What Makes A Good "Deer Knife"?

No more than a 4 inch blade. Thin steel, carbon or good Stainless. I like Micarta or bone scales. I like a drop point. Fixed blade, not a folder, for ease and completeness of cleaning later. These three, by Tim Olt, are about perfect.
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A simple 3.5 inch fixed blade in a steel that is easy to sharpen and i have skinned , caped and butchered more than most
 
1. Fixed blade 4-6" long blade.
2. Clip, drop or spear point, provides some decent belly.
3. Not too deep from the spine to the edge.
4. Synthetic handle. Wood or leather handle could get gunky from blood and fat, so I prefer a synthetic handle.
5. Synthetic sheath for the same reasons as point 4


Exactly, couldn't have said it better.

Personally, I also like a longer, 5"-7", more robust blade for splitting the pelvic bone and rib cage.
Color should be something other than camo, something that doesn't dissappear in the leaves.
 
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Just about any blade will score the skin for skinning. Buck 110, Case trapper or folding hunter, etc. For boning out larger animals, I like a little larger. Buck 119, 105, etc. So i usually carry a 119 and "do it all" with that, or carry two knives. Even a Buck 120 Pro goes with me sometimes. I've had the good fortune to have dressed a LOT of deer in my life, and bigger knives work just fine, too.
 
I have primarily used a Busse B4 since about 2014. I have lost track of the deer (mostly Fallow) that I have worked on with this blade (between 14 and 18 I was taking around 25 or more a year so it is in triple figures now for sure). I have others I like but come back to this as the style works for me.

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I have kind of transitioned away from regular knifes and use a havalon as it is nice to be able to switch to a razor sharp edge is less than a minute over having to resharpen. I still carry a regular knife but don’t use it much it’s more for around camp tasks.
 
I prefer a 6-7" blade, wood of synthetic handle, depending on the wood; cocobolo rose wood will hold up well. But I'm used to a longer blade. When I was a kid each one of us boys got a pocket knife and a fixed blade to do everything with. Longer blades can do more things, so that's what I got used to. Keeps your arms a bit cleaner too.
 
I like a narrow and sharp blade 4.5-6 inches long. Handle material doesnt matter to me as long as the shape is to my liking.
 
Many good points here. I assume we are talking about field dressing contra to skinning and butchering; which, IMO, are more easily done with different knives than what I prefer for field dressing. Yes, one or two knives can do it all, but will address field dressing.

I've been hunting a long time and have blessed to have harvested and field dressed many, many critters - especially deer. Though shorter and longer will work, I have found 4-5" to my personal sweet spot. As stated a fair amount of belly certainly helps and not too pointy; although, more pointy can work if you've got more curve to the cutting edge ala Old Timer 1650T or the now rare and highly sought after Becker BK15 - both trailing points. On the subject of Beckers, the discontinued BK17 is also a great deer knife as is the (still in production) BK16 - especially if you like carbon steel and the ergonomics of Ethan's handles, which I do on both counts.

Looking back, I have done most of my deer with a Buck 110 mainly because it's what I carried as a young man and simply used the knife I had. I later bought an Buck "Special" Model 119 and though bigger than necessary field dressed a bunch of deer and my first elk with that knife. Neither is my preferred knife for field dressing these days.

I progressed to smaller knives (3-4") and found them quite suitable. They don't poke you, get caught or otherwise get in the way when getting in and out of vehicles and what not. This assumes you carry your field dressing knife on your person instead of in a pack. On that point, though I always have a knife one me, I find a knife in a pack more accessible when the time comes rather than undressing just to get to a belt knife.

I got way too many knives and anymore like 4-5" fixed blades with grippy handles. Though I like the Cold Steel Drop Forged Hunter very much as a woods/camping knife, I was underwhelmed by the deer I dressed out with it. The handle is cold - and slippery when wet, it's too tall edge to spine for the delicate but important task of separating the lower GI from, ah, where it exits the deer. Though not my favorite deer knife, the Old Timer 1650T and the venerable Buck 110 are well suited for that end of the job. It did perform all other aspects, especially opening the chest cavity with aplomb. In fact, a Drop Forged Hunter with paracord coupled with a Buck 110 or Mora could work; but the paracord (IMO) isn't well suited for deer gutting knives and if you have to have a Buck 110 with you anyways - it's a but of a solution looking for problem. Seeing as I mentioned Mora; no, they don't have the charm of a proper deer knife but - they are inexpensive, lightweight, can be had with orange handles. You loan them and lose them without needing therapy and they work!

It should be noted that one time, when I hastily changed clothes from work to hunt one afternoon, I found myself with a deer and no knife - not my fixed blade nor been my pocket folder which was in my suit pants back at the office. I did have a SAK with me (thankfully) and, as expected, that sharp edge and flat grind worked like a charm - except when I was tugging on the esophagus with my left hand and seeking to sever the windpipe and nicked a small chunk of my left thumb. It was cold, I was rushing and WOW that instant transfusion of deer blood into a fresh/open would sure crossed my eyes!

So, I said all of that to say this: my current favorites are the Cold Streel Master Hunter or the Cold Steel Pendleton or Mini Pendleton mainly for the handles, blades sizes, blade shapes, grinds and spine thicknesses; they just seem to work for me. Although, because of a change in packs (from a walking hunt to a sitting hunt) I dressed my last deer with my go-to hunting season pocket folder, (forgive me Mr. Buck), my orange handles Ontario RAT-1 in D2. It worked great though the sternum (or ribs or ??) did leave a couple small chips in the edge.

That's what I've used and currently use but those older Marbles Knives I have in 52100 with leather stacked washer handles and a leather sheath still call to me from a Tupperware tub under the bed ... as does my old Buck 110 when the leaves change and the rut is approaching.
 
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From the variety of knives pictured, described or recommended, it looks like about anything that will cut and can be used with one hand will do.

Has anyone recommended a knife styled sfter the iconic Robert Loveless drop point?
 
VorpelSword said:
From the variety of knives pictured, described or recommended, it looks like about anything that will cut and can be used with one hand will do.

Has anyone recommended a knife styled sfter the iconic Robert Loveless drop point?
Click to expand...
The blade shape is good.. They're just too small for my tastes. They'll work of course, but I think they're better suited for squirrels and such.
 
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Shot a Muntjac deer yesterday, gutted, skinned and butchered with the Pup. I would have benefitted from a boning/filleting knife to remove the sinews from the backstraps, but it worked OK. The serrated portion is perfect for Muntjac and Roe, you can cut down through the ribs next to the sternum to open the chest.
Muntjac are a small deer, about the size of a large Spaniel.
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(Not me, just a size comparison)
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VorpelSword said:
From the variety of knives pictured, described or recommended, it looks like about anything that will cut and can be used with one hand will do.

Has anyone recommended a knife styled sfter the iconic Robert Loveless drop point?
Click to expand...
I had a 4-inch drop point that was actually made in the Loveless shop ( not by Bob) by a custom knifemaker visiting there. It would have been hard to tell it from the real thing and yes I know Bob wasn't making the knives in later years. Anyway, I dressed out a couple of deer with it but to me the blade thickness was just too heavy. I let the knife go some years ago. If all Loveless knives are that thick I would give them a pass.
I like something with a drop point between 3.5 and 4.5 inches but I've used shorter and longer when I needed too over the years.
 
I have used MANY different knives over the last 40 years to field dress deer (incl. a SAK and a Khukuri once or twice).

The reality is that just about ANY blade will do the job.

My absolute favorite for the last 2 years has been my Becker BK18 Harpoon. It's relatively thin, great heat treatment, and all belly. I can process an average sized deer or two with no need for touchups or re-sharpening.

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I made a tester hunting styled knife for a pass a round for the guys at work this year......
During hunting season each guy was going to have it for a week. Numerous guys were willing to give me their honest opinion.
These are run of the mill Wisconsin hunters. Older guys who have been doing it their whole lives.
I made it with a little bit of belly, and a nice dropped point out of very hard M2 steel. Something these guys probably aren't used to?
The first guys one week has turned into a month and a half now.

I'd say, unfortunately That's a sign of a good knife..... haha. :/
 
Fixed Blade:
Buck 103 "Skinner"
Western L66 (leather washer handle) or F66. ("Black Beauty" model with fiber and aluminum washer handle)
From the 1940's to the 1980's the Western 66 was "THE" number one "Deer Knife" or "Hunting Knife" in the US. It "owned the woods."
Schrade "Sharp Finger" (includes copies by other makers)
Buck 113
Nessmuk
Kephart
Marbles "Ideal" (Gladstone, MI) or Puma "White Hunter" (Solgine, Germany) if you can find one and have a few "extra hundred" laying around.
Mora of Choice. (I like the Number 1 or 2 with red wood handle. If you want a finger guard, the 511 with wood handle, or one of the "modern" versions, such as the "Companion" with rubber handle.
Cold Steel Finn Bear or Pendelton Light, with FRN handle
A 3 to 5 inch blade is more than sufficient, and more nimble/easier to use than a longer blade.

Folding:
Buck 110/112/Old Timer 6OT/7OT/ Puma Lockback. Buck currently offers a drop point blade in the custom shop, for the 110 and 112.
One Blade clip point Clasp Knife. (can be a slip joint or old style/type liner lock)
Two blade (clip point and drop point, both 4 inch) Folding Hunter.
Moose pattern (Clip point and either a spear point or a Spey blade. The spear point and especially the Spey, are less likely to cut what you don't want to cut when unzipping the belly.)
Plastic Handle Opinel N°8 or N°9.
Cold Steel KUDU (ring lock) or KUDU LITE (slip joint)

A Trapper, Muskrat, or other slipjoint hunting knife, or "even" a stockman, canoe, Barlow (regular, grand daddy, or daddy size) or large Sunfish are also viable options for peeling and gutting a deer (or other game) and getting it to fit in the pan/on the grill and in the freezer.
 
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