hunting steel continued...

I

Ilikeshinythings

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Jul 31, 2009
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Well after exploring some of the suggestions from my first line of inquiry I have several new blades that have caught my eye. Dozier's blades were a bit steep in price, but were beautiful. I might upgrade to one of those when I have a few hunts behind me. What caught my eye this time around were buck's vanguard, and ergo hunter. the blade designs on these pieces suit what I think I'd want, and I could go s30v, sandvik 12C27, or 420HC. S30V sounds grand to me, but as someone else mentioned I don't want to have to stop to sharpen a blade mid way through dressing an elk or deer, and it sounds like the s30v might take a while to sharpen. I guess what I'm wondering is would I be sacraficing a lot of quality in going for the 12C27 or the 420HC, as long as I had a good sharpening system in the field?
also has anyone seen any good blades that are similar to the aforementioned styles that might be made in a D2 steel?

Your thoughts are much appreciated...
 
It's not going to make that much of a difference. If you are new to hunting you'll be new to cleaning game and someone will probably do it for you the first time. S30V, 420HC, blah blah blah. I've used an old Puma Skinner for several decades now and have never felt the need to sharpen it when at camp. I've seen old timers clean through a deer with a little Case knife before I even knew what happened. It's all about knowing what you are doing not what steel you have. Go pick a knife from Buck's hunting line and you'll be good to go. This also goes for any camp chores you might come across, unless you are going to spend more than a week out there you probably don't need to worry about touching up your knife. I've never gone hunting and said "Man I'm sure glad I used this steel instead of this other steel."
 
How many animals have you dressed? None? One? Several?

As mentioned above if you have never field dressed an animal the first time or few times you may well have help and not only that you wont notice any diff in performance as you'll have nothing to compare it against. So a good stainless or tool steel like 1095 would serve you fine. Have you checked out RAT knives? I have Two RAT3's one in D2(old line) and one in 1095 and they are good knives and would meet your price point and the design lends itself to hunting work and other all around use areas. Also mentioned Buck knives have served generations and are not very expensive. My dad used to tote around a Buck 119 and I still carry it for the fun of it.

Like above as well I have used whatever I have had on me at the time to do the job. I worry more about getting the job done and less about which steel I have. Its not till I am doing several deer from start to finish (opening day of PA rifle season) that I WISH I had a steel I love and am used to. I have developed (like many) a preference over time for a steel and design type that allows me to do the job with less effort. Worry more bout getting that critter on the ground first, the rest will come with experience and preference.
 
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The Buck Vanguard is a darn good knife for the money. I like cm154 as well. Knives of Alaska makes some good D2 knives.
 
More important then the steel type is going to be grind/edge geometry. A thinner edge will work much easier. I also found that a more toothy edge works better on meat, flesh and hides because of the slickness. Also RC hardness is always a touchy subject. If you go with a premium steel like S30V, CPM 154 or even D2, most will be at 60/61 rc. They will hold an edge longer then something 58 rc or lower like 420HC or 12C27 but will be a challenge to resharpen for someone without alot of experience sharpening. If you go with the higher RC premium steels, do yourself a favor and get one of the diamond sharpening systems. You said Lansky, I believe they make them as well as my top picks, DMT and Eze Lap. Then again, I've never found the need too resharpen very often with the higher RC steels.
Scott
 
The last several years, I have used a couple of Mora knives with great success. One is the Stainless Steel Clipper and the other, a No. one Laminated blade.
 
"It's all about knowing what you are doing not what steel you have. "

God bless you for saying this.

Knowing what you are doing is also more important than any other blade criterion--whether the edge is convex or hollow ground or flat, etc., whether the point is drop or clip, etc., whether you have to take 10 seconds to touch up an edge or not, whether it's stainless or carbon.

Heh, but I can't think of a knife site devoted to becoming adept or passing along little tricks to accomplish this or that or even how to be careful. People seem to love focusing on everything except the actual cutting. Thank God surgeons in training take a different approach or we'd all bleed to death while they discussed scalpel companies, hehehe...

For thousands of years millions of people--including children and arthritic little old ladies--dressed, skinned, and butchered every North American animal that walked with pieces of broken rock. It added a few minutes at most to the job. Poor people today take a butter knife and a file and in 15 minutes create a tool that will do the same job on animals as a Hesto-Presto $400 knife and just as well and as quickly.
 
With a hollow-ground blade like on a Buck Vanguard it would not take you long to resharpen an S30V blade. If you rehone the factory edge prior to use (to eliminate chances of a weak factory finish) you should be able to field dress an elk or a moose with an S30V Vanguard without needing to resharpen in the middle. If you kept a small diamond hone with you like a Diafold you could touch up the blade quickly in an emergency.
 
well, as must be obvious from my words I haven't ever dressed an animal, don't even know If I'll get a good shot this year (unless i draw a game damage tag). I just got caught up in all this damn banter back and forth about this steel and that, when in reality I've filleted hundreds of trout and whittled trees into shavings with some really inexpensive blades. I just wanted to pick up a tool that would be reliable, and have a quality that I could learn to use effectivly. That said, I broke down last night and bought a Dozier Professional guides knife. I think this should settle any doubts of quality in my mind, and the rest is up to my skill and luck in the backcountry. But needless to say, I'm as excited as a kid on christmas for that blade. thanks for all the input.


"People seem to love focusing on everything except the actual cutting. Thank God surgeons in training take a different approach or we'd all bleed to death while they discussed scalpel companies "
--right on
 
Try the Buck 119.Great knife, holds an edge well, easy to sharpen and it wont break the bank.
 
tjsulli790 said:
I I've used an old Puma Skinner for several decades now and have never felt the need to sharpen it when at camp.
Click to expand...
Some say old Pumasteel could out cut anything in camp. Now Dozier probably holds the title but both are good for a lot of game.

tjsulli790 said:
I've seen old timers clean through a deer with a little Case knife before I even knew what happened.
Click to expand...
That's the truth.

Chances are you're not going to be butchering, just gutting and dropping off so there are plenty of choices. Keep in mind that for deer smaller is better.
 
Great choice; Buck's blades are excellent (S30V especially) but Dozier blades are in a whole different category.
 
Ilikeshinythings said:
well, as must be obvious from my words I haven't ever dressed an animal, don't even know If I'll get a good shot this year (unless i draw a game damage tag). I just got caught up in all this damn banter back and forth about this steel and that, when in reality I've filleted hundreds of trout and whittled trees into shavings with some really inexpensive blades. I just wanted to pick up a tool that would be reliable, and have a quality that I could learn to use effectivly. That said, I broke down last night and bought a Dozier Professional guides knife. I think this should settle any doubts of quality in my mind, and the rest is up to my skill and luck in the backcountry. But needless to say, I'm as excited as a kid on christmas for that blade. thanks for all the input.


"People seem to love focusing on everything except the actual cutting. Thank God surgeons in training take a different approach or we'd all bleed to death while they discussed scalpel companies "
--right on
Click to expand...

You have made an excellent choice with that knife. Now all you need is a good shot on an Elk come hunting season and you will be good to go. Do you have the knife in hand? Doziers' quality is unreal.:thumbup:
 
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You should be very pleased with your purchase. That knife will last longer than you will.

That said, a hole poked into an elk's intestine with a Dozier is no different than a hole poked with a $5 Old Hickory. Either will result in the most ungodly mess you've ever seen or smelt and lost meat. Learn ahead of time how NOT to do that, otherwise you'll have a sinking moment of "Whoops, I didn't expect that..." In a split second even a little hole will expand greatly from the pressure of what's inside the intestines.

(I'm really not a grumpy guy, I just play one on the internet.)

If you're going on a trip with a guide, let the guide do the job and watch. He'll be glad to work slowly so you can learn.

Beginners cut themselves a lot, especially reaching up inside to cut the windpipe. Most cuts aren't severe but a good many require 3 or 4 stitches. This becomes a drag, or worse, depending how far you are from a hospital.

Usually, though, it is just a matter of several nicks, inconvenient to live with for a few days, but no more. However, any cut on your skin provides an entryway for all sorts of bacteria from the animal or other sources, so wear protective gloves--latex tears easily so get some stronger than that.

If you'd like to have that hide tanned and made into something, be aware that any scores that a knife leaves on the inside of the hide are there to stay. It is next to impossible to sand or abrade them out. The hide thins too much. Any holes you poke in the hide will need to be sewed carefully to lay flat. Use the knife as little as possible when skinning. On a warm animal you can pull most of the hide off with your hands, cutting only a tiny bit to free a portion stuck by connective tissue. (Big hogs are a different matter...)

Believe me, hide tanners complain about guys with $200 knives who mess up hides.

If you are skinning that animal on the ground on a hot day, you'll be glad to take 10 or 15 seconds to do something else like touch up a blade. As long as you don't cut much hair or bang around on bones, the edge should stay pretty sharp.

Good luck. Have fun. Cook up that rascal for friends, friends of friends, and total strangers!
 
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