The first time I ever saw a Puma White Hunter was, if my memory serves me correctly, in an article in The American Rifleman about the equipment Army Rangers carried in Vietnam.
A picture in the article showed a Ranger carrying a 4" Colt Python and a Puma.
I priced one at my LGS but with a wife, two kids, house, car payments etc, there just wasn't money for an expensive knife that had limited use when the largest game I might shoot was a deer.
Last week this one popped up in a local swap rag. The owner bought it about 40 years ago, then threw it in a drawer and never used it.
It came as you see it, box, instructions and sheath. We settled on a price of $225.
Finally have my WH and I haven't hunted in 20 years! So I'm using it to enhance my 624.

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Sometimes ya just gotta....

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James L. "Jim" Rhiner

You have great taste in revolvers and knives.

I had wanted one from the first time I saw an ad for one. Got to my second duty station in 1972, (MarBks. Pearl Harbor, HI.). Rode the bus one day down to King's Sporting Goods in Honolulu. The White Hunters were going for 28 dollars in those days.
So I spied a brand-new WH in the display case and the price was $23.00!!!
Figured out my budget and said I'd like to buy it. Young fella took it to the register and then said that it was mis-marked and should be 28.
I was crest-fallen...
But Mr. King was nearby and checked out the tag, visibly thought about it, and said to the young clerk to give it to me for 23!!!!
Fast-forward to late 70's...
Long story, but got burglarized. Lived East of San Diego, family man and still a Jarhead. Insurance paid a bit.
Went to a good knife shop and found another WH. While ringing it up, the older fella heard of my sad tale and ended up giving it to me for cost.
I think around 240?
Anyway, I still have it and was finally able to use it on a nice little Blacktail Deer on Camp Pendleton with my middle son present.
Pretty much a safe-queen now, but a GREAT knife!
Congratulations on yours!!

I bought one out of a magazine ad in the early 1960's. I can't remember what I paid but I am pretty sure it was under $50. I used it a couple of times for cleaning a deer and them oiled it and put it back in the wooden display box that came with it. I pulled it out after it has set in the box for over five years and the side that rested on the foam in the box had caused major pitting on one side of the blade. I took it to a gunshow and sold it for $175 and that was over a decade ago.

Side note. While serving in the army in 1965, I bought one with a wood handle (not the stag ones that were on most) for $20 in the PX and gave it to my brother-in-law.

Great knife. The Puma White Hunter has, for many years, impressed me as the coolest knife I've ever seen. I just never bought one 'cause I'm not a knife guy

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John

I bought a White Hunter in 1968 I think. Got it at Gart Bros Sports Castle in Denver. Took it Elk hunting and got a ton of razzing about the 'club' I was carrying. Started gutting an elk and while caping the elk it got dull. I used a stone I carried in My pack and I could feel the stone grabbing and sliding over hard and soft places in the blade. Tempering was horrific and the thing wouldn't hold an edge. Had to sharp it 3 times caping that elk. Blade design was nice to look at, but not worth a damn gotting that elk. Only thing it was good for was hacking through the pelvis. I actually finished the elk with a gerber pocket knife. Way better than that *** Puma I paid $35 for. Took it to a gun show and traded for a Buck.

My Dad did landscaping. Once while harrowing a yard on a busy street he looked back and thought he had picked up a stick in his harrow. It was a White Hunter identical to the original poster's. That was in the early 70s. We figure somebody stole it and just pitched it. My son has it now.

I don't have the White Hunter, but I do have the Puma Bowie. It was a present from my mom and dad.

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John 3:16
WAR EAGLE!

I bought one in '66 in downtown Heidelberg for $35.00, new in the box at a knife shop there. Best damn knife I've ever had, holds an edge and has never let me down. Wouldn't sell it for all the tea in China!
Own a Puma Bowie also, my son bought me, feel the same about it. Puma makes a great blade. The gentleman from the Air Force must have gotten a lemon, have seen that in Bucks, Case and others. It happens!

That is a great knife I would love to have one . Very good accusation, enjoy .

I got one of those as a bonus for a gun mag subscription. Cool looking but the blade shattered when I was using it dressing out an elk.

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Eccentric old coot

Iggy,
If I'm not mistaken, there were some knock-offs or maybe I should say even cheaper copies sold under the Puma name for awhile.
My memory gets a bit fuzzy sometimes... LOL

Have a "70's" Bowie. Holds an edge. Truck knife.

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Riding, Shooting, and Truth

Mine was a gift from my father-in-law in 1968. Used it a few years, then retired it. It is a wonderful knife and carries many memories.

I have a hunters friend. As you can see, mine has seen some use.

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Some great stories and enjoyable reads! I settled for the Puma Skinner model back in 67. That one cost me $25!! but was the knife to have among us young hunters. Thank god I held onto it all these years. Wish I had the funds at the time for the White Hunter too. Beautiful grips and that carbon chromium blade is quite a sight to behold. I believe Pumas now use 440 C stainless on many models. Thanks for showing.

Capt. I think it's great that your years of restraint finally paid off, and you now have a way cool toy. May you have years of enjoyment owning that.

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Always Stay Strong!

I'll be darn. I've got a Puma White Hunter I bought in high school in the early 70s. I just went down in the basement to see if it's still in the dresser drawer where I thought. Yup, still there...hasn't been out in decades. I had no idea those things were worth that kind of money now.

You bet pal. Have seen the older ones from 60s and early 70s goin for $300 on E-Bay. Check the hilt for the code denoting year of manufacture. Easily checked on Puma chart.

I don't hunt, but admired those knives for years. I came across one at a gunshow some years ago and bought it. Haven't used it for anything, but like some other stuff, just enjoy owning it.

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NRA Life, COTEP 640

Seem to remember that the White Hunter as I remember seeing them had a straight solid back instead of the sharpened one in the OP's first post. Back about 1967 after I got out of the navy I bought what at the time was called the Hunters Pal or Hunters buddy. Believe it or not you can look up the model and serial number and find the year your knife was made. Walked a lot of miles through Pennsylvania woods with that knife. Frank

My first and second both have the sharpened back.
For chopping, I seem to remember.

The upper blade grind is to allow rough cutting or hacking, saving the finer main edge below.

The wooden handle version has been sold as the Auto Messer (car knife) and was included in some survival kits sold by Puma.

I have a White Hunter, but can't say I use it much. The Puma models I like better are the Outdoor, the Model 3589, and the little Hunter's Pal. And they make good lockblade folders, too.

Puma advertise that their knives are as sharp as a razor and as strong as an axe. I was astonished by Iggy's post about one
"shattering" as he dressed an elk with it. I'd like full details on that and think that if the knife was a genuine White Hunter, and was not being really abused, that Puma will replace it.

Was the knife being pounded through the pelvis, or what? People abuse knives that way, for duties properly assigned to an axe or saw.


I have seen a couple of Buck blades with half nickel- like gaps where the blade broke out when hammering the blade against bone. That's a major no-no, and I think would break other brands, too.

I've had no problems with either Puma or with Buck, but I don't treat knives badly.

I've never heard of ANY knife "shattering." Maybe we don't understand that word in the same way. ??

If a Puma knife failed, that batch of blades probably got faulty heat treatment and Puma will make good on it. They 're a reputable firm, with roots back to 1769!

What's that tape (?) on the sheath for?

I don't think that genuine Puma White Hunter knives were ever given out for subscribing to a magazine. The knife would be worth more than the cost of a subscription!


I'd like details of the magazine involved, pics of the knife, and a detailed description of just what you were doing with this knife when it "shattered."

Something is funny here. I basically believe you, but if the knife was a genuine Puma, something is very "off." Maybe a batch of blades got faulty heat treatment?

Did you contact Puma Werke or the US importer? I'd think you'd get a new knife if theirs was that faulty!

For a knife designed by a committee (of East African professional hunters), the White Hunter is a pretty good knife.

Puma Knife fan for 40 years.
Just picked up a vintage Puma Emperor
70's vintage w/great stags.
I punched that model in on ebay for grins....
Crazy prices.

It'll never get used for the intended purpose. Much the same as my shootin' irons. Appreciate it as art and those who spent years interning to learn the trade. But it sure looks impressive hanging off my hip!

Is that how it got the name?



I

There's no code on it. I see on the web site they didn't do that until 1964. Conceivably mine was made before 1964, and sat in a store. I don't recall where I bought it. Probably a local sporting goods store, since Al Gore hadn't invented the internet then. This thread has inspired me to clean and polish mine, and use some leather cleaner on the sheath. Both knife and sheath look terrible.

For anyone looking for a user, Mike Stewart at Bark River Knives is planning on doing his take on one in the near future. His distributors are bought in on the idea.

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Even older, even crankier....

I too always wanted a Puma White Hunter, but my more practical side ended up with the Hunter's Friend....



I also have a Hunter's Pal, which has a slightly smaller 4" blade:



Any of the Pumas (at least the old "Pumaster" steel) were quality products, and designed for a lifetime of use.

Congratulations to the OP, that knife, in that condition, with the sticker still on the blade and all the papers and sheath and box is easily worth three times what you gave for it. The early date adds considerable value.

Best Regards, Les

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SWCA 3084, SWHF 495, PGCA 3064

Like several here, I think the knife I got was a cheap imitation, not a real Puma. I left it with the gut pile.

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Eccentric old coot

"And they make good lockblade folders, too."

I have two. Back in the '70s, a department store in Opelika, Alabama was selling out their Puma knives. I bought two 2 bladed Puma folders. I kept the one with the saw blade and gave the other one to my dad for Christmas. His had two knife blades-a clip point and a skinner. When my daddy died, I got the second one back.

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John 3:16
WAR EAGLE!

Back in the old country in the 20th century (boy, phrasing it this way makes me feel really old), Puma knives were THE knife for the hunter. My family hunted with nothing else for generations. I've got fixed-blades and a folder; no idea what these models were called here, these are German-bought 1960s or '70s vintage.

They've worked on countless birds, hares, European roebuck, wild boar, one huge red stag (my dad's, not mine), and later several Oregon blacktail.

But one shouldn't over-romanticize them. Knife-steel is one area where the good old days were definitely not better, and compared to what's available today, the Puma steels are at best adequate and the beautiful stag handles rather uncomfortable after a while.

About 15 years ago I gently suggested to the old man (now passed for some years) that a new knife might make a nice Christmas present. He consulted with a friend who owned a hunting store, and I ended up with a superb Linder-Solingen ATS-34 Super Edge 2. I don't have a photo, and that's just as well since it looks really ugly with its kraton handle next to the classy Pumas. But it works so much better, and the Pumas have been honorably retired to a spot on the shelf.

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My Mom gave me a Puma Skinner as a graduation present in 1967. I still have the knife, but sadly, the sheath is long gone. I search the net daily for a sheath. So far no luck.

Correct hyena. Should have included that info in my post. I would think being made prior to 64 would give your knife value a premium. Sure would cost a lot of cash if made the same way with that Pumaster carbon steel.

You might try here for a sheath:
VINTAGE COLLECTIBLE PUMA KNIVES

These guys might be a possibility as well:
Classic Puma Knives | A Community Resource for Puma Knife Collectors

Got mine at the Rod and Gun club in Vicenza Italy, 1970. It was a door prize for the thursday night pinnocle bash. they sold for $35.00.

I love mine. the stag is outstanding.

charlie

Absalom-

In Post No. 35, your excellent knives are Model 3589 and the folder is Model 959, as the blade shows. It was the most complex of the Puma folders and the most expensive.

I have a couple of Model 3589's and a Model 943, obtained via the US importer at the time. I'd seen the 3589, which is a sort of fancier version of the Hunter's Friend or Outdoor in an export catalog and wanted one. The firm with the catalog was Waffen Frankonia. I don't think M -3589 has ever been routinely imported to the USA. The Model 959 certainly was. The thinner folders were harder to find here. Not all Model 3589's have the saw teeth. I think the cost became too great and the teeth were eliminated. Their purpose was to start cuts in slippery, tough items, like sausage.

Recent Online pics suggest that the blade shape for the 959 is now used on all of the traditional German folders. Formerly, Models like 941 and 943 had a slimmer blade.

Some Puma knives are now made in Spain and I think, in China. One must be sure what he's ordering to get a genuine Solingen product. I think the Spanish ones are probably pretty good. The Chinese, I'd trust less. Some Spanish companies like Aitor and Muela make good knives. I don't know who makes the Spanish ones for Puma.

The Lauterjung family sold Puma back in the 1990's and I think it's had 2-3 owners since. Baron von Frankenberg und Ludwigsdorf is deceased. His wife was a Lauterjung. I met the Baron a few times at the SHOT show and he was a nice fellow. Admitted that he'd been wounded by Americans during the war. Didn't pretend he'd been fighting Russians. I respected his candor.

I've often noted your excellent English, better than that of many who were born here. Congrtulations.

I bought a Puma White Hunter in 1973. I used it for a number of years before losing it on a Northern Michigan deer hunt in the early 1990s. Needless to say I was very upset. After the snow melted in the spring I received a telephone call from the owner of the property on which I was hunting. He asked if I had lost a knife, and when I told him I had lost a Puma White Hunter, he told me to come and get it. I was elated.

Yes. Puma used to advertise that.

For PC reasons, we usually don't see the term white hunter now.It's professional hunter. I can't say more on this board.

What condition was the knife in after that ordeal? Was the blade pitted?

The knife was slightly pitted and rusty. Over the years I've tried to clean it up by rubbing toothpaste over the blade as I've heard the mild abrasives in tooth paste won't "over-work" the metal. That method was not very successful. I keep it well oiled now, and would like to try another cleanup method.

I contacted Puma by e-mail several years ago about sending it in to the factory for refinishing. I can't remember the price I received, but it was substantial.

So I guess until I can find a good cleanup method, I'll keep it as is and use it as a reminder to not carry a knife of that size in my coat pocket.

Thanks for the detailed response! Frankonia may well have been the source of one or more of my knives. Their catalogs were kind of the German equivalent of a Cabela's catalog, there was always one around when I grew up. I occasionally grabbed one when I was over there visiting even after becoming American quite some decades ago, just to keep up with what was available. My last copy I could find is from 2005/06.

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