Hunting knife
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Al Thompson
Staff Alumnus
Sharp, Small, Cheap, Disposable...
...Scalpels.
My wife dresses game using scalpel blades, and is more efficient than yours truly with a Wyoming knife or anything else I've used. They are extremely sharp, controllable, and when the blade wears you pull and replace. Amazing.
Of course, I would never go hunting without a real knife, and my wife dissects laboratory mice for a living. She's had some practice with a scalpel...
SA Scott
...Scalpels.
My wife dresses game using scalpel blades, and is more efficient than yours truly with a Wyoming knife or anything else I've used. They are extremely sharp, controllable, and when the blade wears you pull and replace. Amazing.
Of course, I would never go hunting without a real knife, and my wife dissects laboratory mice for a living. She's had some practice with a scalpel...
SA Scott
Art Eatman
Staff in Memoriam
I've used a lot of different knives in gutting out some 50 or more deer. I'll support the notion of a blade no more than three or four inches. I'll also support the idea of a Lansky sharpening set.
My favorite has come to be an old Solingen pocket knife, three-inch blade, that I carry in a nylon sheath so as to save my pockets. To split the pelvis, I just tap-tap-tap with a rock, on the back of the blade.
Straight back on the blade; rounded tip. Plenty good for gutting; great for skinning. I've done a dozen or so deer with it...
Art
My favorite has come to be an old Solingen pocket knife, three-inch blade, that I carry in a nylon sheath so as to save my pockets. To split the pelvis, I just tap-tap-tap with a rock, on the back of the blade.
Straight back on the blade; rounded tip. Plenty good for gutting; great for skinning. I've done a dozen or so deer with it...
Art
Mannlicher
New member
My favorite, and the best I have used for field dressing deer, is the Randall #11 Alaskan.
Last season, I used a Cold Steel All Terrain hunter. The carbon steel, leaf shaped blade is a wonder. That cheap and that good.........wow.
another really good one is my Brusletto from Norway, blade like a fat razorblade, and only two inches long. Quiete effective.
For squirrel and other small game, the best I have ever found is a Henkle kitchen knife, the 2.75 inch kitchen trimming knife. my leather guy made me a little sheath for it, and let me tell you, this fellow will WORK. Forged high carbon stainless, holds a razor edge, and is shaped just right for dressing rabbits and squirrel.
another great skinner is the old Clauss 4.75 curved blade, sharp along the first two inches of the upper side too. Leather washer hilt, aluminum pommel, serrated along the top edge forward of the hilt......... what a fine knife. A posthoumous gift from my hunting mentor, Rev. Lee, of Jacksonville Fl. I have used this knife for over 40 years now.
Last season, I used a Cold Steel All Terrain hunter. The carbon steel, leaf shaped blade is a wonder. That cheap and that good.........wow.
another really good one is my Brusletto from Norway, blade like a fat razorblade, and only two inches long. Quiete effective.
For squirrel and other small game, the best I have ever found is a Henkle kitchen knife, the 2.75 inch kitchen trimming knife. my leather guy made me a little sheath for it, and let me tell you, this fellow will WORK. Forged high carbon stainless, holds a razor edge, and is shaped just right for dressing rabbits and squirrel.
another great skinner is the old Clauss 4.75 curved blade, sharp along the first two inches of the upper side too. Leather washer hilt, aluminum pommel, serrated along the top edge forward of the hilt......... what a fine knife. A posthoumous gift from my hunting mentor, Rev. Lee, of Jacksonville Fl. I have used this knife for over 40 years now.
Camillus Cuttlery Knife they make some damn nice knives. Plus I favor them cause I live about 5 miles from there factory. But they are a very high quality knife take a look at there selection.
http://www.camillusknives.com/
http://www.camillusknives.com/
About any of these plus others
Although many of us get really into knives, lots of different ones will do a fine job including relatively cheap ones in the $20 range such as a Sharpfinger (I have one of those and a Dozier too somewhere). Here are a few that would work. Don't know if I'd recommend the Colt, but others would work well for field dressing a deer.
3 to 5 inch blade, comfortable handle, fairly sturdy construction (1/4" thick knives are not necessary or even good for this, but not Pakistan made ones with glued on handle either).
A lot of folders are now sturdy enough I wouldn't hesitate to use them if you want a more versatile, working/carrying knife (harder to clean, but still good).
Although many of us get really into knives, lots of different ones will do a fine job including relatively cheap ones in the $20 range such as a Sharpfinger (I have one of those and a Dozier too somewhere). Here are a few that would work. Don't know if I'd recommend the Colt, but others would work well for field dressing a deer.
3 to 5 inch blade, comfortable handle, fairly sturdy construction (1/4" thick knives are not necessary or even good for this, but not Pakistan made ones with glued on handle either).
A lot of folders are now sturdy enough I wouldn't hesitate to use them if you want a more versatile, working/carrying knife (harder to clean, but still good).
HerrJaegermeister
New member
Buck Lite 422
Aren't tantos for Ninjas? What gives? You're not serious about using that as a hunting knife.
I have a Buck Lite 422 from the late 1980s. It was one of the first plastic handled knives on the market. It has done the job on at least a dozen deer. The four-inch blade holds an edge very well.
This knife has also seen double duty at Boy Scout camp when I was younger and into the Boundary Waters Canoe Area in northern Minnesota and the Quetico Provincial Park in Canada during summer adventures.
A three- to four-inch blade is all you need for field dressing a deer. However, I do cheat and split the pelvis with a tiny hatchet to remove the bowels. Splitting the chest is not necessary, nor is slashing the throat. You just have to reach up into the neck on the inside and get the windpipe, which rots very quickly.
For butchering, however, a bone saw is needed as well as a few packinghouse knives. These are easy to find here in Sioux City.
My father-in-law worked as a meatcutter when he was younger. You should see him go to work on a deer with a knife. My father taught biology; every field dressing session turned into an anatomy lesson. He actually brought hearts and other parts into his classroom before the PC days. He's happily retired now.
Aren't tantos for Ninjas? What gives? You're not serious about using that as a hunting knife.
I have a Buck Lite 422 from the late 1980s. It was one of the first plastic handled knives on the market. It has done the job on at least a dozen deer. The four-inch blade holds an edge very well.
This knife has also seen double duty at Boy Scout camp when I was younger and into the Boundary Waters Canoe Area in northern Minnesota and the Quetico Provincial Park in Canada during summer adventures.
A three- to four-inch blade is all you need for field dressing a deer. However, I do cheat and split the pelvis with a tiny hatchet to remove the bowels. Splitting the chest is not necessary, nor is slashing the throat. You just have to reach up into the neck on the inside and get the windpipe, which rots very quickly.
For butchering, however, a bone saw is needed as well as a few packinghouse knives. These are easy to find here in Sioux City.
My father-in-law worked as a meatcutter when he was younger. You should see him go to work on a deer with a knife. My father taught biology; every field dressing session turned into an anatomy lesson. He actually brought hearts and other parts into his classroom before the PC days. He's happily retired now.
Yes I'm serious. That knife has dressed numerous antelope, elk and deer. In fact, that knife has quartered a elk all by its lonesome. It's SHARP. When I bought it I didn't know what a "tanto" was, just that it was an unusual and very sharp knife. I've used it for over 15 years as my hunting knife.
As for the Bushman, it's a carbon steel knife, so it needs oiling and should not be stored in the sheath. The blade is thinner than I thought, but its still robust. Its a BIG knife btw. Mine had a slight rub off of the parkerization near the point, but that didn't bother me. Not for $13 it didn't.
I also carry a small bone saw with me, and a swiss army knife. In fact, most field dressing of an antelope can be done with a swiss army knife, its the skinning that takes a while. An inexpensive "wyoming knife" is really a gee-whiz invention, once you get the hang of using it.
As for the Bushman, it's a carbon steel knife, so it needs oiling and should not be stored in the sheath. The blade is thinner than I thought, but its still robust. Its a BIG knife btw. Mine had a slight rub off of the parkerization near the point, but that didn't bother me. Not for $13 it didn't.
I also carry a small bone saw with me, and a swiss army knife. In fact, most field dressing of an antelope can be done with a swiss army knife, its the skinning that takes a while. An inexpensive "wyoming knife" is really a gee-whiz invention, once you get the hang of using it.
Gila Jorge
New member
For hunting knives I use a Ralph Bone; a 40s vintage Marbles; and a Benchmade Tactical with half serrated blackend blade (comes in 3 sizes; the med size I carry everyday and the large goes hunting and one also kept in my truck glove box.)
Wildalaska
Moderator
I'm on my second year of using Gerber Gators (I also always have an old Gerber folding hunter with me) and in between rotating with two of them, they have skinned, quartered and boned three caribou without a hitch.
I'm partial to the Schrade drop point with gut hook. It sharpens easily but has to be re-touched cleaning a deer. I've a nearly identical Puma that works equally well and holds an edge better...but also cost 3X what the Schrade did. Either way, having to re-sharpen a knife while cleaning a deer is a good thing. There's gonna be venison in the freezer!
SquirrelNuts
New member
I own three different KA-BAR's. One is a 3" folding pocket knife and the other two are fixed blade fighting knives. One is a USMC version, and the other is a slightly longer (8 inches or so) second generation knife. I took the folder and the long fixed blade hunting with me. We field dressed two deer with them. The fixed blade went right through the ribs and had no problem with the pelvis. The folder did everything else. These knives come very sharp out of the box and will hold that edge.
-SquirrelNuts
-SquirrelNuts
You may want to hop over to www.knifeforums.com and read similar posts there, or ask your question in their Survival Forum.
My response is the Fallkniven S1 or F1, the latter being a Loveless style drop-point, but a heck of a lot stouter than most. It's standard issue to Swedish Air Force pilots. Go to Border's, Barnes& Noble, etc. (big bookstores) and look where they shelve the gun books (not the magazines). Look for, "Sporting Knives 2003" near, "Gun Digest", etc. from the same publisher. Read the story, "You'll Never Forget the Feel of a Fallkniven". That will familarize you with the line. Some new ones have leather handles.
Their own site is: www.fallkniven.com Click on, "English" unless you read Swedish. Colorful and informative.
Having said that, I respect Buck a lot, and even their survival Bowie, the No. 120 General, isn't too expensive if you shop around. Hollywood uses it in a lot of movies, like (as I recall) the "Scream" series.
I take it that custom knives are more costly than you have in mind...
Lone Star
My response is the Fallkniven S1 or F1, the latter being a Loveless style drop-point, but a heck of a lot stouter than most. It's standard issue to Swedish Air Force pilots. Go to Border's, Barnes& Noble, etc. (big bookstores) and look where they shelve the gun books (not the magazines). Look for, "Sporting Knives 2003" near, "Gun Digest", etc. from the same publisher. Read the story, "You'll Never Forget the Feel of a Fallkniven". That will familarize you with the line. Some new ones have leather handles.
Their own site is: www.fallkniven.com Click on, "English" unless you read Swedish. Colorful and informative.
Having said that, I respect Buck a lot, and even their survival Bowie, the No. 120 General, isn't too expensive if you shop around. Hollywood uses it in a lot of movies, like (as I recall) the "Scream" series.
I take it that custom knives are more costly than you have in mind...
Lone Star