Newbie ?: Looking for good hunting folder knife?

R

Redsnake

Joined
Jun 4, 2004
Messages
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Any suggestions on a good folding hunting knife. Primary use will be for field dressing white tails and an Elk if I get to make that hunt this year.

I like the blade design of the ChinookII... or that style. Any recommendations?

I don't want to spend much more than $150 and would like a very durable and strong blade that holds a good edge.

Any brand or model suggestions are appreciated. I haven't excluded any type yet.
 
First off I would suggest using a fixed blade rather than a folder. It is hard to fully clean a folder. And if you plan to work on elk I would consider a longer blade than you find in a resonably compact folder. So my first suggestion would be to look at a AG Russell Deer Hunter with D2 or VG-10 alloy blade or a Cold Steel Master Hunter with Carbon-V alloy blade.

If you insist on a folding knife Swamp Rat Knife Works has a brand new folder with good design and an excellent blade alloy (S30V). They have it within your price range. http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=301424

Another choice would be the classic Buck model 110 folding hunter, but with a twist. Buck has a semi-custom facility on their website called, Pete's Custom Knife Shop. You can order a 110 with finger grooves and a BG-42 alloy blade.
 
I fully agree with Jeff Clark on his suggestion of a fixed blade. You may be thinking a folder will save weight and space when carrying it in the field, but you'll pay for it when you actually have to use it -- especially on an elk! The extra time you take field dressing a large elk with a "too small" knife may be too long and spoilage could set in.

An elk really requires a good 4-5" blade. ...and this is not too much blade for a deer sized animal. I've field dressed deer with a SAK before but my skill level for doing such is high. I won't do it again and have a great 4½" blade hunting knife for such.

Bruce
 
Jeff...

Thanks for that link. That Wegner knife is the one I saw a while back and was unable to pick up but couldn't remember the knife or name. I was thinking it was a Spyderco knife.... but that's the one.

Thanks again,
Eric
 
You might wanna check out the new Swamp Rat Safari Skinner. They should should be for sale on the website soon, and they are gonna be, or are, at Blade. They cost $109 which is in you range. They look like an awesome knife!

Thor
 
Spyderco made a version of the Wegner knife until recently. They discontinued it so Wegner took it back, upgraded it, and is selling it under his Blade-Tech brand. (You don't suppose that Spyderco makes it for him?)
 
How do I find the "Swamp Rat" knives? I followed the link and saw a picture of the pre-production knife... but that's about it. Couldn't find out where to purchase or final price.

any links appreciated.
 
Knives of Alaska are the best for what you are talking about especially if you are pacing out the elk. I have a set they call the brown bear combo and after having dressed, skined and butchered over 300 animals (not including fowl and poultry and most of them pest wild boar-tough hide) and there is nothing that competes. The set I have includes a cleaver and a capping knife. Having packed black bear several miles out of the North Georgia mountains, I can not begin to describe how valuable having a knife that is made to specifically cut meat is. Especially when said knife is made out of D2 nad holds a darn fine edge. Knives of Alaska also has other sets that include camp knives, skinners, hatchets and a few others, basically anything to suit an outdoorsman's needs. Plus you can get them all over the place in several handle materials. Good luck and happy hunting.
 
The gang at Swamp Rat is so closely associated with their forum on Bladeforums that a lot of people contact them by starting threads there:

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=778

One of the general ways to locate the home websites for companies that maintain a forum here is to go to the central webpage for Makers and Manufacturers and look for www... links next to the names of the forums:

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=673

For example Swamp Rat Knife Works website is: www.swamprat.com

Swamp Rat only sells its knives directly to users, it does not go through stores or internet distributors. You deal directly with them. Their website is not as current as their forum here. You will find new products and special deals at Bladeforums before they get to the swamprat website. Eric Isaacson keeps a close eye on the forum and it may be your quickest way to keep in touch.

By the way, they are mostly known for extremely tough nonstainless sheath knives. The larger models are differentially hardened. Most are made from an extra-tough SR-101 alloy with meticulous heat treatment.
 
Redsnake said:
Any suggestions on a good folding hunting knife.
Click to expand...

The Blade-tech pro hunter woulkd be my choice.

I have heard of the Chinook II being used as a hunter. Seems the feedback was positive.
 
If you are interested in the Wegner Blade tech pro hunter go here for a review:

http://www.folders-r-us.org/full_tests.htm

Tim Wegner just got back from an African safari where he dressed out a big Buff, several antelope, etc while there after he had bagged them, and of course everything was field dressed with his PH.

He sent me pics of the guides using the Pro Hunter on the big game with big smiles on their faces and blood on the PH's. If the knife is good enough to take care of African big boys, an elk should not be an effort at all for the PH and in fact he has caped/dressed out much big game all over the world with that knife.

Brownie
 
Awesome... thanks again all. Looks like I'm leaning towards the Blade-Tech PH right now. Good things hunting season is a while off and that'll give me additional time to buy and try it out.
 
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