In 1978, my friend Jiri, escaped communist Czechoslovakia, by jumping off a ship he was working on, while docked in The Adriatic. I met him in Seattle, in 1988. He had become a US citizen, at this point, but was homesick for his family and friends. So, he snuck back in, for a visit. His friends were nuts for American music, especially the blues. So, I filled a case of cassettes (10 90-minute tapes) with all the greats: Muddy Waters, BB King, Albert King, Howlin' Wolf, Buddy Guy, and many more, for him to smuggle in.
Anyway, as a token of appreciation, his buddies sent this knife back, with Jiri, when he snuck out of Czechoslovakia (for the second time).
It took me a long time to "blood" this knife, but 2 years ago, I shot my first buck, and last year I shot my buck, and finished my nephew's wounded buck. 3 shots=3 kills, and this knife field-dressed them all.

That's a handy little knife.

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No baby we aint

Good looking and useful knife........and thanks for sharing the story about Jiri and how you were gifted the knife.

BTW, congrats on the deer and good luck on your next hunt.

Don

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Laus Deo! <><

Great story! I've been there several times and have Czech relatives. One visit they had a traditional Czech Christmas for me (in June) and one of the things I got was this Rybicka ("little fish") reissue.

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Rybicka.jpg (45.6 KB, 109 views)

Wow! That's was a very nice gift. The Czechs have always been renown as steel makers (Skoda, CZ, BRNO, etc.) so I hope that your new blade gives you a lifetime of service.

After the Cold War, the country split into two and the western half, now the Czech Republic, inherited much of the industry while the eastern half, Slovakia, seems to have much of the agriculture. I've toured and hunted in both of the new countries and to a citizen, everyone is quite happy with the current situation. They call the Russian occupation: "The bad times." No wonder your friend jumped ship.

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Keep your powder dry.

I was on a board that had Czech members. One posted pics of her HS grad. party. It had a, Baywatch theme.

American culture and programming gets around...

Great example of a classic Continental European hunting folder. Has everything you might need (including the bottle opener for beer and corkscrew for wine ). I inherited the same style from my dad, but Puma-branded. Mikov seems to have made a successful transition to the post-communist economy, judging by their US offerings on BladeHQ:

Mikov Knives for sale - Blade HQ

Even during the Cold War Czechoslovakia was more open than the rest of the Communist bloc. A friend of my dad had family connections in the former Sudetenland, and he and my dad crossed the Iron Curtain several times in the 70s and 80s for comparatively inexpensive hunting trips to the large collective farms in Bohemia. One week, four bucks down, lots of Pilsner beer. Good times. I went along once in the early 90s, after the fall of Communism. Not as cheap any more, but still a lot of fun.

Very cool little knife!

Great looking knife.Mikov is high quality.Maybe 15-20 years ago I told my daughter about a mikov lever auto I saw on line.That Christmas it was under tree she ordered it from Czechoslovakia they had to send the spring separate and she installed it.

Have an almost double made by victorinox

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Hue 68 noli me tangere

A friend had a Meopta binocular, which he said was quite good. He owns Leica, Zeiss, and Swarovski glasses, so has a frame of reference.

Of course, CZ guns are well known here now

Vonn--

If you mean the Hunter model, I have a green one and think it's among their best models and a real value!

I believe that it’s a Hunter model with a brown on white simulated stag type pattern

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Hue 68 noli me tangere

Czech motorbikes have been an enthusiasm of mine for a long time, Jawa and CZ. In fact, itwas my taste for Czech bikes that brought me my first firearms, a couple of CZ pistols.

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Not in jail.

Out in the sticks I saw more old Jawas than any other bike - maybe not surprising, but to USA-calibrated eyes it was pretty cool.

Jumping ship with knife like that was bigger risk of drowning than sneaking in and out of CZ.

Nice overall design!

Had a neighbor from Hungary. He was 12 in WWII when he helped his brother defend a bridge and helped cutoff an SS retreat. In '56, he fought in the Hungarian Uprising. Sent to prison and killed two guards while escaping. Broke his back getting into France and was a year in the hospital. Emigrated to Canada and married a French-Canadian. Ended up as a machinist for aircraft in LosAngeles. Nicest old guy but after we got to know him (we traded vegetables from our gardens over the fence) he told me horror stories of living under Communism in the late '40s and early '50s.

Thank you, Don! I hope the Cameron Peak Fire (102,000 acres) leaves some terrain for us, the elk, the deer, and the pronghorn. Colorado game laws limit us to applying to hunt specific areas and seasons. Our elk hunting area is burning on its southern edge. The deer and antelope area is further north and east, but could still be threatened. Elk season is a month away. At least this fire was slowed down briefly by a snow storm last week but otherwise is expected to burn until Halloween. Deer in November. Late season Doe antelope. Hope my nephew and I get to hunt something, anything.
George

Thanks to everyone who took the time to reply or share a story.

George, I hope the fire situation clears up for you soon. I hunted for elk just north of Gunnison off and on for several years, so I'm familiar with Colorado's unit system for hunting. Good luck and good hunting.

Don

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Laus Deo! <><