Would it work?

David Martin said:
I don't carry two knives (as most guys), one for field dressing and another for skinning and quartering. I carry one knife that will do it all as I'm likely to be a mile from the truck and 3 miles from camp. So, I carry a compromise.
Click to expand...

This is an excellent point.

For me, this continually lands me back choosing among lockbacks with blades between 3" and 4".


Buck Folders by Pinnah, on Flickr

Another aspect of compromise is between beauty, emotion, weight and how I carry. Generally, when I'm in the woods backpacking, ski touring and like, I'm many miles from the road and am carrying a pack with a hip belt, which interferes with using anything on my belt. In those situations, beauty and emotion get tossed. It's all about function and low weight and the ugly (to my eyes) but function 482 (bottom) or larger 486 get the nod. They ride in the cargo pocket of my shorts or pants.

Hunting generally means smaller distances into the deep and dark and slower moving. I can deal with some extra weight in the fanny pack along with the shells. The Buck 110 is the choice there for me. But this is 100% emotion and beauty. Truth be told, in hand, I prefer my Ecolite.

If I start to think about balancing what I prefer in the field (the 110 or 486) and what I prefer for EDC, I definitely end up back at the 3" blade like on the 112, 482 and 500. I *can* get by in the field with the shorter blade and I definitely don't like anything longer than that for EDC use. So for me, the compromise blade length is 3".

I agree with BG42 that plastic isn't cool for a gift, but when I think about pocket carry and how nice it looks, the Paperstone has won me over. It *does* lack something you can't put your finger on. Was in a shop last year talking with a sales guy about the Ecolite 112 that they sold. I pulled out my 112 and the young guy weighed them side by each by hand. "Huge difference but... there's something about the brass and wood..."

Duke 500
Ranger 112
Ecolite 112
Vantage 345

All of them are worth considering.

BTW, the large Vantage 345 is only $27 on the Buck web site currently. That's a heck of a deal.
 
Thanks to the generosity of Gladiator357, a Buck 112 is on it's way to my house for my son.

He will be overwhelmed by the thoughtfulness from a complete stranger.

I know I am.

John
 
Nicely done, Gladiator!!!

So many generous folks on this forum!!

Be sure and let us know how things work out, Street!!!
 
My kids started deer hunting at 12. I got them 110's as their first hunting knives, but admittedly, they are a bit large for them and they have a hard time closing the blade with a stiff lock. In hindsight, I would have gotten them 112's. For your average sized deer, I think the 112 is a great field dressing knife, and the orange handled Bucklite version is great for hunting (he'll never lose it!). I still use the original Bucklite version of the 112 my Dad gave me back in the 80's for deer and hogs.
 
Just a quick update....

We were out for 7 hours yesterday. Came up empty. We didn't even see a deer to consider trying to shoot it. My son definitely learned a lesson in patience. He has to wait until mid-November when the regular season opens to get another chance.

We did see about 20 turkeys, including one monster sized tom. But the season doesn't open until the 20th.
When we called it a day for deer, we went back to the truck and switched out the deer slugs for some game loads to try for some squirrels. They must've known we were coming for them because for the hundreds of squirrels we saw in the morning, there was not a single one to be seen in the afternoon.
Oh well. He had a great time nonetheless. It was a lot of fun being out there in the woods with him.

John
 
Thats the way I look at it too. When I return from hunting and didn't get the animal I was after, I think, Man- I had a Great time watching all the other wildlife. I'll get something later...
It sure beats cutting wood and changing the oil on my wife's truck. ;-) DM
 
For sure,hunting is a lot of fun ,even if you come home empty handed,its still great to be out there enjoying gods creations!
 
And to add insult to injury...

Talked to my buddy whose stand we were in yesterday. He sat there squirrel hunting today and had 5 does come within 35 yards of the stand. Stayed there for 10 minutes and then walked on.

Oh well...
 
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