What is your favorite hunting knife and why?

G

Gossman Knives

Edged Toolmaker
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Apr 9, 2004
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Which knife and or knives do you prefer to use for hunting? Which do you feel is better a folder or fixed blade? I'm a whitetail deer hunting fanatic and usually have a slew of knives laid out on the table trying to decide which to use. I end up carrying a different one on each outing. I would probably forget my underwear before I would forget my knife. I prefer fixed rather then folder because the ease of cleaning it. I do have a folder on me for other cutting chores. A Buck 110 enough said ( my favorite ) Of course I've used my own handmades, a Randall model 25-5, Frank McGowan custom hunter, Buck Vanguard and the other black handled Buck fixed blades ( my other favorites ) And others to numerous to mention.
 
The Buck 110 is the field dressing machine, been using one for so long ,but have used other knives, Randall included. I just prefer the 110. fuzzy
 
There are probably some better knives around but I really like my Cold Steel Master Hunter in their Carbon V steel. Mine was a factory second and only cost about $40 and I have used it on about 50 deer and hogs and I have been impressed with it. It is easy to sharpen, holds a good edge, and feels good in my hand for those multiple deer skinning days. I have used it for breaking the sternum and the pelvic bone and then gone on to cut up 2 deer before retouching the edge. It takes a little more care to keep it from rusting but it serves the purpose nicely.
 
Mine is a old Ruana knife made by the old man Rudy himself. It is an excellant hunting knife, one I'd pick in a heartbeat if i had to be stranded out in the wilderness for any length of time. The best part about it is it was my Grandfathers, who has passed on, but he got one for my dad also back in the late 50's, early 60's on a trip to Montana. Dad had carried his on every whitetail trip since I was a little boy, I remember looking at it when I was a young lad when he'd get his gear together the night before a hunt, and I was too young to go. Several years ago I inherited the one my Grandfather had, and Dad and I have skinned several deer side by side with our Ruanas. Now that my friends, is what memories are made of :)
 
Schrade Sharpfinger. I use it on everything from squirrels to deer. It's got a fine point for detail work. The full flat grind and distal taper make it a fantastic slicer. Good belly for skinning. It's also thick enough at the spine to make pelvis splitting a breeze without having to worry about damaging the blade. The blade length is more than long enough and gives excellent control. On top of all that, it just feels good in my hand.

Paul
 
A BUCK 110 is the only knife I have ever used for deer. I suppose it is my favorite.
 
My favorite hunting knife has to be my Craig Camerer Bird and Trout... which in reality is a "pheasant and squirrel" knife. She saw plenty of action this past fall. I was hoping to add "turkey" to the pheasant and squirrel part this spring, but alas... not to be. I'll try and post a pic...
Crap... file is too large. Well, go to www.camererknives.com and you will see the very knife I have, as his bird and trout model.
 
In my previous life as a forester, part of my responsibility was managing an 11,000-acre tract set aside to entertain. 40 acres in food plots, tower stands, lodge, you get the picture. Anyway, before I got into quality knives I carried a Gerber LST. I don’t even know how many deer I cleaned with one of those as I had several for the price. Had to sharpen or at least touch it up after cleaning every deer, but the size and drop point was perfect. You don’t need a big knife to clean game. Actually it can be a hindrance.
 
:D
Well, by far and away, my favorite hunting knife is my 24" Sheffield style swell-center coffin handled Bowie. (so, I guess count this as a vote for fixed blade) It's much easier to reach the critters with it on the chase, and keeps my hands at a safe distance. And of course, it's cutting power is a huge asset. No deer with it yet, but last season I was about to draw it when I stalked within 5 yards of a small button buck, but then I spooked him. Smaller knives are dang near useless in comparison, but if that were my only choice, it must have a fine point profile for stickin', and yet be thick enough to withstand the occasional throw.

Now, in the conventional "hunting knife" sense, it has also earned its place in my toolkit. It's great for clearing limbs and brush from around the tree stand. For butchering, one swing easily removes the head & legs, and one quick motion splits the sternum in about a second. (I don't bother splitting the pelvis anymore, but it's very easy to do with two feet of leverage power.) For skinning, I generally use whatever folders or smaller fixed blades I have with me. Many people make a big deal about folders being harder to clean up, but since I do all the processing at the farm, I just wash everything thoroughly after I'm done. If I had to pack out the meat in the wilderness, and it would be a day before I could clean up my equipment, I might change my mind. Various other traditional butcher knives are used for actually cutting up the carcass into steaks and sausage meat.
 
Dozier Yukon Pro - just the best feeling handle of the scads of fixed blades I've handled or owned. Cutting machine for a blade and minmal horizontal cross-draw sheath.

Whenever I think about getting a new fixed blade for what the Dozier us used for, it gets compared to the Dozier. Haven't bought a new fixed blade for a while.
 
I prefer a fixed blade only for hunting and around 3-4" forged blade, either a drop point or clip...slight edge to drop.
 
Undoubtedly the Blackjack Small I won on KF. For one thing it's a really nice little knife and just the right size for dressing out a whitetail. It's doubly special now because the first deer I cleaned out with it was this one. :D It's still one of the biggest deer I've ever seen that wasn't already mounted on a wall and I was hunting with my Dad when we got it. It doesn't get much better than that.
 
IMHO Doziers are the standard against which all outdoors knives are measured. My Master Hunter made short work of 2 deer last Nov. They have a wonderful feel, perfect balance and are confidence-inspiring. Just acquired a ProGuide that will accompany me as my sole knife on a trekking hunt this fall.
 
I use a Helle Skarping when hunting. I have modified the handle on the knife, making it better to grip. The carrot formed original handle is awful.
The knife has skinned and butchered several mooses.
I will not lie and say I don`t have to hone it some times when skinning a moose ( it`s like cutting in sand), but it`s easy to sharpen ( with a DMT hone) and a sturdy, good knife for the task.
Most of my hunting buddies use scandies when moose hunting.

Tor
 
When hunting, I will carry two knives. For cutting wood, I will use a large Bowie or kukri.

However, actual cleaning and gutting of deer will be the job of my Swesish Army Knife from Mora. It cuts great, is stainless, and cleans up easily.

Another great small knife is A.G. Russell's deer model.

Chris
 
Wotan, I once used a puukko to clean a whitetail deer and it performed flawlessly, you can really get those blades razor sharp!
 
For animals the size of deer and larger I am most likely to carry my Buck Master Series Vanguard. The Vanguard has a great blade shape, a nice guard, and a perfect handle. The security of the handle is a major safety feature and is often under appreciated. The Master Series model has a BG-42 alloy blade that takes an incredible edge and holds it. I tested this knife against several others by using it to chop notches out of the sides of beef rib bones. Not only did it stand up to the rough use, there was no sign at all on the blade that I had done anything.

If I didn't expect to be hunting anything larger than deer I might use my AG Russell Deer Hunter with D2 alloy blade. The reason that it is not my number one choice is that the handle is a little thinner than the Vanguard and I think my hand would fatigue a bit earlier if I was working on an elk or moose.

I don't own one, but the Cold Steel Master Hunter fits all of my design requirements. The blade length would make it excellent for elk.
 
Although I've field dressed deer with a Swiss Army Knife before (I didn't enjoy it much, though), I don't like using a folder of any type, regardless of how well it's made. One can't help but get blood, fat, and hair into the lock, pivot, or small recesses and that makes for a messy knife or an urgent requirement for cleaning.

I prefer this knife: www.planet.eon.net/~matth/hunt_gal.htm

as made by Matt Harildstad. The flat ground semi-skinner blade shape is close to the shape of the knives used in a packing house -- professionals know what works best. When I worked as a professional game processor, I would have given much to have had a knife like this! Instead, I used a Forschner "lamb skinner" which was very acceptable, but didn't have the steel quality or edge holding capability of my BG42 blade.

Bruce
 
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