Brad's thread got me thinking

I have only cut the antlers off one big bull elk

With help from my wife and my Ryobi 18V sawsall and a nice new 10" blade it was still the toughest skull I have ever cut through

I can only imagine how tough of a job this would be on a steep rocky slope with a hand saw

So my question.....what is the best 2 bone saws

Packable and the truck saw you pack in on trip #2

I opted to cape out and saw later....gotta love my trekking poles

I haven't used a Wyoming saw but they look like they should be very good. For a big bull, you need a long blade, 8" mininum and 10 or so is better. You have a lot of width to cut through. The WY comes with 2 blades for wood and bone. Since it's a bow saw, it will cut either pushing or pulling, unlike an open bladed saw like the Sierra.

If you can get the head to the truck, it's hard to beat a good battery recip saw, though.

Here's one I DON'T recommend - the Sven saw, even though it's very light weight. To start with, I don't think they make a bone blade. It folds very compact but it's a triangle, not a bow. The frame severely limits the dept of cut. I had one years ago and hated it. It's also a knuckle buster for the same reason - depth of cut.

Ted, I've used the Sierra Saw to take off the skull cap on a small bull I wasn't interested in doing a Euro mount to. It worked fine. The old Gerber "exchange-a-blade" saw was quite good, both wood and bone blades, but the newer version is reputed to be a lesser incarnation. Can't say, but my old Gerber traveled with me on all hunts for years before it gave up the ghost. It's relatively light, and works.

In the 1970's I used the Sven Saw RC mentions above, and I can verify it's basically crap. Have also used the discontinued "Sawvivor." Heavy, but it works well enough. Ditto the Wyoming Saw, but there's no way I'm lugging a saw that weigh's around 1lb.

Were I wanting a bone/wood setup for backpack hunting I guess I'd try the newest Gerber exchange-a-blade saw. It travels in a nifty little nylon sheath, and definitely packs better than the Sierra Saw.

Hard to beat a Wyoming saw ....not the lightest but they work very well!

Well, here's something I tried that didn't work ...

On a pack-in elk hunt this year I took a sawzall blade with a couple inches of duct tape on the end to use as a bone saw.

After getting through the lower leg bones on a bull, I was glad I didn't have to do any skull work ...

It's one experiment that won't be repeated.

Also, I used to own a sven saw. Very cool, but bone is the last thing I'd want to do with it. Have also cut bone with my folding Sierra Saw. It worked, but the blade was toast.

The sawzall blade idea was just for backpacking. If you can get the head back to the truck, the sky is the limit for tools that will work, including a hacksaw. Last taxidermist I saw do such a job used a Ryobi battery powered sawzall.

For $10 you can get a Stanley folding saw that uses sawzall blades. It's a lot easier than tape.

I would gladly use something half the weight of the wyoming saw if it worked 60 percent as well. I have not tried a lot of saws, but the wyoming saw worked well, and none of the others I've tried have. I tried an outdoor edge, and I think 3 of us, tried and gave up on the skull cap of a bull and opted to just carry the cape and saw it at home.

I agree that removing the skull cap on an elk is tough. I have tried several saws. Carrying out the skull plate is much smarter than carrying the whole head, especially when you are also carrying meat. I have also tried the duct tape method listed above ONCE. I have now landed with the Havlon bone saw. It is lightweight and effective. It also reaches into spots a triangular saw can't reach. Havalon Baracuta Folding Bone Saw 4.375"

A close second is the Gerber EZ Saw - IF - you grind off that stop on the end of the blade that prevents reaching deep during the process.

I've gone through a bunch of different saws, the best one I've found for skull capping and general purpose is a 15" Stanley handsaw. Fits right against my back in my pack and will saw through all the skull cap you want. No knuckle busting, no folding on itself, no coming apart, no limit on depth of cut... Moose skull caps are about 3x more suck than an elk, same goes for the rib cage if you need to split it.

I've use a Wyoming saw, and many other folding type saws, plunge (knap saw type) and nothing compares to an actual saw for me.

They cost about $10, and will last me a season of firewood cutting, and skull plates.

There's no end to how many saws will work. Here are a few things I look for:

a blade long enough to go from side to side and allow for sawing action without the tip going inside the head. A short saw will work if you saw 1 side at a time but that's too much work.

fine teeth. Those wood teeth will work but a fine tooth will work better

no back. It needs to be able to go all the way down through skull without hanging up.

The saw Bambistew posted meets all 3 even though it's bigger and heavier than I like for elk hunting.

Bambistew - that is what we do for moose too. Quick, cheap, dependable, works on everything. I don't carry one sheep hunting, but otherwise there are usually a few in our camps.

Never seen the plastic handled one - looks light.

I know Sierra saws are supposed to be cheap and darn near useless but I have a different opinion of them. My guide and I used two of them to cut a 3 1/2 mile trail
from camp to the moose kill site this past September. They made quick work of dozens of alder and willow branches. Yes they got bent, straightened and bent again. Never did break one. Now this wasn't strictly a backpack hunt so weight wasn't a big issue. I bought 6 of them when I came home and sent them to him.
In the end they made the meat pack out trips easier and now he has a primitive trail back into that site.

I'm sure it works but I'm not wanting to carry that in my pack.......

I've used the older Gerber exchange a blade saws with success. If the new ones arent up to snuff I would look into the various sawzall blade combinations that attach to a handle used by drywallers.

Here's the one I use.



The handle is plastic and very light weight, but yet gives you something to grab onto that is comfortable. I use only the one blade, the wider, beefier one, and put that in a leather scabbard I have from another saw. I use the little 1/4-20 bolt that comes with it and add a wing nut to make tightening the bolt easy. The bolt and wingnut stay with the handle and ride in the bottom of my pack. The blade, inside the scabbard, can go anywhere, riding vertically. I've cut many a skull, ribcage, and pelvis with this saw. Best I've found to date for large game and skull caps. I would imagine total weight is only 6 oz or so.

I have a Sawvior saw and like it. I used a Allen company T handled saw for years.

Wyoming Saw is what I've used on three bulls. Still very hard work.

http://www.amazon.com/Wyoming-Knife...3183&sr=8-2&keywords=wyoming+saw

The only saw that isn't hard work is a battery recip saw.

I realize this is the backpacking forum. My favorite backpacking saw, is no saw. Best weight savings there is.

Not sure about your size limitations, it fits in a day pack no problem. It weighs about 8oz. My WY saw weighs about 20 with the sheath, Knapp saws are about 12-18 depending on model. I won't pack a folding saw unless desperate.

I've used the Knapp saws enough to know that they work but are a true pain in the ass. Cutting through an elk's skull, especially on a big bull, with one is more work than I want these days. When the blade catches and you bend the blade, then the fun really begins since it wants to bind. The handle is really terrible if its cold and you need to keep gloves on. That's why I wanted one with a good handle.

The OP asked about bone saws. For backpacking, if you get a bull, it's either carry out the antlers or the whole head. You're not taking antlers off with a knife so it's either a hatchet or a saw and a saw's a lot lighter. Almost any saw's lighter than 20lb of bone on your back.

If your using the 11" saw than I agree there is not much stroke, you need the longer 17" model!

I have two plastic sawzall blade holders that open and close like pocket knives, and hold an extra blade in the handle. One is Stanley and the other is the same except for color and says Lyman on the handle, 5 oz with an extra blade.