I don't have a pretty one, just a practical one. I bought this Gerber Gator Drop Point folder knife and sliding saw back around 2000, both have served me well. If I had to buy again right now, I would probably be interested in this Gerber Hunt Kit, which is kinda homely in it's practicality.

Buck Vanguard. I've tried a bunch and it seems to work best all around.

What do you use the saw for?

Tell me you have never been hunting without saying you have never been hunting!

Well I’ve never used a saw on game. Everything is taken apart with a knife. Even elk and moose. Maybe I am doing it wrong.

A pair of 80 something year old Remington RH4 hunting knifes.

A Buck 102 I got in 1981 when I was 12. It has been used to make at least one cut on every single animal I have ever taken.

If you’re deboning everything to carry just the meat out you may not use one. But a saw can come in handy for the pelvic bone when you’re just gutting the animal to drag out whole and want to open up the back hams to cool down.

I’ve been using a puma folding lock back for years. My son gave me a puma game warden folding lock back that has a saw blade. I got to use it for the first time on a black bear last year.

Come again? Guess I’ve never been hunting.🙄


When I thought I was hunting I carried a havalon. Just got an outdoor edge knife to try out.

I like easy sharp. And I’m really good at dulling.

I have not only never used a saw on game, I have not in the past 58 years seen anyone use a saw on game.


My current favourite, it is also excellent for fishing olives out of a jar.

I have two my boy made and a couple of Buck knives??

You meaning Boye as in the arizona maker ?

Woops- shoulda read that more carefully

LOL, I ordered a Mora Companion 3 years ago that's been the bomb. It was sharp out of the box and holds an edge. Been used on deer, rabbits, pheasants, squirrels, etc. Goes in the dishwasher after each use. The price makes it worry free.

SS with an orange grip and a hard plastic sheath (also orange). Worry free use and that orange handle is easy to find. The plastic sheath works great despite my initial misgivings, cleans easily and can in the dishwasher with the knife.

After handling the first one I ordered a pink one for the GF (ex) and another orange one for the horsetrailer.

Hard to beat a small drop point of decent quality.

I laff at the newbie hunters that take a 6" knife out for field dressing deer.

I don't carry a saw while hunting either.

The last 4-5 years, it's been a Grohmann stag handled #1. It replaces a J A Henckels that I've used for over 40 years.

Havalon Piranta I bought off the classifieds here several years back to give one a try - haven’t used anything else since! My brother makes very nice knives and have a few of his, but this thing is always sharp, feels good in the hand and is “surgical” when cutting down into joints, etc.

Saws seem common for Whitetail...at least where I've hunted...after skinning down to the head area, a saw is the way to go to remove a Buck's head to take to the Taxidermist. I'm not talking about backpack hunting...the saw I use and that the guys I've hunted with is a cordless sawzall. That saw makes quick work of removing feet/legs, etc. from the quarters and shoulders that you don't need to take home for processing or to a processor.

Your taxidermist hates you.....

77 78 era buck 110
Ain't used nothing else honestly.
Totally staged picture with heart and lungs posed...
🤷‍♂️

As far as knives go me and my son carried and used a Benchmade Hidden Canyon the last two years. I like the knife for gutting and skinning. The short thick blade is easy to control for skinning and we didn't puncture any organs or hide. It was easy to reach into the deers cavity with to remove the esophagus....maybe I'm doing that wrong but it worked for us in the field.

I don't like the knife though for deboning or cutting meat though. The blade is too short. The Buck vanguard mentioned above seems like a nice length blade IMO. This year we used my old brown handle Case fillet knife for deboning and cutting meat. It's very light, easy to keep sharp and worked really good for us on the meat.

I was walking by the Historic Arkansas Museum one day so I decided to stick my head into the blacksmith forge & see what they were making. Had a great conversation with their Master Bladesmith, Lin Rhea (https://rheaknives.com/) and wound up asking him to forge me one of his X-Rhea (pronounced X-Ray) knives. I found it to be super sharp and very functional in its simplicity.



The last knife I put to good use was my small slender Buck Pathfinder to help carve the breasts out of 126 geese. This was a gift from a hunting buddy.

They may. Maybe they are being nice, but none have commented about it. Probably happy to get the business.

Yup. Go gutless. All you need is a knife. The only thing I have used a saw for is cutting off the skull cap to save weight.

I use that very same saw. I carry one in the utility bag on my climbing stand. It cuts as you pull and makes short work of small limbs that I want to climb past. Handy and fairly quiet.

If a saw is needed on game I use a little zip-saw that's just a piece of abrasive wire between two skinny steel pins.

Do you "go gutless" on the ground?

You sure you didn't blow those lungs clear out of the body with a 9mm? 😂😇

No 'may' about it. They don't have much good to say about folks that are too lazy to bring them a properly prepped animal, if you ask them about it. Yeah, they're happy to get the bizness and too polite to tell you to your face, what a conehead you are. And most even charge a bit more to take care of the extra work you cause them.

huntsman22..FU I'm no Conehead....I hate how you can't seem to honestly comment on this forum with a bonehead like you disrespecting someone.

shootingtime.com/hunting/how-to-skin-a-deer/

There is a good video on the link above. That process is close to what I do either in the field or in my shed. Not sure why I would want to cut through the neck/spine with my knife, when I have a saw?????

🤦‍♂️🤣🤣🤣

Puma Master folder for 20 years, Havalon Piranta for caping.

The Grohman #1 is a VERY good design as a field knife for dressing and as well as a good skinner. The one I have (center) was found in a pawn shop and purchased for $20. It's an older carbon blade, not stainless.

The top knife is a Bark River Canadian that has been re-worked to approximate the Grohman but is a bit big for deer. I've used it in caribou and moose. It holds an edge better than the #1. The bottom knife is a Bark River Patch Knife. I've used it for dressing deer and it's very good at that but would be lacking for skinning.



Here's that Patch Knife with another Bark.

I've not used the top knife for anything yet, so cannot comment on it.

I’m going to have to show you guys someday how to take apart any critter with just a knife. And no hacking, pounding, prying etc…. Saws are for firewood.

Cold Steel Master Hunter
Carbon V

20+ years...deer. elk, Moose, Caribou, Black bear..

This one's got a few miles on it, been carving stuff up since the 80's.

This past deer season, I used knives by Tim Olt, Rick Menefee, Gene Ingram, and Mark Hill for processing. I do admit to using a cordless saw for cutting off legs and the head. I don't go to the taxidermist and was not worried about that angle.

I use these Beretta Loveless knives a lot and this old Gerber A425 drop point that will hold an edge especially well. I believe it is M2 tool steel that is then chrome plated.

Everyday carry, my son has gotten me a Civivi that I am very impressed with.
Skinning, It’s hard to make a commitment to anything particular. There are many highly functional mass produced knives.

That being said, I have a few custom drop points.
Something about holding a custom piece from highly talented folks that I like.
I have deep appreciation for craftsman ship and well made anything. LOL
Can’t remember who made them though, for a time I was addicted to the Blade Forums and picked up a few really well made knives.

I use a Buck Ergohunter folder I pulled from the Cabelas Bargain Cave for like $15...like it enough I tracked down a backup just in case.

Seems like some guys get wrapped up in their hunting knives and think they have to have a Randall, Dozier, Ingram, et al to gut their 2 or 3 deer a year out. Thats fine if thats what you're into, fact remains simple/cheap works just as well in all but the extreme cases.




....also revealing some folks have who knows how much wrapped up in custom blades that may or may not get used annually. Take a look in the kitchen and they've got a drawer full of Faberware or Chicago Cutlery that is used daily.

People are indeed strange people.

I've been a knife person all my life and love seeing what knives others use. As a custom knife collector since the late 60's and full time custom maker for the last 20 years, I have come to realize that everyone's idea of the best knife design is different. None of them are wrong, just different.

There aren't very many designs out there that are totally unusable. The hunters bowie design from the late 1800's and early 1900's is one that has been described as useless as a hunting knife by many internet experts as well as noted collectors that have authored many articles and books. I made the little Bowie with the fiddleback handle as a knife to present to the Technical Committee of the Knifemaker's Guild. I decided to keep it and use it to see how it works as a hunting knife. It works great! I have used it off and on since 2006 and have not found that the double guard hindered its use in any way. The blade shape works very well and I could easily be happy if this was my only knife. It's design is fairly close to the old Dime Store Imperial knife I grew up with in the 50's. It's blade shape is not very different from the design of the popular Randall #5 that I used for years.

I have used the 3.5" Morseth hunter since 1972. It is a very successful design that many makers sell. It is the knife that convinced me that I like a blade that is a little longer and why I settled on a 5" blade as my favorite. I had used and continue to use the two Gerber's and the Puma prior to getting the Morseth. All three have blades that are near 5". When I made myself a personal hunting knife a couple of years ago, picture at the bottom, I went with a 5" drop point blade. To me it is perfect and it is my favorite using knife.

Hi, count me in, I would honestly be interested.

One thing I keep in mind when replying is that a lot of members are in the West...I think of TX as in the West too. I'm envious of the amount of land and game you guys have access to. To me, the land and features are amazing to see.

In NC and where I've hunted in the Southeast, unless it's with an outfitter, the land you own or lease is typically 100 acres or less. I'm never far from my truck, so carrying some extra stuff to make the job easier isn't a big deal. I've got a light gambrel and a pulley with lock that I keep in a backpack for handling a deer in the field. That makes it a lot easier for me. One of the two processors I use won't accept a shoulder or quarter with a hoof. The other will, but charges extra to remove. It seems easier for me to cut those off with the saw.

The outfitters I've hunted with in the Southeast have walk-in coolers under a shed and all of them use a sawzall.

If I had to walk for miles to hunt, I wouldn't be carrying a sawzall and seriously interested in how I do the job with only a knife.

I have been using this Outdoor Edge "Swing Blade" for years now. It's the only knife I need for all critters, fantastic knife.

KB

Last few years, I use a common $10.00
boning knife and a traditional pattern butcher
at times. I can use just the boning knife and
do just fine. My roadblock is skinning, and
as long as I don't have to skin in the headlights
or with a flashlight, I can get through it ok.
After that it's a couple of minutes to quarter
for the cooler.

I've had some fairly expensive knives like
Randalls and others, and they are nice, but
I've sent most of them down the road along
with the expensive watches and such

I have basically infinity knives and some very expensive customs....but this tool cannot be beat.

The blade is sharper than a havalon. It's long enough to work a pelvis, narrow enough to do detail work and easy to sharpen.

The curved blade is the magic. This blade works as a gut hook, but cuts from the bottom and introduces almost zero hair to the cut. It will cut as fast as you push it and in 100 plus deer and elk I've never seen a punctured sac.

The saw is what you'd find on a leatherman but longer. If you hunt mountains and need to move some limbs for a shooting lane or cut the pelvis of an elk....this rocks.

Having a toothpick and tweezers doesn’t suck either.

https://www.amazon.com/Victorinox-H...nox+hunter&qid=1677425897&sr=8-4

Without comment or order of significance, a few........































ya!

GWB

These have served me well over the years. The one on the right has never touched a skin but the others have seen blood.

I've used a lot of different knives, Treeman knives, big fan of Rick Menefee, and Mike E Miller. Many others,my buddies have all gone to the PH plastic razor knives, I'm good with that, I don't have to sharpen the cheap knives anymore. Life's too short to hunt and use a ugly knife!

4" Victorinox boning knife has become my favorite. Cheap, thin, easy to sharpen and cuts like Excaliber.

Current favorite is from Lee Baumgart. Used it on 6-7 deer this year.



Another that I've been very impressed with is from Mike Miller, though haven't used it as much as the Baumgart.

Buck 422 is my favorite. Always stays sharp and gets the job done. I was actually taking a picture of the broadhead hole through the heart, the knife just happened to be in the picture

Only way I have done it. I am not tech savvy and don't know how to share videos or post pics but you can get a good tutorial on you tube. A good knife and a good pack that breaks into a meat hauler and your in business. Much easier than dragging a whole critter.

Carried Randall model 8 for many years and still do, but I have to admit I tried an Outdoor edge replaceable blade a couple years ago and it is hard to beat especially butchering out in the field. It lives in my pack.

Its a different animal when you are miles from the road. Once you try it you will never go back.

Texas is back East!!!

There really aren't. Threads like these always show its personal preference and people in different parts of the country do things a little different, probably for good reason. The end.

Puma Game Warden or Buck 500 Duke are what I usually carry afield.

Two knives that have served me well are the Victorinox Huntsman and the Puma Hunter's Pal. The SAK is also my EDC. The Puma was a favorite of Fred Bear. Old school, but both work for me.

Gutless Method is the only way I do it these days. I solo hunt most of the time, best way to do an animal alone.

Here are a couple of vids.

KB

KillerBee,

The gutless method is sound.. but .. all the short/slashing cuts the fella in the video was making only introduce hair/dirt into the meat. Personally I found his execution pretty sloppy and didn't finish watching the video. He was essentially chopping from the outside.
Introduce the knife under the skin and flip it blade up, then simply unzip the critter. Works best, IME, when cutting in the direction of hair growth. This way the hair has a chance to be parted and not chopped and again introduced to the meat.
I'm no expert, but this is how I have done it on deer, elk, antelope, and bear and it makes for clean meat.
Pertinent to the thread in general, I rarely use gutless method simply because I like to get inside and see everything. I like to bring home the liver and heart too (I don't know if this was addressed in the video). I don't recall ever using a saw. I'm certain I've never used a replaceable blade.
Life is too short for ugly knives.. for proof of that statement see any post by GW.

I like that knife!!

I employ several methods when skinning.

A big part is determined by location, and attitude/state of mind as to whether I use compound loppers (2" oak limb capable), sawzall or simply bone around he ball sockets) or just take the loins and the quarters and do not open the critter up.

Anwho, as much as possible, I typically skin from the inside out.

YMMV



ya!

GWB

Gonehuntin: My long time "go to" Big Game knife is the double bladed large folding Buck Model 317.
I can easily "saw" my way through the breastbone rib cage of Deer and Antelope with its larger blade and it slimmer blade is absolutely perfect for removing the digestive tract outlet (anus) from said game.
Sadly Buck discontinued this wonderfully useful knife - luckily I have several.
For photos just "search" Buck 317.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

I completely agree with your assessment, and also understand that if you enjoy the liver, heart and kidneys that you would want to open it up. I do not like the organ meat, so I leave that for the Yotes. I think he was rushing the job to make a point with the clock.

With the Swing Blade the Drop Point Skinner is amazing and works like the critter has a zipper on it lol. I take my time, because I do not like hair on my meat.

As mentioned I hunt solo most of the time, so it works best for me.

KB

These are my two favorites.

Roger that, friend.
I watched a buddy use his Swing Blade on a young elk this last season and I was impressed! I have to admit, it worked very well.
Heart is for me. I have a friend or two who like the liver. If they pass on it I dehydrate it in thin strips as treats for the dogs. Kidneys I've never bothered with or eaten, for that matter.
Lately I'm hunting about half the time solo. Always have cord in my pack to tie a leg off to a tree, etc in the event I connect with a heavy animal.
Happy hunting!


Edited to add: Like you, I take my time in the field. I have come to see the time spent gutting, skinning, quartering as very pleasant.. same as the time later cutting and wrapping. With as long as it takes to draw some tags, I'm going to slow down and enjoy it when I can.

Been using a cold steel Pendleton light hunter.

I like the size and shape of the blade and handle.

Stays sharp through a couple deer (gut/skin).

Costs less than a case of miller light.

I have a Canadian Special as well, still in its original form. And I agree, it's a bit big for deer. I carry mine for elk, caribou, and if I ever pull a tag..... it'll join me on a moose hunt.

Buck 110 for hunting.

Current EDC is Buck Bantam 284.

The larger Bantam 286 wouldn't be a bad option for the field. Good choices abound.

This should be in the knife sub-forum.

Carry a number of $10 mora's in the backpack.......razor sharp (easily sharpened), light-weight, scandi-grind, plastic. Have an almost unlimited supply, credit OCD for that......along with clearance pricing.

Lightweight, hollow plastic handle....hatchet. Same inventory as above.

Value my 'made in USA' stuff. Cheap stuff can easily suffer loss or abuse. Learned that quickly, from 5 irresponsible offspring.

Dismembered 1 bull elk last October, 3 cow elk last November.......never sharpened a knife til after the 2 December gun seasons in Iowa.....6 deer later.

They are tools, they work.....no better bang for currency, anywhere.

Buck Vanguard with the black rubber and brass handle

And I use the hell out of the Mora's also.

Schrade improved muskrat for small game

LJ Rosi filet knife also. Love that thing

If I could pick two Randall’s to have, it’d be those two. Very nice.

I agree - I discovered the $10 Mora a few years ago and I have them in every vehicle, in my fishing kit and hunting kit, I even have a couple in the cutlery drawer. They are like my reading glasses, I keep them everywhere. They also make inexpensive and generally well appreciated gifts. The best $10 tool out there.

drover

You will get no argument from me on that point...they are excellent value.

I've got way too many knives, but this is my current favorite hunting knife. Buck 116.

Kauffman knives, I like them too…

Can’t afford a watch so shaved watch gears will have to suffice.

Good luck on that tag ..... They are quite hard to get on this side in New Brunswick as well.

I like that CDN Special knife a lot more after the modification to make it more similar to the #1 Grohman. The finger grooves weren't that groovy.