For boning out deer/antelope .?

Been using a Buck 118 for about 20 yrs for bonig. Have yet to feel any knife could do a better job.
George

That is a nice looking blade .

Going to have Rainshadow's [Alex] son make me a boning knife to match my little skinner , and get Andrew Nunley to make me a matching boning knife like the skinner I got from him .

The one I've been using is 6 1/2 "
It may have lost some length to the stone
over time
The only knife I use that's shorter is for
skinning

5"stiff and a 6" flexible.

The flexible is Kai, and similar or more flexible than a fillet.

Thanks guys ...

McCroskeyknives.com

I skinned and butchered 8 deer and never touched up the blades on a Trapper set....

I have all their knives, they are unbelievable!

A trapper friend of mine skinned 300 beaver with one until it needed a sharpen.

YOU will NOT be dis satisfied.

McCroskey knives make a lot of custom knives look like junk when it comes to a using knife. I skinned and boned out two bull elk with their Elk Skinner, still would shave you!

I used a Zero Tolerance model 301 from field dressing to cutting steaks and roasts. I forget what steel it is, but I think it's Crucible Metallurgy powdered stainless. It's a Strider Clone with a collaboration from Ken Onion.
It's only a 4" blade, but worked fine with the aggressive recurve shape. The tip is pretty broad, but being that short, it offers dexterity.
There are better blades for gutting, skinning, boning, and further processing. I like a thin high carbon short and the same for long. It doesn't matter as long as it's sharp and quality. My uncle was a famous butcher in these parts as far as butchers used to be known. He passed away and gave my Dad and me his most used tools of a lifetime. Those are my go to when not in the field. However, it was fun using a professional fighters blade for processing. It shows what can be done in real world defensive applications without harm.

Bullshit

Moe---Ron

4.5" to 6"

The traditional boners from French and German factories are 5". What I grew up with, like the Buck 118 at 4.5", the Randall 10-5" made the DR and Forschner seem WAY too flexy and quick to dull.

When I found Makers who had realized this and were making KICK-ASS replacements I was sold...

I used to have a stiff boner... now it's more like a rubber movie prop lol

Moral of the story is that you can talk to half a dozen meat cutters and get different answers on preference.
Anyone with experience can take any decent blade and get the job done. I simply enjoy rotating through the collection and putting a variety of blade shapes and steel to use.

Some have room to learn and others are too arrogant.

"Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall."

Hang some pics Bubba...

Come on, Stud - pics of boned out game...!!!

To be fair here...

I'm in Scotland where I was on 9/11/01...

Just like then I was culling deer and returned to Aberdeen to be faced with what had happened.

Let me tell ya..the outpouring of support, the moments of silence, the general fV(king OUTRAGE here vs the [bleep] US makes me feel both privileged for the love we've been proffered here vs the general silence and apathy in America make me cry...

Two Red Deer for our annual barbecue tonight my friends and I have had since 1987...

To be even MORE fair...them was boned out with a Phil Wilson Fillet.....kinda cheating...!

I use a 6” Forschner with the curved blade. I’ve visited a lot of butcher shops and never seen anyone using anything fancy. Usually whatever cheap boning knife they have available.

Journeyman, I have been using this knife for the last 8 years. I bone out a deer, touch up the edge, then finish it. I like the flex level. I'm interested in your comments/suggestions.

BTW, I don't have pictures of deer being processed. My hands are always a mess and I never thought anyone would find them of interest.

https://www.amazon.com/Dick-Curved-Boning-Knife-Semi-Flex/dp/B000UBB2UQ

Nothing fancy. Dexter 6" Flexible Boner

So all those customs you order then flip at a huge profit just for that...profit?

Hey Rick, been a while...

In my world there is the "take home the carcass minus guts", "take home the primals", and take home the "ready to freeze, boned out cuts."

I generally prefer the initial -"take home the carcass minus guts " as I'm much better at separating game than most of today's quote-unquote "butchers."

To that end I generally prefer a top end knife that will get me where I want to be...vs where minimum wage hacks who cut up primals to yield "kind of" premium cuts

All that said - we've discussed the brilliant MS candidate who worked for me a few years ago and did his Masters on just this...and is now an executive at one of the major processing companies and freely shares his studies with me because he's like a son..

He advocates automation to the point where robots do all but the final cuts...and those last super skilled cuts are by "Master Butchers"...and those Master Cutters change the old game of cheapest knife for unskilled cutters...and he recommends F Dick X45CrMoV15 vs the generic 1.419 and "400 series" of the competitors...

I'm not qualified to argue with him, ...SO...we began year before last switching to F. Dick from Forschner on my ranch...

When have I flipped a custom for a profit? I either sell what I don’t keep for what I have in it or at a lost. Please show me where I’ve made money. Seriously, please show me.

And the customs I have are more for dressing, skinning, and quartering. I have yet to find a custom boning knife that like. I’m not opposed to one, just haven’t found the right one.

I like a Wyoming knife and a 6 or 7" fixed blade in the field and a longer blade for cutting up meat.

For boning I like a 5 or 6 inch curved boner.These also work well when quartering.I also like to use an 8 or 10 inch curved breaking knife for working up the larger cuts of meat.

Thanks ! .

I used one of these for 24yrs as a commercial meat cutter. Still own one and use it. No complaints.

https://corellebrands.com/chicagocutlery/commercial/#replaceable

That looks like a fine knife for breaking and boning.



I use these assorted knives and tools on occasion.