What are your favorite knives, tools that you use for processing your Wild game and fish that you harvest?

Would love to find a good fixed blade knife for medium and big game.

Some of my folding knives take a bit of time to clean them out good after hunting.


ADDED
For your Mora knives do you guys prefer stainless steel or carbon for holding a good Edge?

Helle for my knives along with a Wyoming saw for field processing game, a Cutco fillet knife for fishing.

Mora & victorinox boning.

Victorinox fillet knife. Wustof classic boning knife.

What are you guys using for sharpening your blades?

Any sharp boning knife. I use a bubba blade rechargeable for fish.

For processing a Work Sharp.

A couple of Mora knives, a lightweight ceramic sharpener, and a swedish saw are pretty much all I need to process an animal.



I do prefer the bright orange handles over others, for keeping track of them in the snow.

For processing, Victorinox all the way.

Out in the field I have used Helle, Victorinox folder with a saw blade, Ingram, Buck, Oldtimer, Gerber, to name a few,

Lately my favorites have been Ingram's I have a couple B&T's, and his take on a modernized puuko (card says Woodsman) in D2 and S30V.

Buck 119 and Puma Skinner.

For a hunting knife, I'm pretty partial to my Knives of Alaska Alpha Wolf, with S30V steel. I have taken apart a few moose and several caribou with it. I also like the Gerber Vital Zip, for a gut hook.

For filleting fish, I have a few favorites...all Victorinox: salmon, halibut, rockfish, and skinning.

For a game saw? Goes through a moose like butter!

Victorinox fibrox for all work.

Gerber Gator ATS-34 (out of production)

Buck for deer and elk. Boker for birds and fish

Lansky kit for most hunting and fishing knives. Worksharp for general purpose knives.

Gloves and a saw, you're gonna get stick "horned up".

I have a filet knife that LJ Rosi made for me. Love that thing. Highly recommend them
Many a hunting knives as well. I use the Winston a lot
Have a few of those Moraknii's. Can't beat them for a cheap blade

I have a knife a good friend made me I use for birds. On deer I use a buck 113 to skin them. They get gutted in the field with whatever knife I happen to have on me that day.

Sticks a midget retard, so I'm inclined not to care. 😉

Bark River Kephart and mini kephart, sharpened with a work sharp.

Do you guys prefer stainless steel or carbon steel for your Mora knives?

With Mora I have found their stainless to be second to none, not so keen on the Mora carbon blades.

Worksharp and a steel to touch it up. For gutting I have a variety of knives I use, mostly for sentimental reasons. For cutting meat I use Dexter butcher knives and a couple other similar brands of commercial butcher knives none of them are very expensive and they hold an edge well. Big cutting boards, meat totes etc. finish out the ensemble. Good LEM grinder, the best you can afford. Bags to grind burger into and a tape dispenser thing. We have a plastic folding table that we put PVC pipe "stilts" on to raise it so we don't get back fatigue. It's an absolute must if you ask me. 20-22" I think is all it took.

For fish I use a Mr twister electric fillet knife, replace the blades every year, you can only sharpen them so many times.

I also use a white cotton glove when cutting game or fish, soak in peroxide and wash after with the laundry. Helps with your grip or if the meat is froze it really cold. Plus provides a little protection if you bump a blade.


That's what I use start to finish on a critter and it serves us well. Easy set up, easy take down.

Sorry, that might be more info than you were looking for

Old COLD STEEL Master Hunter Carbon V & a Sagen saw

I am a knife whore with store bought knives. my EDC's now are with D2, S30V,S35V and lately S90V steels.

For WT dear I'll just grab a 4" fixed blade with a synthetic handle. For small game, I use whatever I have in my pocket that day.

For the working knives I've been using the Chef'sChoice manual diamond hone sharpers. They make one for fishing and hunting knives. Quick and easy way to dress up an edge.

something from Tim Olt or Rick Menefee does the job for me

A Dick boner

I have used a lot of knives over the years, but for pure practicality most times now I have a Victorinox Hunter for in the field. It has a locking main blade and a gutting blade, so I can open and gut a deer or whatever, and it also has a multiplicity of other uses as it has a really good saw, an awl, screwdriver etc. It is a good size too.

Once I have the animal back to camp I have a knife roll in which I have a Victorinox boner and skinner, steel, and folding gambrel. I think it is had to beat the knives the blokes in the meatworks use, who make a living at this.

I use much the same thing on fish - SAK to gut, Victorinox flexible boner to fillet.

About 30 years ago when my daughter was little she gave me that Buck protege for christmas, bought at Kmart. That knife has done for a bunch of animals in the field, still does. The henckels and victorinox bird beak paring knives are great skinners. For elk I'll take the extra knife usually.

Butcher knives I have Dexter, Victorinox, Henckels stainless in various boxes... and a bunch of carbons in an old butcher box. I have even more up at the place in the mountains and the camp trailers.

I like the carbons to butcher with but mix it up to justify keeping all these knives. They all do the job just fine.

American anglers for filleting.

Kent

+1

Hard to beat a Victorinox.

I bought this no name at some thrift shop, it cuts well.

Got lots of knives. Usually stick with Buck.

Wiss 5" Electrician and Lineman Scissors for cleaning dove and quail.

That was the first 'hunting' knife I ever purchased and I cut the hell out of my palm opening it up. Not from the blade- form the stupid plastic package. Mine is a clip point and I don't really use it for hunting anymore (found drop points) but still love the grip and keep it as a gen purpose truck knife.


One amazing thing about it I had used it to clean a deer at my sisters place and lost it. Found it over a year later buried in mud by the barn- not a spec of rust on it. .

A bubba blade and a cordless ryobi sawz-all

For big game hunting, Cold Steel Pendleton Hunter. Very sharp and strong. Gutted two deer last weekend with it.

Havalon has retired my other knives.

Field dressing a deer, Gerber International bought in ‘82
Filleting fish an old JMartinni

75 or 76
12 or 13 yrs old when I bought this.

Been around the world several times.
Knife got more cred than any sockpuppet troll on this sight.

It's dull as fugg.🥴🥴🥴😄😄😄
Thats why I hand it over watching people trying to dress a deer with their "sharp" knife.

Pains me to watch someone using their "sharp" knife at times using gawd knows how much strength to make cuts or slices.
🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️

I never go into the field without the Case 6x folder that dad got for Christmas in 1!946. DeEr, small game , birds ,that old knife has done it all. Still takes a! Sharp edge and holds it well too!

Edge Pro

I've been using this Shrade Old Timer for 30 years. Then I inherited another identical one from my Dad 15 years ago. They take a good edge. I've considered trying a replaceable blade knife but haven't spent the money for one yet.

Old folding Buck.

Yep

No to havalon... first time someone was going to show me how slick it was, a blade broke off in the elk right at the start... no thanks.

Kent

Field dressing a deer is just so stupid, it takes 10- 15min to get all of his best meat into an ice chest or plastic bags with no body cavity contamination, leave the rest for the critters.

This is why I don’t use processing places. Processors tell me they mix everybody’s deer meat and its better to just do it yourself.

Got any pictures of your table set up? I'm 6'4" and debating doing the same, tired of bending and aching.

Kent,

I love the old school collection of knives that is beautiful!

I'm starting to see The Outdoor Edge replaceable blade Products are starting to become popular.

I was a little surprised to learn that field techniques vary so much. But, it makes sense.. one guy shoots his in the mountains and bones it out right there so he can pack the edible stuff out, and another guy shoots his at the edge of the field and drives his tractor directly to it to take the whole thing straight to the barn to do everything. One guy thinks he has to hack open the sternum or pelvis with his knife or an axe, I'm not one of them. My knives never touch bone except by accident.

That being said, I gut mine out in the woods to lighten the load for the drag back to the house for processing. I've experimented with a lot of different knives over the years and I keep coming back to the Buck 103 skinner as a mainstay, and pairing it with something a little longer and pointier for a few other tasks. Usually a Buck 117, 119, 212, or 105. I also don't much care for a folding knife because of the mess it leaves inside the knife.

Couple years ago now, I started smoking meat for the first time in my life, and in doing so, I've learned about another category of knives that I never really fooled with before- kitchen knives. I'll probably use a couple of those for cutting up the meat. Two that jump out are the Cold Steel Slicer 9" in their "Kitchen Classics" lineup, and the Victorinox 47602, with a curved, flexible, 6" blade. Both of those knives are available for around $20 and do a very nice job.

Nice setup thank you for sharing@

Bought my four inch mora for twelve bucks, they're a great value.

Thank you for sharing your information and techniques. Every little bit helps all of us.

While I find the carbon blades to be excellent quality and keep a great edge, from a practical purpose, they rust quite easily and using them in the field on a regular basis tends to be one of those things where the stainless ones are a bit more practical. I can bring an edge back to a stainless blade in about 2 minutes with a $5 mini set of ceramic sticks that I keep in my hunting pack and I am back to processing an elk or whatever, or even just using in the kitchen. As much as I think the carbon blades are good, from this point forward, I will only buy stainless Moras. I have processed more than a couple elk with an $8 Mora utility knife and a $5 mini sharpener.

The Havalon scalpel knives are truly excellent for getting the hide off, and when I can manage not to misplace mine during the off season, I use mine as it makes short work of that task. The only thing I add there is that I take a very small set of pliers along to swap the blades out on it as a safety precaution. Usually the Havalon blade and knife is gooey with stuff and since I hunt late season (December) it is often below freezing and sometimes below zero and it is way too easy to slice a hand or finger wide open with the scalpel when you cannot feel your fingers. Many hours from a hospital is not the place to open up your hand, which can happen in an instant.



Sidebar:

The havalon is sitting on a piece of VS-17 panel.

I carry half a piece of VS-17 panel, which is an aircraft marking/signal cloth. A few reasons. When I get an animal down, I tend to put my tools on it, so I can keep track of them. I also use it to mark the location by putting the panel in a tree or bush or on a rock high enough to be visible at a distance so I can find the spot for return trips when hauling out meat. I also use it when I am hunting with my elderly father or my kids, and I have my daughter carry a piece as well. I can easily locate them and vice versa. Fairly practical piece of lightweight little cloth.

^ ^ ^ ^ this ^ ^ ^ ^

It took me way too many years figure out
this simple fact

If you can, try a fixed blade carried horizontally on the belt. I've had excellent luck with Spyderco and Benchmade S30V blades. Bill Moran's handle is hard to beat.

I use a Worksharp for most of it and finish off with one of these Smiths sharpeners. I keep in my daypack for skinning elk in the field.

If you use several different sharpeners, make sure they all have the same angle. Some are 15 degrees, some 20, some as wide as 30. Whichever you choose, you can't switch back and forth.

I have a Delta 1”x30” table belt sander that I have various grit belts for. I also have a leather strop belt for final polishing.

Havalon makes a great backup knife due to weight. I like something much more robust for my primary. An outdoor edge replaceable blade knife is one of my favorites.

1000% Agree. Carrying one since 1983. This design should be copied more than it is. Wonderful knife.

If I didn't already know how to properly sharpen with a
pocket whetstone or bench sized stone at home,
I'd be using one of the replaceable blade knives and
not look back. No shame in it. I wish some of my
friends and acquaintances would make the switch so
they wouldn't have to depend on me

A hard white and black speckled Arkansas.
And spit....


It's been around the planet also.
Dont take but 2 mins to freshen up the hone and shave hair off my arm.

Used to have a hard orange brown Arkansas same size.
That fugga would put a edge on really good also.
Lost it some where in fugging Norway or a Norwegian troop decided he liked more than I did.
Which is what I really think what went down.

All I know is I hit the rack, woke up next morning.
Gone......
I had sharpened some of them knuckleheads knives a couple of days prior.
They was really interested in how I did it.
One of the dumb schits ran his finger on his edge being skeptical.
To the bone.
His buds laughing their azz,s off at him.
Medic........

Tiny circles moving forward
Flip.
Repeat 3 or 4 times.
Strop
Gtg.

Buck 110 and an old Rapala / J. Marttiini fillet knife.

Dexter Russell filet/boning, paring and chef. Forschner/victorinox 10” breaking knife for butchering.

Gerber 950 for gutting/skinning.

Big Havalon for processing.

LOL

Yep this is what I do. However more like 45 minutes for me. I have done an entire elk with 2 havalon blades. Really could have done it with one. That includes a full skin and cape. You guys who refuse to try havalon are missing out. The larger size havalon I do not like. The original is the way to go. Heck my taxidermist uses one for most tasks. Not many folks cutting on animals as much as him.

Browning 503 to the start off.... then the world's greatest skinner ......then the rest is done with a buck 110...... Milwaukee saw hack...9 to 12 inch 6/12 tooth blade combo .....that's what my moose deserves and gets !

Browning 503 to the start off.... then the world's greatest skinner ......then the rest is done with a buck 110...... Milwaukee saw hack...9 to 12 inch 6/12 tooth blade combo .....that's what my moose deserves and gets !

So good i said it twice...if u don't pay attention it's your lost...lol

Dexter-Russel start to finish. Good enuff for a Dutch Harbor slime line, good enuff fer me.

You like the original orange havalon or one of the newer models?