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Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 1,428
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 1,428 |
Montana what is that bottom one on the first set of pics, maybe brown micarta, looks like a sweet little knife thanks.
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Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 13,358
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 13,358 |
Eat Fish, Wear Grundens, Drink Alaskan.
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Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 1,428
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 1,428 |
Thank you, looks like a very ergo friendly hunter.
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Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 6,284
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 6,284 |
I've used skinning knives with blades from 3" to 5", from old Western's to modern Randall's - I like 3-1/2" to 4" the best and prefer a Buck 118 over all others.
One of the sanest, surest, and most generous joys of life comes from being happy over the good fortune of others. Archibald Rutledge
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Joined: Sep 2012
Posts: 18,243
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Sep 2012
Posts: 18,243 |
I've used skinning knives with blades from 3" to 5", from old Western's to modern Randall's - I like 3-1/2" to 4" the best and prefer a Buck 118 over all others. Good call. ^^^^ I got by with this old Estwing and a little Buck 102 for over forty years before someone told me I needed a custom knife. (Estwing on the outside, Buck on the inside.) But I also did one a couple of weeks ago with an old carbon steel B&T knife so what do I know?
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Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 5,123 Likes: 1
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 5,123 Likes: 1 |
When hunting I always carry a belt knife. For antelope to elk, I prefer a 3 7/8" to 4 1/8" semi drop point blade, bevel ground, .125" thick and slightly less than 1" width. With this I can zip, open up, split, core bung hole, gut, skin, quarter, bone out and reduce cuts as the situation requires. I carry a smaller fixed blade (3" or so) for back up in my back pack . I don't put any part of my hands/fingers as far up as the cutting edge when working on game. I usually have a knife with some restriction in design such as a applied or integral guard or at least a finger notch----but not always.
But I still have a pile of knives to field test, so I could move off of center as time passes.
There are more "small" things you can do well with a bigger knife than there are "big" things you can do well with a smaller knife. Not considering the extremes here. Just my current opinions. Tim
"The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them." Albert Einstein
At Khe Sanh a sign read "For those who fight for it, life has a flavor the protected never knew".
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Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 4,896 Likes: 6
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 4,896 Likes: 6 |
What is your preferred blade length for a deer hunting knife and why? I like a small knife, max maybe 4 inch blade. Why? Because you only use the tip 90% of the time and a big knife is awkward cutting inside the chest cavity, cutting the diaphragm...etc. Don't need a thick heavy blade either....a pocket knife or a small fixed blade sold as a "bird and trout" knife or for "small game" is about right.
"Men must be governed by God or they will be ruled by tyrants". --- William Penn
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Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 5,221
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 5,221 |
I've historically carried a 3 - 3 1/4" drop point of some design or other. I've used a bunch and the only trouble I've ever encountered was hand fatigue when boning out an elk single handily with too small of a handle. Seems of late one of Tim's B&Ts is most often found in my pack.
I most commonly carry a folder, 3 5/8 overall, and a fixed blade in my pack. For deer and antelope I grab one and do the entire job. Elk get to see all my knives - one cuts hide and the other meat.
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Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 5,123 Likes: 1
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 5,123 Likes: 1 |
Just about perfect I would say.
Last edited by michiganroadkill; 12/23/14.
"The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them." Albert Einstein
At Khe Sanh a sign read "For those who fight for it, life has a flavor the protected never knew".
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Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 3,502
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 3,502 |
I find a blade from 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 inches ideal. My personal favourite for the last few years is Charlie May's Slitter. It has a 3 1/4 in blade, mine is Scandi ground. Makes darn quick work of deer. Haven't had the opportunity to try it out on an elk but I suspect it will be up to the task.
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Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 19,096 Likes: 3
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 19,096 Likes: 3 |
I like a thin 3 1/2" blade.
Like a Spyderco Moran drop point.
Dave
�The man who complains about the way the ball bounces is likely to be the one who dropped it.� Lou Holtz
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