What's your "Go To" knife while out hunting big game?

Rockrivr1

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When I go deer hunting in New England I take along my Dad's old Buck skinning/gutting knife with me. It's small and does the job fine as long as I keep it sharp. Thinking though that I'll need something better when I go on an Elk hunt out west. For those out there, what are you carrying to gut an elk and possibly cut it up to carry the meat out?
 
When going out into the bush of Alaska for a week or much longer, hunting moose, brown bear or caribou or even Sitka Black Tails, I ALWAYS took these knives with me, they are Gerber "Custom series",

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The shorter ones were for carrying (carry one and a backup in camp) and the longer for my "camp knife" or for maybe moose chores. (like gutting and skinning)

These days I pretty much hunt whitetails, so this is my knife of choice, made by "Breed",

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Anyway, over the years they have served me very well!

DM
 
Morakniv in their plastic scabbard, makes it easy to put on the belt and get in and out when hands are bloody. I also use heavily on skinning a Havalon knife and a small 4" blunt tip saw.

I get a full deer skinned with a Havalon blade, and touch up the Mora after each event. The Mora gets used for any work on the knuckles and near bone to keep the Havalon sharp.

I used to carry a SMKW 4" antler bone handle knife that I really like, but have moved on to the Havalon's and Mora's for the duties.
 
This. Badged Browning, made in Japan about 40 years ago. Stays sharp about one deer's worth, has the best guthook I've seen; cuts from the inside out, no Vee shape to clog up with hair. Given as a Xmas gift by an old friend, who said after observing it being used on a Mulie, "I should have kept it", jokingly of course. Next Christmas he got one from me..
 

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Well another one vanished.
Anyway, IMO if you're just gutting
any good sharp pocketknife in your
pocket will do the job.
I prefer to not open a deer up
unless I have to, and I use the
traditional tools that meat cutters
make their living with.
Used this old boning knife that
was given to me bent up and
I beat it back flat and sharpened it
and used the hooey out of it.
Years ago I heard that Joe Defalco
guy from the northeast talking about
how you can handle any deer dressing
job with a decent boning knife, and
he was right.
Oldie but a goodie. So old that there's
no old hickory stamping
 

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Since my grandson told me that he wants to gut my deer for me I bought him this the top one. I was going to give him the bottom one but his dad and I decided the top one for now. Alaska Guide Buck Vanguard.
 

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I’ve never hunted Elk, however it is a dream of mine.
I do hunt whitetail and I prefer a drop point with about a 3-3.5” blade.
I just feel very awkward with a large knife field dressing a deer.
I coached high school football for 35 years and came into hunting approximately 11-12 years ago.
When I started hunting I saw an article on a guy who made his own knives using an old edge trimmer blade and thought to myself I can do that. Thus begun my venture into making my own knives.

This is the knife I’ve used the last two years, and I carry it on my hip while hunting.
it has performed very well.
IMG_4773.jpeg

this is the style knife I prefer to use.

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As I said, to me longer blades feel awkward for field dressing (whitetail not an Elk), but I have used them.
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I haven’t hunted in many years but plan to get back into it in the near future. I’ll be carrying Buck knives, probably a pair of folders, and a Cold Steel fixed blade. I have an old 110 that’s dressed many deer and antelope. Still going strong.
 
I’ve never hunted Elk, however it is a dream of mine.
I do hunt whitetail and I prefer a drop point with about a 3-3.5” blade.
I just feel very awkward with a large knife field dressing a deer.
I coached high school football for 35 years and came into hunting approximately 11-12 years ago.
When I started hunting I saw an article on a guy who made his own knives using an old edge trimmer blade and thought to myself I can do that. Thus begun my venture into making my own knives.

This is the knife I’ve used the last two years, and I carry it on my hip while hunting.
it has performed very well.
View attachment 1246215

this is the style knife I prefer to use.

View attachment 1246216

As I said, to me longer blades feel awkward for field dressing (whitetail not an Elk), but I have used them.
View attachment 1246217
Love your style on the knives you made!

You happen to have that article? Would love to start a hobby of knife making. Would be good gifts.
 
I’ve never hunted Elk, however it is a dream of mine.
I do hunt whitetail and I prefer a drop point with about a 3-3.5” blade.
I just feel very awkward with a large knife field dressing a deer.
I coached high school football for 35 years and came into hunting approximately 11-12 years ago.
When I started hunting I saw an article on a guy who made his own knives using an old edge trimmer blade and thought to myself I can do that. Thus begun my venture into making my own knives.

This is the knife I’ve used the last two years, and I carry it on my hip while hunting.
it has performed very well.
View attachment 1246215

this is the style knife I prefer to use.

View attachment 1246216

As I said, to me longer blades feel awkward for field dressing (whitetail not an Elk), but I have used them.
View attachment 1246217
Wish I wasn't such an old dog, or I'd be interested in that article also! My honest praise on your work, beautiful on both, but that one laying on the deer? That's my idea of the ultimate hunting & dressing knife! My Gerber is to me perfect in configuration and design, easy to grip, but it's just a shade bigger than what I like. Yours appears to be about PERFECT!
 
When I hunted big game I usually carried a no name folder and this J. Russel Skinner. Although it wasn’t a drop point I had no problem using it in the field for more than just skinning duties. Served me well over the years both in the field and the barn.

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Was in a small sporting goods store in a local burg one day and decided to pick up this Browning set. I was impressed by the quality of the heavy leather sheath. Steel is Japanese. As luck would have it it’s never been used as I stopped big game hunting shortly afterwards. They only sold it for a couple of years and it’s no longer in production.

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In the woods I carry a Case hammerhead lock back and a small leatherman, but I keep my outdoor edge knife set and a gerber gut hook in my truck to get the work done when I kill a deer. I don't leave anything near the kill sight.
 
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