What equipment do you use for small game processing?

[zachomega]

As many of my other threads indicate, I'm new to this all. I've been watching videos to educate myself.

For the processing, i bought a few knives:
https://www.knifecountryusa.com/shop...ade-knife.html

https://www.knifecountryusa.com/shop...d-handles.html

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1018173752

I bought the sharpfinger first before I realized how affordable Buck is and how much easier a skeletonized knife would be to clean.

I'm also going to get a bucket for the discard and apparently garden pruning shears work well to get through small bone quickly and efficiently (like rabbit paws).

Is there anything else i an obviously missing?

What do you use? What is essential to you and what is just nice to have?

-Zach

[ar15jules]

I have a variety of knives and my fingers. It doesn't need to be more complicated than that.

[wis bang]

Squirrels and rabbits can be done with a pocket knife. 50 years ago we all carried small sheath knives on our belts to field dress and again at home but gradudally shifted to pocket knives.

Both can be skinned with ease. My grandmother used to soak them in salted water a while before drying and wrapping for fridge or freezer.

She also would brown rabbit and cook it in her Spaghetti sauce, I miss that.

Pheasants [back then they were more common than grouse] and any fowl are easier to skin than to pluck. If I ever get a turkey, I plan on skinning it and then removing the legs and breast. It should still be possible to keep the fan, etc. and still not need to pluck feathers....

After loosing several expensive knives, I have to say I gutted my last 2 deer with a $4.00 folding knife from Walmart. I have an old Buck 110 Hunter that was just too heavy for daily carry.

[TooBigToFit]

I use a cheap Mora knife. If you're doing squirrels via the "step on the tail" method, a cinder block or equivalent to put the tail on top of can help.

[zachomega]

Squirrels and rabbits can be done with a pocket knife. 50 years ago we all carried small sheath knives on our belts to field dress and again at home but gradudally shifted to pocket knives.

Both can be skinned with ease. My grandmother used to soak them in salted water a while before drying and wrapping for fridge or freezer.

She also would brown rabbit and cook it in her Spaghetti sauce, I miss that.

Pheasants [back then they were more common than grouse] and any fowl are easier to skin than to pluck. If I ever get a turkey, I plan on skinning it and then removing the legs and breast. It should still be possible to keep the fan, etc. and still not need to pluck feathers....

After loosing several expensive knives, I have to say I gutted my last 2 deer with a $4.00 folding knife from Walmart. I have an old Buck 110 Hunter that was just too heavy for daily carry.

Rabbit in spaghetti sauce sounds awesome!

I think the most expensive knife I'll have is like 18$. Not cheap exactly. But in the world of knives, that isn't expensive either.

I have a pretty good idea of how to process rabbit and squirrel, but no idea how to process any birds.

-Zach

[Gunplummer]

I always used twine to tie to the feet of squirrels and hung them from 2 spikes in an overhead beam. I skinned all my trapped stuff like that too.My mother did not want the pheasants skinned so I lucked out and she plucked them.

[zachomega]

I received my Buck knives today. I stropped the blades and they are now razor sharp. I'm very happy with them and can't wait to get a rabbit or squirrel to try them.



-Zach