Hunting knife recommendation

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If you're just gutting and dragging the animal back to camp, a better folder will work. If you're quartering and packing an animal out, you need something more like a fixed blade for the pelvis alone.
If you want one knife to gut, skin, and butcher, that's another scenario.
So, it depends on what you're doing.
I have a Buck 119 I use for quartering and skinning. I use a Buck 110 for gutting deer sized game. I also like my Schrade sharpfinger for cleaning deer and smaller game like rabbit. It's very pointy, which helps.
I could probably get by with just the 110, if I had to.
 
How much do you want to spend? There are great offerings from Bark River but they'll be a lot more than your average Buck. I have used a Buck 110, and 119 like others for years, but they do dull if used heavily, so carry a sharpener. For the money, the Bucks are hard to beat though.

However, if you want to spend some more for very high quality look here.

http://www.barkriverknifetool.com/
 
I am not a fan of folding knives for working on big game. They end up packed with blood and internal nastiness and are a PITA to clean, especially in the field. I like good blade steel and, IMO, that rules out most Buck and Gerber blades. A carbon steel Mora or a Martiini fixed blade http://www.knifeworks.com/marttiinibowieblackkratonhandle.aspx is hanging off my belt 99% of the time when deer hunting. Both are lightweight, cheap, high quality, and if I break or lose one it is not a big deal as they are easily replaced. I have butchered many deer using only a Mora and have not had to stop and resharpen it. If I am hunting the backcountry or an area where I may need to put a knife to hard use to survive, I prefer the Blind Horse Woodsman Pro http://blindhorseknives.com/woodsmanpro.htm. I still keep a Mora in my pack though.
 
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Look at the Fallkniven S-1 for a general outdoor knife. The A-1 is larger, six-inch blade. www.fallkniven.com

If you want a smaller drop-point blade, their F-1 is good and is flat-ground, much stronger than similar shaped knives with deeply hollow-ground blades that may chip in heavy use. The F-1 is the pilot survival knife for the Royal Swedish Air Force, and it and other Fallkniven knives have passed rigorous trials in both Swedish and US military tests. They aren't cheap, but are excellent.

If you prefer a leather handle to the usual Thermorun, look at their Northern Lights line.

The Buck 119 will do well by you for a lot less money, though. Be careful with the upward turned point when gutting game. And check legal blade length where you live. The 119 has a six-inch blade, illegal in Texas, for instance. You have to carry a 5.5-inch or shorter blade. In some states, it may not matter, and the Model 119 has been very popular for years. I have one, but carry it only on private land.

People often damage blades by trying to cut bone with them. Use a saw or axe for that.

The larger Fallkniven products mentioned or the Buck 119 are large enough for general camp work, including making an emergency shelter or carving an improvised tent stake. They are also useful as energency weapons, should an animal or person attack you. I've had to pull knives on two large dogs when I didn't have a gun on me. And I know of one man who killed an attacking cougar with his knife, another a bear (black, and it had already killed at least 8 men) and one who stabbed an African lion to death as it dragged him off. This stuff seems dramatic, but happens to a few people. You might be one of them!

Don't get a huge knife, but don't be like the famous Jim Corbett, who once had to skin a tiger with a pocketknife! (He didn't say why he didn't have a larger knife. He did say that the experience wasn't much fun and took a lot of time.)

Oh: you mentioned German knives. The Puma brand is expensive, but the older ones are very good. Look for the Outdoor model or the Model 3589 for a fancier version, or the little Hunter's Pal, if a small knife will do. Their Bowie with a six (maybe 6.5-inch?) blade is their equivalent ot the Buck Model 119. The handle is a bit short for me, though. I have not seen any newer Pumas for years. I've heard that they don't have the workmanship in them that they once did. If anyone has seen/used new ones, let us know what you think.
 
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The Buck 119 should work nicely for you. It's a classic. I prefer a smaller blade for general field chores with 6" (like the 119) being the absolute longest blade I would use. The Buck 110 folding hunter works very well too; certainly better than your SAK. Everyone needs one of these classics. I used the Schrade version for years as my deer hunting knife. I like the Spyderco Moran (fixed blade) as a deer hunting field chore knife a lot. The size is just about perfect for some of the more delicate tasks and up to most other tasks. But if you are quartering in the field, I would also have a larger knife with me for these tasks after the field dressing is done.
 
I really like my Benchmade Griptillian folding blade. In general I like shorter blades for field dressing, makes it easier to cut inside the cavity without cutting yourself.
 
I prefer a stainless steel of 3 1/2 - 4" fixed blade with a drop point. Gut hooks are an abomination that do not work well. Handle material is largely a matter of taste except that they should give a good grip when wet with blood and not be checkered because that makes them difficult to clean.
I have had good luck with Boker knives of German Solingen steel as they are corrosion resistant and easy to sharpen while holding an edge well.
I have not had the same experience with Buck knives though they are popular.
Others you should look at would include Puuko knives of Finland, Cold Steel, and McMillan Diamondblades - pricey but a lifetime purchase.
Good luck.
 
If you want something smaller than the 119, the Buck 102 has a 4" blade.


Bottom knife...

100_1653.jpg
 
IME, the 6 1/2" blade of a Buck 119 is kinda overkill for field dressing a deer. Just on a goof, I tried a TOPS Pathfinder School knife last Friday and even it was really way more knife than I needed.

For a small fixed blade, I've used an ESEE Izula and it did just fine, but my main field dressing knife these days is an Outdoor Edge "Grip-Baze" Just the right size and the non-slip scales are great.

http://www.outdooredge.com/Grip-Blaze-p/grip-blaze.htm
 
My wife bought me a pair of knifes of alaska about 8 years ago. The muskrat and bear cub set. D-2 steel then and cryo treated.
The muskrat is a scary sharp blade with an edge that wraps over the top so you can use it on the up stroke and down stroke. First thing i did when I opened the box was to touch the blade,stupid move. Had to break out the bandaids. The bear cub is a more geneal use blade that is also very sharp and holds an edge very well if kept for game use. I use and old SOG folder for all non game use. The muskrat has only been on a diamond stone and steel two times and you do not want to touch the blade to check it. The bear cub edge holds up better than any other knife I have owned for general meat use. I think they wear around 85 dollars some years back and worth even dollar. Just hang the leather out side for a week or two to get ride of the tanning odor. I had these for 6 years.
 
i carrry the buck 119 special every time i go deer hunting and absolutly love it! does not loose its edge in the least even skinning several deer in a row. i am very confident that even after gutting and skinning several deer, it will still shave hair. by far my favorite hunting knife.
 
The 119 is the best knife I have ever used, and I always carry it. I saw their new skinning knife and really want to try it out. I recommend that you have a knife shop or butcher but a good hunting edge on it. They go dull too fast with the factory edge. I carry a small steel with me to touch the edge up but I have skinned 6 elk and 3 deer without anything more than a touch up from a steel.
 
The 119 might be a little safer to use since it has the guard. Other than that there's probably not a huge amount of difference between the two.

Ever checked out anything from ESEE or Becker Knife and Tool? They make some fixed neck knives that are small and good for skinning/processing, and at about the $50 price range.
 
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