Can any hunters clarify for me...?

M

mec003

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Jan 1, 2015
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Hey all,

So I've seen some posts by folks looking folders to clean game and do food prep. I don't hunt at all, and I'm not trying to criticize in any way, just trying to get some understanding.

Why would a folder be preferable for cleaning game or prepping food? Is it more convenient?

Not being a hunter, I would have to think that a fixed blade would be more reliable and easier to clean up.

I have worked in kitchens for years and have broken down whole pigs, various whole poultry, large portions of beef, lamb and the like, and whole fish. I would always favor a fixed blade for any of these tasks.

Does a folder offer more versatility? I can see how a designate folder for food prep when camping would be handy. But if you knew the game that you were hunting, wouldn't you bring the appropriate knife or knives to process it?

Again, just looking for some clarification. I would guess it's a trade off of convenience for performance. But please let me hear your thoughts. I'm genuinely trying to learn and not start anything else. Thanks all.
 
Convenience is the only thing I can think of where a folder may be desired. Otherwise, cleaning a deer on a cold fall/winter day means lot of deer-fat and other misc. internal ookiness packing in every nook and cranny. And when you are not near hot water, getting that cold sticky stuff out of knives just ain't happening.
 
Hi mec003, I don't see your post as trying to start anything at all.

When I was a youngin and started hunting I started with a buck 112. Why did I start with a 112? Simply put my dad, uncles, and G-pa all used them. Anything from deer, Turkey, Rabbit, pheasant, grouse, and squirrel. We didn't have a lot of money so one knife for hunting was all you had. the meat was more important than the knife you used.

As I got older and got more established I found that there were better knives for the job. I currently use a fixed blade now and still carry that same 112 as a back up.

So it's not always about "prefferability" or a folder being superior but more about what you have and can get away with when money is problem....for me anyway. Hope that helps

Cheers,

Justin
 
Got me- maybe a folder can be carried in your pocket where a fixed blade would more likely be carried in a sheath on a belt. The sheath could get in the way and get hung up in the brush etc.
 
Thanks guys. Justin, that makes sense. I hadn't really considered the economical reasons for choosing a folder. I appreciate you mentioning that.
 
mec003 said:
Thanks guys. Justin, that makes sense. I hadn't really considered the economical reasons for choosing a folder. I appreciate you mentioning that.
Click to expand...

You got it. I can attest that it wasn't fun cleaning the knife after gutting, skinning and quartering deer in the winter!
 
Yes, a fixed blade is much preferred, and most all I know uses one.

I have used a folder on many though in my younger years, and as long as you clean them well after they work fine for a hunting knife.
Fixed blades are easier to clean, have much better handles, and that's the two main reasons they are preferred.

I think many use a folder because they can use the same knife as an EDC, or an often carried knife. Some don't want to invest in a good fixed blade if they already have folders that will do the job. That's just speculation though, and the only reason I can think of as to why many use a folder.
 
I like having a folder because I can put it in the pocket of my hunting pants and not have to worry about it for the whole season. Ideally, yes, a fixed blade makes more sense and is preferable, but when hunting nearly every day of the season, having a lesser knife handy is better than forgetting the perfect one at home. And in a pinch, there's not much that can't be done with a good folder.
 
I use both on smaller game squirrels,rabbits,etc I use my buck 110 always have. On deer and such I use a fixed blade to get through the pelvis and also more room to move around a larger knife hope it helps
 
Good points. I might try practicing with a folder next time I have clean something.
 
Ive only used a fixed blade to clean animals. I have several hunting fixed blades on my hunting pants ready to go during the season. I also have have a small folder in my each hunting pack as well in my survival kits.

I just view them as stronger, easier to clean, and how ive always done it. I have a good friend who used a folder to clean a deer last year. Looked like it would have been a pain to clean it out when he was done. Got the job done though.
 
There is no question in my mind that a fixed blade sized for the job is a better choice for game chores hunting. So, I think you are 100% correct in that sense. So, I will back up a bit in time.....

I have hunted since I was 12 years old and the only knife I owned was a Case Barlow. $20-$25 was a LOT of money to me then. Fixed blades cost more. It would also mean that I would have to purchase two knives (more money I didn't have). Anyway, the barlow worked just fine while hunting and I think people make too big a deal over the "yuckiness" associated with field chores while hunting. I don't see a big deal putting a folder back in my pocket after cleaning game. I would always wipe it off, but a little "yuck" is not a big deal to me. I seldom cut food with any kind of folder that I might carry in my pocket except a small slice to get the peeling started on a banana. Apples, no. Sandwiches, no.

I didn't own a fixed blade for the first 35 years of my life and yes, I hunted as often as I could after I got away from the home place where hunting was an institution. I own fixed blades now, but still have little problem using a traditional slip joint or a folder while hunting (as my only knife). In fact, I generally will carry one in addition to a fixed blade now. I used a Schrade 250T for a number of years as my "hunting knife". It's the two blade version of the Buck 110 type knife. I was never really a Buck fan. A folder was always more flexible to me in terms of carrying.

Many of the field chores associated with hunting require detailed cutting. It doesn't require a large knife. Consider the traditional muskrat pattern which has two thin identical blades normally for skinning. Works very well. I skinned a lot of muskrats as a young person both trapping for myself and for my uncle. The reason I didn't own a muskrat pattern knife was simple. More money I didn't have.

We all get used to doing things in a certain way that works for us. There is always room for improvement or preferences in the way we do things.
 
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I've used both. Never had a problem cleaning either of them.

Many times I head straight to the woods after work, and the folder is already with me.

Both work well if you have a quality piece.
 
A fixed blade, while a little more difficult to carry, is a much safer and much easier tool to clean.
What you'll run into is all the gunk getting stuck in the pivot and locking mechanism of the knife. Depending on the time of year, that could make your knife a bear to clean and close.
 
I will always have a folder in my pocket just in case as I always EDC, but I will usually try and have my fixed blade on me.
 
Picked up a small ulu that I want to try out for skinning game this year, seems to be simple concept but we will see how the ulu works as compared to my smaller fixed blades.


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I used a folder for deer hunting because I have to hike in for hour to get away from other hunters; I try hard to minimize the weight I have to pack. I'm using a Cold Steel American Lawman to field dress (which does an excellent job). When I get home I use a fixed blade (Hess Whitetail) to skin and butcher.
 
Field dressed deer with fixed and folders, best knife I used was an ESEE Izula.

No place for anything to get into/under. :)
 
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