What length blade do you use for general big game chores? My sweet spot is 3 to 3 1/2 inches.

I've used a four inch fixed blade, drop point style for many years. Does all I need.

L.W.

3 to 5 is ideal for me but I also like and have used larger blades. Blade design makes a big difference as well. A little longer narrower blade with a drop or minor clip point does a nice job for me.




My favorite is a larger knife with a 4" blade and a good sized and well shaped handle with a tip fine enough to pop sockets and enough belly to make skinning easy.





Todd

4"

A Chris Reeve Small Sebenza folder is my favorite field dressing knife. It has a drop point blade just a touch short of 3” and surgically sharp. What I like best about that knife is the titanium open back easy to wash out handle, one hand opening and strong lockup.

An open back is a must for me in a folder. I’m not a fan of cleaning them out. I prefer a fixed blade for dressing game. I’d be nervous about losing a Sebenza in the field.

ConditionYellow: I prefer 3 1/2" to 4 1/2" and the strength of Buck blades!
Long live Buck Knife Corporation - a fine American company.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

I've been using one of these 4" Shrades for MANY years, 50 or more. I've long since lost track of how many deer and elk I've dressed and skinned with it along with a couple moose. When I get home, I throw it in a pan and boil it to clean out all the crud. It has plastic handles so there's no wood to get ruined. Then a drop of oil on the hinge keeps it working smooth.

I used to think you needed a longer blade.

The i got a couple 3” blades from Mike Miller.

That’s the sweet spot for me with the caveat that i do love the lil dumpling pattern with the longer blade.

4 7/8”

Whatever the blade length is on my BuckLite 422s.

I just measured one, 3" total.

Used to be a fixed blade guy until a client gave me a orange handled Bucklite while guiding archery. Didn't think much of it but decided my daypack was getting too heavy and started looking for ways to lighten the load. I tried it a month later in rifle season, promptly dropped it into 18+ inches of fresh powder when dressing an elk. Boy did I appreciate that goofy orange handle.

The 422's from the 80's and early 90's sharpen easily for me and hold a decent edge. I now own 5 of them. When I broke the tip on one extracting the ivorys from a client's elk I about cried. Sent it to Buck with a note telling them what I did to it and I'll be darned it came back a few weeks later with a new blade. No charge.

Right around 4” is perfect for me

~4" to 5" blades ( mostly 4")


Spyderco Bill Moran FBO2 , 3.8" drop point blade, VG-10

Cold Steel Master Hunter with 4.5"(?) drop point blade, Carbon V

Benchmade 190 w/ 4" drop point blade, 440-C

Solingen 5" blade from 1960s ( my first hunting knife)

Couple of Mora knives with 4" blades

Yep. I’ve got one of those Spyderco Bill Moran customs with the rubber handle. It’s a great knife.

I've always liked mine, but it would be that much
better as a 5 to 7 inch knife
I quit carrying it for a long time because one of the
regulars at the hunting spot always wanted to
argue and said mine was fake " because all spyderco
knives have the hole "
I brought the packaging one time, but he still wouldn't
be convinced. Oh well. . .

The Spyderco Moran’s were made both ways. Guess a gen1 amd gen2??

Somewhere i got an orange handle Spyderco Moran.

Mine was a limited run with the nice leather sheath.
Sharpest factory made knife I had ever bought at that time.
I believe I purchased it in 98.

My Spyderco Moran FBO2 drop point does not have a hole in the blade. It is about 20 years old.

Been using a stonehocker spike this year. 7 deer in and still SHARP!

I don’t know the exact blade length. I’d say Judman can tell us though

My belt knife is usually around 3.25". Lately, it is an inexpensive Bucklite Max Small, In my pack is usually something around 4 inches, lately a Bucklite Max Large. They both have the now discontinued orange handles.

I have some more expensive knives but these work well and are easy to sharpen and find. The small one may get replaced by a Benchmade Steep Country Hunter the youngest boy gave me for my birthday.

About 3 inches.

I have completely taken apart several elk and two moose with blades that size with zero issue. Anything bigger just gets in the way, kind of like my dong but in a bad way.

Around 3", folder.

Always heard the BS brag about using some tiny pocket knife.

One night I gutted a roadkill, in a ditch, with a little 2" Buck folder.
It was razor sharp, but I really missed having a bit more blade.

I am in the 3-4" camp. I prefer fixed blades. Have used some folders, but always go back to fixed.

Ingram, Buck, Gerber, Helle, Schrade to name a few.

~3” is good for me.

Yep, a long blade and a long dong can result in terrible mishaps ...........

I was thinking about this thread on Saturday field dressing my buck with my left arm buried up to the elbow with a handful of heart and lungs and my right arm up there with a sharp 3" folder and I didn't want any more blade length than what I had. Opening that belly skin, I was using only the first quarter of an inch of that drop point blade. Scalpels aren't very long for a reason. It's knowing how and where to cut, not how deep.

Exactly!

For my knife I like 3.5-4" but have started using Havalon Scalpels and have had good luck. I still carry my knife, but those scalpels make it much easier for me.

About 3" is my ideal.

Whatever a havalon blade measures.

I like 3-4 inch blades with most that I've used being closer to 3 inches than 4. I've processed many animals with folders, but have been enjoying fixed blades more recently. Folders work fine, but fixed blades are a lot easier to clean up after use.

I’ve used those Victornox pairing knives for years…. The hardware store here sells them dirt cheap…. I have them laying around everywhere. Also carry a case medium trapper in my pocket everyday. I’ve done elk, deer, hogs, turkeys, whatever….. only time I go larger is when I’m actually cutting steaks and butchering at home, then I’ll go to something like a 8” boning knife.

This, as well as a shorter blade is just easier for me to steer. The longest I’ve use on big game was a 4 1/2” blade and it felt like I was using a machete.

This is a 60's era Randall 3-6 held in my right hand and I have no issues at all when using it inside a carcase cavity, and depending on the intended work I find the extra edge length useful. But I should also mention that I tend to use all the blade when working.

Is this size the do all and end all...no, but it is useful on occasion.




Added...besides which, eating mangoes with a havalon would seriously suck.

I’ll second jstuart except I use a Randall 3-5. Blade shape and length work amazingly well. To date I have gutted 7 or 8 deer with it on the factory edge. Found dad an old 7-4 that works nearly as well.

3-4 inch blades, but the Best knife was posted by Hunts a Gerber, lite razor knife with the hooked carpet blade in it makes. Great guy hook, iv made up several and have given them to hunting buddy's. Ad gifts!

Seeing TSTUART's posted pictures above I know makes cutting toward one's own body parts look worse than it was from the photo op especially for a guy familiar enough with knives to own a Randall. I know, we all do it.

My favorite cutting story was when I was up in Canada in the fish cleaning house with another guy from another camp cleaning our fish. The camp owner happened to walk in for something and saw the guy cutting toward himself and proceeded to dress the guy up and down about safety proper cutting procedures. When he was done the guy said that how he did it seemed to work well enough at work. Oh, yeah the camp owner said, what do you do? "I'm the pathologist for the city of Denver."
"Oh", quick exit for the camp owner. He must have figured that the guy was qualified to fillet a walleye.

I also have two of those 422's and a smaller version[402?] for birds and trout. One other is a A.G. Russel lockback with 2.75" droppoint with some great Japanese steel. All I've ever really needed.

Edit: Had to look at my Russel; it's 2-3/8th" blade and says Rogers, Ark, USA. Whew!

I like about 3", length of forefinger. A longer blade when boning to pack out would make a neater faster job, but it's not worth packing more 'stuff'. My breaking knife for beef is a full foot of blade, it's like training wheels for the amateur home butcher. Nice uniformity.

The Puma folder is what I use for field dressing since 1992, the Marttiini belt knife also goes with me for field dressing moose as well.
The main blade on the Puma is 3 1/4", the Marttiini is 5"
Cat

90% of the blades I send out are between 3” and 3 1/2” cutting edge.

I killed my first cow elk in '95 and I used a 7 inch Cold Steel Recon Tanto (the old Carbon V steel) to field dress, rip up the brisket and all, and it would still shave hair afterward! ha It was great for that job. I didn't split the pelvis, reamed the rectum.

I used a 5" blade for years, a buck 105. Have it damn near worn out so last year i picked up a 113 ranger skinner which is a little over 3". The shorter blade is definetly a bit more user friendly and controllable for better cuts, I've cut my hand a few times over the years with that longer knife.

After I shot my leopard a few years ago in Mozambique, I went back to where the staff were skinning it, took out my 2" pocket knife, and asked them if they wanted me to help. They all got a good laugh at my small knife.

Actually, for many years I dressed and skinned all of my deer, elk, sheep, moose, etc with a 6 or 7" fixed blade hunting knife. Now I use a 5" Swing blade and a 4 or 5"
folding Razor bladeknife.

I have no need for a blade that is any longer than then the width of palm of my hand. Anything longer just gets in the way when butchering/ dressing an animal.

I have big hands and like a longer blade. A Buck 119, the Schrade 153UH. 5 to 6 inch blades work for me. Sharp is the most important aspect. I wear one of these all the time. Just about wore out the second one.



If I am fishing this knife is easier to clean fish with.



For a pocket knife I like this style, have worn out several of them. Wish they still made them with the hole.

Ooo...I would not like to be ponying up the coin for a mint one of that model Puma now, it would hurt.

No kidding, I was stunned when I found out what those things cost!
My son eas gifted a NIB identical one by our good friend Hornhead, but he has yet to use it, he is all about Grohnann knives .
Cat

I dont know what goofy Outdoor writer started the idea that a short knife was better....I fell for it for years

I prefer a 6 to 7" blade for field dressing for that very reason reaming the rectum.

Then followed by an unzipping with the Wyoming knife.

Then up the brisket with the big knife...reach in and cut the wind pipe loose and never let go of the wind pipe until you stand up.
With a few more cuts on the diaphragm I can stand up with the deers entire entrails in my hand in short order.

4" blades are great for trimming your nails, whittling and working the hide off and light trimming.....

See how many butchers you can find that use a snub nose knife.

Buck 118 is about 5”, four would be better.

This is my field knife. 5” semi-flex Forschner. Have used it for years and lots and lots of critters. Down to about 4.5” now. I use a 6” curved when breaking critters at home in my shop but I like the straight thin blade for bung reaming. I don’t split pelvises. This style is super nice when going gutless and boning out lions and quarters.





I used to have a slightly longer and thicker steel for it but as of last spring that is on a mountain in Idaho next to a bear carcass.

Hard to argue against that rig.

2.75 - 4.00”… but it depends on the knife build. My favorite fixed blade is the Grohmann Canadian Belt Knife. Its blade feels “smaller” than its 4” would suggest. Probably because it’s design encourages one to choke up on it. Other knives (like an Ingram) I prefer a 3.25” blade.

That's a single clip blade ?

Our answers are all over for the blade lengths, but what we haven’t specified is if the knife is being used for field dressing, boning or final portion preparation. As written earlier I do like something in the 3” or a little over range with a drop point for field dressing, but a longer, thinner knife for under the tail and final clean up back at the meat pole. An even longer one works well for final portion processing. When I worked at the packing house I ordered one of the Dexter knives that we used to cut tenderloins. That knife has a 12 1/4” blade because restaurant grade good meat should be cut with one cut all the way through so there isn’t a bunch of saw marks through the meat.

Rick, I can tell you are from Texas! I have/or had those same knives!

I use several knives and select one specific to the hunt/task. When gutting and not cutting open the chest I prefer a 2 3/4 bladed fixed, easy to clean and less chance of cutting myself and extremely light to carry. If cutting open the chest I use a 5" fixed blade. Here in SD where we drive around and shoot deer one of my several 3" folders are used for gutting.

Elk hunting was always a walking and carrying a pack and a #7 Ingram with a 3 1/2 blade was used on the majority of my hunts.

Once home I use a Tim Olt bull nose for skinning, An F. Dick 5" flexible boner is used for the vast majority of my butcher work.

I have several B&T knives that I like to carry while bird hunting and a handful of Marbles, Winston, Bark River, Rapid River big game knives but a Cold Steel USA made Carbon V Master Hunter is my go to.

For butchering I use an Ontario skinner and Victorinox boning knife.

How do you like the Cold steel blade? I'm making a few Christmas gifts out of their steel.

W. Bill

It’s changed formulas over the years but the Carbon V steel that I have is excellent. It holds a good edge and touches up easily. The blade profile on the Master Hunter has a lot of spine and belly but with a fine enough point that it’s a useful all around knife minus delicate work on small animals. Great big game and camp knife with enough heft and spine to break down a critter into small pieces pretty easily.

I've never had to rely on 'heft and spine' on a knife used to break down critters..... Give me a sharp fugging edge, every time tho......

A sharp edge is expected in any knife but different horses for courses IMO. I want a long sharp fillet knife with about zero belly and plenty of flex, a good boning knife is similar in profile and sharp but shorter and with more spine and less flex. For a skinning knife I like lots of belly little or no flex, upswept blade and high carbon for quick touch ups. Corrosion resistance isn’t much of an issue because it’s not carried and isn’t made to be pretty. A fillet knife long slender little spine. Hunting knife shorter with more belly and a lot of spine.

If a knife only needed to be sharp one sharp knife would cover everything needed. one blade length, steel type, and blade profile is all that we would own for any and all purposes.

+1.

A member here turned me onto them. It's amazing how much they'll do, and how well. I've since passed this tip onto several others, who've all been similarly impressed.

FC

Lil Dumplin' perfection...

It’s had to find a better Fixed blade or folding blade knife for the value of these two. IMHO. One Buck and Cutco.

4" with shallow belly drop point, so I can ream the bung from both outside and inside. Been using a Grohmann #1 (in the middle) the last few years and very pleased with it so far. #3 on the bottom, also works very well.

Those little Vicky Victorianox knives are the bee's knees!

3.25 inch Mini Skinner by Von Gruff. But more often than not I'm using a 4 inch $15 Mora....

For a fixed Blade, not shorter than 5'', Not longer than 5.5''. Anything Longer than than that can get hard to control. 4-5 inches is my sweet spot for a fixed blade.

I like the suggestion of something about the length of one's index finger. Maybe the middle finger for skinning.

I have a 3' skinner, , a Javalon,and a 5 "knife in my pack. Each has a specific use when processing an elk in the field as does each knife when I am butchering at home. I have never found one knife to do it all. My belt knife,which is a sheath, is a 6" small K-Bar Marine survival knife with a stout heavy blade.This is for when I am packing a string, whether it is one mule or four. When a wreck happens, and everyone has one sooner or late, I want a knife that won't break when you need it the most.

Dam! I like that little dumpling!!! I like an old Gerber, the ones with the armour hide handle and thin thin blade. Only one I still have is a flayer (looks like a dam spoon) well it used to, skinned so many beaver that it's wore down pretty well. It's actually better now. Had a little pixie for muskrats but it's up the trappline somewhere with a few others. Now I have so many knives I don't know which one to use, not expensive ones. I make 1to2 knives a year just to try different shapes. No they aren't like Godogs knives. Hard to make things perfect when you only make a couple a year. Plus I'm impatient and usually build the knife in one day, thank krist for 5min epoxy. Length between 3 1/2 to 4in. Right now this pair have 3-5/8 inch blades and kind of a rising drop point similar to a Russ Kommer design and a bull nose skinner. Trouble is I don't trap anymore so I'll have to dream up another excuse to play. Bill out. 👣🐾👣🐾🇨🇦.

Yes sir +1

I like a the weight of a sturdy, longer knife for some things, but overall, a 3-4-inch blade will do it all.

I like Buck knives too. Had this one almost 50 years!