Having Hog hunted for many many years in about every way possible I can honestly tell you that hunting over catch dogs with a knife is about as insane as it can get. It's not for the feint of heart nor for a rookie. Like Nicky said, lot of potential for injury and it can be extremely cruel to the hog. Getting a good strike with a knife takes a good amount of strength and technique. And no I'm not saying that because you are a woman, I'm saying it because you are a rookie. I know many women that could pull it off with a knife very well but they are seasoned hog hunters that have handled hogs in many ways and know knife striking.