Ooo!! _Some really nice hunting knives I've seen lately.

S

Sure Shot Mc Gee

New member
There sure is a bunch of handy dandy cutlery sold these days. Swing blade ones. Interchangeable razor blade type gismo's. And gosh a ton of custom one of a kind made one's too. But as things are until I find something better. I'm still using my old chrome plated Wyoming knife and a EKA wooden handled lock back fillet knife for deer field dressing duty's.

Got one of these thingy's again this year (link) for my birthday. Now I have two. I guess there suppose to help. I fully intend to see if given the chance this year. {as I don't need a third} If this plastic tool doesn't. Ouch.> Not good to upset the deer camp's cook. Anyway. Good luck this year to all you want-a-be deerslayers and old bushwhackers too.

Question #1_Those who tackle that nasty job of field dressing what's your preference in sharpness? (straight or fold )

Question #2_How long has your favorite knife been carried afield? (be honest now no guessing allowed)

Those who choose no too or don't know how too. Y'all may want to watch this film with a little humor and see how its done.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTmI8TapW38
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I don't like folding knives for skinning/dressing. I've been using this Shrade Old Timer for at least 20 years. The gut hook will unzip a deer out of his hide in no time. My only complaint with it is the scales get really slick when they get bloody.

 
I bought one of those "Butt Out" tools, when I came across it on clearance, for something like $2. It has never been used... :rolleyes:
(I'm eagerly awaiting a post from the member that refers to it as "the devil's anal rape tool". ;))



I prefer fixed-blade knives for hunting uses (from field dressing to butchering).
But, if you need additional tools, like a bonesaw, it's nice to have a folder.

I had a (metal) Wyoming knife that I carried for over 15 years, but it started to feel like a hinderance, as much as it was a help. A few years ago, I snagged the sheath on something, and completely ruined it. The knife is fine, but I haven't used it, since.

I replaced the Wyoming knife with a Gerber Metolius (fixed). It works well for Elk, but would be a bit too big for deer/antelope-sized game. I need to find something a little smaller.


On this year's elk hunt, I saw something in action that none of my family had ever tried before - a replaceable scalpel blade folding knife. (Like the Piranta-Z.)
We dulled 3 other knives, gutting, skinning, and quartering a cow elk; but that scalpel blade just kept cutting like it was brand new. It went through hide like nothing I've ever seen before, but still allowed precise control. I was impressed. Plus... the owner didn't have to sharpen it. He just snapped in a fresh blade, when he got back to camp.
 
I like a Boker stockman. Small pocket knife. Has to be really sharp but the small blade goes in between the joints easy and that drop the lower legs and rear legs without bone saw. I don't use a saw for nothing.
 
I'm with BuckRub: I don't use a saw except to cut venison or pork ribs. I've been using the Swingblade for 5 years and love it. What I would look for in a knife is how easy it is to sharpen vs. how long the edge holds. I don't use Buck knives for that reason. They seem to take forever to sharpen and then dull right away. My folder, which has seen dozens of hogs, is a Cold Steel Ultimate Hunter. I have the Wyoming Knife and use it sometimes but like said above it's kinda cumbersome to carry--it stays in my skinning/butcher kit in the truck.
 
I'm with BuckRub: I don't use a saw except to cut venison or pork ribs.
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When you have to cut an Elk or Moose into quarters (or smaller), to haul it out on your back, a saw is quite useful. But, I completely understand why some people see absolutely no use for it - be it the local game, or personal hunting style. ;)
 
Question #1_Those who tackle that nasty job of field dressing what's your preference in sharpness? (straight or fold )
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Straight, clip point, fixed blade, full tang.

And a hatchet for driving the above knife through the pelvis......

I think that a folder woud be hard to get (and keep) clean.

Question #2_How long has your favorite knife been carried afield? (be honest now no guessing allowed)
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Longer than I've been alive ...... and as likely as not, longer than my deer rifle has been around, too (1958) .....

G-pa found it (knife and hatchet set) laying in a stubble field sometime in the ...... 1960's ..... it was pretty worn then. I've been using it since about 1995. It is not expensive, and similar sets can be found on e-bay for a few dollars ..... but it works well for field dressing, so I see no reason to buy anything else ..... I like a broad, curved blade for skiining ...... made my own for that, out of a 12" circular saw blade.
 
Provided I make a clean shot on the deer and I can get the deer from the woods to house in less than an hour (10-20 minutes if it goes down near somewhere we can access with the golf wagon). We will just throw the deer on the golf wagon, take it home, hang it up and go to work on it. As we have roads across most of the area I hunt, this is typically the case. In the time it would take me to field dress we can transport a closed carcass to the house and begin skinning and quartering. I find it unnecessary to open the carcass to the bugs and dirt. If I gut shot one, and it ran deep into really thick woods to where it would be a pain to get out quickly. I want to get those guts out as soon as I can.

When we have it hanging, we typically keep a few tools handy. A sawzall with a fresh blade is the largest of them, useful for cutting through bone. I find a few sharp knives are great to have when skinning, butchering. The heavy worker is a Case model 267-4 SS, the steel in it isn't the hardest but it sharpens quickly. When that gets dull we have a 2 Kershaw Chives. Little knives but I feel like I could skin a deer with them alone, could use them to take apart the joints without the sawzall. If we manage to dull the Case, one of the chives go to work for a couple minutes while I or my dad takes the sharpener to the case for a minute or two. We have a short and long filet knife when needed, good for boning and cutting steaks, the long one is a kershaw the short is a very old Chicago cutlery boning knife.

It can be done with less but when you have the tools on hand at home, why not use them? If I was out in the wilderness having to pack in and out, I wouldn't travel with 5 different knives.

The knives vary in their length of usage. The Case was bought a couple years ago, one of the kershaw chives is 4 or 5 years old and still in great condition, the other is next to new. The kershaw filet knife is about a year old. The Chicago Cutlery is probably the oldest knife we own, it survived the rigors of taking chickens apart for many years, the carbon steel has turned black from honest use, its older than I am, may even be older than my father.

Which one do I carry in the field? Probably the Case or the Kershaw chive depending on my mood and whether or not i'm wearing a belt.
 
Fixed blade for me. I've been using one I made for about 10 years now. 4inch blade, 9 inches overall, 3/16" thick O1 tool steel with a micarta handle. Bigger than most folks like but I use it for skinning,butchering and general camp chores. Stays on my belt or in a saddle bag when we're trail riding too.
I can split the rib cage, and break the pelvis with it but on the last few deer I've skipped breaking the pelvis, seems to be more trouble than its worth. Can usually get the knife in and get the job done without it.

I have a heavy camp knife I forged from a jeep leaf spring that I use to take the head off and break a deer carcass down for disposal after I bone them out. Blade on it is a little over 10 inches, and close to 5/16" thick at the spine. Also use it for clearing shooting lanes and putting up tree stands.

I always have a folding knife and a leatherman handy, but they don't see much use in the woods.
 
Straight, clip point, fixed blade, full tang.

And a hatchet for driving the above knife through the pelvis......
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You can slip a finger under the pelvic bone and find the ridge. That ridge is the cartilage that holds the pelvis together. You can split it with a knife very easily.
 
re: "Butt-Out" deally

I don't see how this thing is a positive ...... since the whole object of the excercise (field dressing) is done to remove the internal organs, guts and guts' contents (lets call a spade a spade here: it's poop and poop in various stages of construction) from the carcass .... why rip the end of the rectum off while it is still inside the carcass? Why not leave it intact, with the poop on the inside, instead of tearing it open to have the contents leak out inside the animal? Just because you can not see it happen does not mean it won't - that's like a kid hiding his head under the covers from a "monster" (threat) .....

.... and people pay money for this thing, and put it in their pack to take up valuable space ..... why?

Cut around the outside of the rectum and pull it out, either rearward after you split the pelvic bone, or forward after you tied it off, if you did not split the pelvis.

Keep the Poop <----------------------------- separated----------------------> From the Meat.
 
You can slip a finger under the pelvic bone and find the ridge. That ridge is the cartilage that holds the pelvis together. You can split it with a knife very easily.
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On a mature buck, that cartilage fuzes together .... prettey solid.

On a yearling or fawn, you can do this .... just make sure you don't use the knife as a lever- handle goes up, point goes down, and pokes holes in stuff you don't want leaking..... bring knife straight up ..... I just find it easier to to tap the knife straight down into that same seam ....... on a mature buck, it is not so much tapping as beating ...... I've found it is easier to do a butt-ectomy on the big boys...... certainly easier on your knife.
 
I don't split the pelvis. Either debone while hanging or cut down to the joint and in between with a small pocket knife a they'll fall off. (Hindquarters) and don't mess the rectum, just to it on both sides and after you remove the hindquarters the rectum is untouched. I usually debone my hindquarters while still on and only have to ice down meat and nothing else. Unless in a hurry to be somewhere then I'll quarter but usually don't.
 
Gerber, Puma and Butt-Out

Question #1_Those who tackle that nasty job of field dressing what's your preference in sharpness? (straight or fold )
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When I was actively Bow-Hunting, I used a Gerber, lock-back. Knew an old-timer that used an old Case Trapper, for everything. ..... :rolleyes:
Lately I still carry the Gerber and an older Puma White-Hunter. I keep all my knives sharpened but not honed. .. . :)

Question #2_How long has your favorite knife been carried afield? (be honest now no guessing allowed)
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Both, since the earlly 80's. I remember paying $75.00 for the Puma and they now list for over $250.00. Life is not fair. .... ;)

Now, on the Butt-Out; Most hunters, split the pelvis in the field, mostly because they have no choice. This tool allows you to keep the pelvic area, together and protected, while you are hauling it out of the woods. Keeps the dirt, leaves and hair, off a lot of meat. .... ;)

Be Safe !!!
 
I've come to understand that field dressing is done differently in different parts of the country based on differences in the weather conditions, facilities available and size of the deer .... If the weather was warm, I'd probably do it differently ..... likewise, if the deer weighed 80 lbs on the hoof, field dressing would not lighten the carcass enough to matter ...... and if I had some way of disposing of the equivalent of 6-10 gut piles in camp, I might do that there ......

Here, it's generally cold in November, the deer are heavy enough to drag to the road as it is, and gut piles are less popular in camp than possums, coons and skunks ..... and if you have the former, you'll get the the latter, usually around 3 AM .....
 
I don't see how this thing is a positive ...... since the whole object of the excercise (field dressing) is done to remove the internal organs, guts and guts' contents (lets call a spade a spade here: it's poop and poop in various stages of construction) from the carcass .... why rip the end of the rectum off while it is still inside the carcass? Why not leave it intact, with the poop on the inside, instead of tearing it open to have the contents leak out inside the animal?
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The idea is that you use the tool to pull the rectum out far enough to cut around the anus (and vagina, if it's a doe/cow), but only the outside layer. Then, you tie a string around the intact inner portion (including urethra, if it's a doe/cow), remove the tool, and pull the "sealed" organs through the pelvis.
Of course, most people just yank the colon out until it snaps, or they cut it off without tieing anything....
 
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I currently carry a Buck fixed blade for the butt-ectomy and breaking joints (knees and neck). It is narrow and slides in without cutting anything I don't want too. And for general dressing and skinning I have an old timer fixed blade drop point.

The best knife I ever had was a Cutco hunting knife. It dressed,skinned and boned 2 deer and 3/4 of an elk before it needed to be sharpened. It sharpened back to razor sharp easily and held it just as long as the original edge. If my ex-wife hadn't thrown it away when we separated I would still be using it. I think I will try to find another dealer. I miss that knife.
 
For field dressing I use a Victorinox Hunter, which has a nice little serrated gutting blade on end; the main blade is about perfect for boning out the back-straps and slicing them up for the grill. I've been dragging it around for 20 years and it's been back for a rebuild once.

R92nVic.jpg


I have literally used every feature on this knife at one time or another.The corkscrew comes in handy anti-oxidation sessions with the Missus when the weekend finally rolls around.
 
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