Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Backpack Hunting bone saw for backpack hunting

I have had a gerber fold up saw that came with both a bone blade and a wood blade and it was great until it finally broke when I was half way through capping an elk.I was not happy I had to carry out the whole head. I bought one just like it and it broke the first time I used it. It seems like if there were just a couple metal parts in there it would be great. So I am in the market for something better if you have any suggestions.

My partner carries one of these Stanley folding saws. $10 at many hardware stores. It's neat because it uses standard reciprocating saw blades. You can just stick in a new blade of any type as needed.

Try to find a used Gerber Exchange Blade kit. They were made before the sell-out to Fiskars. It had two blades and a bone saw.
Mine has been through moose, caribou, Blacktail & Witetail deer and two hogs.
The whole package including the Cordura sheath weighs maybe 8 oz.

Ed

a tad heavier but very reliable.

wyoming saw

http://www.wyomingknife.com/saws.htm

I use the hunter by victornox. it is a saw comparable to what you get on a leatherman, but longer and contained in a swiss army knife along with the only gut blade I have ever seen that works and does not load your meat with hair shavings......good setup and no discernable weight penalty

great idea there. i think i'll get one of those to try out.

Fiskars/Gerber still makes them. I have one, good unit. Personally I carry it in case I need to make a big fire in real cold while elk hunting. I've never used a bone saw to take apart animals:

http://www.sportsauthority.com/product/index.jsp?productId=504062

Brad
if antlers are required for proof of points and you don't want to carry out the whole head what do you do?

Brad,
I only use the saw to split the sternum so I can get the ribcage off to roast it whole over a fire. That is my first meal from an animal I kill if I have the opportunity.

I, too, prefer to take a critter apart with just a knife.
As to carrying out just antlers and not the whole head, I didn't know that was even an option.

Ed

I can't speak for MT, but in Idaho you can take out only the antlers as long as proof of sex is still attached to a quarter. With either deer or elk, I leave about 6" of penis installed.

I use a small Sierra folding saw. It does double duty as a wood cutting saw, and a bone saw.

Since I do Euro mounts, I take the whole skull out minus the jaw. A knife is all that's required to remove the skull from the spine and jaw from the skull. But I totally get wanting to roast fresh elk ribs! Course deer ribs will split with a good knife.

Montana is pretty great about allowing a guy to shuttle out the parts in more than one load... I carry the evidence of sex in a ziplock bag and of course digital pics can always be produced.

MT FWP wardens are as a rule a pretty rational bunch...

You've been lucky Brad. I know guys who've been hassled for not leaving proof of sex attached to a quarter. Even with the nuts in the meat bag.

Brian

I have been using the folding Gerber saw for several years now. It comes with a nice sheath and I have never had any issues with it.

Not all folding Gerber saws are created equal. I'm not sure of the model names but I initially had the Gerber folding saw with the all-plastic handle and a tightening nut where the blade rotates. Don't bother with that model. It didn't last. I purchased a second folding Gerber with metal at the end of the handle where the blade pivots. Its been great. I've had no issues with it all. It's a little on the heavy side but lighter than my Wyoming Saw. Good luck with whatever you decide.

Not the lightest, but definitely the fastest for all bone/camp chores.

As to the evidence of sex... I leave the balls attached. I've been in a hurry and forgotten, but I trust my Troopers will be able to look at my digital pictures, the fact I'm carrying a fresh deer rack, and put two and two together. I also try to remember to take some digital pictures of the boned out carcass. Not sure if it would keep the trooper from digging through all my meat to make sure I took it all, but who knows..

I've had similar luck with the two gerbers I had some years back.

I've had excellent performance out of the two stihl saws that I own, you might search the archives a bit as there was a thread a year or so ago and a poster endorsed a brand that he said was better than the stihl and he owned both.

wyotoadhunter:

I used a Wyoming Saw for a couple of decades and it always did the job.

I've also used a couple of folding saws and they always seem to fold up onto my fingers at the wrong time.

I now use a Gerber Gator Saw. Last Fall it cut the scull cap off of a moose. That's a lot harder to do than cut through the rib cage or pelvis of an elk. I like it better than my Wyoming Saw because it weighs less and does the job just as well.

http://www.knivesplus.com/gerber-gator-saw-gb-49481.html

KC

This is what I use. I just capped a dink bull last week.

http://buck-knife-shop.com/Buck_Crosslock_Knife.html

This is what I've been carrying this year. Haven't had a chance to try it out, but seems sturdy enough and is very light weight:

http://www.gerberstore.com/index.php?xpage=itempage&xid=565