
When Richard wasn't skidding logs from the timber, and sawing them for firewood, he spent his summers fishing the abundant waters of the Yaak River, or hunting deer and grouse. He learned at his father's knee to dress game, and thus came to appreciate the tools of the outdoorsman; his weapon and his blade.