Busse for hunting

C

cdabel

Joined
Aug 5, 2008
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I am gearing up for hunting after a long layoff and would like to ask a few beginner questions. I've finished obsessing over shotguns, and now am looking for a good knife. Would the Active Duty model be a good choice for upland small game hunting/camping duties? Is there any functional difference in the various blade coatings? How durable are the coatings, and can they be repaired if they get very scuffed up?
 
dont have an AD so i dont know.personally i'b prefer the belly of a gamewarden.

as far as coatings i dont pay it no mind but technically a satin finish should be the better cutter since technically the coating can slow things down

good luck
 
The Active Duty would make a fine hunting companion (especially the recent BAD which is thinner stock.) I generally use a Leaner Meaner Street, only because i like the extra blade length. But you would be served very well by an Active Duty.

You can send the knife back to the shop for a "re-coating" eventually, but honestly it's a waste of time. If you get a coated blade, just realize it will eventually get worn looking.

You could also look for a satin finish or double cut finish -- if you want it to stay pretty longer.

Or, I could come along with you and supply the knives for the trip --- IF you are really going to be getting into some serious upland hunting :D :thumbup:
 
The Active Duty would do fine, but I prefer the Game Warden for hunting. I have used mine on a turkey and several deer. The GW is a great skinning knife. There seems to be plenty GW's for sale on the forum these days, a little cheaper than the Active Dutys.
 
I prefer the Game Warden for hunting tasks. It's cheap for a Busse, and the small size makes it very easy to use in there. The edge holding is just great, and it's tough enough to handle bone. Easy to clean, light to carry. No downsides - unless you're one of those guys who feel like they need an enormously large hunting knife, in which case don't get the Game Warden. ;)

The coating is tough, although it may chip a little at the tip and near the edge. They could be repaired at the shop, but what point would there be in that? If it's a user, it's going to look scratched up anyways, so just let the coating wear. Eventually, it'll be almost gone, and if you feel like it, you can always strip it entirely and satin finish it or have someone else do that for you. I've noticed no large different between the various coatings, although the urban grey is a bit weaker than most others, it seems.
 
The AD in one of the thinner editions is just about the perfect knife for the tasks you describe. I think that it is much superior to the GW because of the little bit of extra handle length. If you have average or larger hands, I suggest the AD over the GW.

The Swamp Rat Hairy Carry is, IMO, in the same league as the AD. Again, however, if you have larger hands, the rather sharp upper corner of the butt might tend to dig into the fatty part of your hand, as it does mine. Eric had mine rounded off as much as possible while retaining the hole, and it is much more comfortable.
 
If you go with a GW, I would suggest the thinnest ones made, which were .14" thick. I know the solid orange Wardens (as opposed to the pumpkin black and orange Wardens) were .14" thick. There were two or three others as well, but I don't know all the thicknesses offhand.

If you search, you might be able to find a list somebody created listing all of the Wardens and their thicknesses.
 
I used one of my BATACs for dressing my antelope last October. Given that I need to open the rib cage, the minimal chopping ability of the BATAC made the employing of the axe no longer necessary. In fact, my dad used the same knife for dressing his antelope. Given that experience, I am planning to use the same knife again this year, or may try one of my SJTACs or ASH1s.
 
+ 1 on the AD for larger hands. I had a GW and sold it because of the smaller handle.
 
I'd go for the BAD or a leaner mean street for upland game. Blade belly is not really a concern of mine for small game and fowl. Really, I don't care that much for too much belly on a dedicated deer skinner (I use a caping knife for skinning). Anyway, the clip point of the leaner would be great for small game. I think that the cultellus would also be a good small game/bird knife. The game warden is a good knife too, but I like a pointier point. Whatever you chose, go thin- you won't regert it. You can always carry a chopper, but you want a detail knife for carcass processing.

Repeat after me...

Satin Finish.
 
I prefer the AD as well for the reasons MikeH states.

Nothing wrong though with the Meaner or Leaner Meaner. It has a blade shape somewhat similar to the venerable Buck 110.

L to R: Game Warden LE, Active Duty 07 SE, Active Duty LE, Leaner Meaner 07 SE, Meaner, Anorexic Badger Attack LE.

BusseHunters.jpg
 
I prefer my AD for reasons already stated.
The husband prefers his GW for reasons already stated.

Apparently both are great, but the subtle differences can make all the difference in personal preference.

As for coating and scuffing, the way I see it, if it is a user, then scuffs are its badges of honor. Keep it oiled and clean and it will be happy.
 
Thanks for all the input. So far there are votes for the GW, the AD and the leaner meaner. I decided to read some posts on the forum and it seems that I am most likely to end up owning all of them, so I have to just have to decide which one I want to get FIRST.

On a related note, how long does a paypal transaction take to complete after I push "pay". I'm gonna be in the US (Washington, DC) for a conference all next week, and if I pull the trigger I would be interested in having the purchase FedEx'ed to my hotel so I can take it back to Norway with me in person (and avoid Intl shipping and customs)? BTW, the posts were fun to read, and kudos to the forum admisitrators for assembling a fine community of knife-toting individuals.
 
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Any of these would work fine, depend's on what size you want to go with.
IMG_3386.jpg
 
cdabel said:
On a related note, how long does a paypal transaction take to complete after I push "pay". I'm gonna be in the US (Washington, DC) for a conference all next week, and if I pull the trigger I would be interested in having the purchase FedEx'ed to my hotel so I can take it back to Norway with me in person (and avoid Intl shipping and customs)? BTW, the posts were fun to read, and kudos to the forum admisitrators for assembling a fine community of knife-toting individuals.
Click to expand...

For all intents and purposes, when you hit "pay", payment is credited almost instantly provided the PP website is up and running. If you can find what you want before you get to the US, getting the knife to you within your required timeframe should be fairly easy to do. Most everyone here (and especially here in the Busse sub-forum) are very honorable and easy to deal with. Good luck!
 
I have big hands, and like the GW handle great. I also have a BAD, so I have the choice of the fatter pumpkin warden, or the thin AD if I want. I like how both handles feel.
I have not done any game processing with any of them yet, so can't comment on that.
I think any of the ones mentioned would work great. I also think the BAIII would be a great one (but much more expensive, and harder to get).
 
It's been stated before, but Wardens are like the gateway Busse. Soon after you'll be snorting INFI dust and offer to do things you'd never imagine yourself doing in order to get things like SHBM's, Sabre SFNO's, and AK47's.
 
I ended up going for a MS 2007 SE. Now to get a sheath...and shoot some game to cut with it.
 
Congrats! That's a great little knife, I think you'll be VERY happy...
 
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