Deer hunting TRADITIONAL fixed blade suggestions

My father’s Puma Bowie has skinned countless deer, fish, hogs.... you name it, to this day if I’m taking him hunting I throw it in my kit (it’s in my possession) so he can “properly” do the task.

But personally I prefer the Loveless style drop point, mine was made by TK Steingass and is a dream to field dress, skin... whatever. The hollow ground CPM 154 blade can skin out and quarter 3 hogs before needing a touch up and it just feels like an extension of my hand while working(plus it’s just gorgeous to behold).

That said, any of the earlier mentioned Bucks would be a great choice and far more economical to either of these options. In my youth I often field dressed my deer with a puma folding hunter (cub model) but that knife was lost many years ago. A Buck 112 would’ve been just the same.

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Interesting, the blade on that Fallkniven is very close to the blade on my clip point.
And here I thought I was being original LOL
 
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JWB01, I used a Puma Bowie for many years, and it skinned more deer than any other knife I've owned. I had two, count them TWO Puma folders and lost them both. :(
 
At Blade I handled the White River Small Game knife model. Love it and I intend to buy one. It's smallish, but frankly I think they are more useful for field chores than a bigger knife. Take a look.

Hard to beat a Dozier also.
 
22-rimfire said:
At Blade I handled the White River Small Game knife model. Love it and I intend to buy one. It's smallish, but frankly I think they are more useful for field chores than a bigger knife. Take a look.
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There is definitely a place for a small knife when cleaning game. When cleaning deer I sometimes use both a large knife and small knife, using the small knife for detail work. I have several, a Cold Steel Canadian Belt Knife, a Marttiini Little Classic and a Buck 107, but what I use most is a cheap Wally World Mossy Oak. They only sold that model one year. Well, they have the same model NUMBER every year, but the style and quality changes year to year. I think they will never have that one again because the fit, finish, steel and overall quality are way too good for that price.

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DrHenley said:
There is definitely a place for a small knife when cleaning game. When cleaning deer I sometimes use both a large knife and small knife, using the small knife for detail work. I have several, a Cold Steel Canadian Belt Knife, a Marttiini Little Classic and a Buck 107, but what I use most is a cheap Wally World Mossy Oak. They only sold that model one year. Well, they have the same model NUMBER every year, but the style and quality changes year to year. I think they will never have that one again because the fit, finish, steel and overall quality are way too good for that price.

q5We7fo.jpg
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Same here. You could say that the bigger knife stays in camp or at home if you process larger game yourself. The smaller fixed blade is all that is needed to field dress deer. I however like knives, so I have big and small knives and I have carried larger knives hunting. But I noticed that instead of using the bigger knife, I reached for my trusty slip joint for field chores.
 
Two things I need a larger knife for in the field: #1 is for clearing vines, small limbs etc. at the stand, and #2 is for dispatching wounded deer. Although I now carry a 45 for #2. My historical preference for a 6" clip point over a shorter drop point was because of #2, because I needed the stabbing ability of the pointier point, and I needed sufficient length to reach the aorta.
 
One thing I found interesting about the Mossy Oak knives...

On Amazon, the actual Chinese manufacturer, Greatstar Tools, responds to questions and reviews about the knives instead of Mossy Oak.
 
Here is a picture of a really small knife with my latest Kephart (Dan Eastland). I haven't used this little knife, but I know it would work just fine. The Kephart has a 5.2" blade for reference.
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The larger knife can be useful for cutting branches and so forth off around a stand. A folding saw works better actually in most cases except for the really small diameter stuff. The Kephart is generally exactly the size of knife I prefer for the woods. But the spear point design I think is lacking for skinning game, but you certainly can get by with it.
 
That Kephart is not that much different from traditional multiple use knives you'd find in the 19th century.
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Thanks everyone for your suggestions, I very much appreciate all of you taking the time to respond. I have made some decisions, and decided to carry 3 knives in my backpack when out in the field to try.

The first is this custom by @samuraistuart . It is 9.1" long with a blade of CPM-M4 @ 64 HRc, with a handle of Mayan walnut. Jeff black mamba black mamba was kind enough to sell this to me, and I trust his endorsement. It is very thin and should be an amazing slicer.

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The second is a Mora, no idea what model. I gave it to my brother at some point in the past, and he gave it back to me today :). He said he never really had any use for it. It will allow me to try a scandi grind, which I haven’t really done yet. I am going to put a secondary bevel on it for ease of sharpening.

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The third is the Ranger at SKblades suggested by @OLd_gUY :

https://www.skblades.com/product-page/the-ranger

With all of the Buck recommendations I thought I really should try one, and I am a big fan of D2.

These are all very different, which I think will help me get an idea of what I would like in a future custom.

Again, much appreciate your help with this :thumbsup:
 
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Three works if you are not hiking in and camping or at least it does for me. Carry more stuff than I ever needed for the most part.
 
Lookin' good, Tom! Let me know what you think of the Buck after you've had it a while.
 
black mamba said:
Lookin' good, Tom! Let me know what you think of the Buck after you've had it a while.
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Will do, thanks again Jeff. I was hesitant to try a Buck due to the steel, and I wasn’t crazy about the handle material, this model seems to address both concerns.
 
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