Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting Good knife to field dress a deer?

I couldn't care less what brand one uses, but I find smaller is better with blades no longer than my index finger. I take my deer and elk down to front and back halves with a Buck "Trapper" pocket knife.

Pretty much any knife you can get sharp that stays sharp will work just fine. I like a smallish 2.5-4" fixed blade with a decent belly in it.

I have an older rubber handled Columbia River i really like as well as a buck vanguard.

recently I have had good luck with the buck mini alpha hunter, $70.00 at Cabellas, before that I went thru 2 of the buck 110 folding knives, still have the last one, still use it.

Buck 112 Ranger for gutting and Case trapper for skinning.

Take a look at a Mora knife. Nice profile and inexpensive for a good swedish steel blade. It seems like survivalist, not the rambo ones, really like these.
I forgot to pack my buck vanguard and used my brothers spare Mora to gut two deer and I was impressed with the $17 knife.

H

A few things I've learned about knives: (1) camo is bad; if you get a camo knife, paint it orange. Deer better not see your knife, and camo gets lost. Been there, done that. (2)Folding knives have their advantages, but the disadvantages can outweigh them. Case in point: I was just in Wyoming last week for an elk hunt. My partner and I killed two. We cleaned one and I put my knife away. Went to clean the 2nd elk and guess what: it was frozen shut. They're also much harder to keep clean. Get a fixed blade unless you have a compelling need for a folder; (c) size matters, but not like the other thing: smaller is generally better.

I have bought four knives from Ray Laconico, but I can't find his contact address darn it!.
Check on the Blade Forums "knife maker's for sale area" forum. Nice guy, great knives, darn good prices for a custom knife. A name to watch for in working knives.
Take a look at the small knives at:
http://www.villagephotos.com/viewpubimage.asp?id_=21120260&selected=

My "baby Bowie" did half the work on field butchering a mule deer and is still quite sharp.

http://www.villagephotos.com/viewpubimage.asp?id_=20544119&selected=

Dino in Reno

This is the style I like to use.Has a 3" Blade and I have boned out Elk with it.

I started with a conventional knife over half a century ago. They worked ok. Today I prefer a knife like this.

This is the Gerber I mentioned. I should have opened it up for the picture, but I was distracted by the enormous animal at my feet! It has a blade with a dropped point and some "belly" to it, as someone put it. It also comes with a seperate gut hook thingie, but I don't use those. It's kind of heavy but sharpens easily, holds an edge decently, and took apart and skinned this elk for me... so those are pluses <grin>...

The ultiimate field dressing knife is the Eye (German manufacturer)Sodbuster (model) with a built in saw. This knife holds a superb edge and is the perfect size. Google Eye sodbuster knife.

Tough to beat the old style folding Gerber Gator with the Gut Hook, non serrated model,

These have turned out to be my favorites.
Blackjack Trailguide
Marbles Loveless
Western.

Well just to update you all after taking a look @ what was available in the knife case I decided on a Buck Zipper with a blk rubber handle. It was sticker price marked $84.00. I thought it was priced a little too high but decided to get it any how. When I got it up to the register it rang up $69.00 so I think I got a pretty good knife for a fair deal. I've been told it's made from decent steel and that it holds a pretty good edge even after some heavy use. What is a gut hook used for?

Roach

On a small buck, a good 3-4" blade will rip up thru the rib cage to the windpipe, quite easily. You don't have to split thru the H bone in the field. I've used a Shrade Improved Muskrat Folding Skinner, many times. A sheet rock knife can work pretty good, but I prefer my little Buck. I believe they called it the Boner (3" blade). Haven't seen one in over 30 years. Best Clam knife ever made.

Cold Steel medium tanto folder and a Knives of Alaska cub bear for skinning duties...and a Coleman Western (22 year old) for the quartering....just my .02

This is my favorite. It rides in the day pack not on the belt.

Q: What is a gut hook used for?
A: To carefully open up the animal's membranes. After you've carefully cut through the skin/hide on the underside, you'll see the animal's internals. You need to carefully cut a hole in the membrane. Now you need to cut through the membrane from sternum to the rear of the animal. Insert a knife blade too far and you'll puncture parts of the animal that shouldn't be. That's what the gut hook is for. Once you have the membrane cut, you can insert the hook and pull it from sternum to rectum (or vice versa). It will cut the membrane with no chance of damaging the internals. The alternative is to use your knife to cut the membrane, but you need to work carefully if you do.

Schrade/Uncle Henry/Old Timer LB-7
Buck Vanguard w/rubber handle, 692bk
Puma Hunters Pal
Grohman Skinner #100

I generally carry a Case trapper for deer hunting. If I figure I might need to do some in the field skinning, I'll put a Buck skinner in my day pack. Now, elk hunting is a different story.