Which Knife?

[dirtguy]

What knife do you carry when out trad hunting for deer?  Does it have a gut hook and a saw?  I'm thinking I'd like to get one that has 3 blades, one drop point, one saw blade and one gut hook.

I'd welcome any thoughts, experiences and suggestions.

[skeaterbait]

Buck 110 folder. It has always done everything I have asked of it without complaints.

[duck'n]

I have a Gerber my dad gave me back in the early 90's I believe.  It is exactly what you are talking about...switches between the three blades.  I have never attempted to use the saw on an animal before as we always haul them back to camp to clean them where we have hangers, running water, and cordless reciprocating saws but I have used the drop point and the gut hook blade quite a bit.  I am not in love with the handle/grip on that knife and it is not winning a beauty pageant BUT it gets the job done ever time and doesn't take much touching up to get through a second deer if need be.

[Ron LaClair]

A LaClair Skinner of coarse.      

   

   

[Stumpkiller]

No gut hook for me.  And for a saw I have a folding model that takes a Sawzall style wood pruining blade for working on ground blinds, etc.

This year I used a CRKT Hunt n'Fisch and give it high marks.  Though I put it in a "regular" style sheath.

I also like my Benchmade 201 Activator VERY much (if you have the patience to sharpen D2 it holds an edge long-time).

And about my favorite and most used is an ESEE Izula II with micarta scales I wear as a neck knife.  Small 2-3/4" blade but easy to get hair-popping sharp and small enough I can lay the spine along my index finger and "unzip" the belly and work inside easily.  Price is right as well.  

I also carry a regular Izula with the sheath attached to the inside of my day pack as a never-fail/never-misplaced knife of last resort.

[reddogge]

The latest is this little custom drop point from a maker in NC.

 

[smokin joe]

My pack always has a razor sharp fixed blade knife with a 3" blade. I also carry a Kershaw pocket knife with a 2.5" blade. I have a pair of pruners in my pack as well.

[the rifleman]

Case copperlock my wife gave me for Christmas 15 years ago.  Never needed a bigger knife.

[Sam McMichael]

I have a Gerber straight knife and a folding Browning. Both have a blade about 3" long. I have never seen any special need for a gut hook. I have a saw, but it is not part of a knife combination.

[dresnor]

In my pack I have a Becker BK-14, Havalon Piranta, Opinel #8, and a knife I made myself. I also have a a Becker BK-11 on my belt. Yes, I am a knife nut.

 

 

Jeremy

[Bowguy67]

Buck woodsman. Best knife there is for deer. Folding knives are great too but a little extra to clean.

[YosemiteSam]

So much depends on what I'm doing & where I'm going.  I usually have my daily carry pocket knife clipped to my pocket.  It's handy & always where I need it.  It does 95% of all my knife work.

I prefer fixed blades when doing anything other than a simple cut or two.  So I carry a fixed blade in my pack.  I recently picked up a small 2-2.5" fixed blade that I really like at a 3D shoot.  Haven't had a chance to work with it yet.  But I have a 3-4" cheap fixed blade (just a paracord-wrapped handle & nylon sheath) that worked well enough to pack out a deer.  It needed to be sharpened about halfway through.  It's light weight & gets the job done.  Only cost me about $10.  If I'm travelling light, I may only take this one & have it on my belt.

But if I'm going to be out a few days & off trail  a ways, I've sometimes opted for the beefy old AF survival knife I've had since I my early teens.  It's a chunk as far as knives go & about 10" overall.  But it's sturdy enough to take a beating.  I haven't been in any multi-day survival situations since I was 17 or 18 (I have better judgement and a better sense of direction than I did back then).  But if I were, I'd want that one with me.  It's thick & long enough to chop small branches (whacking the back of it with a stick) but not so big that it's impossible to gut a fish or something small.

[CRM_95]

I keep a fixed blade in my bag, mainly for the tougher hide on pigs. It'a a Mora companion. I normally just skin deer with my Case pocketknife.

[Gen273]

Originally posted by Ron LaClair:
A LaClair Skinner of coarse.          

     

     

My LaClair Skinner is my favorite knife of all time. It's my go to hunting knife, buy one and you can thank me later!!!

[Biathlonman]

Light My Fire Fireknife in stainless.  Mora's great stainless and a firesteel in a nice, light, sharp handy package.

[pdk25]

Have gutted, skinned and quartered around 50 hogs this year, plus a couple deer using a CRKT minimalist Bowie.  Very inexpensive, sharpens quickly on a RADA wheelie sharpener, weighs less than 2 oz. Doesn't hold it's edge as well as some knives, but plenty good enough for the gutting, then touch up at home for skinning, and usually a touch up before quartering.  Touch up takes around 5-10 seconds. I paid less than $30 for mine, and can either wear it as a neck knife or tie it on my pack.  Very compact.

 


 

[Orion]

Saw blades on knife handles are usually too small to be of much use. I carry a separate small saw in my pack for brushing, cutting firewood, etc.  I like about a 4-inch drop point blade, no gut hook. I really don't like gut hooks.    

[IndaTimber]

I currently have a ML Kephart on my belt and a LaClair Lil’ Shaver in my pack, sometimes on my neck. That LaClair is an absolute great knife and has skinned a couple deer, can’t count the number of coons, bunch of muskrats, and finally a coyote. Touch it up with a steel and it’s scary sharp.

[snakebit40]

I recently purchased a Medford Elk Skinner. Great knife!

[tippit]

My pack knife is very basic and it stays in my pack not on my belt...actually it was just donated &  sold at the PBS auction.  So I need to forge another one for myself...tippit

 

Sometimes they are a little prettier but still very basic...