Who cleans game with their slippies?

S

stdwdh16

Joined
Sep 17, 2006
Messages
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So does anyone here hunt, and if so, do you clean any game with your slippie? My grandfather cleaned most of the deer I remember him cleaning with a Buck 317 large folding hunter. I clean all my big game with a fixed blade ( a Buck 105 for reference), but I tend to clean all small game with whatever folder I have in my pocket at the time. Though I haven't been hunting much lately (grad school demands a lot of time) I have had some trepidation about cleaning even small game with a slippie. Does anyone clean game with theirs?

P.S.-On a related note, due to this fact, I am looking for a small fixed blade that would be suitable for cleaning small game. And suggestions?
 
Two summers ago I made a commitment to an experiment to do like our grandads. For the whole summer, I and my grandson, used our yellow case peanuts as our fishing knives. I don't know how many panfish got cleaned with the peanut, and later a yellow sodbuster, but we ate well quite a few times.

I had a friend and co-worker who used a Buck cadet small stockman to dress out a nice deer while I watched in admiration. Did a neat and clean job with it.

But all in all, I'd rather use a small fixed blade. Less complex mess to clean out, just better for the job. I haven't hunted in many years, but I just love to go fishing. I've used folders, but for the past year and a half I've went with a small pocket size fixed blade. A Buck Hartsook to be exact. Just lately I was gifted a small fixed blade made by a forum member here, Mike Miller of Oklahoma. A very nice little knife that ought to zip open a panfish very well.

There are also the Swedish Frosts mora bladed knives. Very nice for working with messy gutting jobs as the plastic handles are molded on with no cracks to gather gunk that will spoil after a while. The knives with plastic sheaths clean up easy with soap and water.
 
Bark River makes several small fixed blades that may work for you. Are you looking for it to be a pocketable fixed blade? If so, the smallest one that might work for that would the Bark River Mikro Canadian Skinner with an OAL of just 5".
 
A Kabar Little Finn or Buck Woodsman are good fixed blade small game knives. So are the smaller moras that Jackknife mentioned. Marttinni makes a decent small game sized knife too.

I disagree on the Buck Hartsook. I have one, and as nice of a little knife as it is, I think that cleaning small game with it would be awkward- given the grip that I need to use in order to hold it comfortable- but to each their own. I would rather use the Hartsook than a small folder;)
 
I know a fellow that uses a large folding hunter ;) for game, a single blade IIRC. That same fellow forgot his knife once and field dressed a deer with a pair of small fingernail clippers..... Anyway....

I know a couple guys that use their SAKs for deer season too.

I would if I could ever get to go on a hunt. My fishing knife is a slippie, a custom SAK, but it has yet to get any use.

G.
 
Well, I am really not looking for a pocket carry fixed blade, I would prefer a belt knife, but I would not be opposed to pocket carry fixed blade if the knife were right. Thanks guys for the suggestions. I am glad I am not the only one who feels uneasy cleaning game with a slippie. For all other uses, I love them, but cleaning game with them has always made me nervous for some reason.
 
My grandfather always used a Buck 301 to clean his deer. My dad did the same for years. But I gave him a Gamewarden a little while ago, and I think he's using that now.
 
Hi,

I've pretty much used what ever knife I had on me at the time. I've done deer with a stockman. And dressed birds with a Buck 119Special. I don't deer hunt anymore, but I duck hunt and I'm an avid upland hunter. Been using a Buck small fixed blade hunter for the last 5-6 years or so. Might switch to the Mora S1 I picked up from Ragnar this summer. That thing gets and holds a wicked edge.

dalee
 
Being a Schradeaholic and love to hunt and fish (when I get the chance:grumpy:) anyhow cleaned "lots" of small game ie. rabbits,quail, dove, pheasant,squirrels, ducks etc. w/a 77OT Muskrat even used on deer but prefer Fixed blades for them specifically 152OT Sharpfinger or 160OT Mountain Lion which is the same as the 153UH Golden Spike (in blade profile) These ARE the USA made Oldtimer or Uncle Henry:D. just my .02 FWIW:eek:
 
For years I hunted small game, and used my old Buck 301 Stockman to clean rabbits and squirrels and quail. I've also used an old Schrade 77OT Muskrat, as well as my 1988 Remington Moose. All performed equally well.

Ron
 
texasflyfisher said:
Bark River makes several small fixed blades that may work for you. Are you looking for it to be a pocketable fixed blade? If so, the smallest one that might work for that would the Bark River Mikro Canadian Skinner with an OAL of just 5".
Click to expand...

Bark River has several small FB's that would do well. I have the Mikro II, but I don't feel it's pointy enough. Out of their line, I'd recommend the Little Creek, Blackwater boot, Bird & Trout and the Pro Scapel as small pointy FB's that would do just fine on small game and probably fish. The Canadian Sportsman would do just fine on fish, may be a tad large for small game but sure would work.
 
All the males in my family cleaned everything with traditional folders, usually Case, KaBar, or Schrade. This was usually fish and small game...I don't know how many squirrels, rabbits, dove, perch, catfish, bass, etc fell victim to dad, me and all my uncles, etc, but we ate a lot off the land. :)
 
I am looking for a small fixed blade that would be suitable for cleaning small game
Click to expand...
Now there is an area where I can be of service:

At the bottom end of the spectrum, there is the A G Russel Woodswalker.

AGPRS.jpg


If you like traditional materials, how bout a Moore Maker?

3100COMP.jpg



Grohmann makes some nice stuff...

r104sf.jpg


And if you really want to treat yourself...

all_skinners1_sm_c7oh.jpg
 
I have used a slippy to clean, and skin most things in my neck of the woods. I don't know how many squirrels I have done with my TL-29. Last year I used my case trapper on a few deer as well as my peanut, and my small texas jack knife. I have found that I prefer a two bladed jack knife with a good grip, over a fixed blade for skinning. I like haveing the choice of longer blade and a shorter one in the same package it keeps me from fishing around in my pocket with blody hands. Joe
 
I have a carbon steel Remington waterfowler with ther yellow/green derlin handles that is my main small same/bird knife. Thin, pointy, 1095 - good stuff. Trappers work great too - go figure. :) I used to use a stag/NS Buck 110 for deer, but now I use a BRKT Boone. My fav. small game/fish fixed blade is a BKRT Canadian Sportsman.
 
Hi,

I've got to get me one of those AG Russel Woodstalkers. That blade really looks like it would work really well on game.

dalee
 
I found a 4' long dead gopher snake on a road in So. Cal last week, since he was a fresh kill, I skinned him with a schrade old timer I bought on ebay. It cut very nice, and the skin is curing in glycerin. My wife thinks I am a nut. I told her it was sad that this beautiful animal had to die because of an ignorant motorist (there were speed bumps on this private road.) I actually was a little mad at whoever hit it. This snake did not die in vain.
 
I have done small game with folders and sheath knives. I haven't done a big game animal with anything but sheath knives.

Breasting out doves or cleaning quail, a small sheath knife or a folder with a 2.5-3" blade is more than fine. That is plenty for cottontails and squirrels, too.
 
I've cleaned deer,turkey,rabbits,squirrel etc. with a slipjoint, sure a fixed blade is easier to clean etc. but if your careful, on small game you don't have to get them to gunked up in the first place, for me at least on big game,having to give a slip joint a good scrub once or twice a year is no biggie.
 
I'm an avid quail hunter and have cleaned a many of quail with either my Case stockman or trapper. I've also used my trapper on several deer that I've killed. A slippie will do alot of work if you give it the chance.:p:p
 
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