Elk hunting knife (newbie here) question

J

Jayronicle

Joined
Feb 2, 2011
Messages
21
Hi all. I'm new to the forum and to the outdoors in general. I've always been interested but never had the opportunity since I was raised in the city and my family never did anything outside. I've recently married into a family where my Father in Law is an avid hunter and outdoorsman. I'm very excited to finally get a chance to spend some time outdoors :thumbup:

He recently invited me on an Elk hunt. He's going to let me have "first shot" and I'd like to have my own knife to use in case I get a hit. I'm sure he's going to show me what to do but I do want to do it with my own gear.

I own a buck 110 folder and am wondering if that's enough to get the job done? Should I buy a new knife? If so, any recommendations would be appreciated. The knife should be able to field dress an Elk, handle basic camp chores and be a reliable survival blade in case I get lost or something (just in case). I'd also like to keep it under $150

The knife should be able to handle other animals for potential future hunts and I don't want to buy a new knife every time I do a different hunt.

I hope this wasn't too much to throw at everyone (especially in my first post) but I could really use some advice. Thanks in advance!
 
The Buck 110 will do a good job although some don't like a folder. any good solid 4-6 inch fixed blade will work well, Impress him and pick up a Bark River.
 
The Bark Rivers are very nice. Their convex edge is amazingly sharp. Some find them too thin for hard use, but they are knives. They are meant for cutting, not hacking through trees and cinder blocks.
Highland, Woodland, and others are worth checking out.
Dale at The Knife Connection has a wide selection, customs, and free shipping.
Fallkniven and ESEE are two other companies that make great fixed blades.
Fiddleback Forge, ML Knives, Scott Grosman, JK Knives, and pleny others make great knives as well. Just depends on what you want.
 
I used a Buck 110 for years, and it served me well. Over the years, I have found that I prefer high carbon steel. Gets wicked sharp, and easy to touch up in the field. My knife of choice lately has been a two blade trapper by Great Eastern Cutlery. I like it.
 
As mentioned above, the Buck 110 will absolutely do the job.

However, I prefer fixed blades. This year I used a Bark River Drop Point Hunter and a Manitou. The both worked outstanding!

The Manitou is shown below:

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I field dressed the Bull entirely with the Drop Point Hunter. I alternated using both knives for skinning, just to give them both a workout and see which one I liked the best. I think overall, I'd give the nod to the drop point hunter, but it's a close call.
 
Nothing wrong (and much right) with the Buck 110. If you clean a large animal with it, prepare to spend some time getting goop out of the handle but it's perfectly serviceable. This is no elk (no such thing here in central Ohio) but my Becker BK11 did a great job on this whitetail doe and cleanup was a breeze. This will keep you *way* under budget.

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Beckerhead #42
 
Honestly, I'd just bring your 110 or maybe get something modest like a Buck Vanguard. You don't want to look like some city slicker with an expensive new knife who doesn't know how to field dress an animal he just killed. Make sure they're nice and sharp before you go on your trip. Good luck, too. You'll get hooked on the sport after your first trip.
 
Thanks for the replies!

Kinda surprised to hear the 110 can handle an Elk but that's great!

Planetcat: I totally agree with you... now that I know the 110 can handle an Elk I will wait to buy anything new unless I know what I'm doing and plan on doing it with some regularity.
 
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