Knife choice is based on individual emotion, most any knife can field dress and break down an elk... handed down or a present, what you were taught with or just catches your eye.

My first field knife was an Uncle Henry brass and wood, still have it somewhere in my stuff. Then my daughter when she was 10 gave me a buck protege rubber handled knife from Kmart for Christmas, I was skeptical as it wasn't as stout as my UH, dressed my next deer with it and it did well, I've used it on more than 50 animals and still carry it in my pack.

During my backpacking years I went to cheap light paring knives, back then 1 dollar for 4, 50 cent worth of knife would skin an elk on the ground slicker than snot, toss them when you get home... pre Havalon disposables I guess.

A butcher turned me on to the paring knives both cheapos and the birds beak Victorinox, which I used next, nothing beats it for skinning.

The last elk 2 years ago I used an old lambs skinner I keep in my butcher box, just because I wanted to... emotion... It worked well just like any other knife.

The birds beak in the picture is a henckel, same profile as the Vics which are packed away.

The only Havalon I witnessed in use on an elk broke a blade early on by the user, I had to find the piece then continued with my knife... so because of emotion I wouldn't use one again.

I have old skinners in my box and if someone brought an elk into camp whole I would use one for nostalgia sake, but not carry in the pack.

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