BigUglyMan
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- New Scotland
Hunting Blade Suggestions?
- Thread starter czsuby
- Start date
Mora is a great bushcrafting knife, Fallkniven is amazing. My current favorite is the Victorinox Venture. When using the Spyderco Makesharp system it takes an absolute laser of an edge, won't break the bank and great ergonomics and fits my XL sized hands.
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I like the shape and size and I have massive hands as per most people that sees them hahaha, I think after using it on a moose a few years back I was a bit disappointed of the edge holding performances. Maybe I have a bad one. But I have other knifes that were cheeped that perform better at that task.
Which steel was it? I'm not a big fan of VG-10, regardless of the brand of knife. I find you can get it crazy sharp but it loses that edge quick. My North Arm Skaha is Magnacut steel and holds a far better edge. The Venture isn't great steel but anyone that has ever had a swiss army knife knows how sharp you can get them and how easy the steel is to sharpen.
Best thing I have ever found for skinning animals is I got myself a couple of Mora Lamb Skinner knives and a WorkSharp sharpener and as I'm using one knife my FiL runs the second through a few passes on the sharpener and then as one starts to dull we switch them out. Skinned two moose easy as pie doing that. lol
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My processing kit consists of 3 or 4 knives. I’ve process many animals with these knives.
To start, I use a cheap, highly visible Olfa to open up the animal. The hook blades work excellent as a gut hook.
Next, I use the following for dropping the guts and for skinning:
I always carry my ZT flipper on me, so it’s handy and I use it more than I probably should. In my pack I have the Knives of Alaska Alpha Wolf or Elk Hunter. All seem to work about equally as well.
Lastly, I use the Knives of Alaska SteelHeader for the poop chute and field deboning. The knife seems too rigid for a preferred filleting knife but it makes an awesome deboning knife for those delicious loins and back straps (after it’s been cleaned from the first job, lol)
. The D2 steel in the KoA knives hold an edge really well and sharpen well, with very little fold over burrs.
To start, I use a cheap, highly visible Olfa to open up the animal. The hook blades work excellent as a gut hook.
Next, I use the following for dropping the guts and for skinning:
I always carry my ZT flipper on me, so it’s handy and I use it more than I probably should. In my pack I have the Knives of Alaska Alpha Wolf or Elk Hunter. All seem to work about equally as well.
Lastly, I use the Knives of Alaska SteelHeader for the poop chute and field deboning. The knife seems too rigid for a preferred filleting knife but it makes an awesome deboning knife for those delicious loins and back straps (after it’s been cleaned from the first job, lol)
. The D2 steel in the KoA knives hold an edge really well and sharpen well, with very little fold over burrs.
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Leavenworth
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- Lowermainland B.C.
I can’t for the life of me understand why someone would carry an expensive Custom Knife in the bush . You put it down when your field dressing an animal and chances are your going to loose it ,big money down the drain .
I used knives for 25 years as a butcher / knifeman . Victorinox , Russell Green River Works , Henckles, Swibo . all good knives and if you lose it no biggie .
Pick a knife with a Rockwell Hardness from 56 to 60 . Easy to sharpen when it gets dull
Have a honing steel with you .
Moras are great too ! Get one that has the fire steel with it as an added bonus .
I may pick up one of those Havalon knives
I used knives for 25 years as a butcher / knifeman . Victorinox , Russell Green River Works , Henckles, Swibo . all good knives and if you lose it no biggie .
Pick a knife with a Rockwell Hardness from 56 to 60 . Easy to sharpen when it gets dull
Have a honing steel with you .
Moras are great too ! Get one that has the fire steel with it as an added bonus .
I may pick up one of those Havalon knives
Pmd
I read these threads and every time it blows my mind that people put their knives down and then lose them field dressing an animal. Crazy. Why would you be so careless with something so dangerous? Stumble around in the dark with a razor sharp knife somewhere underfoot or worse? I'm a long way from a hospital when I'm hunting and like my muzzle, I know where my knifes edge is at all times.
My opinion of a good hunting knife is something with a good belly, full tang, blade around 3.5-4" long and a decent steel. If I'm breaking down an elk or moose in the dark, the last thing I'd want is a knife that gets dull half way through and then you're either struggling or wasting time sharpening. I like full flat grinds best and stainless steel as I may not be washing the knife for a while.
Some of my favourite hunting knives are my North Arm Lynx, Joker Ursus, Lion Steel M3 and M2, Esee 4 stainless, and Petrified Fish Beluga fixed. These are all very similar shaped and sized knives with decent steels that will hold an edge through an entire moose.
I always carry a small backup knife as well, just in case I became one of those crazy people losing their knives out there or some other bizarre thing happens like my main knife breaks
My opinion of a good hunting knife is something with a good belly, full tang, blade around 3.5-4" long and a decent steel. If I'm breaking down an elk or moose in the dark, the last thing I'd want is a knife that gets dull half way through and then you're either struggling or wasting time sharpening. I like full flat grinds best and stainless steel as I may not be washing the knife for a while.
Some of my favourite hunting knives are my North Arm Lynx, Joker Ursus, Lion Steel M3 and M2, Esee 4 stainless, and Petrified Fish Beluga fixed. These are all very similar shaped and sized knives with decent steels that will hold an edge through an entire moose.
I always carry a small backup knife as well, just in case I became one of those crazy people losing their knives out there or some other bizarre thing happens like my main knife breaks
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To the OP, that website in your post has some nice knives but for me, they are more for show then using in the field.
Neo made an excellent observation, something like "there are as many ideal knives as there are people".
To explain, we all have different hand size, grip, strength, eye sight, etc. These factors alone make it difficult to recommend the ideal knife for anyone. For example, for me, the Grohman knives handles are too small, I've got big hands and to use a handle like that is not as comfortable as a bigger one. Does not mean there is anything wrong with the Grohman's, actually look pretty good, just not for me.
About the only commonality I can see in selecting a knife is steel quality. I think it is important to buy a good quality steel. Not too hard or it is difficult to sharpen and not soft so that you are frequently touching the blade up while dressing an animal.
At this point in time my hunting knife of choice is a Knives of Alaska, Elk Hunter with the D2 steel. And even that fine knife is not perfect. The steel holds an edge very well - I can usually dress a moose or elk without touching it up - but it is work to get a good edge on it.
A knife is a tool, so choose accordingly, maybe not the pretty ones on that website you posted, rather something with a good grip that works for you, a blade shape that is good for dressing critters, and finally not too long. 3.5" to 4.5" seems about right for dressing animals.
A parting thought, get it with good steel and a way to sharpen it that you can use effectively.
Neo made an excellent observation, something like "there are as many ideal knives as there are people".
To explain, we all have different hand size, grip, strength, eye sight, etc. These factors alone make it difficult to recommend the ideal knife for anyone. For example, for me, the Grohman knives handles are too small, I've got big hands and to use a handle like that is not as comfortable as a bigger one. Does not mean there is anything wrong with the Grohman's, actually look pretty good, just not for me.
About the only commonality I can see in selecting a knife is steel quality. I think it is important to buy a good quality steel. Not too hard or it is difficult to sharpen and not soft so that you are frequently touching the blade up while dressing an animal.
At this point in time my hunting knife of choice is a Knives of Alaska, Elk Hunter with the D2 steel. And even that fine knife is not perfect. The steel holds an edge very well - I can usually dress a moose or elk without touching it up - but it is work to get a good edge on it.
A knife is a tool, so choose accordingly, maybe not the pretty ones on that website you posted, rather something with a good grip that works for you, a blade shape that is good for dressing critters, and finally not too long. 3.5" to 4.5" seems about right for dressing animals.
A parting thought, get it with good steel and a way to sharpen it that you can use effectively.
Leavenworth
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- Lowermainland B.C.
Always a good idea to have some sort of finger guard incorporated at the bolster on the handle just before the heel of the knife blade .
It’s no fun running your finger up the knife edge due to hand slip from the handle .
Even a a shallow cut on a finger can make for a miserable experience in the backwoods
My 2 cents
It’s no fun running your finger up the knife edge due to hand slip from the handle .
Even a a shallow cut on a finger can make for a miserable experience in the backwoods
My 2 cents
I have had a lot of different knives over 60+ years of hunting, but have settled on
3 that I carry now. 1. Custom made by Rod Langstroth in GP Alta Not sure of steel, but holds a very good edge
and is not hard to touch up the edge. 2. Outdoor Edge with replaceable blades [Razor-Blaze] 3. My backup knife
is a Benchmade Barrage. Keeps a wicked edge, but M390 requires sharpening skills. I carry a small diamond
embedded sharpener which works well. Those who use Mora are usually well equipped, particularly at the cost.
3 that I carry now. 1. Custom made by Rod Langstroth in GP Alta Not sure of steel, but holds a very good edge
and is not hard to touch up the edge. 2. Outdoor Edge with replaceable blades [Razor-Blaze] 3. My backup knife
is a Benchmade Barrage. Keeps a wicked edge, but M390 requires sharpening skills. I carry a small diamond
embedded sharpener which works well. Those who use Mora are usually well equipped, particularly at the cost.
I don’t really get it. Knives have been around for a long time, they’re dangerously close to what separates us from the apes. Good designs are all over the place, anyone who can read can spout off the names and numbers like he was singing from a book. Custom makers with workmanship that leave me in slack jawed wonder abound, you can’t even throw a stick without hitting one of them and 50/50 of gettng another on the bounce. High dollar factory knives that rival budget rifles are all over the place too. I started making knives in the 90’s, have one on my belt right now, which isn’t too shocking since I have damn near every day that I have my pants on. I love knives, collected them, used them, lost them and know from experience that it isn’t that hard to make a knife that that cuts. Why is it so hard to buy one? Doesn’t seem to be tied to price either. If I had to bet, I’d put my money on a 20-40 dollar commercial boning knife and make a case for it. Mortals can sharpen it, but a trained ape can do that. A good custom blade should be good for a dozen deer or a couple/three elk or moose but don’t hold your breath or bet the farm on it.
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I agree with this. Knives are like firearms - they're personal. Can you kill a white tail with a older inexpensive bolt action Savage/Stevens 200 in .243? Sure can, and effectively too. What about a Sako 90 Quest Ultra? You bet. But besides affordability, you choose what you personally enjoy or like about it. Maybe you're simply sold on the appearance and don't care too much about how it performs, or the materials used or the workmanship. I always enjoy looking at what others have chosen and why. And I'm certainly open to checking out something different if it seems practical and will reduce time spent dressing out an animal.
Precisely why I recently bought the Gerber Gator folding lock back that Bearhunter described earlier in this thread. He made a pretty good case about it's effectiveness and robustness from his personal experience in the field. I'm looking forward to trying it out this fall and will update this thread when I do.
