Do you need both a skinning and boning knife? What else? Since no bones are cut, it seems, I guess no saw is needed, or am I wrong? Special knife for gutting? Is there one knife design that does it all? Thanks.

There is a knife design that does it all, at least for me. I like fixed blade, drop point knives. Skinning, dressing, and butchering...all can be done with this type of knife.

Will this knife do?

This model from Pete Moon is my favorite. The small blade is easy to work in tight areas, rounded belly keeps me from puncturing what I don't want to puncture, and it balances well. ATS-34 keeps me going through several deer at a time.

I don't use a saw. I remove the hind quarter from the pelvis and there is no need.

Sure will.

Nice.

Here's one I have that looks similar. Made by Randy Lee.

That's a nice one! Same here...no saw.

That's what I like. Nice.

Thanks.

You're set.

I kind of favor this bottom one you just showed.

I use a Buck "skinner" or sometimes if I'm doing a lot of climbing or difficult crawling through branches etc & don't care to have a knife handle poking me in the sides I carry a heavy drop point folder with an ATS-34 blade. That on'es almost become my fav. Not as exciting or special as a one off custom but it holds up very well for me, good quality, just lacks individuality.



my other go to that I spoke of is also as boring as a brown dog but I like it anyways.



And the only work I have for a saw is the pelvis where I have become spoiled using one of these for about 5 years now.

I like that Buck Knife. Which model is it? Skinner? How much?

the black handle? I've had it for years now. They used to be around $40

I suppose today they might be a little more but I'd expect them to still fall below $50 or around 50

The upper, the folder with the rosewood grips is also a buck brand called the alpha hunter, when you lock it open you would hardly know it's a filder, very stout.

I skin out just below the knee joints on front & hind legs & cut the leg at the knee socket. The sockets are kind of juicy & when I do it there is usually some prety good popping/cracking noises as I cut tendons aroind the joint front, sides & back & give them a good side load to snap the joint open which exposes the remaining connecting tendons so you can cut without running your knife against too much bone. It's kinda gross I suppose, not really the sort of thing little girls care for as I learned with my daughter who informed me of the grossness...

But it works & I can do it pretty fast that way. Prety much the same deal with the hip socket.

Haven't really mastered the head removal with out getting pretty close with the cutting then finishing with a few chops with the blade to wack through. That's one of the reasons I appreciate a blade with a heavy spine to it.

Wow, maybe my daughter's right, maybe I am gross.

I just got this one for my birthday, I hope to break it in good this year. I usually gut, skin, quarter, debone all with one buck knife. it is about $60-$95 depending on where and sale.
Folding Alpha hunter with guthook


This is the one I have been using for years good knife cheap on sale from $19.95 - $34.95

Don't forget -- you need the Butt-out tool for your deer as well!



Get it here.

John

was waiting for someone to toss in the pooper puller.



bronc, I got my alpha hunter before they came out with gut hook. Man I like that knife though. Stout!! I've learned to give it a light coat of cooking oil if I put it away for a while as the ATS-34 blade isn't entirely corrosion proof.

that bottom knife, think they called it a 110 or something like that.

When I was a kid everyone had 2 of those because in the 70's for a while they had a mail in guarantee that they would replace the knife even if you simply lost it!!

Everyone bought one & mailed in the warranty.

Some guys were going halfsies on them & mailing in the card for the replacement knife.

tough old knifes, timeless.

Always thought of them as excellent "truck knives" or backup knives.

Removing the head is definitely the hardest skill to master when it comes to disassembling a big game animal. I learned a trick when I was guiding Caribou hunters in the NWT. If you skin the cape all the way up between the antlers, you can feel with your finger where the last vertebra is, called the crown joint. There is an air pocket on either side of the center line of the joint. If you twist the head towards either side of the body, you can get your knife in the joint, and cut the cartilage. Turn the head the other way, repeat, and you can pop the head off without touching bone with your knife, and definitely without a saw or hatchet. Being a broke student, I don't have a fancy custom knife, so all I carry for complete animal processing from start to finish (with the exception of skinning out the face for the taxidermist) is this:
It doesn't look like much, but it's safe, solid, holds an edge well, and sharpens up like a razor blade...Oh and it costs $14

I would guess that most of the deer and hogs I have dressed, as well as one 'gator, and a number of smaller animals, have been cleaned with these two knives.
The first is a Randall 11, and the other is a very old Clauss.

I tried several different knives last year and sought some advice recently in the knife forum.

Before season starts I will have one of these, but with a rubber handle.

Solid grip, nice blade design, S30V steel, < $100, pretty good bargain IMHO.

I have the Randall #11 too, and that old Clauss looks identical in design to my Marbles Woodcraft.

Gene Ingram makes a handful of various knife combo's that work extremely well.

One knife design that does it all?....Yep, actually a couple: While I usually use my pocket knife, a Schrade Uncle Henry Signature stockman, I also like my Schrade 'Lil Finger fixed blade (See the knife forum re: OT replacement). Thing to remember: Dressing a whitetail does NOT require a big knife.

Now, would I use a very expensive custom knife to dress a whitetail?.....NEVER! Dressing a whitetail requires a SHARP knife...with a short, relatively stiff blade that you can control, preferably of the "broken back design" if a fixed blade, or the clip blade of common stockman pocket knives. No need whatsoever for high-priced customs. However, if you wish to see your high-priced knife mucked up in the field...go ahead!

If you want a box full of pretty toys, ok. Personally, I don't buy 'collectables'.
I don't mind spending top dollar on a qualty knife to use as a tool. Ask Hawkeye if his Randall #11 is sharp, and if it can hold an edge.

Go to discount cutlery website and buy a 22 dollar Marttiini utility hunter. If you do not like the knife I'll buy it from you. I am not associated with discount cutlery or Marttiini knives. I have owned several different knives in my life; buy em, use em, and lose em. I do like a great inexpensive knife made in a non-communist country.

I just wish it were American made.

I picked up a couple of these for utility work and ended up using one last year for field dressing and like it very much.

http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/cb.aspx?a=78455

Im not much for big knives on deer, a 3 to 3.5 inch blade is just right for me. I also prefer a drop point for general gutting and feild use. If Im goig to skin a deer that has been hangning a while thus the hide wont pull off real easy I will switch to a more up-swept skinning style knife. Not that a drop point wont work fine but I feel I get more of the blade in play with a skinner.

Bottom line its what feels good you're hand. Sheath style and handle type are also important things, to me anyway, when it comes to knives. Rubber handles, abit great with blody hands just dont do it for me, I prefer stag. Stag gives me the grip I need when the knife is bloody and looks great.

As for steel, look less at the 0-1, D-2 or 52-100 unless you take real good care of stuff as they will rust if not given the best of care. ATS34 and some of the other stainless steels will serve just as well and not require the oiling. But the stainless is a softer steel so will need resharpening more ofted, but they will take an edge faster.

In the end its Ford vs Chevy, you just need to look at lots of them, and if your like me you will like them all and need a bunch of em.

Those are some really nice knives that you guys posted. I have a 3" liner lock folder made by a friend of mine who is now departed that is my general purpose skinning / boning knife. But the best deer butcher that I have ever seen (can skin and bone out a deer completely in about 15 minutes) uses disposable surgical scalpels.

The disposable ones are very nice. I have skinned a couple of deer with one and they work well.

I like this knife alot. Unfortunately, I lost it stalking a buck. http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/t...ndex&indexId=cat20889&hasJS=true

I bought this knife last year and I love it. As it came, it was/is the sharpest knife I have ever handled. It gave me a 1/2" cut the first time I ever accidentaly touched the blade. Fantastic knife.

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/t...ndex&indexId=cat20889&hasJS=true

I used a Buck folder for the first twenty years of my deer hunting and killing (including a lot of culling/collecting). Don't really know why I quit carrying one, but I guess I just succumbed to the lure of pretty custom knives for a while.

For the last fifteen years, I have used a really good folder from Kershaw that they call the "Folding Field". Use it on deer, elk, pronghorns, etc. I'm on my second one (laid the first one down while packing elk quarters and never could find it again). Should I lose this one, I will damn sure buy another.

Bob Dozier Columbia River Skinner, 4" of D2...


Dozier Slim Outdoorsman, 3 1/2" of D2...


Dozier Semi-Skinner, 3" of D2...


Custom Shop Buck 110, Stag handle, Nickle bolsters, BG-42...


Custom Shop Buck 110, Buffalo handle, Nickle bolster, BG-42...

Very cool knives! Damn.

I like a very small, short, single-blade featherweight folder by Schrade for gutting. I can sort of wrap my finger around the back of it, over the tip, to prevent a popped stomach (that's something you do ONCE!). Anyway the blade can't be more than 2" long and it weighs nothing and cost like $15 or something... and it works.

I have a Buck Vanguard, with the rubber handle, for everything else. Seems to work but isn't in the league of many of these knives you guys are showing!

I'm still learning how to gut a deer. Self-taught and I've only done 16 of them. There's enough time between hunting seasons that I have to re-learn a thing or two every year too <g>.

I must confess to once improvising a Butt-Out type "tool" out of a stout blackberry vine with big thorns. It did work. I'm pretty sure I looked around to make sure nobody was looking before I used it though. :-) It just seemed... wrong.

You are right Jeff, that was wrong.



what ever works I guess.

Hey MOGC, I really like that buffalo grip 110 buck folder, that's cool!!

I don't want to hijack your thread Hawkeye but what's everybody using for sharpening?

I've been using a Lansky 3 stone set with the guides & such. Sharpened my own knives & many others with it for about...6 years now I think?

I was a free hand guy previous to this & also tried the quick sharp units with the carbide blades. I really preffer & highly recomentd the lansky type kits though, lansky or gatco.

Dave

I would say the most important feature in selecting a knife is to make sure the steel is of the compound that you can actually sharpen it. I use high carbon-stain free (not stainless), like commercial kitchen knives because I can sharpen them quite easily. some knives are just about impossible to sharpen after they lose their edge, short of a professional sharpener. they do dull quickly and then they are worthless. just skinning will dull one.

Buck 110 for 35 years.

For those of you who say you don't use an expensive knife because you lose them after you lay them down in the woods, you will notice that both of the knives I showed you have a hole in the back. Make sure your expensive knives have one too. Take some blaze orange ribbon and tie a short length of it in there before you leave your house. Much harder to lose it in the woods that way.

I use a 3.75" drop point of pattern welded 15N20 and 1084 steels, flat ground and differentially heat treated, It's got brass guard and pommel with burl Ironwood handle. No thong hole. I use a Lansky to sharpen it as needed.

Heat treat quality is more of an issue to edge holding than alloy is. Though some alloys are a real pain in the arse to sharpen.

One thing is for sure, the bigger the knife, the smaller the experience of it's user.

I use knives I have made from D2 or ATS134. I sharpen them on an Edgepro, most of the time using a primary edge of about 18 degrees and a secondary polished edge at 21 degrees.

On a setup like the edge pro even the "hard to sharpen" stainless stuff is no problem and I can get through several deer without stopping to touch up a blade.

Personally I have found that a system like the edge pro works so well it allows the steels such as 440 or AUS8 to perform at a much higher level by allowing you to put a perfect bevel to maximize performance. I admit my freehand sharpening skills are poor but knives done on the EP keep their edge much longer with far less time involved to obtain it.

Dave, my kids bought me a Lansky 3-stone setup a few Christmas's back, and I love the thing! $20 well, well spent. Once you get the angle established on a given blade it's fast and easy to maintain a good edge.

Getting that angle established in the first place can be tedious on a thick blade, though.

I hear ya, especially on harder steel that's been hand sharpened freehand for too many seasons & heds up with an edge similar to an old railroad spike. gotta get out the red back course stone to correct that sort of thing but like you said, once you've got it corrected to the angle you choose it's a piece of cake to touch them up.

Only one downfall to being the lansky or gatco guy. If you don't keep it a secret pretty soon that's all you do at deer camp is sharpen knives!

There is usually a pile of them in front of me in a matter of minutes if I break it out.

Personally, I use 4 different knives processing the deer before butchering.
One to open the dder, and remove entrails. A second knife to cut around anus and deal with that nonsense- a third knife to remove tenderloins in the field, and a fourth for skinning. I do not like the one knife does all method, because I do not want to contaminate the venison with crap. Dont want to use the knife I cut around the anus with to take out the tenderloins, or skin the animal.
And I have a different set of knives all together when I take the deer to the butcher block.

For field dressing I use a Swiss Army (Victorinox) folding hunter. Has a great main blade, a gut hook, and a small saw. Sharp as a razor and takes and holds an edge very easily. For cutting up bambi I use my grandfather's butcher knives. Works for me.

Qtip
Soli Deo Gloria!

I clean 15-20 big game animals a year. That said, my requirements in a knife are: light weight, good steel that holds an edge, textured grip, a blade that's not too blunt, must fold for compact carry, and a descent price. The reason I say a descent price is that I can't tell you how many knives I've lost in the field or around camp(Always have a spare in the pack).

The answer to all of those requirements is BUCK. Bucks hold an edge, they come out of the box razor sharp, and they don't break the bank when you loose one.

I've used Boker, Kershaw, Gerber, S&W, Old Timer, Schrade, and a few others and none have held edges like the Bucks.

And no, you only need a knife to clean a deer. I can clean a deer in mere minutes with only a knife. All you have to do is hang them by the neck, ring each leg & the neck, slide a sharp knife up each leg to the center of the belly, slide knife under the hide from the rear quarters up to the neck ring along the center of the belly, pull off the hide, cut off the shoulders, cut out the back straps, cut off the neck meat, remove each ham(going to the socket with only a knife), and then gut(if you didn't field dress) and remove the sweet meat.

Good Luck

Reloader7RM

The knife in this pic is purely a utility knife for skinning/deboning ... not the best, but not the worst by a very long shot ...



It's a Gerber fixed blade with gut hook. I can't say I like or dislike the gut hook, but it's really not a necessity ... Actually, I think I'd love this knife as well as anything else if it were simply a drop point with the same blade profile ...

Field dressing (gutting) I like to use a an old Buck folder that I have that has around a 3" drop point blade. It's plenty long enough for the task and I like the drop point for gutting. I like that it folds as well as I can drop it into a plastic bag and put in my cargo pocket or back pack when I'm done with it. For field dressing deer, 3" is as long of a blade that I would personally want.

Interesting take. Never occurred to me, but it makes sense.

Ok, but what about the neck? Do you take it with the spine or do you remove the meat and leave the spine. I ask because when I stew neck meat, it's with the bones, but I'm getting the impression that deer bones don't impart a good flavor to stews. Is that the case?

Yeah, you don't want the bones....

I've been liking this set-up for a couple decades now. No whitetails with it but lots of other, bigger critters.

Very nice. Gerbers are great knives. I have one (a two and three quarter inch drop point lock blade) that I bought in the early 1980s. Been carrying that knife every day since then, literally. Light as a feather, and super strong. It's got a zytel handle. Blade is surgical stainless steel. Holds a great edge, and I can put a new razor sharp edge on it with just a few strokes on a whetstone. Still works perfectly after all these years.

This is a Case "XX Changer", that I carry in my hunting pack sometimes, in my BOB all the time. My wife bought this for me as a Christmas present our first year together, so I have had it about 15 years now.
All the blades hold a great edge, its easy to shapen, and its just plain tight as a tick.

I use three knives per deer usually. One 30 year old Western folder for gutting that also has a saw blade for the pelvis. The blade is large enough to open the sternum (ribcage)on our smaller whitetails.
At camp I use a larger knife w/gut hook for ripping the skin on the legs and a small knife for skinning out the deer/hog. Then for quartering I go back to the larger knife. Both those are Western knives with rubber, non-slip handles.
I wear gloves for gutting in the field so my hands are clean when the job is done. Then another pair for butchering. No contamination.

Takes longer to describe it than do it, unless there is a cape involved.

stumpy

Well I usually have a dozier but the son in law cleans and capes them all with an old double bladed Old Henry! Gotta luv it!

I don't know about what is best in knives. I started with a buck 110 folding knife I have owned it since the 70's. It went back to Buck once as I was splitting camp wood with it and broke the lock, they replaced it at no charge. I like this knife because it keeps an edge, is easy to sharpen, and has a narrow blade which makes it easy to bone the meat off of the hams while the deer is hanging. I think 5 or so is the max I have done without sharpening it. My wife bought me a buck mini alpha hunter, I am trying that out these last three years as well, its OK so far for skinning.

Nice set. I didn't know Case made those.

I can see maybe carrying two knifes for doing the job of completely dressing out a deer ... but I can't see carrying around one blade for gutting, one for skinning, one for the anus area, one for the loins, a saw for the bones, etc...

Just get one, maybe two good knives ... learn the anatomy of the deer, and use some care when doing the work ... you'll find how/where the joints are, and how they are 'built' ... you can cut the ligaments/tendons to separate the bones at the joints, and have no worries of getting bone fragments/chips in the meat, and you really won't have to worry about "contamination" either if you know where to make your cuts ...

Not condemning those who wish to use 'specialized' or 'separate' blades for just about every aspect of processing a deer ... just saying that IMHO it's wholly unnecessary if you just use a little knowledge and care when processing ...

Buck makes a fix blade knife they claim is self-sharpening, i.e., never needs to be resharpened. Is that possible?

never heard of that, can't imagine how that could be possible unless it's some gimmicky sharpener in the sheath that gives a stroke across the blade as you place it in or draw it.

But I do like the Buck brand

I have a few Buck 110's that the custom shop made for me a few years back and I totlay forgot I had them till this thead, I just pulled them out and dam, there nice! I have one in stag with an ATS-34 blade that might find its way into a whitetail here soon.

Heck, I might even order another...........

very cool.

passport,
Like everything else in the world, recently the price of the Buck Custom Shop knives just took a significant increase. IMHO one of the best buys around for a new Buck 110 is the Cabela's Guide Series with rosewood handles and S30V blade steel. I think Bass Pro has their own special run with ATS-34 and that would be a nice upgrade from the standard 110's 420HC steel. Not that 420HC can't get the job done, it certainly can. Especially so since Buck has Paul Bos do the heat treating of the steel. That brings out the best in performance of their blades and chosen steels.

I used to cut the neck for grinding meat but a few years back I cut the neck meat off like a roast. Made for a large, flat hunk of meat that we seasoned, rolled and tied into a roast. came out of the crock pot real nice.

For a while Buck and Cabelas marketed a knife with some type of coating, I think it was some type of nitrade that was applied to one side of the blade. As the knife was used the uncoated side would wear away and leave a sharp edge on the coated side. I never saw one and only recalled the info from the product description.

I do like using two knives when backpacking, usually a short drop point for most of the chores but have gone to a longer blade on a boning knife when reducing them to just meat and horns.

castandblasts's gerber pictured above is interesting. I have a similar knife, but only with the drop point blade (the one in the knife in the pic) and the saw. Mine does not, however, have the more rounded (what do you call that, anyway?) that would be much better for skinning. I wonder if I could add a blade from Gerber?

Yeah, that's the one I'm talking about.

They are out there used, sometimes with a guthook on the top. They haven't been made in a long time but I have seen them at knife shops once in a while. If I see one I'll grab it for you!

Neck meat is actually great meat. Foy years, my kids and I would chunk up the neck meat to use for a New Year's Eve fondue party.....DELICIOUS!

I use a Benchmade EMT Emergency seat belt cutter as a hide cutter from sex organs to top of breast bone as to also cut through the stomach muscles up to the breast bone. Used this rig for 6 yrs and never cut into any abdominal cavity contents. Anus is reamed and sex organs removed with a fish filet knife then off to the Deer cooler.

I pretty much Buck knives for everything. Don't know why really other than I have about 10 of 'em. I use a Buck 110(i think) for general gutting duties and to make some cuts for skinning. I have several black handled, fixed blade of various size and stoutness for the skinning and butchering. No saw. The hip joints kind of pop out when you get the knife into them. The leg joints can be done with a knife too. Just score the skin/ligaments around them and give them a quick hard pop and they generally break right off.

Tom

I hope to bloody this one

This knife is a Drop Point #7+
The blade is 5/32 thick
The handle is Maroon Linen Micarta
Blade length is 3": Overall length 7"
Steel used - S30V
Black Kydex "cross draw" sheath with belt loop.

TRH,

Both of those knives are well up to the task of dressing out a whitetail; my preference would be the first one as the antler handle looks as if it would offer a better grip when wet with blood and it also has a more positive finger guard.

Whether you need a small saw for the field or not depends on whether you intend to open the chest cavity fully or leave it closed until you get home. The main advantage of leaving it closed is that it reduces contamination as you extract the carcass.

If you intend to open it in the field, I would recommend buying a small T handled saw such as the Gerber E-Z Saw...It does the job with the minimum of fuss and no matter how good the quality of your blade steel, splitting rib cages is a bit brutal on the knife...

There is a lot to be said for using a cheap and cheerful knife for deer work save wrecking or loosing your quality one..

I like a Frosts Clipper with SS trilaminated blade



They are soft enough to sharpen easily in the field and at around $15 its no great loss if you loose it...The handle and sheath are synthetic so are easy to keep clean and sterilize from time to time...

As for butchering afterwards, I would recommend you get two specialist butchers knives; a 6" boner and a 10" or 12" Steak knife. I use plastic handled Victronox (sp?) which are cheap but good quality and the sort you would find in a meat packing establishment. You will also need a steel to sharpen these, and possibly a proper butchers saw..I like the ones with a 12" or 15" blade...This will come in handy if you decide to be a bit more adventurous with the cuts you decide to remove from the carcass, some of which are "bone in"..

Finally, I suggest you get a good DVD on butchering as it makes life much easier..I recommend "White-tailed deer processing" from
Gamebutcher

I 've bought a couple of DVD's from him and he really is a nice gent to deal with, and who runs a family based deer cutting operation.. The DVD's are very good, and are aimed at the novice butcher who is only dealing with a couple of carcasses a year at home..

This guy also sells the knives and steels, but I already bought mine locally so I can't comment what they are like...

Regards,

Pete

I've used all kinds, but I prefer a small (2") blade for severing the esophagus/windpipe and a larger (4") blade for the rest. I usually have a gerber or kershaw since they are easy to replace and the steel if at least fair enough for a couple deer at a time. Hogs require a really good steel and I've dulled blade just having them laying near a hog.

I ussually carry 2 knives with me, but only use one of them. The second one I use is for skinning an butchering but I let it tag along anyways.

I stopped cutting the windpipe a few years ago, Seems alot easier to me, to reach up inside it and just give it a yank.

For sharpening I like freehand on a large stone, and then use the back of a 3" leather belt. Bout the only way I have found to get these Marbles as sharp as they can get.

This one will be what I'm using from now on. Marbles Sport 99


heres ther other Marbles. Its a lil big but I like the steel and for skinning, making breakfast an what not its perfect


A rapala fillet knife seems to find its way onto the table when were butchering as well

Thanks. I will look into the DVD.

I like those Marbles knives. I have a few, myself.

Been looking around to ID that large Marbles you have there, but cannot do so. What is the model name/number on it? Thanks.

PeteE.

Over here (North Florida), its more important to cool the carcass down, than to worry about contamination. Often during hunting season, the temperature will top 90F.
I use several wraps of cheese cloth to keep the critters and dirt/brush out, but the chest has to be opened for cooling.

NorthWoods Big Game skinner. Both blades have the 52-100 for steel

It seems the drop point blade is a rather common theme here. Makes complete sense to me.

I really like the looks and strength of a fixed-blade knife, but for field dressing these days I carry a lightweight lockback folder. I have many, but one of my favorites lately is the Gerber LST. The blade is 2-1/2" long and the handle is black plastic. Field dressing does not require a large or particularly strong knife, and the LST is absolutely unnoticeable in the pocket. It will handle 2 deer before needing a touch-up.

I have many fixed-blade knives, but a few favorites for game processing include a Marbles Plainsman straight back, a Boker stag-handled drop point (forgot the name), and a Buck Vanguard. I haven't yet experienced the pleasure of owning a custom-made knife, but some of the excellent pictures posted in this thread may influence that decision.

I agree that the Lansky is an excellent sharpening tool. I always use the guide hole that produces the shallowest angle (labeled as 17.5� IIRC) because a shallow angle cuts best. I would use a shallower angle if it was a choice. I also stop with the medium stone, and typically do not use the fine. The medium stone leaves a somewhat "rough" edge that I believe cuts meat and hide better than a very smooth edge, and seems to stay sharper longer.

Knife sharpening has been a "hobby" of mine for as long as I can remember. I learned by watching my dad do it freehand on a double-sided "Carborundum" stone. It takes practice to get good with this method, but it can be very effective.

On our caribou hunt in '02, I noticed that our guide was having trouble "cutting" through the hide and meat of the 'bou. On our last day in camp, I took his knife and a flat stone and went to work. The "edge" was very blunt from years of touch-up at increasingly blunt angles, so a lot of work was required to obtain a decent edge. It took me almost 2 hours, but when I was done, it would dry-shave the hair from my arm from hilt to tip. He said "thanks", but I'm sure he didn't really appreciate how sharp it was until dressing his next caribou.

A few years earlier, I was in the woods with my brother-in-law while he was dressing a deer. After watching him struggle for a couple minutes with his obviously-dull Buck Woodsman, I handed him my Buck Vanguard and suggested he try it, and suggested that he be careful not to touch his skin with the edge because it was very sharp. After the first cut, the look on his face and subsequent comment was priceless. "Man! That's sharp!" he said. Then he proceeded to badly lay open his hand with it. I finished dressing the deer for him while he nursed his hand, which was bleeding badly. Can't say I didn't warn him.

-

Lots of high tech options, I use a Havels Piranta. Its a replaceable blade pocket knife that uses autopsy blades. I can do anything I need to with that knife, including dejointing as needed, a pack of say 10 extra blades is a few ounces. Plenty cheap, appx 25 bucks for 100 blades...

And never need to sharpen..... I've put all the rest of my knives away, except the filet knife for boning on the spot and if going after something big, I take my LEM skinning knife...

Jeff

I love the pics of Ingrams and Mays. They are a very classy way to unzip and skin a deer. I've used everything from a swiss army knife to a Sebenza. My last hunt in January of this year I skinned, quartered, and packaged 3 deer, and two hogs with a Spyderco Delica 4.

We talk alot about our gear, but not so much about our ability to use it well. I suspect if we were really able to get around the same Campfire, we'd be able to see who works a knife the best. Trust me, I know there's many better than me.

How do you like that Model 11?

I had a thing for Randall knives for awhile. I drove this model 26 (at the bottom of the pic just above the Ingrams) for a long time. After I picked up those Ingrams (a slim, and a #1 Semi), I can't seem to grab anything else. The next four Ingrams are due in October, so that will be nice!!!



Here's a better pic of that Model 26.

I use 3, Foster to open and remove, Starling for skinning and an old Boker for cutting out the loins and other small tasty bits.

Dave McCrosky of McCroskey Custom knives makes the best knives that I have had my hands on, and I have a drawer full of other custom and German knives.

He has about 5 models of which I have 3. What is uncanny about Dave's knives is the ability to hold an edge.

The first knife that I bought of his was the "Elk Skinner" smaller knife. I skinned 4 deer with it and it would still shave hair off your arm.

Dave is a world class guy to deal with and will sharpen the knife for you for free when it does get dull, and you will not believe just how much skinning you can do with it before it gets dull.

Dave is in Ok, at 877-256-4837

I have accrued quite a few hunting knives over the years. But I seem to keep going back to a couple of Buck 110 Folding Hunters...a lot of knife for the money, IMO.

These are the knives that have gotten the most use for me lately.
Top is a blade made by a friend of my sons, O2 if I remember right.
2nd is a Junior Smith knife. Notice the wide grind, the other side is a narrow grind. He calls this his right handed skinner.
3rd is a Buck folder, not sure what they call it, the blade is stamped 450 and a backwards C. Thick rubber handle feels very good in my hands. I've got a couple of these and they work well on deer.
Bottom is a 110 Bucklite. Good old dependable 110.

Then there is this one, kind of have a hard time using it, just looks too good. Ingram #1, S30V, Spalted Maple with embossed pins.

Have not put it to the test yet since I just finished it but the handles alone have put this one into a favorite list.

1/10" thick ATS134 with olivewood and stainless/natural micarta pins. Primary bevel at 18degrees, secondary bevel at 21degrees and finished with a 2000grit wet/dry paper and will cut hair without touching skin. Attempts to shave hair off the skin will filet the first layer of skin as well as the hair.

I just can't get the Lasky to work for me. I don't know what the heck I'm doing wrong. I just use the old fashion wet stone trick and it seems to work well. Maybe I just never got the right angle going on the blade or something.

I'll have to practice on an old one if I can find one laying around

My results with the Lasky haven't been as good as mine with a wet stone, but I've been using one since grade school. The Lasky is easier to learn, and gives better results to some of my hunting buddies who never learned a wet stone.

The previous poster talked about 18 and 21 degrees, and I'm curious if he meant total or per side? What I do, and no it isn't the only thing that can give good results, is 25 degrees total with the coarse stone, and 30 degrees total with the edge. It seems a good balance between useful edge and edge life. What angle to the rest of you strive for?

The angles I mentioned are preset notches on an Edgepro Apex, Im pretty sure they represent the total. I will run different angles based on need but generally run a secondary edge on everything. Heavy choppers get 21/25 and are usually finished with a 220 grit stone, most hunting knives and pocket knives get 18/21 with either a 600 or 800grit, kitchen knives get 15/18 but they dont try chopping frozen chicken with edges that thin.

I will also vary the angle based on steel, brittle stuff usually gets a thicker edge while I will put S30V on a very fine edge to take advantage of its cutting and edge retention.

Love that knife! Those pins are unique; where can I get some?

Thanks,
GPA

Thanks, the pins are 1/4 stainless tubing with 5/32" natural micarta rod epoxied in. I get all my parts at Texas Knifemaking supply.

Here is another one with bolivian rosewood scales with black micarta rod inside the stainless tubes.

Awesome! I, too, deal with Texas Knife. Can you provide a stock # for those micarta rods?

Thanks,
GPA

Not recommending any of these, because I think the next knife will have more of a drop point look to it. I think my next will be home-made. Just a progression.

L to R:
1. Mora - pretty good steel bought in the 60's, from Fuller's Tackle shop, Park Rapids MN.
2. Buck given to me for a graduation present.
3. Buck given to me for a birthday present from my wife, purchased in Anchorage AK. It's my most used. I especially like the guard for safety.
4. Probably my favorite just because my daughter bought for me-just because- when touring in Italy- I guess it is from a famous knife making area.

Chicago Cutlery clip point folding knife - used the same one for about the last 30 years.

As to bone saw, if power is availible, a Porter-Cable 'Tiger Saw' or other reciprocating saw is great.

Grizzly

I like the folding knives with a blade lock. I prefer a drop point, any old brand.

I bought one of these, it dulled.

I hope to spill a little sheep blood on this knife next week. Had it made by an up and coming knife maker that I met on another forum and it's a copy of George Herron's # 8 knife.

I really like that knife, how about some details?

Sorry for the late reply, here's the info on this knife.

Model : Herron Style Hunter
Steel : 3/16" D2 @ 59-60 HRC
Construction : tapered tang, hollow ground blade (10" wheel) OAL : 8-3/4"
Blade length : 4-3/16"
Hardware : pinned & soldered 416 stainless guard & handle fasteners
Scales : wssi stabilized Carpathian elm with .030 red liner
Sheath : 8-9 oz. veg tanned leather sheath, hand sewn ; neatsfoot oil finish

This knife is even better looking than in the picture, I am seriously considering having another made for my wife for Christmas.

AkMtnHntr

You romantic devil, you. Funny thing, when I bought my wife a chain saw, she didn't appreciate it.....

LOL......yeah, I try!! I have to admit though, I am fortunate that I have a wife that craves sheep hunting just as much as I do. When our hunt got cancelled this year she was almost unbearable to live with, she told me that she had dreamed of this hunt since last year and not being able to go truely bummer her out big time. So i'll try and ease her pain a little with a new knife for next year......only problem is, I will probably end up having to cut up her sheep for her as she isn't to keen on the blood guts thing. At least I'll have a brand new knife to use if she should kill her ram.