Good knife for hunting?

[JDX]

So I got another spyderco delica in the mail, and my girlfriends father was super impressed with it and said he'd like something similar but larger for skinning game. I first thought the endura, but he's saying he would prefer something 4-6 inches and didn't necessarily mention fixed or folder. The part of the delica he like was how the belly is slightly rounded as well as the full flat grind.

I don't hunt, i have no experience with skinning game so I really don't have the knowledge to suggest a knife. I was hoping some of you hunters could shed some light on what I should get?

He's not really a knife guy, he appreciates them but the only knives he owns are a camillus fixed blade and a beat up crkt m16. With that said, he would probably only look to spend around $50 give or take.

Anyone know what a good blade would be?

 

[Alberta Ed]

CS Master Hunter or Buck 103.

 

[morvlorv]

I am a hunter, and I would highly suggest a fixed blade. Too many areas on a folding knife that can hold and harbor bacteria and blood and guts and stuff if you dont get it super clean.
Also, there are no locks to fail when processing the game.

I prefer a steel that touches up quick so im not stuck sharpening a super steel blade for a long time in the field with just a field sharpener.
All edges will dull when processing game, so ease of sharpening is higher on my list than edge holding.

I like something with a decent amount of belly for skinning, but its not really needed all that much, its just preference.
I used an old sharpfinger for a long time and it was awesome. I still wonder where that knife went.
If cutting weight is a factor, the buck pak lite series are a good choice.

A condor tool nessmuk would make a great skinner and all around camp knife.
It has 1095 carbon steel that sharpens up quick and has a good amount of belly for skinning, doesnt have a super pointy tip that you might puncture guts with, looks good, is under $50, and has a decent sheath.
I have a custom made nessmuk Bill Akers made for me that I use every time im out hunting. If I didnt have it, I would own a Condor.

 

[LastRodeo]

I thought I read somewhere that Spyderco designed the Stretch to be a hunting knife. It's definitely bigger than the Delica.

 

[22-rimfire]

Consider the Condor Two Rivers Skinner (~4" fixed blade). It is a nice knife and comes with a good leather sheath.

Mora's are inexpensive and work although I would choose something else.

 

[morvlorv]

Consider the Condor Two Rivers Skinner (~4" fixed blade). It is a nice knife and comes with a good leather sheath.

Mora's are inexpensive and work although I would choose something else.

The two rivers is a nice knife, and this is just my opinion from my personal experience, but a recurve in a blade like that hasnt really been ideal for me with skinning. but that could just be my technique.
The front third of the knife would work well for skinning, but I feel like I lose something from the knife with a recurve.

 

[gazz98]

Gerber Strongarm, <$60
Buck Selkirk 4.6" blade <$60

 

[katanas]

A big second on the Selkirk. $45 on that there big 'ol river site.

 

[JDX]

Thanks everyone! I saw the Spyderco Southfork fixed blade and it looked PERFECT except for the price tag. And someone mentioned how it's not that great to have a super steel on something like that

 

[JohnIrish]

I have a different opinion...... I like super steels. I can skin and bones out an Elk without sharpening...and it will still slice paper after. I do Carry a backup knife just in case. I like to use a Spyderco mule. They are about $69 for a super steel.

I would not use a folder because of the mess involved.

 

[Lyubomir Trayanov]

Look at Manly Patriot, D2 steel is $59.
Affordable fixed blade knife for hunters. Blade, handle design,shape and size make the knife perfect for field dressing tasks. Check it out.

Cheers!

 

[barrabas74]

I use alot of knives on deer and use everything from 440C (buck) to S90V, D2, A2, A7, Infi, SR101, W2, well you get the idea. 1095 is a nice solid choice too. One thing I like is a drop point. Why? because when you go up the belly (depending on field dressing style) the tip tends to rise up with the cut and not open the stomach. $50 is what an average hunter would spend if not less in my family....I am just a nut. My favorite for a while has been a Scott Gossman in D2 very simple drop point style. I have used folders including the replaceable kind like the Havalon series....I dont like cleaning folders out. I gutted a deer in bullrushes on the eastern shore of MD in the dark with my endura. You do not want to try to get out all the fat and gristle and blood out of those handles....I never feel like it was ever clean again. My dad carries an Lakota Little Hawk folder for 20 years because he likes the compactness and the 440c is easy for him to sharpen.

Ok I am rambling. On that note. I like some of the above recommendations like the bucks. Your best bet is to get some feedback about what you want in an handle, your probably looking at 440 or something similar in steel. Which blade config he likes and narrow your search at a popular online store for knives in that price range. I used a popular online store and got 9 pages of feedback from fixed blade hunting knives alone and that was for $50....Imagine if you gave us 200 to play with . I watched an Elk guide use a case trapper and an Wyoming saw on a bull elk...but not for me and that guy does it for a living.

 

[Valyrian steel]

Buck 119, 110, anything you can touch up after processing game. I like the Buck 536 with the gut hook.

 

[knoxknives]

get a good stainless fixed blade 3-5" long, no need for super-steels unless you plan to dress multiple animals on the same hunt imo. rest is personal preference, really. you can get a cheap disposable gut-hook tool to go with it, and you are done. as far as some of the suggestions already, serkirk would be about perfect for the $, as well as the buck 119.

 

[22-rimfire]

The two rivers is a nice knife, and this is just my opinion from my personal experience, but a recurve in a blade like that hasnt really been ideal for me with skinning. but that could just be my technique.
The front third of the knife would work well for skinning, but I feel like I lose something from the knife with a recurve.

Pretty standard drop point design which I have added below does have a very slight curve to it. Anyway, who skins with the portion of the blade near the handle anyway? To be honest with you, I would rather use a jigged bone GEC slip joint (which is 1095) for most of the hunting chores. The #48 Improved Trapper works for me. I carry a Dozier these days but they all exceed the OP's budget. I do like the Two Rivers a lot however. It is just a nice knife in 420HC stainless steel.

Added: I can see why you said it has a recurved blade. If there is a curve, it is very slight. I had to lay the edge on a table and indeed there is a slight curve.

Added: To the OP, your GF's father liked your Delica, the obvious answer is to get the Spydero Endura which is slightly above your mentioned price range.

 

[Mingecutter]

Schrade Sharpfinger (one of the older, US made ones in carbon steel)
Buck 119 Special
Buck 105 Pathfinder
Buck 192 Vanguard/Buck 691 Zipper (w/ gut hook)
Ka-bar Becker BK16 tweener

All of the above would work for his intended purpose and general uses.

 

[l1ranger]

i have a buck pac lite skinner that i like for field dressing and actual skinning. this is light duty work, no bones, etc to contend with and this is all done in the field.

i touch it up after the work is done - never had the need to sharpen during the work

 

[Dan of Bazz Clazz]

Have a buddy who swears by his Buck 110 folder, and he has cleaned enough game to know and would have tossed it long ago if it didn't work and hold up.

I on the other hand, dislike using a folding knife to dress out game if only for the problems of cleaning the knife afterwards. If you can rinse it out before stuff dries, great but you don't always get that option. Plus opening a 110 with frozen fingers is more of a challenge than I would like to deal with at times.

For me, I prefer a fixed blade knife with a drop point. I also prefer small, with a 4" or smaller blade, and I want it light. Hard enough hauling my butt out in the field before adding all the accoutrements.

CRKT has their Mossback knives (Hunter and a Bird & Trout model) that will do the trick, and each is under $50.

I usually have one of my Boker's on my hip, but they are $80-$100 + range. Schrade / Old Timer and Rough Rider has some hunting knives that would work as well for under $40. Not sure about how far you would get in the processing before needing to sharpen. May not be an issue, I just don't have actual experience with those in the field.

One other point I will add. If the hunter is after trophies, and likes to have his game mounted by a taxidermist, than a caping knife should be considered as well. Caping knife is small, very sharp, balanced and very easy to control for the fine cutting work of removing the cape off your future wall mount. Old Timer's Lil Finger or their Copperhead caping knife - essentially the same knife, are amazing, particularly given the price point. $20-$30 price range and when you hold it properly - index finger along the blade spine, 2nd finger on the choil, the thing handles like a scalpel. Just what you need for trying to free the hide around the eyes and lips. And yes, you can dress the animal with it, I just couldn't swear to the sharpness being retained for caping afterwards.

 

[22-rimfire]

Good post Dan. I think the point is that it doesn't take a particularly large knife for most hunting chores. Those capers are about like a folder, but a fixed blade. Sharp is what's required.

 

[GatorFlash1]

Spyderco Bill Moran Drop Point Fixed Blade Knife (3.88" Satin Plain) FB02P

You don't need a big honker of a bowie to dress most game. A smaller blade if often easier to use. I have used and recommend the
Spyderco Moran Drop Point Fixed Blade. It has been around and widely used by many hunters. The price is right too.

How to do the job if you have never done it before? It isn't that hard to do. Here is a good video I found showing how.