I was introduced to “hawks” at a Boy Scout camp when I served as an assistant Scout Master where I hung out in the “Mountain Man” area. It seemed like such a manly thing to throw hawks at the thick slices of pine log targets. It was quite addictive.

Several years ago I visited Turtle Island Preserve where I began to occasionally teach classes and do survival skill demonstrations. During an open house event I met Justin Burke who has since then opened a blacksmith business. A few years ago I made a trade with him for a throwing tomahawk. It has beautiful craftsmanship and throws wonderfully. Recently I acquired a second “multi-purpose” hawk from him that includes a hammer portion and he asked me to “try it out”, hence this article.

I started my tests by throwing the hawk into a pine log target. I decided to throw both of my hawks in order to compare them. I threw my original hawk and stuck it on the first try. When I threw the new hawk I discovered that it was a little heavier and would spin slightly slower so I backed up a couple of feet to find it’s range and then stuck it on the third try. The photo shows my results. They both throw wonderfully.

Then I set out to chop and split wood in the same manner as a hatchet. I initially choked up on the handle a little but as I grew comfortable with chopping I held it lower toward the end to feel the difference. It worked as well but “the jury’s out” on which position I’ll like best. I chopped both seasoned wood and a sapling. The wood chips really flew fast. I took a split seasoned log and easily reduced it down to kindling.

Finally I got some nails to drive in some lumber using the hammer end. Again, with a little handling adjustment for the longer handle the nails yielded to the hawk very well. The linear motion of the head made smooth strokes with a solid hit.

I’m delighted with this style tomahawk. I imagine that a slight “V” cut on the inner blade might facilitate pulling nails but a tomahawk isn’t meant to be a carpentry tool per se. I appreciate the quality of workmanship produced by my friend Justin Burke. You can visit his webpage at https://www.facebook.com/JustinBurkeTraditionalCraftsman and perhaps begin your own venture into the legacy and skills of the tomahawk.