Basic Knives for Field dressing Deer (and Moose)

[elch jager]

I am getting geared up for a fall hunt (first in 20 years) and need to buy some basic stuff.
Knives for field dressing… trying to keep it on a budget to appease the wife.
What do you recommend? (deer only this year… but moose in the future if I get lucky on a draw)
I saw this do it all kit, but wondered about the quality, and if I needed everything there.
http://www.wholesalesports.com/store/wsoo/en/Categories/Hunting/Knives-%26-Tools/Fixed/Game-Processor-Kit/p/195186

Maybe just a skinning knife with gut hook and a bone saw? Somewhere between $100 - $200 all in...

[quadrakid]

I,ve done deer with my swiss army knife. A cheap olfa knife with replaceable blades works fine.You don,t need a bone saw, a cheap carpenters saw will work fine. Save some money and take your wife out to dinner.

[Sofa King]

you can't buy a knife without possibly upsetting the wife?
keep the receipt and compare it with her shoes and purses receipts.
a great knife is so nice to have on your belt.
get yourself a good knife, a quality one that feels great in your hand.
how would she feel if you cut yourself badly out in the field because you were trying to do the job with an inferior blade?
work the guilt-trip angle.

[Salty]

A little saw, a small skinning knife and a 6 or 8 inch pointy boning knife is all you really need for a big animal, I've done deer with just a 3 inch skinning knife. And you don't need the saw if you debone everything where it lies so no you don't need all the stuff in that kit. Having said that I always seem to forget or not be able to find at least one thing on a trip which recently had me looking for a boning knife at Wholesale sports in PG and the only boning knife I could find was in that kit which was also 50% off so I bought it. Quality looks OK but I haven't used it yet to comment further.

[Ferenc]

I myself like a fixed blade drop point as opposed to a folding knife as they work well and are easier to clean up after your field dressing.. Never been a fan of the clip point style.

[plumberjustin]

I've got a similar outdoor edge kit with a few less pieces. They hold an edge well and have not left me disappointed. You really don't need all the bells and whistles. A small bone saw, skinning and boning knives are all that's required in the field. Anything more is just extra weight you need to pack around.

[Citori54]

For gutting and field dressing I use a Gerber folding knife....decent steel, holds an edge pretty well and not outrageously priced - about $45 if I recall. I use that for deer and moose. For years all I used was a basic jack knife for deer. I only like to use a knife that is just big enough to get the job done (that's my wife's preference too:mrgreen:), as too long of a knife blade results in cuts to the fingers which can get badly infected from animal insides. For moose skinning, I finally broke down and bought a high quality knife but really not necessary.

[toad]

olfa......

[Salty]

I myself like a fixed blade drop point as opposed to a folding knife as they work well and are easier to clean up after your field dressing.. Never been a fan of the clip point style.

Agreed this DH Russell 'original' is on my belt during hunting season. Other knives and stuff that I probably don't need are in the truck.
http://www.grohmannknives.com/images2002/no1big.jpg

It was about 70 bucks 5 years ago and very good value at that IMO

[Gateholio]

Get a butchers boning knife. About $40

[ajr5406]

What are your thoughts on the Havalon knives with replaceable blades?

[hare_assassin]

For the field, I only carry an Outdoor Edge Swing Blade, a simple ceramic sharpener, a folding bone saw, and a ButtOut 2.

The bone saw comes in very handy if you need to cut a deer in half to haul it out. The Swing Blade's "zipper-like" gut hook is the dogs bollocks.

[longstonec]

Site sponser...

North Arm Knives makes some pretty wicked knives. Good price IMHO...

otherwise Havalon is great if you dont want to have to sharpen or have a hand me down...

Silke japanese hand saws are great for waking through bones.

[zippermouth]

What are your thoughts on the Havalon knives with replaceable blades?
they work well, my dad will only be packing a havalon on our sheep hunt next year, and I will possibly have a fixed blade drop point and a havalon as well. will probably only use the havalon. good for deboning, skinning caping, you just have to be a little more gentle as you will break blades if your not.

[Fred1]

ok... my 2cents and I have cut a few critters... Havalons blow! - however they are great for cape work and for those who want to fish-dink around when they gut (no offence). If you want a good all purpose knife that will sharpen easily with a diamond stick type sharpener the Buck 119 is the king! Its a work horse and cheap enough so you don't go "oh shit!" when you lose it. Not a great caper for certain, but you can... ;) The Outdoor Edge Razor Blaze is what I use now for almost everything. Far tougher durable and useful than any of the havalons. It will gut tough and fast and it will cape too. Three moose and two deer on one blade with just a Crocstick touch up - oh and a sheep now too! Check them out. You guys will love them!

[gmachine19]

Buck 110 anyone? razor sharp factory blade and easy to sharpen.

[Brno22F]

ok... my 2cents and I have cut a few critters... Havalons blow! - however they are great for cape work and for those who want to fish-dink around when they gut (no offence). If you want a good all purpose knife that will sharpen easily with a diamond stick type sharpener the Buck 119 is the king! Its a work horse and cheap enough so you don't go "oh shit!" when you lose it. Not a great caper for certain, but you can... ;) The Outdoor Edge Razor Blaze is what I use now for almost everything. Far tougher durable and useful than any of the havalons. It will gut tough and fast and it will cape too. Three moose and two deer on one blade with just a Crocstick touch up - oh and a sheep now too! Check them out. You guys will love them!

My wife gave me a Buck 119 for Christmas sometime in the late '80's. It is bomb proof, holds an edge really well and is capable of gutting and skinning any moose or deer you want to shoot. It is on my hip or in my day pack on every hunt. For a saw, I would recommend one of the folding hand saws. Drop into your local chainsaw shop and grab one of the Stihl folding saws. About $35. I have split the brisket and removed the legs of a number of moose with one of these little saws.

All in you will spend about $100 for these 2 items and you won't need anything else in the field.
If you want to quarter your moose or elk, there are lots of tools available. Some guys use chainsaws with veggie oil in the oiler. Some use battery powered reciprocating saws. Some use 2 axes. Myself, I use a Stanley Sharptooth 16 inch handsaw. Pretty much any carpenters hand saw with an aggressive tooth pattern will work. Sure it is work, but it never fails to start or runs the battery dead. Bonus is that I can carry it in my day pack and barely notice the weight.

[skibum]

Agreed this DH Russell 'original' is on my belt during hunting season.



Have the same knife and love it. But my Havalon knife seems to be the one I am reaching for more and more. take down whole deer with it.

The DH Russell is never borrowed out, seen too many dudes pry at joints with their knives. Keep it hidden in my bag

[ACB]

Have the same knife and love it. But my Havalon knife seems to be the one I am reaching for more and more. take down whole deer with it.

The DH Russell is never borrowed out, seen too many dudes pry at joints with their knives. Keep it hidden in my bag
I have the same knife, got it for Xmas from my brother when I 13 or 14. Still holds a edge and feels great in the hand. And I never lend it out. Best Xmas gift he ever got me,

[avadad]

I love my havalon.

[Friday_30-06]

Havalon for sure, I will never use another knife. They are always sharp and I have never had an issue with blades breaking.

[brutus]

buck knives in my belt,cheap and does the job,i do have the outdoor edge kit for cutting my meat at home and its great for the price.main thing is learn to sharpened them in the field,i carry a sharpening stone in my pack at all time.Moose hide is a bitch on knives, take me a minute to get back my edge and back to work I go,i skinned quartered and pack to my truck(150 yards away)my wife moose two years ago in 2 hrs

[BiG Boar]

Olfa knife with the regular blades and with the carpet/shingle hooks. Zip open your deer, razor sharp, tougher than a havalon, and if you lose it, you're out $12. You just need to learn the gutless method.

[tadpole]

Who uses bone saw anyway? There is no need for it. Maybe band saw when doing chops?

[hare_assassin]

Who uses bone saw anyway? There is no need for it. Maybe band saw when doing chops?

I don't normally use mine, but last year it sure came in handy when I knocked a buck over about 1.2km from the truck, uphill most of the way. I gutted it, tried dragging it, nearly had a heart attack, then used my bone saw to cut it in half and carried one half at a time back to the truck. It was my only option and I was sure glad to have that folding bone saw with me. For the room it takes and the weight, I'd be stupid not to have it.

[ElliotMoose]

I'm a big fan of the outdoor edge products. These guys back their stuff with lifetime warranty and already replaced a blade for me after I was prying at a hip joint and the tip snapped. I carry the outdoor edge swing blade with me as well as a small collapsible saw. The swing blade has proven to be an awesome little knife. The one side is great for skinning and gutting and holds a nice edge and the other side is perfect for opening up the animal. I like it alot more than the gut hook design. I Also carry a cheaper pocket knife on my belt to cut off scent glands and do whatever I don't want my good knife doing like cutting rope or plastic.

if you are processing your own game, as mentioned above buy a butchers boning knife. Lots of places sell used ones for 10 bucks that come pre sharpened and are just as good as all the name brand stuff you buy at wholesale

[hare_assassin]

Totally agree with Elliot about the Swing Blade.

[Mikey Rafiki]

I used the Buck 119 for the first 10 years or so of hunting until the handle broke while using it as a splitting wedge to split firewood. Just waiting to make up a new handle with some antler. Great knife, but a little bulky for tenderloins and buttholes.

The fasted deer I've ever field dressed was using the blade on my Leatherman Wave. Extremely impressed by how it held its edge. Got a new Havalon for Christmas and haven't even opened the package; excited to see how it works.

[M.Dean]

If I rounded up all the hunting knives I've collected over the years that I still own, bet I would hit the 20 mark! I always carry a knife, either on my belt or a fold out in my pocket, and use them mainly to slice apples or open cans. When I knock a animal down I grab my Big Olfa and my Normark Skinning axe, with the bigger Olfa blades I can hammer on them with a stick or rock and they don't break, my Normark axe is razor sharp and works great for cutting open the brisket, and I've even used it for cutting the inner gut meat on moose so I don't have to stick my head inside the belly cavity! Works good for cutting the pelvic bone also. No matter what you spend on a knife, make dam sure you know how to sharpen it, a dull knife is useless! And the fastest way to take the edge off any knife is cutting thick hair, mainly on moose, by the time you've cut the throat to bleed the animal, your knife won't cut your finger! Hey, and Good Luck this fall, and above all else, enjoy yourself out there!

[IronNoggin]

Buck 110 anyone? razor sharp factory blade and easy to sharpen.

All I've packed for over 40 years. Have 3 of them, two of which the blades have been sharpened so many times they are a mere shadow of their former selves. All a Man needs!

http://gallery.fishbc.com/albums/album1107/Nog_Field_Work_2.jpg

Cheers,
Nog

[hardbull]

What are your thoughts on the Havalon knives with replaceable blades?

They are great! I have been using one for three seasons. I don't really need to carry any other knives but I still do :smile:

Just be careful not cut yourself, the replacement blades are like scalpels.

[604redneck]

I don't normally use mine, but last year it sure came in handy when I knocked a buck over about 1.2km from the truck, uphill most of the way. I gutted it, tried dragging it, nearly had a heart attack, then used my bone saw to cut it in half and carried one half at a time back to the truck. It was my only option and I was sure glad to have that folding bone saw with me. For the room it takes and the weight, I'd be stupid not to have it.

Still no need for a bone saw meat comes off the bone easy butt out is something else i wouldnt bother with....
I did use coach's havalon on a deer last year its very sharp and nice to use. I almost deboned my thumb going to fast

[BRvalley]

a good fixed blade, havalon, covers 99% of what I need

sometimes a folding saw in the pack, or cordless saws-all in the truck if it's a close trip, mostly used for moose ribs

[zippermouth]

bone saws are an added bonus if you are close to the truck. boneless is not the way to go if you don't have far to pack an animal, as you will have far less waste if you can take the animal out whole or in half. this only applies if you like to hang your animal like I do. if you debone package and freeze all at once you wont have as much waste, but you might also not have as good of meat. boneless is the last resort for myself, I will suffer with a bit of extra weight and pack out half a deer at a time and make a couple trips rather than de boning. but then again not everyone believes aging meat has any benefit. to each their own.

[Blair]

I always take a sharp fish filleting knife as well. It is really useful for boning a large animal, especially for deep cuts in along the bone. A few years back four of us were starting to bone out two large moose when I brought out my knives, including the fillet knife. After a few derisive remarks from the others, we got started. It wasn't long before I couldn't put it down without one of the other guys picking it up to use it.

[Bro 300]

cabalas has a Outdoor Edge Wild Pak Game Processing Kit on sale in their flyer right now. Reg. 50.99 save 35% at 39.99.
Don't know the quality, but seems like a decent price.

[TreeStandMan]

+1 Havalon, although it's nice to also carry a larger fixed blade knife. I carry an ancient Schrade, mainly because it was my grandfather's and has his name engraved on the blade. He skinned a lot of deer and moose with that knife.

[liambobbi]

Hard to get past mora knifes Companion will suit your needs and around $25 bucks is a steal

[M.Dean]

As we can see here, everyone has a different "Favorite Knife", and darn near all of them do the job there intended for. The biggest problem I've found using a fixed blade knife over the years, is how to sharpen it quickly and razor sharp when working on a animal in the middle of now where's. Sure, I can sharpen a knife with the best of them, sitt'in in my gunroom, slurp'in coffee and watching hunting shows, but a guy doesn't have a whole lot of time when you've got a deer or moose down and it's a half hour before dark! About the only sharpener I found that works half decent are the ones with a white or black handle and a "Pull through" V with small carbide blades in them, you just draw the blade through a few times, and presto, it's sharp! But, I found you have to use that sharpener with that knife, all the time, reason is with use, the blade of the knife slowly takes the shape of the V of the sharpener, and then it's way easier to get the blade razor sharp, fast. A bit of a Hi Jack here, but anyone else have a "Fast Way" to sharpen a knife blade in a hurry, it'd sure help a lot of guys out!

[two-feet]

Mora knives are cheap and great. 30$ and you get a good knife, pick up a diamond stone for sharpening and that is all you will need for any animal, especially if going the gutless route. Spend the rest of your budget on a tasty bottle for hunting camp

[teelt]

I've used to use my DH Russell knife but recently switched to a havalon since I've done a bit of caping. This year with 3 blades I've done 1.5 caribou and two sheep. Super easy light and always razor sharp.

[horshur]

the mora (scandi grind) is easy to sharpen with any small stone for the grind(bevel) is the angle to follow..a kid can sharpen it. It is a good choice for a hunting knife. It also is an excellent camping knife whereas the havalons are not so much. The havalons are poor for battoning which is a handy little trick for dressing out an animal(no need for the but out tool) baton the pelvis... out comes the but hole.. batton some wet chunk of wood out comes kindling which could save your life...

[Rob Chipman]

I love my Russell (just like Salty's) 'cause it just feels and looks so good, but Havalon's are great. Broke the plastic one on a bear breast bone, but otherwise love 'em.

[280 77]

The Russel's have been bought out and now go by the name Grohman and they are an excellent knife . I also use the havalon but they are brittle and can snap when cutting around joints , at least they have for me . You can never have too many knives. Cheers.

[Smiley]

As my expertise has grown the number of knives I use has shrank.
Now do entire animals with a simple Gerber or Buck folder. Carry a simple sharpener for touch ups.
BUT, I do the gutless method and don't do any caping.

[elch jager]

Lots of good info... Thx all.
Will try to get into the local outdoor store this weekend and handle a few. (In between the shoe and purse shops)
I think I will start with a nice quality fixed blade drop point sheath knife to hang on the belt. And then a small gutting tool. I found my old DH Russell #2 so I have the small knife covered.

[RINO]

New Website

http://www.grohmannknives.com/

[dougal]

Honestly when it comes to hunting and or camp equipment of any kind it comes down to your personal preference. Some people find the havalon knives to be the cats meow and I don't even like the way they feel in the hand. "Once again personal preference" I prefer fixed blade knives as I hate when fat and debris gets into the little nooks and crannys in folding knives "expecially when gutting" as to keeping a good edge any knife can be razor sharp from free to 10000$. We use a pocket diamond stick sharpener.. Just takes practice getting the edge the way you like it .find a knife that fits your grip well and isn't going to slip out of your hand once soaked in blood and is reliable. If your looking to Debone and get fancy with your kill a set with all the parts in the truck is always good. But there has to be something your comfortable having on your belt ready to go.i have several knives I take hunting with me. Each has its time and place. The way I see it a mechanic has a building filled with equipment specific to each task. Sure there's always that flat head screw driver that gets used as a pry bar. Same with knives. I look at them as tools to be used, some are for abuse and hard work others are for fine detail work. You don't have to spend 300$ on custom steel and tooled leather sheaths to get the job done. To be completely frank my personal go to knife while hunting is one I made from my first deer. the one antlered buck turned into a great Handel and a piece of spring steel ground down to a 6" long 1" wide clip point hasn't let me down in many years. It stays sharp because I check it and fix it as I go. Find something your happy with and good hunting.

[howa1500]

I only have ever used 1 knife, a puuko styled knife, no saw, no boning knife, no caping knife, just 1 blade.

[ROY-alty33]

I have a bit of a knife addiction (mostly fairly cheap ones but an addiction none the less)...But my never leave the house with are my Gerber two pack (small bone saw and Ulu type knife with gut hook) and Havalon Piranta. The Havalon is an awesome knife, the only draw back is it so sharp, you really need to go super slow gutting.

[wideopenthrottle]

I don't normally use mine, but last year it sure came in handy when I knocked a buck over about 1.2km from the truck, uphill most of the way. I gutted it, tried dragging it, nearly had a heart attack, then used my bone saw to cut it in half and carried one half at a time back to the truck. It was my only option and I was sure glad to have that folding bone saw with me. For the room it takes and the weight, I'd be stupid not to have it.

to cut an animal in half, it is easy to use a knife to cut between vertebrae with a little practice... but if you need to quarter it, a saw is a must....
I only carry a folding buck style (uncle henry) and a leatherman wave (with sharpener in it) this gives me 3 different blades to work with and a sharpener to touch up with after gutting...I did buy a longer fixed blade knife in the off season this year to give it a try on the belt but I will likely leave it in camp as a backup...

also learn to skin with the fist technique... faster, safer and no unintended cuts to the meat or hide ....basically just point your first knuckle with your thumb pointed straight push and twist your fist at the same time....was shown this a couple of years ago and it is amazing

[GOLDEN TOP SNIPER]

Buck 110 . and the Wyoming saw II if you can find it ,and some Replacement blades if you can find those too .

[Fella]

I use a fixed blade knife made by North Arm Knives (one of the site sponsors!) I've been more than impressed with this knife since I bought it. Holds an edge really well, was able to skin quarter and debone a black bear with it this past spring and it still has a nice sharp edge.

[Lorne]

Havalon is the way to go, wish I bought it sooner. I have a little bone saw but generally speaking you don't ever need to cut through bone.

[Rupert Retired]

Did my first moose with a Havalon 2 years ago in 12 blades (first animal with a havalon), but last year did my moose with 3 blades, that includes gutting and skinning. And you don't have to continually avoid (or delay) cutting the moose skin to preserve the blade! Also, many comments on here about boning your animal (great way to get them out, if you are set up to do it, ie with clean cloth and pack) but you also need a saw to cut the horns / antlers off. After boning, you don't want to have to pack out the whole head! I usually have numerous (5-6) knives scattered about amongst my hunting gear or pockets. Even the new super cheap ones ($5-6) with a serated blade I am sure would work just fine on an animal.

[wideopenthrottle]

I noticed no one mentioned about when cutting the hide do it from the inside out so you are not cutting hair as you go...keeps your blade sharp longer

[RBH]

I suggest you get a knife with good quality steel, drop point blade preferred, and that it be smaller rather than larger (4" blade max.) I have never used a gut hook but can't really see the need for it. A short blade is, for me, way better, especially when working inside the abdominal cavity. As someone else said, you can gut a deer with a pen knife -- I have done so a number of times -- so you don't need some big Bowie knife. I have a "Trekker Elk Hunter" knife made by Knives of Alaska, blade is D2 tool steel, handle is synthetic in blaze orange (awesome in the field). It is light and simple, keeps its edge beautifully. It has a large choil for your forefinger, which greatly helps with controlling the knife when gutting and things are tight and slippery. Great knife, and under $100. Here is a link to the black handle version at Wholesale, but I recommend getting a blaze handle.

http://www.wholesalesports.com/store/wsoo/en/Categories/Hunting/Knives-%26-Tools/Fixed/Trekker---Elk-Hunter/p/250141

[RBH]

Site sponser...

North Arm Knives makes some pretty wicked knives. Good price IMHO...

I just checked out this site. Very impressive. Great information on knife use and care. (And great looking product.)

[325]

I bought a Havalon last year and so far have dressed an elk, mule deer and grizzly with it. I love it! Obviously it can't be used the same way as a solid fixed or lock-blade knife, but it works very well. I keep a Swiss Army lock blade in my pack too, for working on joints.

[Salty]

I bought a Havalon last yr too but its disappeared in to the vortex of shit that I can't find at the moment :(

[elch jager]

Just picked up a BUCK Vanguard last night - it hand the longest handle and was the only fixed drop point that felt right in my hand. Seems my mitts are bigger than most. I will likely also get a gut hook and boning knife set to round it out. The texurized rubber handle offer more grip than the wood, esp. when I bloody it.
http://www.buckknives.com/product/vanguard-knife/0192FAM01/
Thought I would go with a classic real fixed blade first before these fancy new 'knife systems'...

Might get a boning and gut hook set to round it out...

[Ferenc]

That's a gooder for sure.... Nice !!!!!

[Ry151]

Ive had a kodi-pak set for almost 15 years. Best basic pack ive seen yet. Does deer easy and moose also but keep a lanskey sharpener with it as well because the hair is hard on the blade.
http://www.cabelas.com/product/Outdoor-Edge-reg-Kodi-Pak-Knife-Set/745985.uts?WT.tsrc=CRR&WT.mc_id=crrdtfd

[jeff341]

Since it my first season, I'm hoping to a few miles on my buck also. I picked up a alpha hunter Boone and Crockett a while ago.