How long a blade for field-dressing 80 lb pigs?

Julian Elliot

Julian Elliot

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Jun 29, 2003
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A friend and I are starting to get into pig hunting and I'm thinking about getting my friend a knife since he's not a knife person and because he'll be doing most of the driving when we hunt. I was thinking about the Buck Alpha hunter, either the standard model, which has a blade just over 4 inches, or the mini which has about a 2.5 inch blade. Any hog we're liable to take will be no heavier than 80-90 pounds. Would the mini have enough blade for field-dressing an animal this size, or should I get the larger blade. Note: neither of us have any experience dressing anything bigger than a large trout.

Also, I'm a bit concerned that these knives have no guards, so I'm open to other knives that would work out.

Thanks!
 
I used to work in a cattle slaughter house, and while they are of different sizes a buck alpha hunter is VERY good...my knives i used for around 2 years had no guard, the raise before the edge is good at keeping your fingers from sliding up. and a sharp knife against pig or cattle meat is pretty much like cutting through butter, same goes for THICK hides as you may encounter with pigs. Personally I dont think you could go wrong with one of them knives, got a nice classy style to them and will do whatever job you could think of with em.

Long blades in my extensive experience only lead to bad cuts, puncturing the gut which will leave you with a messy taste of cleaning the inside out...smaller blades give more precise controlled cuts.
 
The mini is too small. The Alpha w/o gut hook is good. Even better, and for about half the price is the Buck Skinner and it has a small guard.
 
personally, i'd want about a 4 inch blade for field-dressing anything.

i think smaller knives of the field-dressing spectrum are for more practiced and dedicated hunters.

i prefer something closer to 4 inches due to the fact i like to use my knife for more, and also i'm not really a hunter, and am not very skilled in field-dressing.

i find blades around 4 inches make the work easier for me.
 
If all you are doing is gutting and skinning, a 3" - 3 1/2" blade is more than enough.

Paul
 
I agree with Paul. When I lived in Dillingham Alaska the natives there used a knife with a blade just about one inch longer than their index finger to gut and skin Moose and anything else too really. The only time I saw them use something bigger was when they pulled out an axe or a big heavy duty chopper of some kind to break through the breast plate and then they got the little blade back out again. I would suspect the blades they used were roughly 3 to 3.5 inches in length. 6 inches and under would do the job but there is not need for more blade than three of four inches really.

One other thing the Eskimos taught me (not all of them but a few) was that an 18 volt saws all easily doubled as a portable butcher shop because they used them to section out their kills in a hurry and get out of the woods before the bears came nosin' around. In the right hands a saws all, a good long blade and a well charged up battery made short work of a huge moose let me tell you. These guys could have anything they killed quartered and loaded up on their snow mobiles and be hauling it out before the sun went down even if they killed it late in the day. I watched them do it on two occassions.
 
For field dressing (gutting) I would recommend a blade length of 3" to 4 1/2" of semi-skinner or drop point design. An upswept or clip point leads to a possiblity of piercing the entrails. For skinning, anything from 2" to 3" is plenty. You are only using about an inch from the point down for skinning. Guards do nothing but get in the way while doing game work.
Scott
 
bell said:
The mini is too small. The Alpha w/o gut hook is good. Even better, and for about half the price is the Buck Skinner and it has a small guard.
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I agree...The Buck 103 Skinner would be excellent, and is a classic.
 
I like 3" blades for field dressing myself. It's big enough to cut anything you need to cut in a medium sized animal and it's not so big that it cuts things you don't want to cut.
 
Somewhere in the 3 to 4 inch range would work fine. I would suggest a wear resistant alloy blade. Pig hide gets dirty and will tend to dull your blade. A knife that will do almost anything you can think of is a Buck Vanguard from Cabelas with an S30V alloy blade. The size is good, the handle gives you a good grip, and it has a good-sized guard.

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/t...alog/item-link.jhtml_A&_DAV=search&hasJS=true

For something a little slimmer you might consider an AG Russell Deer Hunter with D2 alloy blade. This is not stainless like S30V, but it is very wear resistant. This knife has a very thin blade that cuts well.

http://www.agrussell.com/knives/by_...s/a_g_russell_bird_trout_with_vg10_blade.html
 
My be part of the reason they went under.No one has said anything about one of the best hunting knives ever made.
The Old Timer SC152.I can get a VERY sharp edge on it and resharpen it very quickly all for less than 25.00
 
I've field dressed and butchered several dozen deer up to 250 lbs (live weight). For field dressing I don't want a blade length longer than 3 1/2" because when you reach into the body cavity to cut the esophagus, you reach in with one hand and work your fingers behind it, then cut it with your knife in the other hand. I feel like I run the risk of stabbing myself if I can't feel the entire blade with my index finger. I much prefer a small knife for this work.

A sharp tip will help with the initial penetration into the hide, after that all your cutting will be from the inside out to avoid penetrating the insides (which makes for a much more disgusting job). A brightly colored (but not red) knife with a long lanyard will make locating it easier in the light of a flashlight.

When you do it right, and with a sharp knife, you can have a deer or hog field dressed and ready to drag in 10-15 minutes. Back at home, for skinning and butchering, you are going to want something different. A good skinning knife and butcher knife will be the trick there.
 
Thanks for all the tips and suggestions. I'm leaning towards the larger blade due to lack of experience in dressing, but will check out the Buck 103, Buck Vanguard and possibly the Spyderco Moran drop point. Pig-hunting is actually exposing me to a bunch of knives I never would have considered buying in the past. :)
 
Just last night, was talking with another knifemaker - Tom Krein - about pig hunting. Looks like he's got me signed up and considering a trip soon. :D Always wanted to go, but never really had the chance until now.

The advice you got so far is good. 3.5" - 4" is plenty.
 
Are you sure that is a real pig???


I would catch it and take it home and feed it until it turns into a real pig! :D
 
I skin, and dress a variety of large game and I'd say go with the 4". And if we're using the Alaskan finger rule that would be 4" blade anyway. Atleast based on my hand size.
 
Julian,
Here is my two cents worth. My opinion on hunting blades is a little different than what has been said. I agree that a blade less than 4 inches is good. For field dressing I have found the smaller blades to be more useful and controlable. The shorter blades are also easier to use inside the body cavity, especially on smaller hogs. I prefer a 2 1/2-3 1/2 inch blade. I also agree that an extremelly wear resistant blade is called for as the hide on a feral hog usually has alot of dirt in it and will dull a knife quickly, or carry a diamond hone to touch up your blade. Here is where my opinion differs....I highly recommend a knife with a gaurd, I also recommend a fixed bladed knife. The last thing you want to do is get cut bad in the field! It will ruin your hunt period! Often when field dressing it will be low light, your hands will be cold, and you will have fat/blood on your hands. A guard is a necesity on a field knife in my opinion. A fixed blade also can't close on your fingers accidently and is much easier to clean up afterward. There are several good knives that fit these requirements at most price points. Good luck and if you want to talk about hog hunting give me a call or drop me an e-mail. Just curious but how do you kill the hogs? Are you using gun, bow or knives?

Tom
 
Tom M: Apparently the little ones are tastier!

Tom K: Thanks for the comments. I appreciate that the more experienced hunters may find the guard getting in the way, but I'm with you - I'd rather put up with a little inconvenience than have to worry about cutting myself a couple of miles from the road. Since we'll be hunting in pretty open country, we'll be using 30-30 rifles. My girlfriend's dad is a big bow hunter, so I'd like to try that someday. Knife hunts sound pretty wild, but they're also a major production - guide, dogs, etc - and we're trying to do this on the cheap.
 
Julian,
I don't eat the pigs not do I waste the meat. It all goes to friends and caritable donations to food banks. But from what I have heard if you are shooting them and not running them, just about all of them are good to eat. Especially the 200 lb and less pigs.

Tom
 
Julian Elliot said:
Tom M: Apparently the little ones are tastier!

Tom K: Thanks for the comments. I appreciate that the more experienced hunters may find the guard getting in the way, but I'm with you - I'd rather put up with a little inconvenience than have to worry about cutting myself a couple of miles from the road. Since we'll be hunting in pretty open country, we'll be using 30-30 rifles. My girlfriend's dad is a big bow hunter, so I'd like to try that someday. Knife hunts sound pretty wild, but they're also a major production - guide, dogs, etc - and we're trying to do this on the cheap.
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Julian, if you feel more comfortable using a guard by all means you should go for a knife with one. My comment about guards was from my own personal experience. I feel I can work more effectively without one. I should have clarified that for some a small guard will make it a safer job. The Buck 103 in my opinion is a very good skinner and it has a small guard. The Vanguard is also an excellent chioce. Good luck with your adventure ;)
Scott
 
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