Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Small Game What are your favorite knives for cleaning small game?

I've always used a 6in Rapala fillet knife. The fillet knife is still excellent for cutting out the breast on birds.

I have now switched over to the Victorinox 3-1/4" paring knife and a havalon Piranta.

I like my White river Small game hunter fixed blade (I use it to gut deer too) or for cleaning squirrels i like an Ontario Rat 2 with AUS8 steel, AUS8 dont hold the best edge but its super easy to sharpen razor sharp and its pretty corrosion resistant to boot. For $32 the Rat 2 is a hard folder to beat 👍.....Hb

That White River Small Game is a very nice looking knife VaHillbilly. I may need to look into getting one myself.

Case sodbuster with a carbon blade. It works on coons, rabbits, squirrels, deer, turkeys, hogs, and bears. Plus it fits in your pocket

Russel Green River paring knife. Very sharp. Grind any profile
you want on an economy priced knife.

This is just down the page...

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbt...5307562/best-squirrel-knife#Post15307562

I have a wooden handled mora for general camp craft.

Case mini-copperlock. I like the locking blade and perfect for cleaning rabbit, squirrel, or trout.

Am A G Russell Woodswalker works well for me.

Knives of Alaska Cub Bear

A. G. Russell Gents Hunter fixed blade, which has a 2-3/4" length drop point hollow ground blade. I like these particular knives but any nice little slim drop point with a 2-1/2" to 3" blade works very well.

The 4” Rapala can’t be beat.

For hunting, I really like the Ironwill K1 knife. Holds an edge well and works awesome.

Camillus Sword Brand #3 lockback.
Old Timer 1940T {Schrade USA}
Buck 500 Duke
Case Trapper

Case Mako.

Swiss Army Tinker
Dexter Russel Skinner 3-3/4” blade
Gerber Game Shears

Just a Sandvik/Mora 4" works for me for a LOT of things.

Contact MRK and order one of his little paring / B&T . They work.

meat shears

An old Mike Sanders skinner. Very good squirrel and rabbit knife.

Case, Buck

Dexter Russel net knife and forged poultry shears from the same maker. Their el cheapo plastic shears are okay but the forged metal ones are a world apart and very reasonably priced around 30 bucks from restaurant supply stores.

My old Case Hawbakers Special

Mora Kansbol is light and superb and it van handle food tasks pretty good.

victor nix 4 inch paring knife

I have a Buck 107 that was handed down from my father. It looks and feel good

Whatever 2-3" blade folding knife that I have in my pocket that day. I have several and I don't see much difference between them.

A few years ago when I shot my Leopard in Mozambique, the camp skinners were skinning it and I went over to them, took out the 2" folding knife that I had in my pocket that day and showing it to them I asked if I could help. They all got a good laugh.

I use an estwing hatchet to cut off feet and heads rabbits and squirrels and any sharp pointed pocket knife. Mine are case trappers. I disjoint squirrels and cut the saddle out of squirrels with whatever kitchen knife in the.house when I wash them off. Doves I have some game shears I cut feet heads and wings off with no knife used.

Wabbits and skwerls whatever sharp something
to start a hole in the skin. The rest is finger work.
Doves are breasted by hand and the wings are
cut off by whatever way I have at the time. I used
to have some of those EMT shears in the game
pocket. They're probably still there.
Haven't shot or cleaned a duck since before I
was a teenager. I could probably still figure it out.
Possums and coons in the traps go into the bone
yard or out by the back fence. They're not worth
anything for pelts. If things get bad enough before
I go, they'll be honored dinner guests. Probably
should request some various recipes for palatable
varmint dishes

A custom BERG I had requested from him a few years before the maker passed:



About a 2 3/4 blade - OAL under 5 7/8. Just a little scalpel for trout and birds or rabbits.

That's a beauty!

+1 - that looks like a very well made knife!!

PennDog

Almost bought one of those Boker Doziers.

McCrosky Knife, Trapper Set

Gerber Bird & Trout knife.

Ricky Bobs 12 GA is a dandy critter/fur/trout knife.....

I like a small folder. I have the smallest buck folder. Black micarta handles, with 2 blades. The only thing that would improve it is a locking feature.
I also carry a couple cheapo locking folders at times.
I like the folders as the fit in my 22 bullet pouch with all the loose bullets and a couple spare mags.

A Western small game is what Grandad used and I grew up on and like it a lot

I use any one of the half dozen bird and trout style knives I have from Mike Miller.

I have a new scaled down B&T coming from Charles May specifically for squirrel skinning.

Imperial Shrade "Cracked Ice" liner lock.
Small, fits in the little pouches I carry rimfire rounds in.
Blade locks.
One blade, all I need for squirrel and rabbit.
It is the peanut model.
Was 10 bucks ea. Just found out they closed shop.
Went on the epay and bought two more for my other grap n go rimfire pouches with bullets and mags in them.
Btw, I have an offer in the classifieds to help kids with holey pockets out.

You don't need a machete, so any small(ish) pocket knife that can be easily sharpened.
Dressed out a mess of squirrels once with one of those "gentlemen"s fingernail" knife! WAY too small!

[/quote]The 4” Rapala can’t be beat.[/quote]

Yup. This is what I have used 95% of the time for bunnies and tree rats my whole life.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/uPbyMUoF42iTX2zk7
I'd like 2 or 3 more of them.
I can't post pics.

I carry the Knives of Alaska Bear Cub and Muskrat. Works for me from woodcock up to coyotes. The Muskrat is a great beaver knife alos.

Bear Cub/ Muskrat combo

Breasted a bunch of birds Sunday with this'un. Kinda liked it.....

My latest. Charles May TEAL.

My favorite is a sowbelly stockman by BOKER. - Sherwood

1+ for the 4” Victorinox boning knife - relatively flexible blade, holds edge well, blade and grip are easy to keep sanitary, grip is plenty big/ergonomic, and it’s relatively inexpensive. Only downside is finding a sheath. Mine goes on every trip and has helped process deer to squirrels. I have sexier, more expensive knives but they rarely, if ever get used on the game processing table.

There's no reason to use a knife or tool to breast birds out. It's super fast and simple to just use fingers. Just takes a couple seconds. Had some Canuks show me.