hunting w/ M1A and Esee 4 / Rat RC-4

[skipbo32]

a while back i was thinking of an all-round knife for hunting and camping. i was thinking of a large k-bar type but then was told to get a smaller knife. i got two knives: the esee 4 and the cold steel recon scout (as my large knife). i love both but my review is on the esee 4 ( rc-4 knife ).

i was hunting in my canyon the other day and got a doe. the mountainous terrain provided no transportation for the deer and my cabin was 700yds away. i decided to fully process the deer in the field and hike the meat back to the house in backpacks.

i used one knife for the whole job......the esee 4. one might say "use a smaller knife", but the heft of the blade was able to whack through the pelvis bone in 10 wacks. jobs that warranted a saw, like removing the head, was a piece of cake for this stought little blade.

i will say that this is a very good size esee ( RAT ) knife for jobs from chopping to skinning.

the rifle is a springield m1a standard with a leupold mk 4 scope. no big story in the kill here......i walked up on this doe and shot it 50yds away with surplus .308.

if i were to carry one knife, this would be the one. here are some pics of the hunt:

 

[lion hunter]

The country you were hunting looks alot like the country I hunted/lived in around the lake Berryessa area of Kalifonia for about a decade.

I can apreciate your choice of skinner. I, however, have been using a buck pocket knife stockman model for the last 15 years. If i am hunting those tiny blacktails within two miles of my truck It is the only blade I will have with me. I have also found it useful when butchering sheep,(something I do alot of),.

very interested in your choice of deer rifle as i love the M1a but have never hunted with it.

 

[skipbo32]

if weight is an issue than the M1A is not an ideal hunting rifle for obvious reasons. in this case it was an issue considering i had to lug the meat and my rifle back to camp on foot. other than that, the M1A is a great hunting rifle.....and fun too. i just use FMJ .308 for hunting and the deer drops instantly. i was hunting in the back of a truck after this hunt and the M1A felt great. and of course in the rare need of a a quick follow up shot, the M1A rules !(more of a need w/ hog hunting though).

i guess you could say my love for the M1A is greater than my love for hunting, so i prefer to take my M1A with me, no matter the job.

 

[Fredo0621]

You can use a FMj to hunt with in your state???

 

[skipbo32]

yeah,
and it's legal to hunt with a high cap mag. i live in TX. i love it~!