Hunting season is here, what cutlery are you taking to the field with you?

For deer hunting I'm planning to take a Havalon Piranta Wyoming Saw, Buck paklite Gut Hook, Randall Model 5-4, and Case CV Trapper. I always take the havalon packed in my bag in case I forget other cutlery.

For rabbit hunting with my daughter I am planning on taking a Case Trapper, Cutco game shears, and maybe a Randall #8 or 5.

For my son's first backpacking trip I took a Case Trapper in stainless.

Buck 110

I'm starting archery season with this Charles May... Others will sub in here and there.

I’m starting archery with an Ingram B&T #1. I’ll keep carrying that until I bloody it. Then I’ll go to either an Ingram Lite Hunter or Winston 43.

I really like the Charles May knife.

Why do you need a knife for rabbits. Grandfather taught me how to clean them without anything but water to rinse them off.
George

Maybe I'm missing something but, how do you remove the head and feet without a knife?

This is my method.

https://youtu.be/5Uj68y0pefo

What kind of Buck 110? I'm a huge 110 fan.

If you like Buck 110's, this one from the Buck Custom Shop goes hunting occasionally. Buckeye burl, nickel bolsters and pins, S30V blade...

Maybe I'm missing something but, how do you remove the head and feet without a knife?

You can pull off the skin, break and pull off the feet, twist and pull off the head, and split open
the stomach to remove most of the innards with just your hands with rabbits.

BUT...... you should always have a knife or two handy.

I'm sticking with a knife for rabbits.

Tim, I do need to get your knife to the field. I anxious to experience the M4's performance, especially after reading the thread on M4.

Most use will be Gene Ingram Yellow Jacket along with his #1 Semi Skinner.

A Charles May Bobwhite gets a fair amount of use as well.

My Western's.

A Ruana and Buck Vanguard + a couple knives made for me a some friends.

MOGC That is a gorgeous 110!

A couple of Mike McCarter's knives. Either the belt knife or the Kephart.

My new Buck 117 & 212 to see how I like them, might throw in a 105 too, but always bring my favorite- a 103.

New buck 110 alum drop point in 30sv.


Otherwise my dads kinfolks 380.

Whatever is in my pocket. Sometimes there's a Mora in my pack.

KA-BAR USMC version or ColdSteel SRK.

Gerber Freeman Guide folding.

Cheap, but very sharp (ened).

Knowing there are very high quality knives available, have not yet determined which ones I should acquire.

You should check out Tim Olt's (michiganroadkill on 24cf) knives. He makes an excellent blade and they are very affordable.

Thanks!


Some great looking tools.

That’s a really beautiful knife woodson. What a gem.

Indeed it is!

Very nice.

Brett knocked it out of the park with that one!

Wonderful knife! Just right

Damn man, I missed that one. Very sexy!!

I post my knife often but I know a guy who has another pretty bad ass WM Dowell.

Gdub owns this one now. Awesome knife.

I remember where those scales came from. ha ha

I really like it when a knife has a nice grind line on the spine, resulting in a distal taper. It's something you mostly see on well ballanced customs.

Yeah, that is a good one too! I have a Dowell, but it's a murdered out version.

This week I received a Randall Model 5-4 from Captain Stanaback. It's definitely going to the field.

Love that profile and use of material.

Going into a checked bag.

Probably a Big Dave's sheathed Victorinox and maybe a Beretta Moki R.W. Loveless if feeling brave when I pack.

Those Beretta's are a flat out bargain.

I always have a Case or Opinel folder in my pocket, but they are quite small like a Canoe or a No. 8 and so they just get general pocket knife use. I prefer the Chrome Vanadium or Carbone, but have also the stainless steels in both.



For game, I learned to use kitchen paring knives. They are inexpensive and two or three of them are all that is needed to field dress large game before they dull. I like this Mercer that is X50CroMoV15.

This is a good kitchen steel. It is the same steel Wustof uses, but Mercer makes the knives in Taiwan more affordably. I buy this knife for $22 and the same one with a zytel handle is $18. It is not as luxurious as VG10, but again more affordable. It is very stain resistant. I wash it in the dishwasher. It is NSF certified, so very easy to clean. There is never any gunk under the scales. It is 3.5" and nimble enough for any caping or field dressing task. It is also very easy to sharpen and get a good edge. It does not retain its edge like the super steels, but I can have two or three of them for what is still a fraction of the price of one knife, so in the field I always have a sharp one even halfway through a large job. Once I get home, sharpening is easy compared to the powdered steels.

In my camp bag, I keep a paring knife and a Mora. The Mora is, of course, much tougher for processing wood and stuff like that. I still don't typically baton with it. I keep a Cold Steel Tomahawk and a Sven Saw in the 4x4.





I like all these tools because they are very good at appropriate tasks. They are lightweight, 'minmalist,' and they are quite affordable. I would backpack with these rather than their heavier, costlier alternatives. My small 4x4 often accommodates four people and a large dog so I pack it also efficiently. With four people and a dog in there, there is really no room for more than what each person would take backpacking, so that is how I think.

Since I shall be stalking on foot it will be this one.

Model 26.

You don't use a knife to gut a cottontail. Just start squeezing at the neck, hand over hand towards the rear, and the guts blow out through the anus. Twist the head off if you want in the field. We squeeze all the guts out as soon as we pick um up in the field. Works! Swamp rabbits are tougher though.

Back from rabbit hunting and I had a great time with my daughter on her first hunting trip. We spent the night at a friend's ranch with another friend (a new hunter) and his daughter shooting, goofing off, flying kites and hunting rabbits. The only negative thing to mention is that my friend needed a serious course in safe gun handling as he was flagging us with the muzzle in a bad way. When the moment was right I gave him a primer on safe gun handling after he gave me a look down his barrel and he asked 'if anything came out.' Afterwards we had no problems. I must have sat down for 30 minutes the entire trip. In total we shot around 15 rabbits. The Randall #5 and Buck 102 did well processing the meat. Happy hunting to everyone!

Camillus sword brand #3 lockback. I have a bunch of fixed blade hunting knives including a custom drop point and they never go into the field. A folder in my pocket is all I want or need.

The usual, a Havalon w/ extra blades, A Hinderer NRA skinner and I always have my Leatherman Wave.


mike r

Kestrel mountain caper
Kestrel ovis hunter for all ‘round use

Ingram

Helle, been carrying the same for 40 years.

Got a lot of knives to pick from, but this group of Buck Knives is my "do all" hunting trio

Pair of Hollinger made Bose patterns.

Nicely done

Gave this’n a run already, pretty impressed with just plain ol D-2...

‘Nother one if those cookie cutter knives.......

😂

I like that burlap micarta.

Nothing exciting here. My 30 year old Buck 102 Woodsman on my belt, and an SK Blades Smokejumper (Buck 110 lightweight with CPM154 blade) as a spare in the daypack.

The Buck Woodsman is one of my favorites

Hey Jud
Remind me which model that one is again?
Great looking knife, buddy

Really like that design.

The Buck woodsman and 110 are favorites of mine too. I especially like the Buck 110 LT. I haven't taken my smoke jumper out to the field but the cpm-154 is scary sharp. I Have a plain jain 110 LT that I have used every year for butchering. The combination of the lite weight and thin point make it ideal for deboning.

One of these:



And one of these:

A 5 inch Bagwell Damascus skinner, if I hunt my original Sharps 45-110 buffalo rifle, i'll again belt on the 11 inch Damascus Bowie Mr. Bagwell measured then made for me, that guy does damn fine work.

I believe that is checkmate.

Thank You JSTUART, they're sure some fine wares I'm more than thankful to own.

Used one I made this spring on my muzzleloader buck this morning. Sorry for the bad picture.

Thinking I might try this new gem from Hank

Oh hell yeah Rylee!

Congrats RNF! Nice knife.

Nothing bad about that pic..... except maybe including the object of the blood letting.
Nice

Thanks for the nice words on my knife.

I filled my anterless tag yesterday and used another knife I made. I know it ain't like S30V or D2 but the 80CRV2 is holding a edge pretty good for me.

I will be taking a Chris Reeve Sable IV and hopefully a Chris Reeve Ubejane (Skinner) if I can find one.

All the great pictures being posted here let me know that I need to up my picture taking game.

Nice one RNF!

Ghost jade scales w/ blue liners?

Ghost jade scales w/ blue liners? [/quote]


Thanks, It was listed as Natural/Pistachio when I ordered it but I think it is the same as ghost jade and yes it has blue liners.

I like that.

I’ve got a ghost jade / orange Ingram.

Watermelon looking color.

I just carry the Case Trapper I carry everyday. I have a pack I carry in the truck that has a Wyoming saw, Estwing hatchet, and some other knives like a Buck Pathfinder and a Case Finn 4". The trapper is all that is needed. I use the saw to saw the antlers off bucks.I cut through the joints to remove the quarters with my knife, And fillet the loin and neck meat off with my knife.

It takes me 15 minutes to gut a deer and 30 minutes if someone is watching.

In 2018 I got skunked a couple days on Antelope, so the guy who owns the restaurant said he would take me out hunting.

In a few minutes of hunting we had a good buck walking toward me at 75 yards.

But what was amazing was how fast that guy could gut an animal with his razor lite knife.

It seemed to take just a few seconds. He said he used to gut 25 animals a day.