Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting What knife/knives are best for dressing out a whitetail deer?

Do you need both a skinning and boning knife? What else? Since no bones are cut, it seems, I guess no saw is needed, or am I wrong? Special knife for gutting? Is there one knife design that does it all? Thanks.

There is a knife design that does it all, at least for me. I like fixed blade, drop point knives. Skinning, dressing, and butchering...all can be done with this type of knife.

Will this knife do?

This model from Pete Moon is my favorite. The small blade is easy to work in tight areas, rounded belly keeps me from puncturing what I don't want to puncture, and it balances well. ATS-34 keeps me going through several deer at a time.

I don't use a saw. I remove the hind quarter from the pelvis and there is no need.

Sure will.

Nice.

Here's one I have that looks similar. Made by Randy Lee.

That's a nice one! Same here...no saw.

That's what I like. Nice.

Thanks.

You're set.

I kind of favor this bottom one you just showed.

I use a Buck "skinner" or sometimes if I'm doing a lot of climbing or difficult crawling through branches etc & don't care to have a knife handle poking me in the sides I carry a heavy drop point folder with an ATS-34 blade. That on'es almost become my fav. Not as exciting or special as a one off custom but it holds up very well for me, good quality, just lacks individuality.



my other go to that I spoke of is also as boring as a brown dog but I like it anyways.



And the only work I have for a saw is the pelvis where I have become spoiled using one of these for about 5 years now.

I like that Buck Knife. Which model is it? Skinner? How much?

the black handle? I've had it for years now. They used to be around $40

I suppose today they might be a little more but I'd expect them to still fall below $50 or around 50

The upper, the folder with the rosewood grips is also a buck brand called the alpha hunter, when you lock it open you would hardly know it's a filder, very stout.

I skin out just below the knee joints on front & hind legs & cut the leg at the knee socket. The sockets are kind of juicy & when I do it there is usually some prety good popping/cracking noises as I cut tendons aroind the joint front, sides & back & give them a good side load to snap the joint open which exposes the remaining connecting tendons so you can cut without running your knife against too much bone. It's kinda gross I suppose, not really the sort of thing little girls care for as I learned with my daughter who informed me of the grossness...

But it works & I can do it pretty fast that way. Prety much the same deal with the hip socket.

Haven't really mastered the head removal with out getting pretty close with the cutting then finishing with a few chops with the blade to wack through. That's one of the reasons I appreciate a blade with a heavy spine to it.

Wow, maybe my daughter's right, maybe I am gross.

I just got this one for my birthday, I hope to break it in good this year. I usually gut, skin, quarter, debone all with one buck knife. it is about $60-$95 depending on where and sale.
Folding Alpha hunter with guthook


This is the one I have been using for years good knife cheap on sale from $19.95 - $34.95

Don't forget -- you need the Butt-out tool for your deer as well!



Get it here.

John

was waiting for someone to toss in the pooper puller.



bronc, I got my alpha hunter before they came out with gut hook. Man I like that knife though. Stout!! I've learned to give it a light coat of cooking oil if I put it away for a while as the ATS-34 blade isn't entirely corrosion proof.

that bottom knife, think they called it a 110 or something like that.

When I was a kid everyone had 2 of those because in the 70's for a while they had a mail in guarantee that they would replace the knife even if you simply lost it!!

Everyone bought one & mailed in the warranty.

Some guys were going halfsies on them & mailing in the card for the replacement knife.

tough old knifes, timeless.

Always thought of them as excellent "truck knives" or backup knives.

Removing the head is definitely the hardest skill to master when it comes to disassembling a big game animal. I learned a trick when I was guiding Caribou hunters in the NWT. If you skin the cape all the way up between the antlers, you can feel with your finger where the last vertebra is, called the crown joint. There is an air pocket on either side of the center line of the joint. If you twist the head towards either side of the body, you can get your knife in the joint, and cut the cartilage. Turn the head the other way, repeat, and you can pop the head off without touching bone with your knife, and definitely without a saw or hatchet. Being a broke student, I don't have a fancy custom knife, so all I carry for complete animal processing from start to finish (with the exception of skinning out the face for the taxidermist) is this:
It doesn't look like much, but it's safe, solid, holds an edge well, and sharpens up like a razor blade...Oh and it costs $14

I would guess that most of the deer and hogs I have dressed, as well as one 'gator, and a number of smaller animals, have been cleaned with these two knives.
The first is a Randall 11, and the other is a very old Clauss.

I tried several different knives last year and sought some advice recently in the knife forum.

Before season starts I will have one of these, but with a rubber handle.

Solid grip, nice blade design, S30V steel, < $100, pretty good bargain IMHO.

I have the Randall #11 too, and that old Clauss looks identical in design to my Marbles Woodcraft.

Gene Ingram makes a handful of various knife combo's that work extremely well.