Help With Hunting Knife....

[Dr.Rob]

The wyoming kinife can be tricky to use at first but it does the job quickly... the thing is in some ways it's too sharp for skinning (it's far too easy to nick the hide) but when your hands are cold, and you are trying to peel a knee joint you wnat a really sharp knife.

Other knives I've used:

Cold Steel Tanto (my 'hunting knife') The smallest blade on the left... The recon series is an economical choice.
http://www.coldsteel.com/fixed-blades-tanto-series.html

Buck Skinner (the traditional 'camp knife' my dad used for years... made quick work of skinning elk)
http://www.chefknivestogo.com/buck-skinner.html

Schrade Sharpfinger (I used one of these on a deer.. it's a bit small but if you use it right the work goes quickly)
http://www.bobwards.com/bobwards/servlet/item/features/104154-03

Cold Steel Bushman & mini bushman (you should wrap the handlle with leather or innertube, great 'belly' for skinning and a bargain for $20)
http://www.coldsteel.com/fixed-blades-bushman.html

Cutco Hunter (My dad BROKE the teeth on one of these quartering an elk, my Tanto zipped right through the same animal with no problems, Cutco REPLACED the knife for free, and it's been trouble free since... maybe the first one was a bit brittle? Anyway it's a SHARP knife.) It now ships without serrations:
https://www.cutco.com/jsp/catalog/detail.jsp?categoryId=90&ensembleId=10273

Gerber Game Pro: (natural progression of the 'bolt action' knife I used as a kid)
http://www.gerberstore.com/index.php?xpage=itempage&xid=603

 

[owenbright]

I cannot say enough good thigns about Bark River Knife and Tool.
(I'm not affiliated w/ BRKT).
Take a look at these models:
http://www.knifeworks.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=1055
http://www.knifeworks.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=1233

They have a lot more handle options available through different dealers.
www.marblesknives.com is a good one.

I have a foxriver that I use on camping/hunting trips, and I've been very impressed.
All BRKT knives hold a sharp edge really well, and are surprisingly easy to touch up and sharpen.
They are mostly convexed blades, and often simply stropping it will do the trick (and you don't have to sharpen for a LONG LONG time).
They have a great customer service and all the knives are backed by a fix or replace lifetime warranty.

 

[pinetree64]

I carry a Buck Big Sky - sort of like the Gerber Freeman Fixed Blade. I really like the looks and feel of the Gerber. The knife I carry is used for cutting sappings for blinds and I have had to use it to dispatch a wounded deer. It is mainly a utility tool that I also skin with. I wear this knife all the time in the woods.

The Buck 119 is a classic but I think a little big. To me it is more of a camp knife. I also just recieved a Cabelas Outfitter Trigger Skinner with gut hook. It is a very heavy knife that stays in camp. I haven't used it but I'm sure it will make gutting and skinning deer a breeze. Two things; this line of knives is made in China. The sheath seems cheap.

I like fixed blades. I sold a Browning Kodiak (saw, gut hook and blade) because it was a PIA to clean.

I would recommend a handy knife like the Gerber and then a seperate gut hook, like a Wyomming Knife or one of the Gerbers gut hooks. Both are cheap but I believe the Gerber uses utility blades.

Below is a link to the RMEF catalog. They have two good looking knives at a great price. I like the sharpfinger styled one. The other may be just what your are looking for.

http://www.wildlifeheritage.com/product/517173

tjg