So...why was the 119 designed so big?

Yep. This makes sense. The fire is perhaps minutes away, and they're taking time to break camp and watch momma bear and her cubs vacate the area ...

Have you ever been around a momma bear and her cubs when they're frightened? I'd watch where they are going also...
 
  • Like
Reactions: TAH
I tell you what, on my next processing I'll use a 119 and see if I think it's too big and awkward for the task. DM
 
Have you ever been around a momma bear and her cubs when they're frightened? I'd watch where they are going also...
Why? They're ahead of them. It is unlikely the guys would catch up to or pass them. :)

Besides, them duds probably ended up as krispy kritters by taking the time to break camp.
The smart thing to do would be toss the cookwear in that partially packed pack, grab it, their guns, ammo, and axe, then go, flank the fire and get upwind of it.

Logic says: "Since momma and cubs are evacuating, are between the guys and the fire, and the guys are breaking camp, the guys are downwind of the fire."
 
The smart thing to do would be toss the cookwear in that partially packed pack, grab it, their guns, ammo, and axe, then go, flank the fire and get upwind of it.

Logic says: "Since momma and cubs are evacuating, are between the guys and the fire, and the guys are breaking camp, the guys are downwind of the fire."

Not to get too terribly off topic but, some people (most I'm guessing) just aren't aware of how very quickly a wildfire can move. You know things have gone bad when your best option is to leave all but your most essential gear and haul butt towards the black previously burned area; or so I've been told, I'm not a wildland firefighter (I've just worked with them a time or two).

The other problem I've identified with carrying the Buck 119 while hunting, if your hunting buddies are anything like mine you'll take a good ribbing. Real men use tiny knives and big chainsaws, poseurs use tiny chainsaws and big knives ;)
 
N NapalmCheese
My chain saw is about 30 inches from finger ring to finger ring. I made it using the chain for a 15 inch bar chainsaw.
Would I be in the "big chainsaw" or "little chainsaw" camp?
 
N NapalmCheese
My chain saw is about 30 inches from finger ring to finger ring. I made it using the chain for a 15 inch bar chainsaw.
Would I be in the "big chainsaw" or "little chainsaw" camp?

I think that puts it in the 'too much work' camp! Though, feeding the human engine is way more fun than feeding a 2-stroke.
 
I have a two man 5' tall military pneumatic saw in my collection. I find the 119 too big. I like the 117 a lot.
 
Why? They're ahead of them. It is unlikely the guys would catch up to or pass them. :)

Besides, them duds probably ended up as krispy kritters by taking the time to break camp.
The smart thing to do would be toss the cookwear in that partially packed pack, grab it, their guns, ammo, and axe, then go, flank the fire and get upwind of it.

Logic says: "Since momma and cubs are evacuating, are between the guys and the fire, and the guys are breaking camp, the guys are downwind of the fire."

Apparently, you know nothing of bears or a wildfire. It doesn't matter which way the wind blows the fire creates its own wind and if it's big enough it creates its own weather system. I know about both, been there and done that. The bears are frightened by the smell of smoke, their sense of smell can detect odors from 2 miles away, they are running in any direction they can from the smoke and probably the same way you're going. For which in many cases is not the same place as the fire. I have been in forest fires where the smoke was so thick you couldn't see the front of your truck at noon and the sun wasn't there and everything was just a dirty cream color from the sunlight. The fire would be 2 -3 miles away uphill from where you are at and you wouldn't know because you won't be able to see it until it's too late. The smartest things those hunters could do is grab the guns and ammo (if needed) and jump in the river and let the current take them to safety...

I have 4 chain saw's a 24", 18", 16" and a Dewalt battery 20 volt 10"... I would also carry a 119 or a 124...
 
Admittedly, I have lucked out so far, and have not been caught in a forest/wild fire yet.
The closest I came was in San Bernardino, CA. in 1977 or 1978, when Arrowhead MTN. burned down, taking several thousand homes in San Bernardino with it, north of 40th Ave. North. (A call came over our school bus radios, telling us if we had a drop north of there, to forget about it. It no longer existed, and to take those kids to one of several fire stations/refugee stations.) If memory serves, it came to with-in 8 miles of where I lived in Highland.

Even so, I know how fast they can spread. I know they can move acres a minute, depending on the wind.

Agree, letting the river sweep them to safety is an option ... a risky option, but an option all the same ...
My concern would be a burning/burned tree would fall into the river and hit me.
Yes, I know that depending on the winds, just crossing the river is not enough to escape the fire.
 
The smartest things those hunters could do is grab the guns and ammo (if needed) and jump in the river and let the current take them to safety...

You're close! Actually, they did the manly thing, jumped on their raft, and went after the bears...:D

9b2b6c4416ac5e2d78ae49fe12765aa0.jpg


f1aa8bf3-61e8-4017-915d-7ee9c0f13378_570.Jpeg
 
My wife and I really enjoy using a knife the size of the 119. It hits the sweet spot on a lot of processing projects. DM
 
For skinning I don't use a 6". But for quartering, boning and processing the cuts I like using it. DM
 
I'll admit the width of the 119 vs that of a same length boning kitchen knife makes it look more imposing.
More so with a 6" fillet knife. Still, this length blade can do a lot of work for you. DM
 
I find that it is easier to get away with a knife that is too big rather than a knife that is too small.

I've cleaned a trout, cut up potatoes and cut kindling (forgot my hatchet) all in one trip with 119.
 
Back
Top