Knives and butchering

[khardrunner]

Do you guys who butcher your own deer just use one good knife or do you prefer getting a whole set? I wont ever do it professionally but I do butcher my own deer. Last year I used a combination of my hunting knives and kitchen blades, but they got dull fast. Any thoughts on decent knives for cheap?

[FerretWYO]

Victoriaknox blades a resonable on price and work well you have to sharpen any knive a fair amount though.  

Keep a good steel handy and you have no problems.

My Family and I have butchered who know how many deer and elk. My elk this year took Dad and I 2 hours bag to freezer.

[Killdeer]

I use my hunting knives and kitchen knives, plus a fish filet knife. In the old days, there was. Ot much difference between a hunting and a kitchen knife. I keep a stone on the table for the filet knife. I use Buck Vanguards and no-name blades.

Killdeer

[koger]

I have a whole drawer in my shop, of old carbon steel boners and butchers, picked up from flee markets and yard sales for $1-$2 each. Have 2 Victoriniox ss boners, that I also use. I get them all razor sharp,and when one get dull, I grab another. Dull knives get folks hurt.

[karrow]

im just like the rest. i have many knifes that i use. i just make sure i have a few (2-3) good and sharpe when i start and keep a steel handy.

[Al Dente]

Two sharp filet knives is all you really need to butcher a deer, provided you plan on going boneless.  Keep a sharpener close by to touch them up once they start dulling.  Two things cause injuries, not paying attention when cutting/slicing, and a dull knife slipping.

[macbow]

I grap a couple of fillet knifes for the boneing out.
Use a skinner to help get the hide off.
Own some butcher shop knives but don't use them anymore.

[bretto]

Filet knife will do every cut You need to make. Sharpen Your knife more often. It's easier to keep it sharp than it is to get it sharp.

bretto

[Rob W.]

Most years I use the same Boker from field to table. There has been times when that blade was the life ender, skinner, boner, and plate knife in the same day.

Sometimes I use a skinner style then move to a more thin bladed chef knife in the kitchen.

Rob

[Matt Quick]

I like the victorianox boning knives also for butchering. They hold a Nice edge and are inexpensive. I use a Wyoming knife or the CRKT version which has been discontinued for field dressing.

[meathead]

Victorinox user here.

[Roadkill]

My son introduced me to the knives used in the university's meat program when he got his degree.  I use two of them and a filet knife.  Agree with cleaning the blades and touching up often

Hope to get to use them. Next month!

[Stumpkiller]

I use three.  A skinning knife to remove the hide.  A boning knife to disarticulate the joints and cut away meat from the bone.  And finally a fillet knife to slice steaks from the boned meat.

I just came across a good choice for a field dressing and boning knife on the cheap.  I picked up a Gerber Big Rock (4-1/2" blade) for $21.  For the price it is unbeatable.  Well tempered 440A, which is nothin fancy but easy to sharpen and holds a fair edge.  I prefer a 2-1/2" to 4" b;ade for field dressing.  I like to be able to choke up and cover the tip with my finger.  This will do for skinning as well.

I like the good ol Rapala filet knives and have a 6" and 9".

Any upswept blade will work for skinning, and often an extremely sharp one is a disadvantage.

[ChuckC]

My favorite and most used knife over the years (for butchering. .  at home) is a Chicago Cutlery 5" boning knife, wood handle.  They are not the most expensive knives in the world, yet sharpen up fine and hold an edge fine.  They hold well and are shaped well to do what I ask of them.

Believe it or not, Buck made some (really)cheap Walmart kinda knives a while back, solid plastic sheath, same plastic handle, that work quite well for getting meat off the carcass.  Keep it kinda small for boning off the carcass, keep it medium sized for the rest.  Keep em sharp.

ChuckC

[WidowEater]

I always used a Skinner style knife as my primary hunting knife.  When the deer was hung I used that knife for skinning the animal and then a fillet knife for the rest from quarting off parts to final cutting of steaks, jerky strips, stew meat, and hamburger/sausage chunks for the grinder.

The knives I used were a Gerber Freeman as my hunting knife until I got a LeClair Skinner and then a standard Rapala large Fillet knife.

[southernarcher]

On the cheap, or not, check out Mora knives.  Inexpensive, good steel, and lots of models to choose from. I've gutted, skinned, and boned, deer and hogs with the Mora Clipper. At around 12$ they are hard to beat.

[Hoyt]

I bone and pack out the deer I kill and use a very sharp pocket knife with 3" or 4" blade for that. Then I put in fridge for a few days to firm up and deteriorate a little (let the connective tissues break down..or age) before I cut up in portions for freezing with 6" or 8" blade fillet knife.