good knife for gutting deer and chickens?

[jlbpa]

Likely I don't sharpen a knife correctly but that aside I need a good knife that is the right size for gutting deer, chickens, and occassional squirrel.    I have a Buck knife style 102 sheath knife that seems about the correct size but I can't get that as sharp as another knife I have that doesn't have stainless blade but that knife is too big for chicken and squirrels.
Any suggestions?

Thanks

[JimmyC]

Here is what I did to simplify my knife life:

1. Buy a QUALITY (no Chinese or Taiwan stuff) 3" to 4" drop point style knife.  Since your already familiar with Buck, check out their "upgrades" with nicer steel at Cabela's (they also have lifetime sharpening if the thing get's too fargone, which is nice) **I'd suggest a fixed blade for sanitary reasons (chickens).

2. Buy a Spyderco Sharpmaker (Cabela's carries this little gem too).  For $60 it will sharpen every knife,tool, scissors, and broadhead in your house.  You will also learn to love knives and want to buy more because you have the ability to get dull knives shaving sharp just as easy as you please!  You will also gain hero like status amongst your friends for your ability to sharpen their knives and your wife will want to repay your in a special way for her constantly sharp kitchen knives.  

PS...No I am not kidding.

Jim

[TaterHill Archer]

Don't know how much you want to spend.  We have quite a few makers here.  I would also suggest a Lil Bladie Mae from Charles May in D2 steel.  You'll never need another knife.

[geno]

jim,

I am going to take your word on that spyderco. I have stones ceramic , steels. Is this one diamond. I have no diamond.can you sharpen a 3 blade BH?  

[jonesy]

dont buy stainless knifes period.jonesy

[JimmyC]

geno,

The Sharpmaker "sticks" are some sort of high tech baked ceramic I think, they are actually triangular if that makes any sense.  You have to see/try it to believe it.  It even comes with a DVD to show you precisely how to use it (which is simple).

Yes, it does seem to do well with 3 Blades.  My buddy and I worked over a 1/2 dozen rusted up Woodsman's simply by taking one of the "sticks" and running it gently across two edges at a time.  They were all shaving hair after minimal work.  He said he has NEVER gotten a 3 blade so sharp and he has tried everything and spent mucho $ trying over the last 30 years.

It may not have the "air" of sharpening the traditional way with an Arkansas stone, but da** it works......

[JimmyC]

jonesy,

I'm curious why you suggest no stainless?  

I'm using VG-10, Helle's laminated steel, and D2 (I know that it's not technically stainless but it's seems close) and get EXCELLENT performance/use from them.  Heck, even my Swiss Army knife serves it's purpose.

Just curious about what works for you.  I'd honestly like to learn more about other steels.

Thanks,

Jim

[Jason R. Wesbrock]

I've used a Helle Polar blade for everything from squirrels to grouse, deer, elk and moose. If you're looking for a small blade, you'd be hard pressed to find one better.

Last September I used mine to skin not one but two bull moose wthout having to touch up the edge.

[Mike Brown]

As far as chickens go my buddy's dad gets a bunch of used knives from a Tiyson chicken slaugther house.  They are regular fishing filet knives.  You would think they know how to cut up a chicken.

[Stone Knife]

A folding fishing knife works good on turkeys and other birds. I'm sure it would open up a chicken without  much trouble, the long slender blade is just the thing. Any knife will gut a deer if it is sharp i have been using the gut hook style as of late. But i have gutted deer with just about any kind of knife you could imagine including a fold up utility razor knife. If it's sharp it will work.

[Mike Gerardi]

Take a look at Doug Campbell's knives on this site. The caper will work just fine for what you're lookin for.. And as far as keepin it sharp use a lansky sharpener.  Doug uses a carbon steel blade, good stuff. I shopped around for a good knife for many years.  Best knife purchase I ever made was from Doug.

[wingnut]

We have a couple of knives on our site that I'm sure will suit your purpose.  I used to agree with the "no stainless" until I ran into Helle knives a few years back.  The laminated blades just don't act like stainless, they stay sharp and touch up with a couple of strokes on a steel.

Check it out,

Mike

 http://www.dryadbows.com/helleknives/

[DarkeGreen]

If you're having trouble getting the Buck sharpened don't buy any of the high grade steel knifes folks are recommending here. The Buck knife you have has better and harder steel than most pocket knifes and that's why you are having trouble. Buck flat out has the best production knife blade steel sold. Once you get it sharp it will hold an edge better than any other production knife...it a trade off. Soft steel equals easy sharpening. High grade steel hard to sharpen but stays sharp longer. Buying a knife with VG10, ATS34, etc will only make you problem worse. After you learn to sharpen the buck then you can think about the really high end steels.

[BobW]

I have a few favorites (though I have not ever owned a Doug Campbell - and I want one!!!).  For a fixed blade, the steel in the Knives of Alaska blades gets wicked sharp without too much effort, and holds it.  Bear Cub and Jaeger are my prefered blade shapes.  I prefer a skinny blade.

For a folder, I have an inexpensive Opinel (carbon steel, not stainless) that holds an edge well and was so inexpensive, it is comical ($12).  The lock is a simple twist and the handle is comfortable.

Check them out.

[tippit]

When I forge and grind my edge,  finish with Gatco system thru very fine stone & finally ceramic stone.  They get so sharp almost cut your self by looking at them.  Trick to get a geart edge is getting it sharp with the coarse stone First!  If you don't get an edge that grabs you finger nail with the coarsest stone, you will never get it sharp...Doc

[jlbpa]

I can get my buck sharp enough to grab and scrape my finger nail and shave hair on the top of my hand if I pull it slightly sideways in a slicing motion and usually slice a small cut in my skin in the process. I have a course arkansas stone from a 2 stone kit I bought a long long time ago but since lost the fine stone.  Now I read the arkansas stones are not so good anymore.  What do I buy to finish off the sharpening to shave hair with out sliding sideways.   One problem area though is the tip. Am I suppose to be able to sharpen the entire blade in one pass on the stone or is it acceptable to work on the tip separately.

[Plywood Bender-laptop]

I've had the Spyderco system for about 10 years, and I agree it is the best one I've ever used.

In fact, my job every year at deer camp is to sharpen every knife in the cabin for the owner!

Carl

[Smilingg]

Jlbpa, friend, you are over-complicating the whole danged thing.

A sharpened butter knife, an unhafted piece of broken rock, or shattered glass will handily gut, skin, and butcher every animal that has lived in North America for the last 20,000 years.

A Helle Polar will easily accomplish what you say you need to do.

It has a flat ground edge, not a hollow ground, so it is impossible not to be able to get it very sharp, very easily, unless you are trying to sharpen the handle.

If you get to the point where you are cutting up animals over 400 lbs, you might want to turn to a blade about 5 inches long, at least for a few parts of the process.

The whole cutting-'em-up-thing has much less to do with what tool you use (unless you use a crescent wrench or a hammer) than with the knowledge of how to do it. Just keep gaining experience and you will be taking finger-nail files to 'em.

That said, it is fun disputing whether A2 steel is better than VG-10 etc., or whether the steel is unimportant compared to the heat treating process, or a hundred other things, and spending ridiculous amounts of money on fancy knives is certainly a source of great happiness.

But for doing the 3 tasks you mention, any 2 blade broadhead works fine, takes about the same time, and is more interesting.

[W.Tim]

order you a Randall, fine knives  

[jonesy]

Jimmyc, pumamaster steele works best for me, i have an old Puma white hunter made before 1964 thats a beauty, and a Rudy Ruana that's carbon steele made from an old leaf spring, these knifes are easy to sharpen and hold an edge, helle makes a nice knife, its all in the makup/heat treatment of the steele. I have always had a problem sharpening S.S.knifes.jonesy