New Hunting knife help

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kknight9

Joined
Oct 5, 2007
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Hey guys/girls,

I'm new to this forum and have come here looking for some help. I am a deer hunter, camper, and all around outdoorsman and am looking looking for a new, nice, knife. I need something that will field dress deer and is tough enough for choping and other camping chores. I like the SOG seal pup and hunter revolver. I'm looking for suggestions. I think I want a fixed blade so hair, fat and grit doesnt get stuck in the folding parts. Let me know what ya'll think!
 
Welcome aboard, kknight9!

I'm not crazy about the thumb ramp on the Seal Pup (for an outdoor knife).

Decide on your budget. You will get suggestions ranging from Moras at $15 to Bark Rivers at $150. They all will be good suggestions.

Also you will be told to get a Swiss Army Knife, a dedicated skinner/meduim sized fixed bade, and an axe for chopping. Also a good suggestion.
 
ka-bars are a good bang for the buck and theyve got a variety of designs old SOG style bowie hunters to 8 in tanto blades with partial serrations

if u want some high end 440C knives entrek is awesome

falkniven is awesome too

if u wanna see torture tests on the kabar standard model and the falkniven A1 head to www.knifetests.com noss4 here on the boards pays out of his own pocket to prove/disprove the hype on knives
 
The Swamp Rat Howling Rat is an exceptional field knife.

I wanted to add that I think the seal pup could be an excellent choice as well, but I have not used one in the field. I have dressed 2 deer and an elk with the howling rat. I use my camp tramp for an elk once as well, but it was a bit large for the task.
 
For the purposes mentioned either Bark River Canadian Special or Fox River. The less expensive CS models are hard to find right now, but Fox Rivers are readily available.
 
Check out the fixed blades for sale section in the maker's area. There are lots of great looking, affordable blades in there all the time. Many are a lot less expensive than you might expect. Nothing like a custom knife!
Good luck,
Scott
 
There is a problem trying to find a good knife for both gutting deer and chopping, and that is blade length. A blade longer than 4.5 inches (some would say longer than 3.5 inches) is clumsy to use inside a deer. It is easy to poke holes in organs that you really wanted to leave in one piece. On the other hand it is very clumsy to chop with a knife with under a 6 inch blade length (and at 6 inches it better be really thick).

I would tend to pick a blade that while tough enough for chopping was actually too short and light to be a good chopper. A first suggestion would be a Buck Vanguard. It is a good hunting knife size and the hollow grind makes it easy to keep sharp yet it is a bit beefier than a minimalist hunting knife. Another choice in that range is a Cold Steel Master Hunter. One of the larger Bark River Knife and Tool hunting knives would work, say a Gameskeeper.
http://www.1sks.com/store/buck-vanguard.html
http://www.coldsteel.com/fixed-blades-master-hunter.html
http://www.barkriverknifetool.com/deluxegame/gameskeeper/index.html
 
Check out the cold steel SRK . A lot of people on here dislike CS knives but for the $$$ they are hard to beat. I have several different models & like each one :thumbup:
 
I think you're asking too much for one knife. Find yourself a Becker BK-7 for chopping duties and a Spyderco Manix for dressing animals and other uses. The Manix is a folder for sure, but it cleans up quick. I've gutted and skinned many animals with mine including deer, hogs, and black bear.
 
I agree, a SAK, Buck Vanguard, and camp hatchet/axe would be nice... unless you had to tote them everywhere on your person. You can't beat, for a good approximation to all of your needs, a traditional 'fixed blade hunter', like the Buck 119. The outdoors-rated phenolic handled/nylon sheathed 6" 420HC bladed knife is .175" at the blade's spine. They have a prettier version that has a better balance in the 119BR, with a cocobolo handle, brass pommel, and burgundy leather sheath, but it is not as easily found - and more expensive. The base 119, aka 'Special', is $34 (Buck retail - $77.00) as near as your local Wally World - and more weatherproof than the pretty 119BR (Buck retail $115).

Heck, a decent SAK in your pocket as well, wouldn't be a bad idea. If you like the smaller Buck Vanguard with it's 4.1" 420HC blade, rubber-covered handle, and nylon sheath (Buck # 692 - retail $84), it's also a great carry piece in the woods - with a natural 'feel' (At least my two, both wood handled #192's, are!). All of the Bucks I've mentioned were made in the USA. Most of the affordable camp hatchets I've seen were made in the PRC, except my old Plumb unit... a bit bulky for hikes, of course.

Stainz
 
kknight9, welcome to Bladeforums. Your thread prompted me finally to get out all my hunter-sized blades and take pics. Not all of these are still available on the retail market, but if you see one that suits your fancy, I (or someone else here) will be happy to help you with any questions about it.

I agree with others here, however, that a set of two knives is the way to go for camping/hunting. A smaller blade for field dressing, camp chores, cooking, etc. And a larger blade for wood chopping/splitting, site clearing, and trail blazing.


Various hunters
(L to R: Buck Diamondback, Cold Steel Master Hunter, Buck Vanguard, Cold Steel Pendleton Hunter, Spyderco Moran, Queen Premium Hunter, Geno Denning custom, Bark River Highland)

Hunters.jpg


Schrade hunters
(T to B: Uncle Henry Golden Spike, Uncle Henry Wolverine, Old Timer Sharpfinger, Old Timer Little Finger, Old Timer Cave Bear)

SchradeHunters.jpg


Swamp Rat hunters
(T to B: Safari Skinner, Howling Rat Little Mischief, Ratmandu)

SwampRatHunters.jpg


Buck 110s
(various configurations)

BuckHunters.jpg


Busse hunter-sized blades
(L to R: Game Warden, Active Duty SE, Active Duty LE, Leaner Meaner SE, Meaner, Anorexic Badger Attack LE)

BusseHunters.jpg
 
Guyon,

Wow! Great selection from classic to modern hunter styles. Nothing like a comparison pic - thanks for sharing. That Uncle Henry Gold Spike is a classy piece.
 
What kind of steel in on that Golden Spike? I don't have much experience with Schrade but remember them from when I was a kid. Are they still considered a good hunting knife?
 
RockyNomad said:
What kind of steel in on that Golden Spike? I don't have much experience with Schrade but remember them from when I was a kid. Are they still considered a good hunting knife?
Click to expand...


It's "Schrade+" which is 440A stainless. Some folks will start cringing because it's not one of the hip super steels that are out there, but Schrade actually did good work on its heat treats. This same steel was used in a majority of the Uncle Henry blades that came out of the Schrade plant. It takes and holds an edge quite well.

If you're going to buy a Golden Spike, make sure it's an older Schrade "Made in the U.S.A." version. They actually have U.S.A. stamped on them. You'll have to turn to the secondary market, but they're still pretty easy to find on a certain auction site. Schrade's name was bought by Taylor Brands LLC, and now Chinese versions of this knife are being produced. Stick with the older U.S. made knives. :thumbup:
 
If I might add a bit on the Golden Spike... two main variants of the U.S. produced Schrades are available. The first of these knives, at least from it's 1973 intro thru circa mid 1995, is bladed with .165 1095HC carbon steel blades, my own favorite cutlery steel. After mid 1995, they switched to .135 440A stainless as mentioned above. If a seller does not state which steel the knife uses (most don't know), the stainless blades are marked SCHRADE+ to indicate 440A.

Codger :thumbup:
 
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