What type of hunting knife do you have?

[LarryD1130]

I'm in the market for a new hunting knife but I don't know which one to get. Right now I have this Sharp (brand) folding knife. It's a good knife and it gets the job done but I was considering maybe getting a fixed blade knife. I was looking at some Buck (brand) knives and saw a few that I like. What are the advantages and disadvantages of fixed and folding knives? What is a good size knife? I seen people use everything from huge fixed blades to tiny folding knives. Is the gut hook something I should be looking at or is it unnecessary?

[WSM]

I'm in the market for a new hunting knife but I don't know which one to get. Right now I have this Sharp (brand) folding knife. It's a good knife and it gets the job done but I was considering maybe getting a fixed blade knife. I was looking at some Buck (brand) knives and saw a few that I like. What are the advantages and disadvantages of fixed and folding knives? What is a good size knife? I seen people use everything from huge fixed blades to tiny folding knives. Is the gut hook something I should be looking at or is it unnecessary?

http://www.amazon.com/Buck-110-Foldi...9574840&sr=1-1



Thats about all you need, it comes nice and sharp from the factory and it's still made in the USA. The guthook is unnecessary but if you have a problem with cutting the internals then it may be a good idea, a seatbelt cutter is the same concept. Fixed knives are great but sometimes the smaller knife is needed for dexterity. The key is keeping the knife sharp if you're planning on doing your own butchering, most people I know that do butchering do it with a fillet type profile and keep the blade razer sharp.

[ranger_5_0]

I use this Imperial Pro Hunter. Well not this one but one that looks alot like it. It was passed on to me from my dad who used it for quite a few years. It was bought from Sharon Steel in Sharon, PA. They made the steel for the blades I guess. My grandpa worked there at the time and this was bought as a Christmas present for my dad. The blade keeps a real nice edge on it and its about 8 inches open.

[Sandcut]

Any knife will do for the most part. Mostly depends on your personal preference. I tend to prefer small fixed blades over folders mainly to keep all of the funk out of the deep recesses of the folding parts of the knife. Too many dark crevices to hold nastyness for my taste. Fixed blades are a little easier to keep clean.

I use either a Western model 66 ( http://www.knivesplus.com/western-knife-wr-66.html ) or a Helle Odel ( http://www.ragweedforge.com/odel.jpg ) to dismember my deer. I then use a stiff bladed Dexter-Russell boning/fillet knife similar to this ( http://www.dexter-russell.com/Item_D...?id=28&line=SS ) to finish butchering (deboning, removing fascia/tendons, cut steaks).

For the most part, you don't need anything bigger than about a 4" blade. Smaller may even be better. As far as a gut hook goes, it's a gimmick. They may work on occasion but, you sacrifice a fine point for detail work in order to keep the tip from being too fragile. Just keep the back of the blade tip between your first and middle fingers and slide them right along the inside of the body cavity and your fingers will protect the knife tip from nicking the entrails.

Treat the handle materials (leather, wood, etc.) with mineral oil before butchering so that nothing soaks in. Mineral oil is nice because it's nontoxic and doesn't leave a gun oil flavor to the meat. Also, it won't cause the leather and other materials to deteriorate like petroleum-based oils will.

My $0.02. Hope it helps.

[Tomcat088]

I guess I'm a bit different than most people here, and share some of the same preferences as Sandcut. I prefer a fixed blade knife, usually around 4" or just a little bit shorter. I've broken and seen broken too many folding knives. I've also seen then fold up when you're being a "bit more rough", and when you really don't want them folding. For my own safety, cleanliness, and how much abuse they can take, I like fixed "full tang" knives.

I have an older Western Model 66, and I really like that knife, it'll get quite sharp. I don't carry it much anymore even though I like it because I started noticed the blade staining. It was just sensitive sometimes to chemicals, or even dish soaps that I sometimes used to clean it. I really do like drop point blades, and they've always worked pretty well for me. I just don't do any prying with the fine tips, it's a no no and a good way to break the tip off. Knives are for cutting, if you can't cut it loose, do NOT pry at the joints, cut around. I do my own butchering, and when I'm beboning I like a little finger knife, although not always a filet knife. I do sometimes use filet knives, and they work well and give you a bit more control.

Unlike most people, I DO like guthooks. Most of my life I've used blades that don't have guthooks, and I've never had a problem knicking or cutting into the "guts". Matter of fact, the way that most people shoot, they don't have to worry about it since plenty of people bust the guts with the shot or bullet fragments causing little perforations. Anyway, I've always just been super careful with the intestines, and find it tedious to do with a normal pointed knife. Either you have to keep your fingers in front and slide it down so that you don't knick them with the point, or you have to lay it sideways, slip it in, turn it up, cut, repeat. I've seen lots of people cut themselves both ways, and got some slight little knicks once or twice myself when my hands were really cold. Part of how easily this occurs is also related to how much the deer has had to eat recently, how fatty the deer is, and how large your hands are. I have pretty stocky hands, and shoot deer that feed better than most PA deer, so it can be a chore to just hold it between your index finger and thumb and "just slide it down".

I think that a guthook is just easier, and basically like you're "unzipping" the deer. I don't view it as a "gimmick", and I've never had one not work for me. You just have to pull up a bit so that you are keeping the hide away from the intestines and start up and keep going. It makes it really easy to keep from getting any hair on the meat or inside of the deer. Because there's not half your hand sticking out above the deer while you're opening it up. I've never had a problem with the point not being fine enough for the work I'm doing with the knives I've used that have a gut hook. I suppose this is probably related to individual knife designs, and may or may not always be the case. The knife that I want for Christmas and will buy if I don't get it for Christmas, is the Benchmade Bone Collector model 15010. It has the gut hook, and I want the straight edge (they also come in combo edges). It may not be everybody's cup of tea, but after cleaning enough deer, it's definitely what I want. Here's a link to that knife if you're interested, although it's a bit more on the expensive side. http://www.benchmade.com/products/15010 . I wouldn't necessarily recommend a particular brand of knife, although some of us have had good luck with certain brands. I'd say find a decent brand that's in your price range, and in a good shape or style, and most importantly with good steel, and go with it. Oh and if you want a gut hook, but don't want it on your knife, there's plenty of people that make "gut hooks" or a tool that does it.

[den9]

buck folder, had it since i was 13, use it for nothing but soft skin and guts.

i dont hunt much anymore but if i did id definitely invest in a fixed blade with a gut hook, possibly a ceramic blade consider i wouldnt use it on hard material.



gut hook is a must if its a strictly hunting knife.
fixed blade is a must, alot easier to clean
something with super hard steel, you wont need to be sharpening it much if you use it once a year on soft skinned animals.


if you want a light folder, something basic and sharp, a benchmade mini griptillan, its light sharp and compact.

[wis bang]

I carried a Buck 110 folding hunter for years, gutted alot of deer w/ it but now I go for something lighter. I currently carry a Gerber AR 3.0 24/7 and I just make sure to sharpen it b/4 going hunting.

In my duffle is a Filet knife and either a Gerber drop point or dad's Schrade 'Old Timer' drop point in case we want to dut it up at camp...Also have a boxed 'game butcher' kit that comes up for rifle week...

[bigandy1966]

I have 2 old Schrade Scrimshaws, 1- 5" folder the other a old timer sharpfinger 3", made in USA

[Tomcat088]

if you want a light folder, something basic and sharp, a benchmade mini griptillan, its light sharp and compact.

My mini griptilian is what I carry every day. I LOVE that knife maybe more than just about any other normal everyday knife I've ever carried. It's light, can't even hardly tell it's clipped on my pocket. Man is it sharp and it holds an edge pretty well. I think the only knives I've gotten that came as sharp as my griptilian were some microtech knives. With Benchmade's life sharp guaruntee, what's not to like? The axis lock works GREAT, and is easy to open and close one hand if you practice with it. I love mine mini griptilian.

[mike_g]

Swiss army knife. From beer, I mean deer to fish to even a black bear. Even used a razor blade before, just watch them 9 fingers no matter what knife!