Which knife?

[Straight Arrow]

After breaking two Havalon blades on my buddie's new knife, I pulled out my forty-year old Buck folder to get the job done. I also carry a drop point Ruana which works really well. When working on an elk in the field, I always stop to sharpen blades ... it makes life much easier.

 

[rhomas]

I'm a big fan of all things made by Buck, and always have a Buck 110 in a sheath on my belt when I'm in the woods. But, my favorite skinning knife is a Hen and Rooster deep bellied 3" fixed blade with a gut hook. I've skinned as many as 6 deer in a row (all on the same hunt) with it without having to sharpen or even touch up the blade.

BTW, I use a Warthog Sharpening system for all of my knives, including my kitchen knives, pocket knives, hunting knives, and butchering set.

 

[174in]

Im not much on folding knives for hunting just seems hard to get all the crap cleaned out of them.I have been using a gerber caper knife the last few years and like it very well.

 

[spook12]

Case..............I have a drawer full of them.

 

[idahofishnhunt]

Switched over to a Havalon Piranta, and Victorinox boning knife a few years ago and have been happy with the results.

 

[dustinf]

Mora of Sweden classic #2. Under $20 and BY FAR the sharpest knife I've ever owned.

I can't explain how sharp this knife gets, and how well it stays sharp for multiple animals. Just read the reviews on Amazon...

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B004D6H1WC/ref=mw_dp_mpd?pd=1

 

[elk_hunter]

I vote for the Havalon Piranta (ping schmalts) - these bastards work so well and swapping out blades is cake!

 

[orion23]

if you are looking for a havalon, PM me. Give you a good deal on any of them.

 

[muledeerjunkie]

I used my hunting partner's Outdoor Edge SwingBlaze Knife last fall during our moose hunt. I liked it so much that I bought one for myself when I got back to the lower 48. The orange color handle was easy to see when you set it down on the tundra. After skinning two bulls, the gut hook was pretty dull...we didn't have a set of crock sticks with, but you'd need to pack a set to sharpen the gut hook in the bush.

 

[noharleyyet]

I like Spydercos...and sometimes Kershaw

 

[ismith]

Not a gut hook, but its old school sharp.

 

[deer_shooter]

Not sure why my pics post upside down from my iPhone but oh well

Bottom is a Dunn, a gift from my father in law. The other was my dads and is probably close to 75 years old. I have a bunch more but usually end up taking one of these two.

 

[DIY HUNTER]

I like my kershaw for the backcountry, they really stay sharp.

 

[chuckyd313]

I bought a deer antlered knife from the Renaissance festival because i liked the 4in drop point blade. I used it on the buck i got last october and will probably never use anything else. Its still amazingly sharp. I used to use an old Cold Steel Master Hunter. Never thought id replace it with anything but its now my back up.

 

[ScottP]

Here is a shot of some of my outdoor/hunting knives.



The top two are made by Bark River in Escanaba MI and are my go-to hunting blades - a loveless design 'Classic drop point hunter' in A2 tool steel and below that is a Bravo Necker 2 in CPM 3V. Both are outstanding, and have a shaving-sharp full convex grind that is very simple to maintain in the field. For me, its worth the extra weight to carry at least one of these on wilderness trips, they are bombproof and can serve more purposes than just skinning or gutting (would you stake your life on a havalon?).

I also really like the orange handled folder from Ka-bar. Really comfortable (for a folder), came super sharp, super light, and cost $20. Cheap steel likely though, but a great backup. Haven't used it on game yet as I just got it, so not sure about edge holding. Same for Becker BK16 (bottom). Working on re-profiling that one now, as I don't care for the factory geometry but will make a good survival/game knife when carry weight is not a concern.

I prefer fixed blade knives with a drop point blade design for field dressing and breaking down game, the drop point eliminates the need for a gut-hook in my opinion. We've used that Necker 2 to cape elk, deer, goat, and coyote. Also have batoned wood, cut through a pelican case, etc. A good 3" fixed blade can do a lot of work for you.