So if you lived in the Alaska bush...

John Jobson was an old time Outdoors writer, and he tells an interesting story of a Guide in the Yukon, Johnnie Johns, of the Tagish First Nation. "Johns lived, hunted, fished and trapped in the Yukon bush for nearly 60 years". . Johns apparently got a Remington 1306 for a magazine subscription and carried it from about 1925 thru 1960. According to the author, Johns had skinned over 100 grizzlies plus scores of other animals like Dall Sheep, caribou, moose and beaver with that 1306. His most famous story is watching Johns cut the ends out of two 5-gallon oil tins, forcing them together, then cutting a door, a draft and a stovepipe hole, making a stove. He then (without sharpening the knife) cut fine wood shavings and made a roaring fire. Although Jobson does not say anything more about Johns user of the 1306, I would think he probably used it for just about any cutting task he had. It probably did not hurt that Johns knew what he was doing when it came to skinning out game, and if I were in the bush, I would want a good folder and a good fixed blade, but the above story shows you do not need a high priced knife to get along in the bush. John
 
This is what Alaskans use.
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You brought up a story from the past John that puts things in perspective. I grew up knowing hill folk that lived off of hunting and fishing and none of them carried fixed blades. Instead, they carried folders, everything from Case, Eye Brands, I remember one buck slayer used a Case Bulldog while another a cheap Imperial Brand to dress and butcher many deer every fall. One old river rat that had a nasty reputation as a knife fighter could also work magic with whatever grubby, short bladed folder he was carrying when it came time to fillet a mess of catfish and bass.

BTW, I lived in Spanaway for a while as a kid. Lots of forest and horses.
 
John A. Larsen said:
Blackie, Less forest and horses, more houses, even in the 24 years I have lived here it has changed a lot. John
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I was in the 4th grade there in 63', the year JFK was assassinated. (Not a good time for a kid from Texas to wear a Longhorn sweatshirt.) Coming back to San Antonio I kept asking if there were any pine trees, mountain lions and horses in Texas as I was completely reprofiled to the Pacific Northwest. I remember that summer when it didn't rain for three weeks it was considered a record. Reading now about the constant rain during the mudslide victim search is other worldly as Texas goes into another year of drought.
 
Anyone of these would do fine, if I had to choose just one then it would be the PMoore T-Rex
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I would have a hard time picking one. I live on a small farm in pa, I don't think I could pick one of the 2 now. let alone in Alaska!
 
I would probably carry one of my Dancing Man Knives / Maynard Linder knives if I lived in the bush. His knives are easy to sharpen hold a decent edge and just work. They are not made with the lastest super steel but rather just plain old antique saw blades. My Forge Craft buther knife might be another choice along with my Gossman Kephart in A2 or one of my medium sized knives made by Matt Lesniewski in 1095. Most of the people that I know that have lived in the bush or one of the remote villages used simple carbon steel bladed knives and they did just fine.
 
Ankerson said:
There are a lot of people around that still use the older stuff...

But then there are people who still walk everyplace they go and live without power and all the modern stuff that have come in the past 200 years.

Some people like to do things the hard way I guess. :D
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but hey... there is no mortgage payment.

For the knife look at virtuovice's videos. The guy knows his skinning knives.

The financial reality in many of these far north places is that the locals will use whatever they have first and whatever is affordable second.
 
I'd carry whatever Dick Proenneke carried for all those years he lives in the Alaska bush country. From all the video footage, it looked like a two or three blade pocket knife.
 
TLA said:
I would probably carry one of my Dancing Man Knives / Maynard Linder knives if I lived in the bush. His knives are easy to sharpen hold a decent edge and just work. They are not made with the lastest super steel but rather just plain old antique saw blades. My Forge Craft buther knife might be another choice along with my Gossman Kephart in A2 or one of my medium sized knives made by Matt Lesniewski in 1095. Most of the people that I know that have lived in the bush or one of the remote villages used simple carbon steel bladed knives and they did just fine.
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The knife in your avatar, what is it please?
 
John A. Larsen said:
John Jobson was an old time Outdoors writer, and he tells an interesting story of a Guide in the Yukon, Johnnie Johns, of the Tagish First Nation. "Johns lived, hunted, fished and trapped in the Yukon bush for nearly 60 years". . Johns apparently got a Remington 1306 for a magazine subscription and carried it from about 1925 thru 1960. According to the author, Johns had skinned over 100 grizzlies plus scores of other animals like Dall Sheep, caribou, moose and beaver with that 1306. His most famous story is watching Johns cut the ends out of two 5-gallon oil tins, forcing them together, then cutting a door, a draft and a stovepipe hole, making a stove. He then (without sharpening the knife) cut fine wood shavings and made a roaring fire. Although Jobson does not say anything more about Johns user of the 1306, I would think he probably used it for just about any cutting task he had. It probably did not hurt that Johns knew what he was doing when it came to skinning out game, and if I were in the bush, I would want a good folder and a good fixed blade, but the above story shows you do not need a high priced knife to get along in the bush. John
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Blackie Scantling said:
You brought up a story from the past John that puts things in perspective. I grew up knowing hill folk that lived off of hunting and fishing and none of them carried fixed blades. Instead, they carried folders, everything from Case, Eye Brands, I remember one buck slayer used a Case Bulldog while another a cheap Imperial Brand to dress and butcher many deer every fall. One old river rat that had a nasty reputation as a knife fighter could also work magic with whatever grubby, short bladed folder he was carrying when it came time to fillet a mess of catfish and bass.

BTW, I lived in Spanaway for a while as a kid. Lots of forest and horses.
Click to expand...

This is exactly my point. Except for bladeforums I've never seen anyone use a fixed blade knife to dress game. Even Kephart talks about using his POCKET knife to dress game. Like I said earlier. The only reason, for me, to carry a fixed blade is to have something that can split wood without having to carry a heavy axe. And you're welcome to try and start your fire with twigs in my neck of the woods. :D It's not as easy as everyone from other environments makes it out to be. To each their own.
 
I worked commercial fishing up there. Back then all we had was cheap culinary knives. It's not the knife, it's the technique behind it.

Axes are great if you aren't traveling long distances. Today I'd rather leave the axe (saving the weight for a 10/22, etc.), bring my GSO 10, my BHK frontier and go anywhere. Prospectors were up in the Klondike with tools half the quality and design we have today, so the tang is just your preference/skill level imho.
 
I'd probably opt for either of the D2 hunters that Robert Hankins made for me. They both dress out critters with almost no resistance. They just slide thru hide and meat with ease...(So much so that I sold my custom Dozier in favor of another Hankins)
 
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