Home Forums Gear Knives and Blades Deer Gutting/ skinning knife

im just looking for the perfect knife under 50bucks

No such thing as the "perfect" knife. There are always trade offs as one shifts between tasks. Possibly a multiple blade folder, such as a Trapper, but a folder isn't the "perfect" choice. Gutting, skinning, and caping always lead to different blade profiles. Of course all of the above is just my opinion.

In my opinion, a folder is just too hard to clean after field dressing a deer.

For all purpose, I guess a 4 inch drop point, like the Loveless style comes closest to best all around, with one exception.

My first choice is the Russel Style.

It is a drop point of sorts, but just not quite as fat in the cutting edge curve towards the point.

The top of the handle is slightly higher than the blade. This makes it easier when you have to bear down and cut through something thick. But NOT BONE. The contour between the handle and blade is a good place to rest your thumb when you have to bear down to cut through thick or tough meat by pressing on top of the knife.

I think you will be pleased with Mora knives made in Sweden. Everything a knife has to be. Around 12 bucks for the carbon steel version. SS available for a couple bucks more. If you take care to wipe the blood off the blade after use, the carbon steel version is da bomb.

I have one of these little Ka-Bar skinners I bought in a whim because it was 20 bucks or something. I used it on a turkey I shot monday and man its a nice little knife! Held an edge pretty good and sharpened up nice, comes in a leather sheath and the whole 9.

The link only shows the pic but Im sure flea-bay has some.....

http://www.knivesplus.com/KA-1444-KA-BAR.HTML

I have skinned my fair share of deer with the Kershaw Vapor and its little brother the Vapor II.

Case XX Trapper, or a Muskrat. Never seen a bigger knife that helped any.

Hi Robert, everytime I see one of those Russell blades I wonder who ended up with our blank. I still want one if you get around to making some more.

With regards to the "perfect" knife, I think a 4 inch blade is too long. I wouldn't want to cape a trophy with a 4 inch blade. I find a 2 3/4 - 3 inch blade works best for me on deer size animals. A 4 inch would work better on elk size. IMHO

Boise
Sounds like you should be in line to field test one of these.

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n273/tolt29/100_0337.jpg
Tim

Tim, just show me where to sign up and I'll "test" the heck out of as many as you're willing to share. Still want to try one of the Russell knives though. Your K2 capers tested out exceptionally well, they have become the knife of choice for two of my friends.

My comments on the blanks, and PLEASE keep in mind that I'm not a knife expert.
- I prefer a relief in the blade where the edge meets the guard. This makes it a tad bit weaker but easier to sharpen.
- I prefer a handle that is less straight.
- the angled bolster looks cool but would be more difficult (I think) to sharpen on my setup.
- 0.125 thk?

The sheath design has some real promise. I'll be trying that idea in the future!

Boise:

I understand. I will always wonder about that, too. I wonder if he/she is smart enough to know what he has?

Talking about caping. I went by a taxidermy shop one day, and he was caping around the feet of a bear. He ordered single edged razor blades by the case, and they seemed to work as good as any $500.00 knife you could find.

He also cleaned, skinned, and butchered deer. He used a fixed blade knife like you might find on the shelves at Wall-Mart.

I didn't even insult him by asking if he would like to try one of my knives, for the simple purpose of determining how it held up, (edge holding) and how practical the shape was for his purpose.

But, you know, that would be the ideal way to find out how good the knife holds up, and how practical the design, by letting someone use it to clean and butcher more deer in one season than most of us are likely to butcher in a life time.

Oh, on the other question. Soon, I hope. Very soon. You are aware of the situation I have been in, and it is still not settled, and it is depressing. So depressing that you just arn't in the mood to do anything, plus , I have just gotten over a kidney stone.

You haven't lived until you have one of those things.

The only thing that hurt worse was many years ago when I was out in the woods hunting and had to use the bathroom. They was no bathroom available, so I found a flat place and squatted there, and set down right in the middle of a bear trap. That was bad enough, and the noise it made snapping shut scared me and I jumped. You would not believe the feeling when that chain used to hold it in place jerked tight.

For skinning the head of game animals I much prefer a disposable scalpel with extra blades. When 1 blade gets dull you just swap it out for a new one.
Obviously this is for the intricate work around the eyes, ears and lips, it would take way to long to cape an animal with a scalpel.
I usually carry about 5-10 blades depending on what i'm hunting.

1234567

"I wonder if he/she is smart enough to know what he has?"

Lost me on this one --- what where you talking about (if it is any of my business)?

Boise
You talking about adding a choil??
IF you were to get one in your hand, you just might crack a smile.
I am grinding them with both vertical and angled plunge line. And some with a rounded off butt.
Yes .125", 154CM, at 59Rc, w/ cryo temper.

I could bring a couple out, along with my 284, during elk season.
Tim

1234567, I avoid mentioning the situation for fear of bring back memories of lost knives and all the other crap. Also I don't believe the details need to be shared here. A kidney stone must be a small event after what you've been through - of course I bet it didn't feel like that at the moment of passage!

For clarification to others: 1234567 mailed me a mirror polished Russell like blade blank as shown in the picture. The US mail lost the blade but delivered the empty package. We were able to resolve it due to insurance but I still don't have a blade of the Russell design.

Scapels scare me, I've had the blades break before and that adds to my fear. I do have them at home but don't use them very much. Mine are the fixed blade type.


Tim, yep choil is the name but I couldn't recall it while writing my message. I would probably like a round off butt. The 154 works great on the K2 and I agree with .125 thk.

If you want to hunt Idaho elk, send me a PM and we can easily put together a hunt. The wolves have made a mess of things but you should have a good hunt. I go for cow elk because for some sick, demented, reason I don't find elk antlers that apealing but love to eat elk - the odds are awfully good for drawing a cow. The best hunts are in controlled areas so you'll need to apply but the odds are fairly good. The 284 tips them over nicely.

Rick

MRG:

The blade was a mirror polished Russel style blade made from 154 CM, heatreated by Paul Bos in an atmosphere furnace to a hardness of about Rc61.

You can't get much better than that. As Boise said, he got the package, but no blade.

The person who has it has a knife made from about the best material available, and made by someone, who, not wanting to brag, but pretty much knows how to make a knife. He/she has got something that he will probably never appreciate, and will probably cut as good as a $2000.00 Loveless or some of the other top, and high dollar makers.

Boise, there is something coming on TV that I want to watch, but I will send a PM later. There has been some developments in the other situation. I have written about it on other treads, so a few people know about it. If anyone is interested, I was arrested last year for defending myself against someone, actually my son, who was trying to kill me with, you guessed it, a butcher knife. I fought him off with one of my handmade knives, actually a sword I hade made several years ago, but I was the one arrested.

The handmade sword did what it was designed to do, or it would have it he hadn't have compared my 30 inch sword blade to his 8 inch butcher knife blade and decided that this is not such a good idea after all. If I had cut him, it would have been in his butt, because that is the last thing I saw as he ran out the door.

He did learn that you do not carry a butcher knife to a sword fight.

Dumb ass police thought I had an unfair advantage because I picked up a sword, so they arrested me. They didn't think that when they pointed two loaded Glocks and an AR 15 at him and told him to drop the knife or they would kill him.

I could have told them I could get the knife away from him with my sword and not take a chance on hurting bystanders when they emptied their Glocks and AR15, but they didn't ask my opinion.

I also could have told them that the sword would penetrate those bullet proof vest they were wearing, if they had asked, but they didn't and I didn't offer them any advice.

I am sure I will catch some crap for my current backpack hunting blade.



I has treated me well so far and I have used it on the mountain to skin, bone and cape a couple goats and several mule deer. That being said, I really like the looks of the Orion backpacker.



Any other recommendations for a good backpacking blade that won't break the bank for me ie...~$150 or less. I ain't looking for no pretty knife, just a light, ~3" blade, multipurpose knife.

"I am sure I will catch some crap for my current backpack hunting blade."

Not from me. My all time favorite is the Dean Russel design pictured above, but the one you show, the Outdoor Edge, is close enough to the design of the Russel that the usefulness and function should be very similiar.

One thing I have noticed in the past few years is the number of knives being made without a seperate guard. They have a sort of built in guard, and choil, I think that is the word, as shown on the Orion.

Back in the 70s, when I first started making knives, most knifes from the big name and famous makers came equiped with a guard, either brass, stainless, or nickel silver.

I thought then, and I do now, that all a guard is usefull for is getting in the way when you are trying to field dress a deer. In some instences, the guard would prevent your hand from slipping to the cutting edge, making a nasty cut, but the small tab and/or choil will serve the same purpose as a guard.

I made a few knives without guards, but back then, if you wanted to sell a knife, you had to put a guard on it, which, as anyone knows who has ever made a knife, is a lot of trouble and takes a lot of time, adding greatly to the price of the knife.

I much prefer the styles shown above, and the Mays and others shown on other threads.

mtmiller, I've owned five of the K2 Orions and currently have two. They work exceptionally well for me. The wound cord grip would become a mess the first time I used the knife so I've opted for wood scales on mine.

Your Outdoor Edge looks like a fine caper to me and I'm sure it can do the complete job. A nice feature to be able to make a cut deeper than the blade length, bet that helps while deboning.

If you're looking for complaints, "Dude, it has a molded plastic handle!" But then so do my rifles -

I bought one of these last year.
I gutted 3 deer with it and skinned one.

The knife worked perfectly, but the tiny grooves in the handle held some dried blood for a while till I scrubbed them out with a brush.

I put the knife back in the sheath and got dried blood in there too.