Hunting knife/set question

corwise

corwise

Joined
Nov 10, 2006
Messages
1,401
My brother in law has recently gotten into hunting and asked me for a hunting/skinning knife recommendation. I gave him a nice outdoor knife a few years ago, but I know nothing about hunting or what knives would be good for it. He's looking for something for large animals (deer, antelope, elk, etc). No preference if it's a single "do it all knife" or a set of some kind with multiple blades. Willing to spend a few hundred if it's nice. Basically wants to get away from trying to skin an antelope with a cheap folder, which is what happened on his last trip. Thanks much.
 
There are a lot of well proven designs that are all equally as good, depending on the user's preferences in blade shape and style. Drop points, clip points, trailing points, and bull nose skinners would likely be the most popular designs. The best blade steel for it would vary depening on whether he prefers the edge to be smooth and highly refined like you would get with a high carbon steel or if he prefers a more toothy/large carbide edge like D2 offers. I personally prefer stainless for a pure hunter/skinner because the blood is so corrosive and I sometimes hunt in deep where a great cleaning isn't always possible. I recently finished making my first knife, which was a hunter/skinner with a 3" blade length in Elmax steel. I've had one of my design for years made by another maker but it's my first knife and I just finished making it this month for myself. I can't claim it to be "the best" design out there but it is the best design for me because it's optimized for how I specifically prefer a blade to handle when cleaning.
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Good places to start looking at some production offerings in various fixed blades would be Case Knives, Buck Knives (especially the custom shop), Bark River knives, Dozier Knives, Knives of Alaska, Fallkniven, Benchmade, older Schrade sharpfingers that were US made on the used market, older Marbles knives on the used market, older Puma knives on the used market, and Randall Knives. There's a lot of variation in just these companies in style, steel, and prices. All would be a good knife. If you want more than that you have to start shopping the customs market where prices can be anywhere from $150-250 and up depending on size, features, and quality of fit/finish. I wouldn't suggest going custom though until you have an idea of what geometry you like to work with and what steels you prefer.
 
It's not just a hunting knife, but I've cleaned tons of small game, dressed whitetail deer and even helped butcher a whitetail deer with my Becker BK11. To me, the blade is the perfect size / shape for dealing with game of all sorts.

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I would tend to suggest that he consider one specifically for hunting and use a long thinner bladed boning knife for butchering. I would take a look at Bob Dozier's knives but Bark River has many fine choices. I tend to like a pointer blade for hunting than many, so the age old "drop point" is the general recommendation. But generally he probably wants something in the 4-5" blade size range. People tend to prefer something around 4". I would back up the blade with a sharp quality folder (just in case).

The Buck Vanguard (#192 model) in S30V from the Alaskan Guide series (Cabelas offers this knife) would be a good choice at about $100.
 
Four inch drop point with a handle his hand won't slip on when wet/boldly. There are tons of good knives that fit the bill.
 
Mannlicher said:
One of Gene Ingram's combo sets is a nice choice

http://www.geneingramknives.com/
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Funny you should mention Gene. One of my favorites is an Ingram in flat ground D2 that I bought from him on eBay back when he was just getting started. I paid just over $100 for it. I've skinned and field dressed three boar hogs in a weekend with it and only touched up the edge after because I felt like it was good form. Phenomenal edge holding.

That and the Wayne Hendrix hollow ground ATS 34 knife pictured have disassembled a mountain of deer and hogs. Nobody needs to go custom, but something along these general lines is what the OP should be looking for IMHO.

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I have broken down multiple game animals from quail to elk. Any fixed blade with decent steel that is about as long as his index finger will work well. If gutting an animal, you want to be able to put the tip of your index finger at the tip of the knife, that way you know what you are cutting when your hands are inside the cavity and you can't see.
A cheap but dandy field dressing knife is the Swiss Army Hunter model, the one with a deer heat logo on it. The blunt tip curved serrated blade literally opens up the abdomen like a zipper, much better than any gut hook I have seen in action.
 
I prefer two knives for hunting. One is a small 3" drop point blade. The other is the knives they have out with replaceable scalpel blades. I want the drop point to have a small enough overall size to fit into the fur and body cavity with my index finger hung over the point so that it doesn't puncture anything. Makes skinning and removing organs way easier. The scalpel is for smaller animals. With those two, as long as the fixed blade is high quality with good edge retention, you can do everything you need to do. I've never liked knives and knife sets that are packaged as hunting tools. They're usually cheap crap and don't work well or last long. I absolutely hate gut hooks.
 
corwise said:
My brother in law has recently gotten into hunting and asked me for a hunting/skinning knife recommendation. I gave him a nice outdoor knife a few years ago, but I know nothing about hunting or what knives would be good for it. He's looking for something for large animals (deer, antelope, elk, etc). No preference if it's a single "do it all knife" or a set of some kind with multiple blades. Willing to spend a few hundred if it's nice. Basically wants to get away from trying to skin an antelope with a cheap folder, which is what happened on his last trip. Thanks much.
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You've gotten some good suggestions here and I have used several of them on large and small game. But I keep returning to a trusty companion, a Schrade Sharpfinger. Small enough to not get in the way on a belt walking or seated, plenty of blade to gut, skin and butcher a whitetail deer. I bought my first one circa 1974 and it is still my go-to for hunting, hiking, camping and canoeing. They quit making them in 2004 when the company closed, but there are still plenty of the originals on the market in every condition from new in the box to good users. There are also Chinese copies out there now if it matters to you. And aversion was made by Camillus, Bear & Son and several others.

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Yeah, I have a few. They aren't expensive.
 
That is one spiffy looking shapry collection Codger! :thumbup::thumbup:

One of my favorite hunting profiles of all time.
 
B34NS said:
That is one spiffy looking shapry collection Codger! :thumbup::thumbup:

One of my favorite hunting profiles of all time.
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Oh I have more but I didn't want folks to think I am a showoff. ;) But if you insist...
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Codger_64 said:
Oh I have more but I didn't want folks to think I am a showoff. ;) But if you insist...
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You spoil us :D What an amazing collection.

I only have one of my older sharpfingers left after giving out most to my hunting friends as stockingstuffers, but the dogwood skinner from Dan on here has become my modern sharpy/deerslayer equivalent.
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Sweet stuff, Codger.

Easily one of the finest outdoor tools ever produced.

Gonna have to have one of our custom makers brew me up one in a supersteel.
 
Velitrius said:
Sweet stuff, Codger.

Easily one of the finest outdoor tools ever produced.

Gonna have to have one of our custom makers brew me up one in a supersteel.
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Several of our makers already have pattern of their renditions. Check out the Ryan Weeks SPK. Sanders makes a nice one as well. Here is my SPK. Mammoth ivory and bog oak with silver dollar spacer.

Codger_64 said:
Ryan can design and make a superb knife, that much is for sure.

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