First Big Game - Need Knife Advice

G P

G P

Regular
Rating - 100%
9   0   0
Location
St. John's
I'm hopefully going to harvest my first caribou this year. I plan to skin the animal and keep the pelt. I may dry it myself and use it for fly tying or have it tanned professionally. Regardless, I need a knife or knife set to accomplish this task. Any recommendations? I would prefer to keep it in $100 range so obviously I don't need a knife that is going to last a lifetime. I am also hunting on foot so lighter is not a bad thing. I have a Buck 119 currently which I have used for small game and fishing in the past, but I do not know if it is a suitable big game skinning knife. I am a complete newbie to big game skinning.
 
There is a knife section that could probably give you a better brand ect.

As a big game hunter I can tell u that I like a sharp knife that can hold an edge and not to big. When field dressing I tend to also use a hatchet or saw for the pelvis and sturnim. Makes things quick and easy.

Thinking if brain tanning ?
 
Check out Mora knives. You could easily buy half a dozen for $100 and have money left over. I have the old style red wooden handle one, #2 model I think it's called. Some of the best skinning knives are actually listed as carving knives.
 
For skinning I like a folding blade about 3 or 4 inches long with a gut hook. It doesn't have to be expensive, I think the last one I bought was a Gerber on sale at Canadian Tire for around 25.00. I've found that for fleshing and scraping a hide a cheap softer blade shaped like a butter knife that can be sharpend easily with a file works great.
 
I use a Puma 2.5" Ranger folding knife for pretty well everything from skinning coyotes to breaking down moose into manageable sized pieces.
 
I used to use a Buck 119 for skinning. Then I bought the matching skinning knife from Buck as well, and now I use the bigger one for removing the legs and starting to open them up, then switch to the smaller skinning knife for the rest. My hands don't cramp up as quick when I'm working on a big steer or two, and I find that the smaller skinning blade let's me work faster.
Kristian
Found the skinner on the Buck website, I have the 103, great knife.
 
Last edited:
I have two knives in my pack when hunting, a Gerber Gator ATS34, and a Gerber Gator CM154. Each retails for about $60, and they hold an edge much longer than the other knives that I have tried.
 
Good call on the Buck 119. Great knife for field dressing and will work for skinning. I love my Grohmann for skinning though, and it's made in Canada. Make you have a that knife sharp before you take it out and make sure you bring your sharpening stones with you. There is nothing more frustrating then a dull knife.
 
Tanned caribou hides are terrible with the hair on, the hair is hollow and becomes brittle and breaks off with the lightest touch. Your wife will hate you, there will be caribou hair all over the house and in everything..........ask me how I know this?
 
9.3mauser said:
Check out Mora knives. You could easily buy half a dozen for $100 and have money left over. I have the old style red wooden handle one, #2 model I think it's called. Some of the best skinning knives are actually listed as carving knives.
Click to expand...

The wooden handled Mora were great little knives. I don't refer to the red handled ones as being "old," though. The plain wood was around for a great many years before that model came out.
Most people don't relaize how those knives were made. A very thin blade of razor type steel sandwiched between two pieces of soft iron.
 
I use 3 knives when processing moose.

For skinning I like a knife with a deep belly about 4" long. I use another for the dirty work around the legs, neck and ass (moose usually have muddy legs) and I have a Wyoming knife for opening the hide.

I know some guys will say a good knife with a gut hook is all you need but I've processed a LOT of animals and I prefer to keep each knife for its own task. It's cleaner and faster IMHO.

I just picked up a benchmade bone collector and I can't wait to try it. D2 steel and balanced like a dream. Check those out.

http://www.benchmade.com/products/15005

I got mine for just over $100 on ebay.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom