Q: 1st deer hunt, bring Buck 110 or BM outbounder?

G

GuyinCube

Joined
Aug 11, 2002
Messages
11
Hello, I have been invited to go on a coworkers next deer hunt (shotgun) here in the Maryland area. I am interested to hear from other hunters as to which of my knives I should bring assuming that I will be helping/learning to process the animal(s) we take. I have other knives, but these are the two that seems 'natural'. Maybe I should bring them both. Any thoughts?
Thanks,
James
 
you can handle deer sized animals with a moderate to large folder in the buck folding hunter type of knife, i use a kershaw folding field that i have carried for about 25 years. processing a deer is not that difficult. if you can hang it up it is even better. you just need a sharp blade and some muscle to cut through the breast bone of the animal. will you be doing just field dressing or will you be skinning the deer also? field dressing can be done with just about any knife in the 3-4 inch blade size, have you done this before or will you be with someone that can show you how? it is not ver difficult once someone shows you how to get it done. if you need more infr let me know. here is a link that describes field dressing.

link:http://www.coloradohuntin.com/deerprocessing.htm#equip

alex
 
If it was designed for anything the Buck 110 was
ment to be a Hunting (deer)knife and it has been
doing this job ,as well as many others, for decades
All the rest of the "deer' knives are johnny come
latelies.
 
Probably more deer have been dressed with a Buck 110 than all other knives put together. That said, I'd take the Outbounder. It will hold an edge better than a stock 110 (IMHO) and is great little fixed blade.
 
Thank you all for your input. I will be 'tagging along' on the trip and plan to watch very carefully, so I hope you are right and it is easy going after I get the hang of it.

I think I will go with my grandad's Buck, and bring the outbounder for camp chores.
 
Take both. Use the one that is the sharpest. If they are both sharp use the Outbounder (it will be a lot easier to clean). If neither is sharp, sharpen them before you go.
 
Good Point!, I was hesitent to ask, what is an acceptable level of hygenie? I assume that blood and guts would be hard to clean off (and out) of the old Buck, and I suppose they need to be washed well even before you resheath them, mush less before you might contaminate other food. Soap and water in the nearby stream, then a godd wipe down?
I suppose in the olden days, your knife may have gotten used for everything, but I do not want to make me or my family sick...What do you guys do?
P.S. I am keen to see how the D2 steel does on this task compared to the other knives present, and if the small handle without guard is a problem.
 
Guy,
If you get lucky enough to harvest a deer and then they let you gut it couple of things to think about:

If someone's helping you make sure you know where all of their soft parts are out of the line of force of your blade, seen guys get cut bad when something cut a lot easier than their partner thought.

I don't know about y'all but ticks are terrible down here all season, check for ticks after you finish.

I keep a pack of baby wipes so I can wipe down right afterward. I think Wally world sells a "deer cleaning kit" that has some shoulder length plastic gloves in it if you're worried about fluids.

Check for cuts because you can cut yourself in all the fluids and not know it, especially if you have sharp knives.

Hygiene? We've got knives at our club that I know have only been rinsed off from season to season. :eek:

The thing about gutting deer is that there are very few heavy cutting tasks, most of the cuts in cleaning a deer are slicing type cuts. I do probably 85% of the cuts with my finger along the top of the blade. A bunch of guys at my club use a small 1 3/4" 3 finger knife that I make. It's more than enough knife for an Alabama whitetail.

Make sure your knives are shaving sharp, it's dangerous to gut an animal with a dull knife.

I'd take my Grandfather's Buck just because it'll be a touchstone between the generations.

Sorry for the long post, but this is why I started making knives (hunting)
 
James?

Every answer here is a good one. Don't fret about hygiene. Venison probably gets cleaned more often than store hamburger. Hair is the big problem if you are skinning the creature. (And it's not toxic, just annoying.)

I'd guess that the field dressing is done, then the critter is brought to a registration station, then home or to camp to be hung or quartered/butchered? Really, for all that it matters, a 3-5 inch anything is fine. One doesn't have to cut through breastbone, but can cut through the spongy ribs next to it. Pelvis is the tough part, and someone will have a pocket saw for that.

OK, now...you would LOVE to have an old Marbles Woodcrafter, or even a new one. Why? ... well, cuz.

I hope you enjoy your first trip out. Don't overthink it, have a sense of humor, and be safe. Bring a camera and make some neat memories.:)
 
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