Cold Steel Voyager in clip point. Tri -Ad lock, AUS 10 A steel, light weight, and best of all......can be had for under 60 bucks. Buy a couple for spares. Rock on.
For the price - they can't be beat and having one in your pocket, another in your pack and even a back-up for the back-up is not a horrible thing for the price of just one more expensive knife that would not perform better enough to justify the price delta. That said, if the ergos don't work for you - then my opinion may only be of value for the others reading this thread.
I like any of the Demko designed a Cold Steels. Would definitely check out the AD10 for 90% of the blade in 75% of the handle of the 4max.
Crooked River is another great suggestion.
it’s shorter than your requested length but the Spyderco Shaman is a great knife.
I also like the Strider SMF although this forum is down on Strider in general.
I have the 4-max and a bunch of other Triad lock Cold Steel knives; they are all performers but the AD-10 is my favorite. It doesn't meet your 4" requirement, but a nice 5" Kephart like the Becker BK62 stashed safely in your pack would not be very heavy, can handle those "tall" fish we both hope you catch and is a downright dandy knife for doing just about anything in the wild. If you are also going to "pack" a knife, throw in a very lightweight and very handy Spyderco Catcherman while you're at it for cleaning fish. Having one knife to do it all is a compromise on all counts.
Let's face it, the advantage of having a knife on you is that, well, it's
on you when you need a knife. That being said, if you down a game animal, which, as we all know, is when the real work begins, you have time to fetch a fixed blade from your pack. But your question was about a folder and in you pocket weight matters more than in your pack - so while I would respectfully suggest compromise on your 4" requirement for a pocket knife and having a larger fixed blade safely available someplace else, I think a Triad lock Cold Steel that fits your hand would suit you fine and if under 4" can be tolerated, the AD-10 is hard to beat for you. Too bad the ergos of the Voyager don't suit you as having three of them around ain't a bad thing; they punch way above the ($) weight. I also have a couple CS Recon-1 knives, they are very similar to the Voyagers but have G10 slabs.
Though I believe it to be otherwise a strong lock, I am not a fan of the Axis lock for a hunting knife. IMHO, those dainty little springs and related goins-ons of the Axis lock don't get along well with the blood, guts, gristle and fat ... and all the dirty things we hunters do with knifes. Disclosure: I do have and enjoy my Adamas, but I don't use it for hunting.
I've got a bunch of Emersons ... too many, actually, so I am not anti-Emerson but for
your purposes I've never found them to cut as well as all of the other options discussed in this thread and the blood, guts, gristle, fat and the dirty things I mentioned in the preceding paragraph ain't so great for liner locks either. Emerson knives have their purpose and I've never considered field dressing game and other hunting chores among them.
CRK Sebenza is a great choice and a frame lock works for a hunter.
I've field dressed many, many, many deer and other critters with Buck 110s; they are very good and if you get a Buck Custom Shop one or one of their other offerings in a more premium steel than 420HC, you really have something!
I don't buy Strider knives so I cannot comment on their performance afield.
Now that I'm done rambling, and even in the face of you wanting only a folder of four inches, please forgive my thread deviation and indulge/consider the following scenario:
Cold Steed AD-10 in you pocket (or Sebenza, or ???) and a fixed blade or two (much preferred for so much of what we hunters do with knives) in a pack.
Happy hunting!
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