What do you guys use in the fur shed?

I have a shoe box full of knives and any of them will skin a predator but these are my favorites'

KOA Caper......Victorinox paring knife....and A G Russel Woods Walker.

A friend gifted me a Havalon that's pretty slick too but these three have been with me for quite a while and for some reason I keep going back to them.

I had Dale Howe make me a couple elmax customs. Used chicago cutlery and victorinox for years....
They are the ivory micarta ones on the duck and pheasant on Dales site.

http://www.howemtnknives.com/

My wife uses a scapel and a vicky, I use a Schrade Improved Muskrat. Everything from mink to wolves!

For skinning I use resharpened meat packing knives and they are cheap and great. I also have one of those $15 box cutter like blades the supply houses sell for opening cut ankle to ankle. I use a tail zipper as well.

For fleshing I have only used 2 knives: an necker...may not be the best but I got used to it and can use it well. Also a griz getter for shaving grizzle off otter and beaver. can be used on coon and yotes too but can ruin a pelt fast if not careful.

I bought a Sheffield fleshing knife several years ago but never got it out of the packing. Intent was for beaver but my fur trapping has pretty much stopped with the crash of the market.

The one in the middle.

Green River paring knife. It is a carbon steel blank I put Axis antler scales on.

I love those blades.

I've put scales on several of them to give away to friends. They make nice bird&trout knives.

I finally finally kept this one with cocobolo scales for myself. Made a left handed sheath so I can carry a handgun or sling a rifle on my strong side.




Their belt knives make nice camp knives. This one lives in my camp box.

I grew up on a small mink ranch in Southern Ontario. We would skin about 4500-5000 mink every fall. I've skinned 1000s of mink in my youth.

We used this type of knife in the pic for opening up the hide around the pelvis getting it ready to skin on the hydraulic puller. Once on the puller I used a 5" hunting style knife to cut around the head to prevent tearing the hide at the skull.