Hunters, do you use folders on your hunting trips?

jeegeet

jeegeet

Joined
Jan 2, 2000
Messages
356
A friend that I am trying to get into knives (I am being a knive missionary here :D ) mentioned that he'd prefer a folder due to a convenient carry. Tell me what you guys use?

Oops, I meant to post it in the Blade Discussion Forum...
 
Growing up I never saw anyone use anything other than a Buck 110. I use a large regular sebenza or for a fixed blade my Dozier pro guide. There are many excellent folding hunters out there from the buck 110 to the discontinued spyderco wegener.A folder works as well as a fixed blade, just a little harder to clean afterwards.
 
Yes, a folding knife works OK for hunting, easy to carry, and cuts well of course. Ahhh the cleaning is a bear.
After field dressing a deer, the fat gets in every nook and
cranny. I hate this. Some may not. My preference for a hunting knife, is one that is strong ( could chop a dragging pole if needed )or be used for emergencies. I don't think that folders can
do this very well.
 
Used my Schrade 1250 for years. Now I use my Ray Rogers Companion in Cobalt 6BH steel. Love it :)
 
Not I. I used to until I just had enough of trying to clean the dang thing well enuff that it didn't smell like a corpse. Fat and blood and hair follicles everywhere. It really isn't THAT difficult, but it is more effort than I want to expend. I got other things to clean. Fixed blade is no problem for the aftermath.

I always have a folder with me though. :D
 
The biggest use is for taking caps off of my black powder rifle.
I agree about the fat and hair.
The CRKT Bwana was built with and open structure to help with this. I bought my dad one, and he was happy with it.
 
I like to take my small Sebenza. A fixed blade is used for the quartering of game ...but I do trim some with the small blade. Hot water on the stove melts all the fat and then I'm in business again. I wouldn't use a knife that couldn't be taken apart for cleaning on game though.
 
I allways use a FB while hunting, just as mentioned in an previous post I do not like blood & guts inside a folder. I have also heard that you might contaminate the meat with bacteria if you use a "dirty" knife while field dressing, and a folder seems to be more prone to getting dirty.
 
A fixed blade is easier to clean and more sanitary. You are abliged to do a good blade cleaning before you sheath it or you are worse off than with a folder. My folder is my backup when hunting. When gone from camp things come up that don't fit your main hunting knife. This can include damage or loss of your primary knife. A Buck 110 is well designed for almost any hunting task and does well. My Victorinox Adventurer SAK works well for smaller work that my elk hunter is too large for.
 
I use a Schrade Sharpfinger for everything from squirrels to deer. Folders are good if you can take them apart for cleaning (Sebenza:)).
When working blind inside a deers chest cavity, it's nice not to have to worry about the blade folding on you.

Paul
 
I also agree about the cleaning. I guess if the folder is a framelock and can stand up to a power washer it would be OK. Other than that, I'll stay with a fixed blade for ALL game prep!!


Neil
 
When I get an opertunity to go hunting I carry a Big -ss Bowie, Why?? Its one of the few times you can carry such a knife without freaking people out. But then again I always carry a Buck folder with me to do any dirty work.
 
While hunting, or doing any activity in the great outdoors, I always carry a fixed blade knife. More often than not, that knife is a Dozier Yukon Pro Skinner that I purchased through A.G. Russell quite a few years ago.

That being said, I also always carrying a folding knife with me, whether I am in the woods or not. A CRK Umfaan is always in one of my pockets. For harsh use I typically also carrying a BM Mini-AFCK in M2 tool steel. And, I'm never without my SAK Classic (never know when those scissors will come in handy). :D

AJ
 
IMHO the best folder for hunting is the Sebenza, (large or small)
They hold an edge well, the lock up is incredible, and they are easy to disassemble and clean. I use my samll Sebbie on small game, but for larger game I think a fixed blade is a better choice. Again that is just my opinion based on my experience.

Jason
 
I don't hunt as much as I'd like. Too busy fishing and making knives. I just made a classic Muskrat pattern (pearl handles, ATS34 blades, 416 itegral liners/bolsters and 416 pins) for a cousin who says he's gonna use it to clean everything from wild pig to Whittail deer. He is as avid a hunter as I know.
The knife is a gift, I just want to know how well it holds up to the use he's putting it to. If it holds up for a year of the amount of hunting/cleaning he does, I'll be pretty happy.
He will receive it today, 09-09-02, so I should get a report in a month or two.
 
Thats great John! Your cousin is going to love and appreciate
that knife so much, that cleaning is going to be a pleasure, not a chore. I have never dressed a wild boar, but just about everything
else up to deer size, and a slip joint folder can do it. I just don't
like cleaning them after the cutting, myself. That was a wonderful gift, though.
 
Being an avid bowhunter and always hunting from the trees, I was always leary about wearing a fixed blade on my belt in case of a fall, (yes, I wear a safety belt) but with the dependability of the newer kydex sheaths this is no longer an issue and hence folders are probably no more safe than a good fixed blade.
 
Fixed blade only. Nothing like the smell of rotting flesh stuck in a folder.

Small game? I vary between a Spyderco Moran and a Schrade Wolverine.

Larger stuff? Cold Steel Master Hunter.
 
It depends on the kind of hunting. I skin coons and small game with a folder, usually one of my slipjoints in a Trapper or Stockman pattern. And when I hunt large game, I always have a small folder along for whatever odd chores come along. But when dressing anything from deer on up, I'm going to be using a fixed blade, mostly my Marbles Fieldcraft.

For the coon this winter, I'm thinking about getting an A.G. Russell Bird and Trout in either VG-10 or D2 and see how I like that. The cleanup when I get home late will sure be easier.
 
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