Can any hunters clarify for me...?

I'm no hunter, but have been hunting on occasion.

I only know one avid hunter that uses a folder to process game. When asked why he uses it in lieu of a dedicated skinner or hunting fixed blade he responds with "because it's a long damn walk from the jeep trail and I don't want to carry all that **it." Which I think is a fair reason. He packs VERY light.

Personally, I'm not overly fond of dismantling folders to clean bio waste out of it. I'll tote the fixed blade along.
 
Fixed are way easier to clean, but 9 times out of 10, I just throw a folder in my pocket on my way out.
 
They both work fine & a lot has to do with (IMO) with who taught you how to hunt...I learned from my uncle so I used a Buck 110 for 20 yrs til I changed to a fixed blade.
 
What I see here are two things:
1. Use your fixed blade for easier cleaning and you don't have to walk too far from the car.
2. IF you have a folder, make sure it is a BUCK 110. I cannot tell you how many times I see that model mentioned here.
Sonny
 
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Although I much prefer a fixed blade for the reasons previously stated by others, I have field dressed more deer with a Buck 110 than all of my other knives combined. This is simply a function of my killing many more deer in my younger days and always carrying a Buck 110 with me back then. I was always careful to thoroughly clean the knife and pivot area as soon as returning home and used very hot water; even still the benefits of a fixed blade are now obvious to me.

For deer and larger sized game, I will have a dedicated field fessing fixed blade with my backpack, fanny pack or on the belt of my hunting pants in advance of heading for the woods. I do use skinning knives for, well, skinning but do not prefer that style for field dressing. Though a four to six inch fixed blade is what I normally prefer, a BK 11/14/24 does just fine ... so does my Busse basic #7 that has done a few deer in the field as well.
 
My dad used to use a 110, and i always thought it was the coolest ever. Would forget my own on occasion so I could use his. Don't even remember what i used then but it was a cheap folder. Used a cheap fixed browning for a few years after high school. Tried out one of the folding havalons last year, and was 'nt super impressed. Then i found this place haha. Got a Bark River gunny hunter and a little caper for deer. And a BM crooked river for duck/goose hunting this year. Thinking a folder will be easier for waterfowl with all the other stuff you have to carry in, and water is rarely a problem for a quick clean up.
 
Certainly "yuckieness" isn't a big deal...but field sanitation & possibly illness from cleaning your next game with tiny bits of rotten fat,meat, blood, guts, etc...in the knife from your last game...that could be.

That said, i too used my pocketknife as a boy. I already owned it.

And you certainly can make do with a folder, i simply advocate cleaning very thoroughly.
 
Ed Ricketts said:
Certainly "yuckieness" isn't a big deal...but field sanitation & possibly illness from cleaning your next game with tiny bits of rotten fat,meat, blood, guts, etc...in the knife from your last game...that could be.

That said, i too used my pocketknife as a boy. I already owned it.

And you certainly can make do with a folder, i simply advocate cleaning very thoroughly.
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I agree. Clean that knife even a fixed blade after "yuckieness". I always thoroughly cleaned my folders after returning from hunting where I used the knife. Often there were small streams, big puddles, or snow that allowed you to clean your knife in the field. It might not be totally sanitized, but you can certainly get most of the visible materials out of a folder and finish the job at home or in camp. I do prefer fixed blade now for such things, but I still rely on a folder for many of the small cutting tasks. Part of the reason for that is that I simply choose a slightly larger fixed blade than most recommend.
 
I could see the benefits of this style folder.
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Tradition. Growing up I had money for a knife (a single knife). Dad and Grandpa's theory on money was that you didn't spend it unless you absolutely had to. And that was what I had to live by. So, the one knife did it all and I think that has made a culture of carrying a folder like a buck 110. It worked for hunting and everything else.

Besides, for gutting small game and deer you can easily get by with a SAK or similar sized knife. I've done it many times and did a better job than many of the other hunters I encounter.

But a good boning knife and skinner (I like a quality sheep skinner for deer, antelope, and elk sized game) is far better. After all, it's what those knives were made for.


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Hi. Occasional hunter here, more consistent in the past :). Hunting mainly small games, like hares pheasants and wild ducks, I normally used a folder, an old Maserin with wooden handle :). As I see it, the pros are the compactness and the fact it stays tucked away in one pouch and doesn’t hang around while walking/running, squatting, etc., the con is, of course, the cleaning/sanitizing operations after gutting and processing. If I’d go deer, I’d pick a fixed blade, though.
 
Most seasons I get to spend a few days with a small group of hunters that are skillful woodsmen who grew up hunting anything they could find. I can't count how much game they have processed since I met them but I have never seen one of them with a fixed blade in the field. Each one uses a folder, usually a stockman pattern that most of us would consider too small. Once an animal is back to the house they trade out the folder for a butcher knife from the kitchen. The folders and fixed blades they use are not "hunting knives" they are the ones they have for every day use for every day task. They carry food and water in their coat pockets and if it's really cold will have a pair of coveralls tied up slung over their shoulders. They carry what experience has showed them they need and no more. I carry a fixed blade and pack anytime I'm hunting and they have never mentioned it, just accepted it as the way I am.
 
I used one last year, and wasn't a super big fan of it. Did alright for the initial cuts, had some problems getting through the rib cage and pelvis. Wasn't super fond of skinning the deer with it, would penetrate hide if not careful(Only had blades that came with). What i really liked was using it as a deboning knife, and chunking up the meat for sausage/burger. But after a while, helped a buddy we did 5 deer my hands got tired with it being small. Never had to worry about it being sharp though!

Edit - Messed up somewhere, was suppose to be directed @basp2005
 
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