Larger hunting knives

From the ages of 15 to 40yrs, my only fixed blade was a KABAR USMC.
Skinned everything from squirrels to deer.
Gifted it to my nephew after my wife bought me a RAT RC 6 for our 10yr anniversary.
 
I started out deer hunting at 12 years old and carried and used a bigger 5" to 7" blades and they worked fine. One was a larger Marbles and the other was a Dextar Russell butcher style knife of some type. And once in a pinch I field dressed and skinned out a whitetail with a SAK Farmer.

As I got a little older and got some experience under my belt I found that the smaller knives I used much more often on small game, birds, and while running my traplines that had a 3" to 3 1/2" blade were my preference for field dressing and skinning game. So I've used knives in the 3" to 4" range for 40 plus years on everything from squirrels to elk.

The last 10 years or so I've been lucky enough to buy some great knives from several of the talented makers here on our forums and have enjoyed using them. All are in the 3" - 4" range which is just my personal preference.

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A caveat ... Processing big game is a completely different chore as opposed to field dressing and although you can accomplish it with the smaller blades I use to field dress animalls, to do it right imho requires different tools. If I'm hunting an area I need to quarter an animal and pack it out I bring along a couple 6" boning knives in my pack to break it down. If I can drag or transport the whole animal out to hang I use boning and breaking knives to process them. So if someone plans on a "one knife only solution" then I might be inclined to use a slightly longer bladed knife as well.

I guess I typed that long winded post just to say if you prefer a larger knife and it works for you I wouldn't be at all concerned with what other people say about it ... especially the online noise which I would venture to guess better than 50% of the loudest most opinionated voices haven't ever actually field dressed a deer and are just parroting something they've read or heard ... online.

If you have the skills to do the job the tool used is in big part just personal choice and isn't a huge factor as long as it's sharp.
 
Crag the Brewer said:
Not really a hunting knife.....
But it can be Any size you want it to be.
*Not My pictures, Other Better members.









Click to expand...
Some of these look familiar... I'm glad you have them because somehow I wasn't able to find them earlier today. I think about that pass-around knife rather frequently and had it in mind when posting in this thread. I have some more thoughts on the handle design; I think I owe you a PM sometime soon.
 
oldmanwilly said:
Some of these look familiar... I'm glad you have them because somehow I wasn't able to find them earlier today. I think about that pass-around knife rather frequently and had it in mind when posting in this thread. I have some more thoughts on the handle design; I think I owe you a PM sometime soon.
Click to expand...

Not sure if you remember, but that handle sparked a couple more designs, so Yes... I have more stuff for you to look at, and Obviously I want/need to hear more of your sage advice.

Thanks again for participating, it was a bunch of fun, I learned a Ton. Fun to look back!
 
I grew up using folders for hunting 'cause that's what my dad did. I still carry a folder now but include a small fixed blade, too. I don't know that I'd wanna field dress a whitetail with a Junglas, but within reason, any knife you are confident with will work.
 
JJ_Colt45 said:
I started out deer hunting at 12 years old and carried and used a bigger 5" to 7" blades and they worked fine. One was a larger Marbles and the other was a Dextar Russell butcher style knife of some type. And once in a pinch I field dressed and skinned out a whitetail with a SAK Farmer.

As I got a little older and got some experience under my belt I found that the smaller knives I used much more often on small game, birds, and while running my traplines that had a 3" to 3 1/2" blade were my preference for field dressing and skinning game. So I've used knives in the 3" to 4" range for 40 plus years on everything from squirrels to elk.

The last 10 years or so I've been lucky enough to buy some great knives from several of the talented makers here on our forums and have enjoyed using them. All are in the 3" - 4" range which is just my personal preference.

View attachment 2962814
View attachment 2962813
View attachment 2962816

A caveat ... Processing big game is a completely different chore as opposed to field dressing and although you can accomplish it with the smaller blades I use to field dress animalls, to do it right imho requires different tools. If I'm hunting an area I need to quarter an animal and pack it out I bring along a couple 6" boning knives in my pack to break it down. If I can drag or transport the whole animal out to hang I use boning and breaking knives to process them. So if someone plans on a "one knife only solution" then I might be inclined to use a slightly longer bladed knife as well.

I guess I typed that long winded post just to say if you prefer a larger knife and it works for you I wouldn't be at all concerned with what other people say about it ... especially the online noise which I would venture to guess better than 50% of the loudest most opinionated voices haven't ever actually field dressed a deer and are just parroting something they've read or heard ... online.

If you have the skills to do the job the tool used is in big part just personal choice and isn't a huge factor as long as it's sharp.
Click to expand...
Agree. By far my most used knife in camp and kitchen for all manner of game processing and food prep is a 7" blade rapala filet knife.
 
The Buck 110 has probably processed more deer in the USA than all other knives combined. The Buck 102 and 105 have also filled many freezers. It all depends on what you like, what you can safely and efficiently use, and how big of a blade you want to carry in the field. Also, many people will use larger kitchen knives for the meat processing part, especially if they are concerned about presentation. I personally hate the term “hunting knife” because it really has no meaning and most people think it means a big Bowie knife, as if you were using the knife to hunt the quarry. I prefer calling them gutting, skinning, and meat processing knives.

Btw, if you are being bashed, you don’t have a big enough blade! Reference my church knife 😂IMG_0810.jpeg
 
The only thing I will say is use what you are most comfortable with. I haven't heard anyone mention about the handles. I wear XXL gloves and find that a small handle will cramp my hand very fast. Crag the Brewer Crag the Brewer had a pass around last year. His handle felt great to me and I will recommend it to everyone who asks. This is just my humble opinion.
 
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