Rough Use

K

kevinb17

Joined
Dec 1, 1999
Messages
150
Q: Does removing the legs of a deer with a khukuri constitute overly rough use?

I would think not, and only ask for a reason I'll reveal shortly.

Last November, my camp had two bucks and with the weather being warm, we wanted to put them in game bags. So the legs have to come off. I yell "Wait!" and rush back to my gear and grab my (non-HI) khukuri. Two mighty whacks later the first leg is off and the crowd is please. Each leg thereafter takes more chops, and on the fourth leg I notice the edge has rolled badly (the blade looked "serrated"). The crowd boos.

I finished the job with a Gransfor Bruk hatchet. The khukuri I had clearly had a bad heat treat (too soft). But, the reason I asked, is that over the course of the second (and later third) buck the hatchet edge was nicked some. Now, that hatchet is tough.

So if I go back this year with a HI khukuri, should I feel free to chop deer legs, or am I being foolish?

Get well, Uncle Bill.
 
Don't know but a guy in Australia reported chips on his village khukuri after chopping up a kangaroo.

The khukuri's I tired had no problems with turkey and chicken bones which are much easier to chop.

When (and if) I finially get a deer I'll let you know.

Andre from Australia corrected my memory.

I'm the guy in Australia that Will mentioned.

"The Khukuri I was using was an early GH Bhojpure model, not a HI villager."

Will

[This message has been edited by Will Kwan (edited 05-01-2000).]
 
I can't say what would happen to the HI khuk.
I can tell you that if you become unhappy with an HI, for whatever the reason, Bill will do his darnedest to make you happy.
 
I can't say about Deer bone, but I've chopped up some pretty hard oak logs in the 6-10" diameter category with a Sirupati (not even a "heavy duty" HI Khuk) with no noticable damage to the blade. This wood was so hard that I couldn't drive nails into it -- they would just bend! If a Sirupati can handle this abuse, I would imagine that an AK or something like that could definitely handle more. I wouldn't hesitate to try it with either my Sirupati or my AK.

Let us know if/when you try it what the results are. I've nicked my blades on rocks, but not anything else, and even those nicks weren't severe at all.

Rob

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Nothing soothes the nerves like a sharp knife in hand...
 
kevinb7.
... if I go back this year with a HI khukuri, should I feel free to chop deer legs ...
Click to expand...
Yes! Why not? Please make sure you update us with it's performance report. I believe Pakcik Bill will give you the same answer!

NEPAL HO!
 
Kevin,
No problem at all....
Last year ('99) I not only cut the feet off (lower legs) the foot makes up about half of the "leg", but the heads and the ribs of 4 deer with only a ding here and there. The trick is to strike the bones perpendicularly (sp?). It's when you hit them at an angle that the dings happen. I also used the same khukuri to skin and do most of the butchering on thes same beasties.
And what I used wasn't even a full-bore Himalayan Imports Khukuri! It was my beloved pet...that "Villager" from the first batch of Villagers that Bill took in. The same knife that has been with me through many adventures, both good and bad.
Dan
 
Is this the same villager that you had to cut yourself out of the car with?

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Life is short, art endures.
 
Kevin, which model hatchet was it and does it have the same profile it came with?

I have chopped cow bone with my 15" and 22" Ang Khola's with no problems.

-Cliff
 
Hello keivn
Deer bones are very hard,just ask anyone that has come in contact with one while in their car,it will make a mess of a few thousand pounds of steel.The khukuri temper is on the belly, as you get closer to the piont it becomes softer(on a chopping tool the point is most times in the ground anyway).The size of this hard zone, as well as the degree of hardness will vary from blade to blade,this is the case for all hand forged blades where modern ovens are not used for the tempering process.The bottom line is;know where the temper of the K is and hit it in that area and don't expect magic,the edge may nick.So what!You are chopping something that will reck a car what do you think is going to happen.Any HI K should not curl(send it back to Uncle Bill if that happens) if it nicks work it out over time.It would not be a porblem for a Nepali.Remember that Nepal is a tough and un forgiving place to live and if your survival
tool is not good then you might not survive.The HI K's are top quality and will last longer than you.

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Ray

[This message has been edited by RayC (edited 04-26-2000).]
 
Let's see, to reiterate: deer bones are in fact quite hard, and don't expect to chop on them with a risk of nicking, but it shouldn't be anything major. I'll certainly give it another go, and try to remember to strike perpendicularly.

Sounds good to me.

Cliff, the hatchet was the Gransor Bruk wildlife hatchet, and I did not reprofile the edge on it. The edges on GB axes (I also have a forest axe) seem much thinner than the typical hardware store items, though. They cut very well.

Thanks to all for the information.
 
Matt,
Ya, it's the same one. That little sucker is about as bullet proof as a knife can get. I've got some blades that cost 10X as much that aren't even in the Villagers dust trail.
Dan
 
The HI khukuris should do the job with no major damage. I don't say they will come thru razor sharp but you should be able to dress the blade up as good as new. If you can't send the knife back and I'll send you a new one.

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Blessings from the computer shack in Reno.

Uncle Bill
Himalayan Imports Website
Khukuri FAQ
 
O.K, what am I doing wrong? I have been chopping and making all kinds of noise in the woods outside of deer season and had one stroll by, completely unalarmed. I have deer bedding areas not more than 50 yds from the cottage. A deer even followed my tracks home as I returned from hunting (found the tracks the next morning). Last season we sat on lawn chairs in the woods and had a deer sneak up on us. This was just after sunset and minutes after legal shooting. He stood about 20 yrds away and did not go snorting off until we started to gather our stuff.

Will
 
Sounds like your doing every thing right;;wish it was me.

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Ray
 
They're taunting you.
wink.gif


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"A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects." -Robert Heinlein
 
Will.
... outside of deer season ... had one stroll by ... unalarmed ...deer bedding areas not more than 50 yds from the cottage. A deer even followed my tracks home ... a deer sneak up on us ... He stood about 20 yrds away and did not go snorting off ...
Click to expand...
Did you hear any LOLing from those deers!!!

NEPAL HO!
 
Deer seem to "know" when the season is.

Observation 1: Every time I attempt to "think like a deer" I have nothing to show for it.

Observation 2: While quitly sitting in the woods with your trusty gun, one tends to see only squirrels during deer season, and only deer during squirrel season.

Squirrel-during-Deer Season Anecdote 1: I have had to stop a squirrel from crawling on my back whilst sitting in a tree stand.

Squirrel-during-Deer Season Anecdote 2: A friend got in his tree stand well before dawn. He hears something moving in the woods. In the predawn, he barely makes out the biggest bobcat he has ever seen. He decides to hell with the deer, he'll shoot the cat as a trophy. It is still mostly dark and he loses the sight and sound of bobcat. For several minutes, he strains his eyes and ears trying to pickup the bobcat again. Then something jumps onto his back. You guessed, a squirrel. He said if the tree stand didn't have a rail all the way around he would have jumped right off.
 
To find deer, carry a 22lr.

To find squirrels and rabbits, a 270 Weatherby.

I've seen one squirrel shot with a 30-06. My sporterized Springfield 03-A3 loaded with 110 grain varmint bullets. A friend saw one on top of a boulder and shot an inch in front of it. After the mist settled, there was a 3/4" long piece the thickness of a toothpick we found in a bush six feet back. Period. The things teenagers do ( shakes head ).
 
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