Vantage Hunter?

A

ArfinGreebly

Joined
Apr 3, 2008
Messages
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For those of you who hunt and who have done your share of field dressing and skinning . . .

How do you think the Vantage profile would perform as a hunter/skinner? It's not specifically sold to that purpose, but I have found myself looking at it and wondering what it would be like to use one in that context.

I've looked at a number of my hunter/skinner knives, and it seems to me that the Vantage has all the needed elements for that sort of task.

It has a reasonable point, enough to gain entry. It has plenty of belly. It has an adequate spine and should be up to the lateral pressures that go with a field dressing task. It's a good grind and it takes a good and durable edge.

Is there something I'm missing?

I'm not trying to frame it as an "ideal" hunter, but it strikes me that it should surely be up to the task.

Your thoughts?

 
I would say it makes a fine knife for deer and hogs. I used to have a Vanguard which was great, but have since gone to slimmer bladed knives (like a 110, but I actually use a boning/fillet knife now) because they are easier for getting into tight spots and boning out the meat. Skinning works ok with it too. I also have a 105 which to me has a great all around hunting blade, but it's a pretty old one and doesn't hold an edge. I think it's a matter of preference and which aspects of field dressing are most important to you (gutting, skinning, or boning/butchering). I think the PakLite Field Hunter 3-pack is a great setup too. If you can't tell, I'm partial to fixed blades for hunting.
 
I expect it would work fine. One of the things that removable scaled frames have had a rap for though, is getting crud between the scale and frame and corroding/staining. If I dressed a deer with a vantage, I would have to remove and clean under after each use which would be a pain in the a**.
 
I would have to agree with the gunk comment. I'm a city boy and don't do much outdoors-y stuff, but I did get a chance to use my Vantage to gut a duck that my friend shot. It worked well for the task, but afterwards the knife kept leaking out reddish discolored liquid each from between the scales and liners each time I got the handle wet, no matter how much I tried to clean it. Even compressed air concentrated on the tiny gap between the scales and liners didn't help at all. I ended up tearing down the knife a couple weeks later for a thorough cleaning and some maintenance in general. I was surprised at how much crud was on the liners, especially near the outer edges, and I was also surprised that it was still red and not brown. After rinsing the liners with soapy water, there was still some minor surface discoloration that I worked out with a mineral oil rub.

TL;DR, yes I believe the Vantage blade design works as a hunting blade, but I agree with Fritz's assessment that stuff gets lodged between the scales and liners.
 
I've used a 501 and other folders for skinning and gutting for the simple fact it was in my pocket. Folders in general require more effort to clean not counting removable scales as the vantage has.

Anymore most of the time I use a fixed blade, easier to clean and I pick the one made for the job whether it be skinning or boning.
 
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