What knife to get for field dressing deer

[.Stephen.]

Hey everyone I am curious what everyone's thoughts are for best field dressing knife. I have heard many good things about the Buck 110 and leaning towards that but would like to hear others opinions.

[FishHunterPro]

Olfa knife worked great for years and now the havalon .

[Hogie135]

Swing blade is an awesome knife.

[newguy]

Any knife so long as it has D2 steel...

[Foxton Gundogs]

I love my Puma Buddy feels good in my hand not to big or small holds an edge forever and takes one well. For $110 you can't go wrong

[Flatlandliver]

Buck 119.

The Havalons are nice but they don't tolerate bending/twisting.

I have both on my belt.

[oldgutpile]

4-5" blade length, straight,not too wide, and drop point design. Comfortable to your hand is an asset. Should look at a good grip where your hand cant slide up onto the blade.

[Icatchfish]

piranta havlon is what i use and it works sooooo good i never need another knife. watch this video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XiFbjOD1GYE

[Norman]

I have a buck 119br and am very happy with it but those havalon knives look pretty awesome

[Lefty-Canuck]

Sharp Finger....Old Timer.

LC

[fordtruckin]

Recently my girlfriends dad got a Outdoor Edge Razor-Lite. They have a bit more "spine" than the Havalon one he previously had. For 45$ with 6 blades he was happy. A spare pack of blades is only around 10$. I also like the Pendleton Lite Hunter by Cold Steel. A few years ago it was in Field and Stream as one of their best buys. The German 4116 Stainless holds a pretty decent edge for a $30 knife.


http://www.outdooredge.com/Razor-Lite-p/razor-lite.htm

vhttp://www.fieldandstream.com/articles/gear/hunting/2010/08/cold-steel-pendleton-lite-hunter

[covey ridge]

Buck 119.

The Havalons are nice but they don't tolerate bending/twisting.



Neither does the newer 119s. Not made like the old ones. I have one that is about 30 years old and I have not been able to destroy it, A friend handed me his new 119 when I went to cut leg joints on an older cow elk. I only did a bit of prying but when I finished the edge was bent and had a chip. I wrote a complaint to Buck and they replaced it. My old blade was made with 440. I think the new one is 420.

[covey ridge]

This year I gave my Buck knives a rest and tried an Outdoor Edge Swing Blaze. I liked it so much that I bought a few more Outdoor Edge products and donated most of my other knives to an outdoor education cause. All except my old workhorse Buck 119 which I can not destroy:)

[Dick284]

A sharp one!

[Knot Rite]

I never limit myself to just one knife in the bush, just lost many from a deer kicking me and losing them in the snow or what, but I do pack the buck 119 and about 2 other knives and my own custom knife that I forged from a railroad spike. Interesting thing is the wife looked at my knives today and made a comment about them and I said a man has to at least buy one knife a year cause sometimes they get lost and one knife does not perform every function you want so many are needed. Thats just the way it is. Geezzzzzzzz.

Bobby

[NW Tradegunner]

Swing blade with a fluorescent orange handle; so it makes it a little harder to lose!:mad0100:

[averagejoe]

Go to an outdoors store and handle each of the knives. Find one that has a good balance, weight and feel. If it is off balance or does not fit your hand correctly you will quickly tire of it and be looking for another.

Another consideration is folder or non. If you go for a folder I would be wary of the kind that use a small catch near the blade that you push sideways to unlock. I have heard from a few people that they have received injuries when it was inadvertently pushed and close on them.

[Big Daddy Badger]

You can field dress a deer with a pocket knife if its sharp enough.

So... nothing wrong with the one you have your eye on.

[Sabre tip]

Sharp Finger....Old Timer.

LC

I like the Sharp Finger also second choice is the Buck Pathfinder.

[Alberta Bigbore]

piranta havlon is what i use and it works sooooo good i never need another knife. Watch this video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xifbjod1gye

x100

[roadkill]

I recently got this mini nessmuk from a vendor over at BushcraftUSA dot com.

It's my first convex grind. I'm looking forward to uh... Not buggering it up. My main bushcraft knife is a Scandi grind, so this will be about developing a new sharpening skill.

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/04/23/3ete9yga.jpg

[catnthehat]

I use lots of different brands and shapes of knives, the newest being a Marttiini from Finland- great knife that employs laminated steel.
I also have a pair of Russells that I like very much, and a matched set of Kershaws.
My main knife I take with me everywhere is a Puma Folder that I have used since 1992.

Some are trailing , some clip, some drop, an the handles are all different , but I like them all for various reasons.The BIGGEST thing about all of them however, and it has been said here, is that they are easy to sharpen and stay sharp over a reasonable period of time.
I don't like a knife that won't take and edge or one that sharpens fast and is dull in three strokes.
Cat

[roadkill]

Agreed as to the sharpening aspect, Cat. My personal fave steel is O1 because I find it good to work with and fairly robust. That Nessie I posted above is some steel that I've never had before (and which escapes me at the mo), so I'm interested in seeing how I get along with it.

EDIT: it's 1095 steel

[CptnBlues63]

4-5" blade length, straight,not too wide, and drop point design. Comfortable to your hand is an asset. Should look at a good grip where your hand cant slide up onto the blade.

The above is my take on a knife too.

If you click on the link below and scroll down on Page 2 to where I'm showing off the sheath a fellow AO member made for my old knife (I just bought a new one) you'll see what I've been using for about 5 years now. It's an "Uncle Henry" made my Schrade. It's a medium quality knife (not high-end) but it held an edge really well for all those years and dressed numerous deer as well as several moose and elk.

I did replace the original handle with a piece of antler because I need the knife to fit my hand both sharp edge up and down. Those formed handles annoy me because while they fit your hand very well sharp edge down, they are uncomfortable sharp edge up.

http://www.outdoorsmenforum.ca/showthread.php?t=206080&page=2

Last year though, I finally had to put it on my grinder and I decided it was time to invest in a new knife. I've been meaning to get a Damascus steel knife for years and finally did. I just sent it to the same member to get a sheath made for it because the wooden one it came with. This is the knife below:

http://www.damascusknifestore.com/eshop/10Expand.asp?ProductCode=KB251

This is a Japanese "blue" steel knife and the edge on it is ridiculous. This is the sharpest knife I think I've ever held in my hand! I'm very much looking forward to using this knife come hunting season. I am going to have to grind the very end of the haft down a bit as where it flares sticks into the heel of my hand uncomfortably. But that's something that will only take a few seconds on the belt sander to fix.

[Lefty-Canuck]

Sharp Finger....Old Timer.

LC

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sharpfinger

Here is a description....used this since I started hunting.

LC

[xbolt5]

Swing blade is an awesome knife. x1000

The swingblade is easy to use, especially if you can't hoist it up... just be sure you clean the knife as soon as your finished, and it will last a long time and not get gunked up. The thing is durable, simple and relatively inexpensive.

[Dick284]

Here are some of the knives I've used over the years:
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b28/Dick284/Picture111.jpg

[CptnBlues63]

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sharpfinger

Here is a description....used this since I started hunting.

LC


Wish I'd seen that model when I was knife shopping 5 or 6 years back. I'd definitely have bought that instead of the Uncle Henry. That's perfect for the job!

[happy honker]

X 2 for the OLFA disposable blade utility knives.

I have several verey good hunting knives, and my partners have an emabarrasing amount of awesome knives...but we found over the last few years, when we were in a hurry at dusk, or whatever the situation, the Olfa disposable was the busiest knife in camp.
They are the yellow disposable blade knives you can buy almost anywhere.

I know the Piranta is an amazing knife with sugically sharp blades...but at less than a third of the cost, the OLFA is a must have in your pack.
We have a lot of sexy knives that look great on the hip, but for the last 3 seasons, the OLFA has been the "go to" knife.
I'm not saying i's the only knife you need...you should definetly get a good hunting knife...but these OLFAs are a must have for your kit.

Just dispose of your blades responsibally....you don't want some poor animal coming by your gut pile after your gone, smelling blood on the discarded blade and chomping it down. Same goes for you Piranta users.

[cochlan]

I have quite a knife collection going and just got a new Cutco gut hook hunting knife with a 4-1/2" cutting edge with the Double D edge. I was a little concerned about the serrated edge and not being able to sharpen it, but it comes with a lifetime warranty and all you have to do is send it back to Cutco to get it re-sharpened. I was told by one of the guides in this area that he can gut, skin and de-bone seven animals before he sends it in to get sharpened. Retail on the knife was $119, but a bunch of us went together and bought them and it cost us $90.

[covey ridge]

I used to have a Schrade Sharpe Finger. IIRC it was just like the one LC posted. Great little knife for field dressing. Along the way I gave it away. I wanted another one and this is what I bought! All I can say is Schrade is not what they used to be. Note the sheath. It is made from something but not leather and those cracks where there when I first opened the package. Note the blade point in the back. I am unable to take better picks to show you the quality but IIRC it is not where near the Schrade of old. Sorry for the poor quality pics. This knife will be my new letter opener:(

http://i58.tinypic.com/fna1l2.jpg
http://i57.tinypic.com/90dl5f.jpg
http://i62.tinypic.com/2quknes.jpg

[Foxton Gundogs]

Sharp Finger....Old Timer.

LC

I agree, nothing wrong with the Old Timers. Before I won my Puma I used one for many, many years only mine is the drop point model. Takes and holds an edge very well, is nicely balanced and wont break the bank. I have tried the Havalons. I have two, I am not a huge fan. They are great for fine work but not as an overall knife imo. We went thru a ridiculous number of blades shinning out a 6'6" bear last spring, they don't stay sharp long and tend to break if twisted a bit. I really don't like trying to change blades with slippery bloody hands one slip and it's stitches time(I was very glad I had a Leatherman the pliers make blade changing safer). I think they are just a gimmick for people who don't want to(or cant) keep an edge on a good knife. I keep my knifes razor sharp before a hunt and would much rather touch them up once or twice(on big animals, don't have to on deer size) than change those slippery little blades a bunch of times. But maybe that's just me to each their own

[antlercarver]

Before quads and 4x4`s some neighbors were hunting moose driving a small farm tractor,pulling a hay wagon to sleep on off the ground. After killing a moose they discovered they had lost their knife. They pulled a nail out of the hay rack, pounded it flat with a wrench on the tractor axel, then filed a edge on it and butchered the moose with it.

[Lefty-Canuck]

There are some Schrade knock offs out there too....it's hard to tell the real deal from a phoney, but I have always liked the blade style and how they fit my hand.

LC

[Lefty-Canuck]

Before quads and 4x4`s some neighbors were hunting moose driving a small farm tractor,pulling a hay wagon to sleep on off the ground. After killing a moose they discovered they had lost their knife. They pulled a nail out of the hay rack, pounded it flat with a wrench on the tractor axel, then filed a edge on it and butchered the moose with it.

....this coming from the guy who hates atlatls? :)

Irony is the best form of comedy.

LC

[RancheroMan]

If the knife will only be used for field dressing, that is relatively light work for any knife. Any sharp knife will open an animal quickly, make a hole in the hide big enough for the bale and cut from the inside out, I've found hair seems to dull a knife more quickly.

I don't like anything too big, 4-5 blade is plenty, if you have to get deep in there and work blind, it's easier to control a shorter blade.

For dressing, I don't like a handle that forces you to use only one grip so I stay way from deep finger groves or large arcs in the grip. Staying with the grip, something with a texture is great when the knife is bloody.

Animal fat gets into every nook and cranny and is a pain to clean out so keep that in mind when picking a knife.

Last few years I've spent more money then I've should on knives for EDC; Fallkniven, TOPPS, Benchmade, but I expect these blades to deal with absolutely anything I toss at them. At the same time I've never upgraded my field dressing knife from the $40 Gerber Gator fixed blade I first bought. As stated before, field dressing is easy work for any knife and the Gator has functioned great. I've always got a Leatherman on as well and toss other cutting jobs its way when I've got the Gerber strapped on.

The steel is too crappy for an everything+field dressing knife but for a dedicated dressing knife, the steel low on the list of priorities for me. Blade shape, length, grip and ease of cleaning are my priorities.

[Bassett]

....this coming from the guy who hates atlatls? :)

Irony is the best form of comedy.

LC

Don't start it hahaha. Lets keep this train on track.

My dad and I have used old timers for a long time, just got a havalon for Christmas cant wait to try it on an animals. I did skin a skull with it but I broke the blade 3 times....

[roadkill]

Any knife so long as it has D2 steel...


What do you like about D2 over O1 or 1095?

[Dunezilla]

I simple try to find a knife with a serrated blade that is no more than 4" long. I even used a nice serrated paring knife & I used it for 4 years on 10 deer & then got another one. I even use my Remington razor blade knife, or any razor blade knife.

[raab]

The Buck 119 works awesome, and comes with a sheath making it easy to wear while walking. Great knife for the price and will last you forever. Just need to sharpen it every once in awhile.

[creeky]

X 2 for the OLFA disposable blade utility knives.

I have several verey good hunting knives, and my partners have an emabarrasing amount of awesome knives...but we found over the last few years, when we were in a hurry at dusk, or whatever the situation, the Olfa disposable was the busiest knife in camp.
They are the yellow disposable blade knives you can buy almost anywhere.

I know the Piranta is an amazing knife with sugically sharp blades...but at less than a third of the cost, the OLFA is a must have in your pack.
We have a lot of sexy knives that look great on the hip, but for the last 3 seasons, the OLFA has been the "go to" knife.
I'm not saying i's the only knife you need...you should definetly get a good hunting knife...but these OLFAs are a must have for your kit.

Just dispose of your blades responsibally....you don't want some poor animal coming by your gut pile after your gone, smelling blood on the discarded blade and chomping it down. Same goes for you Piranta users.


That's a really good responsible point, got after a buddy last hunt attempting :-( to leave his spent blades around the gut pile!

[bergman]

Here are some of the knives I've used over the years:
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b28/Dick284/Picture111.jpg

Nice knives. I Like the top one best!

Seriously, I have a DH Russel Canadian Belt knife that I really like - great for skinning - but I use my plain old Mora the most! (top knife in the photo)

$12 at Peavy Mart - the best dollars-to-quality value in a knife you will ever see!

[landwalker]

Found this particular type of hatchet is also very good.http://www.weapons-universe.com/Brands/Smith_and_Wesson_Knives/Cuttin%20Horse%20Bulls_Eye_Hatchet-Rubber_Handle-SW-CH100.jpg

[roadkill]

Found this particular type of hatchet is also very good.http://www.weapons-universe.com/Brands/Smith_and_Wesson_Knives/Cuttin%20Horse%20Bulls_Eye_Hatchet-Rubber_Handle-SW-CH100.jpg


Reminds me that I'd love to try the Gransfors hunting axe. I love the concept of pounding the skin off of a deer like it's designed for.

[landwalker]

I was using as Inuit doing with the skin knife actually, and the hatchet works even better.

http://www.antiqueswordsonline.com/wp-content/gallery/inuit-knife/inuit-knife-1.jpg?11f63d

[roadkill]

I was using as Inuit doing with the skin knife actually, and the hatchet works even better.



http://www.antiqueswordsonline.com/wp-content/gallery/inuit-knife/inuit-knife-1.jpg?11f63d


Okay, I could see that. The blade shapes are very similar, but the handle position probably makes a big difference.

[Tremar]

The best and lightest is a scalpel, cheap and always a new blade

[.Stephen.]

I ended up using a gift card and bought the outdoor edge swing blade. It feels awesome. Anyone use one of these?

[covey ridge]

I ended up using a gift card and bought the outdoor edge swing blade. It feels awesome. Anyone use one of these?

Yep, I tried it last year on two deer and most of the job on a large cow elk. I like it so much that I donated most of my other knives and picked up a couple more Outdoor Edge products.

[bobalong]

I ended up using a gift card and bought the outdoor edge swing blade. It feels awesome. Anyone use one of these?

I use one of these as well, great knife for the price.

[BeerSlayer1]

Swing blade with a fluorescent orange handle; so it makes it a little harder to lose!:mad0100:

x2

[landwalker]

Okay, I could see that. The blade shapes are very similar, but the handle position probably makes a big difference.

If you happen to have one, give it a try. I have both, but fell better on the hatchet.

[pikeslayer22]

Have quite a few just got a havalon but i can see it being flimsy and braking lots of blades as others have said...Also just purchased an outdoor edge with the disposable blades...My go to is a Cutco out of around 20 different skinning knives

[browning375]

I have quite a knife collection going and just got a new Cutco gut hook hunting knife with a 4-1/2" cutting edge with the Double D edge. I was a little concerned about the serrated edge and not being able to sharpen it, but it comes with a lifetime warranty and all you have to do is send it back to Cutco to get it re-sharpened. I was told by one of the guides in this area that he can gut, skin and de-bone seven animals before he sends it in to get sharpened. Retail on the knife was $119, but a bunch of us went together and bought them and it cost us $90.

Love my cutco with double D edge! Can dress an animal completely without worry of the blade getting dull. This knife works awesome for ripping through the brisket and knocking off legs at the knuckle. Will always carry this knife with me!

[Rainemaker]

About seven years ago I took a knife work shop in Olds while at college paid $200 and made a true masterpiece. If love to do another one. It's as the guys say 4-5 inch blade handle made right to my hand hardened by me I even made the sheath. I have to look up how to post pics and put one up. I've loved knives for a long time. Just start buying and build a collection that will handle any task. Peace out.

[Okotokian]

Field dressing a deer (or even larger animal) really isn't that much of a challenge for most knives. The number of knives that can do it is almost limitless. I've never owned a knife that couldn't do it. Gerber, Buck, no-name knock-offs. Have a buddy that uses his Buck 110 folder on everything... deer, elk, moose. Works great. Personally I do like a drop point with a bit of belly on it for the skinning...

This is what I mostly use now. scary sharp. cut myself a couple times last fall field dressing my mulie buck. LOL

http://www.sportingoutbacksupplies.com.au/images/T/buck%20ergo%20pro.jpg

Some do love the havalon, but I prefer not to carry multiple knives, and I'd never go out with just one of those folding razor blades ;)