Let’s talk hunting knives. (Traditional)

So, if you have to eat wild game well done, you have to do a stew/crock pot style. You try to grill game to well done, it will be shoe leather. One time, try a backstrap medium rare. Trust me. If you find you don't like it, ok, but just try once.
 
https://imgur.com/a/zXvrkM7
These two knives have cut on quite a few whitetails over the years. The Cabela's outfitter series, I got around '06. It survived a divorce only because it was one of the few things I grabbed on the way out the door. The pattern is darn near the perfect field knife in my opinion. Keeps an edge pretty good too, for an unnamed China stainless. The one on the left is one my current father in law made for me in '13. These two knives are pretty much retired and I have recently replaced them with the Buck 105 and Case trapper below;
https://imgur.com/a/CkSl2qH
I plan to use these two for my hunting chores going forward. I don't know why I didn't buy this pair 20 years ago.

Here's one that's winning me over. I've had this knife on my belt the last couple weekends. Today, I flattened out the top of the guard and dulled up all the high polish with some ultra fine scotch brite. Feels much better now, looks great too.
It may be tough to take it off my belt during hunting season.

https://imgur.com/a/FADu7H7
 
Bloodloss said:
https://imgur.com/a/zXvrkM7
These two knives have cut on quite a few whitetails over the years. The Cabela's outfitter series, I got around '06. It survived a divorce only because it was one of the few things I grabbed on the way out the door. The pattern is darn near the perfect field knife in my opinion. Keeps an edge pretty good too, for an unnamed China stainless. The one on the left is one my current father in law made for me in '13. These two knives are pretty much retired and I have recently replaced them with the Buck 105 and Case trapper below;
https://imgur.com/a/CkSl2qH
I plan to use these two for my hunting chores going forward. I don't know why I didn't buy this pair 20 years ago.

Here's one that's winning me over. I've had this knife on my belt the last couple weekends. Today, I flattened out the top of the guard and dulled up all the high polish with some ultra fine scotch brite. Feels much better now, looks great too.
It may be tough to take it off my belt during hunting season.

https://imgur.com/a/FADu7H7
Click to expand...
Thanks for sharing. Interesting assortment. I like being able to put my thumb up the spine a bit too. Looks like a clean job.
 
Factory fixed blades I have used on large game are mostly 4-5" bladed drop points and trailing points like the Western F66 and Spyderco Southfork. I finally designed a custom with high hardness CTS-XHP stainless steel, sort of a modern Woodcraft, and haven't used anything else since.

Western F66
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BluntCut MetalWorks "Woodcraft"
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The best small game fixed blade I've used is the Schrade 152OT "Sharpfinger." The size and blade profile just flat work . . . beautifully!
 
315 315 You talked me into it. 111mm VIC Hunter (or the 130mm Ranger Grip 57 version) will be moved from "wish list" (or'zit "saved for later"?) to the shopping cart for my 2022 Christmas Present, instead of the Forester.
 
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This knife, I got in a lot of broken knives I bought off Facebook marketplace. I sent it to Buck with a letter describing where I got it and that my intent to use it afield. I have carried it nearly every time I went hunting, and many other non hunting trips afield. I’ve not used it on game yet, but have carried it as backup in my pack when on the back of the farm. It had been abused, broken blade, and some serious dings and chips in the handle. I sanded some of them out with sandpaper and left the deeper ones. Bucks generosity was not lost on me though, as this is going afield this year too. I’ll likely use it for an squirrel I take.

https://imgur.com/svTF2kW
 
Well, through a blessed trade, I ended up with a new hunting knife to try out. Brand new. So what did I do? Why, drop it on the blacktop of course! I removed most of the dink and polished out the marks mostly, I didn’t want to break out the buffing wheel so I used some fine sandpaper and polished on my loaded cardboard strop.

I had pick of about 6 that was in the store and I chose this one as best. They were all okay though. Course I got the sheath and box.

Been wanting to try this pattern a while. I only wish It’d been CV but the SS here takes a keener edge than the smaller blades in my 75 stockman. Maybe because the blades are larger they took the heat treat different?

https://imgur.com/zdX1vPF
https://imgur.com/QzOVHcA

I’ve been doing some informal research on their history. Anyone else like this pattern for game or as an all around camp knife?
 
I have tried a bunch of different fixed blades over the years, cheap production knives, expensive production knives, customs, all of that. Still have a couple I keep sharp and in the pack for just in case.

Mostly though I rely on one of my GEC folders, lately my Northfield 23 from 2020. I don’t split bones on big game, in fact I don’t even roll the guts out of anything bigger than a deer and only them when I can get them out whole reasonably easily. Elk, mule deer back in the mountains, moose, bears, etc all get quartered where they fall and packed out on my back. I’ll sometimes use the spey for skinning and the drop for removing the quarters and loose meat. Cleanup back at camp or the house I do with warm water, dish soap, and an old toothbrush followed by a little oil wiped on the blades and into the joints after I touch up the edges.

We rarely eat anything but deer, elk, and fish from our local lake throughout the year, generally three or 4 deer and an elk will have us in good shape. Wouldn’t have it any other way.



My old Camillus has seen literal train car loads of game.

The above bullet I recovered from this bull while I was skinning him with the old Camillus.
 
T The Kidd
Is that a Camillus 716 yello jacket? If so. That was the first pocket knife that I bought for myself and carried deer hunting for years. I always hoped that the last gec #23 pattern knife would have been made as a double lock with a drop point and giant spey. To pay homage to those old Camillus knives. Alas, only the single blade versions were lockbacks. Hey, wat about a yellow delrin, farm filed and tool gec #23 pattern, double lock with an oval shield? Sounds just like a 716 Yello to me, all smiles I would be.....
 
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