Kephart for game processing?

[DocGP]

I have been smitten with the Kephart style blade for general camp work, but haven't had the opportunity to use one to process a deer. Is it a decent knife for this task? Any experience would be greatly appreciated.

Doc

 

[tjsulli790]

Sure it'll get the job done. The blade shape is not much different from a drop point hunter, which is used by many to skin deer.

However I prefer a knife that has a little more sweep and belly to it for game processing. Good examples would be some of Dozier's Skinners (Master, Yukon, White River, etc.) I'm not sure how long your Kephart is but most I see are fairly long, around 9". For my skinners I prefer a length around 8" or a little less. This length gives you more maneuverability plus it'll be less fatiguing. Don't laugh, you'd be surprised how tiring and annoying it is trying to clean an animal with an oversized knife.

 

[Steven Andrews]

I bet that Horace processed a few deer with his!

 

[puukkoman]

The BRKT Wolf River is my favorite for processing mid- to large-size game.
It's not a general purpose knife, though, since the blade/edge is so thin.
The Kephart would probably do a fine job at processing game, while still acting as a good general purpose tool.