Beckerz n' Bonez....???

[C_Tanner]

This might be a dumb question, but I'm going to ask anyway....

I am in the process to re-organizing my "one" pack...trying to find the perfect balance of capability, gear amount, and weight. I am already over-knifed as it is...I have a BK2 in a scout sheath on the front right waistband, a BK-11 on the left front strap, and a Mora 511 in a custom kydex bushcrafter sheath inside. Thats not counting my inevitably carrying my BHK Machete or the BK9....a Leatherman Blast and a CRKT Minimalist.

Well...I have been brushing up on my outdoor skills research...always looking for a better way of doing stuff, and I downloaded a boatload of pathfinder school/Dave Canterbury videos I hadn't seen since I took a break. One series was field dressing small game. In the rabbit video I believe, they quartered the rabbit using a hatchet (or hawk...I forget) to split the pelvic bone, rib cage etc.

Now, I am not a fan of axes/hatchets/hawks. I have other means of processing wood that work just fine for me. If you have a big Becker and a Bahco Laplander, you dont need much else IMO. But I never considered processing animals and splitting bones. See, though I acedemically know how, I have very little practical hands on experience. I dont hunt, and usually have some calorie dense food when I go in the woods. But I know how to primitive trap game if need be.

Long story short...For anything less than a deer, would a BK2 do the job just as well, or at least sufficiently so in place of a hatchet/axe/hawk? I am pushing the boundaries of what I want to carry as is, and the thought of adding a hawk to the mix doesn't appeal to me. Seems like waaaaay too many cutting tools. Yeah, I know small game you COULD just roast them with a stick over a fire....

Bottom line...is it worth it, or is a Becker/Machete combo good enough 99% of the time? I'm guessing "yes", but I like to hear from more experienced players.

 

[clich]

Will it work. Yes. Is there better options. Yes. But who wants to carry 100 different knives.


Edit to add: get a bk5 and call it a day

 

[FAL'ER]

I'm thinking I'd do fine with my Patrol Machete and a BK14. Or one of my Fiddlebacks and a Machax.

 

[Snakedoc]

No hands on field dressing for me but I have used a BK2 to chop thru chicken and turkey bones, no problem there.

 

[MrKnifekid]

Edit to add: get a bk5 and call it a day

Yep. BK-5.

Go get one.

Now.


MKK

 

[Skystorm]

Machax a Tweener and a laplander, don't need anything else.

 

[Moosez45]

Lots of choices in the BKT line up, and now, its gotten even worse.

With the addition of the BKT Shorts, you now have more small game option available. The BK17 is gonna be one helluva game knife, as well as the BK15. I think the BK15 will probably be THE small game knife, if ever there was one. That's my opinion.

I hunt, and to be honest, what I use for most small game, is the folder in my pocket. For every one bag solution, you have to factor in what you have on you as well. In my one bag, is my BK9, a Bahco Pack saw and a 1911. There's other stuff , but we won't go into that, please God, lets no go there in this thread.

I have a Spyderco paramilitary in my pocket as I type this (along with a ZT and JAB folder), and when I hit the woods. Never without a folder in my pocket.

A BK9 and a Mora is a damned fine combination, throw a saw in there, there really is nothing you can't do in the woods.

A BK2 will work small game, but you have to spend some time doing it. And yes, it will split bone just fine.

Moose

 

[pietje]

Categorize your blades in groups based on their main purpose like choppers, carving knife, food/saltwater, fine work knife and multifunction (SAK). You probably need three blades to cover most tasks that lay ahead. A chopper (or machete in jungle areas), a belt knife for food processing/fine carving and a pocket knife/SAK make a light weight setup for loads of tasks.

Take the best combination you like and works successfully. If you need to make a fire in the bush a big chopper can do the same as a BK2 & folding saw. But when you travel alone a big chopper is a lot of weight in one tool...a very dangerous tool is something goes wrong.

For outdoor traveling I always take the best combination of tools suited to the situation and environment. A BK7, mora cr and Victorinox OHT. Sometimes combined with a Leatherman and different tools.
A vacation to civilized destination can include ‘’wine’’ so a Victorinox Spartan is the needed tool. ‘’snorkeling with girlfriend’’ makes the CaraCara go to work and ‘’bike ride’’ means Leatherman




To come back to the main question: YES a Becker/Machete combo is good enough for 99% of the time. But i'm sure if you think about better suited tools you can give us more specific questions that help you better.

.....There's other stuff , but we won't go into that, please God, lets no go there in this thread.....

sorry

 

[Arkanian]

Will it work. Yes. Is there better options. Yes. But who wants to carry 100 different knives.
Edit to add: get a bk5 and call it a day

ARE there better options? Yes. You've been reading too many of Paul's posts.

 

[Bladite]

you can just about pull a rabbit or squirrel apart with your hands. bones? snap. pretty much any becker can handle that. baton if needed.

now, deer, and elk bones are a wee bit tougher, yah? so use a little care, some notching if need be. boom. cutting legs in half? just use a saw :>

 

[SaturatedShadow]

I have processed hundreds of dove with the BK-9 and Eskabar. We use an assembly line, or "disassembly line," when cleaning birds. I, being the guy with a fixed blade, cut off the wings and heads using a stump or firewood as a cutting board and pass the birds along to everyone else to finish cleaning them. I can say that any of the large Beckers can break bird bones, and the 14 or 11 work well except that their lesser handles are more fatiguing to your hand.

I haven't tried it, but I'm confident even the 11 or 14 could quarter small game, and if not, a BK-2 and a baton could.

 

[Flexxx]

BK16/BK14/Mora (any bushcraft style knife) and a good saw like a Laplander or Silky would cover almost everything.....

 

[C_Tanner]

I figured they would....Maybe it's just because the people I was watching do it are funny about knives (how big, how you should and shouldn't use them). I can't imagine a BK2 not being able to do the trick. I guess I don't see the point in adding an axe to my gear pile, though MAYBE for the trunk of my car.

Glad to see everyone is hip to the Laplander. You don't realize how great that saw is till you try using something else...

 

[C_Tanner]

A BK9 and a Mora is a damned fine combination, throw a saw in there, there really is nothing you can't do in the woods.Moose

Typical multi-day blade choices (Depending of type of brush I usually do either BK9 or BHK Machete)





https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/300839_1565672637155_1695575791_780612_240579573_n.jpg

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.ne...05266007027_1695575791_739562_941051374_n.jpg

As you can see....I have no shortage of firesteels. Plus the one in my Letherman pouch, my surefire tin, my micro-kit..... I'm a firebug. There would be one on the BK9 sheath but I took the loop off as they were too big. I figure this collection will allow me to slice and dice most furry critters out there.

 

[GingivitisKahn]

You have a BK11 - why not use that on game? It's perfect for deer and maybe a bit large for small game. I think you could easily get by with a BK11 and either a BK2 or BK9. Like Moose, I think I'd go with a small folder ( I like the SAK's small blade ) for small game, but that's just a preference.

---

Beckerhead #42

 

[Shotgun]

You don't need to break the pelvic bone to clean an animal and to get at the marrow you just need a rock. So yeah your 2 is fine. If you absolutely have to get through the bone, have you thought of using the saw?

 

[C_Tanner]

Just to show what prompted this thread...

[video=youtube;757I9J8gMZc]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=757I9J8gMZc[/video]

 

[Shotgun]

Can't watch it with sound. Does he say why he's hacking it apart?

I have to admit I'm not a hunter but I am a meat eater and have had a knife to plenty a critter in the kitchen. I still don't see the need for a hatchet. Sure, if you want it done fast and you have a hatchet go for it but you can flesh out the bunny without it. Of course maybe he needs a hatchet because of the horrible grind on his knife. My advice would be to watch somebody elses tutorial on the matter. I would suspect you can find one with a guy using a Buck 110 doing it faster then Canterbury.

 

[thatotherguy]

IMO it should work, the 2 is essentially an axehead with a different handle, but I would use a saw.

 

[trailbum]

Why not use your mora for small game.