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

[black mamba]

Had this custom made a few years ago. It's the ONE.

 

[T.R.]

 

[Odessa]

@T.R. your knife made this one pop back into my mind, I have owned it a while and used it several times - seems to have the same blade yours has but a Old Timer handle. Good knife, I just seem to gravitate to the old Buck 118 I showed earlier, but I could use this one just as well.

 

[.45Coltguy]

Deer and elk, Buck 110 and Buck Vanguard. Smaller things like upland birds or trout, Buck 112.

 

[Larry in wyoming]

Mainly I use that second one down from the top. When you are working blind in the chest cavity of an elk ( or deer for that matter) you don't want too much razor sharp blade in there. 2.5 to 3 inches is enough. I can field dress and nearly quarter an elk before a touch up.
Top to bottom
Schrade sharpfinger carbon steel.
Anza LP made from an old file. 96 vintage
Cold steel atk carbon steel. Great for hogs and bears.
Larry original. I made it out of 1095 steel. I used it on an elk a couple of years ago. It did alright.
I have a thing for carbon steel. Or one against stainless.....

 

[md7]

Whitetail hunter, so maybe not exactly what you’re looking for. I’ve mostly used a bone handle Case Trapper and recently a yellow handle Case Sod Buster Jr for skinning deer. Both with carbon steel.

They double as edc knives as well.

 

[7mmRLC]

For several yrs I carried this buck sheath knife. Then went to a Knives of Alaska folder in my pack. Recently a good friend of mine gave me a Puma knife he had that was never hunted. So have it on my hunting belt now. I also just got a Buck 317 folder repaired from the factory that I may carry in my pack replacing the Alaska folder.

 

[entropy]

Glock Field Knife with saw back. It's dressed many deer and 1 moose.

 

[M65Man]

Hadn't showed this one, haven't used it much lately. My Grandpa gave it to me mid 70's, and carried it on belt lot when I was out n about, camping hunting or fishing, great for that, or in case of runninginto Crockodile Dundee. Did several canoe and a backpack 2-3 days trips in 2019-20 last time I used it. But it's easily made scary sharp, comes in handy for the big work!
To best my memory, it still looks almost as good as it did when he gave it to me, sheath too. Anyone got any idea when this knife was made?

 

[Muddydogs]

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.

Most elk hunters skin and quarter an elk with a blade less then 4" long. Take the popular Havalon knife, it's replaceable blade is what 2 to 2.5 inches. I prefer the Outdoor Edge 3.5" replaceable blade knife. I went replaceable blade for light weight and it's easy to have a sharp edge when I need it. At 10 pm standing in the cold working under a headlamp I would rather be cutting then sharpening.

 

[Jonikopsuka]

I have my trusty traditional Finnish Puukko which I inherited from my late father plus a Leatherman Super Tool 300 for other handiwork. 4.25 inch carbon steel blade paired with a nice wood handle. It is a rat tang knife but I’ve used it for everything from gutting and skinning to batoning and othee bushcrafty things for the past 7 years and have not had it break yet. I haven’t really bought into the full tang as this is just far more comfortable. Even gutted and skinned my first moose with it.

 

[Dinosaur1]

A long time ago in a world far away, pre Harbor Freight, there used to be traveling Chinese junk tool sales. Some of you may remember. Anyways, around Father’s Day I was at one with my 7 year old son. He wandered off for a minute or two and came back and wanted to know if he could have $3.00. He disappeared and came back with something all wrapped in plastic. For Father’s Day I got a genuine made in Pakistan with simulated stag handle hunting knife. Now I have no idea where the Pakistans got the steel to make that knife, but aside from its sentimental value, that is the toughest knife I have ever carried. Holds an edge like a razor. I have hammered it through many briskets and pelvic bones using chunks of limbs as hammers without a nick. Aside from that, I always carry a cheap pocket knife that I don’t mind losing or breaking because if you hunt long enough, you will.

 

[Bandit67]

I've had my Buck 110 in my hunting pack since 1979.
I love Buck knives

 

[9x56MS]

I have field dressed game with everything from an old timer muskrat pocketknife to a marbles Bowie style Damascus blade belt knife. My current favorites are a boker 3 blade folder and the complete set of the rapala wooden handles hunter series razor sharp. Variety is the spice of life. As long as it is sharp.

 

[hawg]

I seldom hunted far enough from home that I had to field dress one. I always carried a Shrade guthook skinner just in case. It wasn't much inside a deer and the Delrin scales got slick with blood but it would unzip a deer out of it's hide fast. For inside work I used my Case Trapper with carbon steel blades. For deer at home I used a shortened Old Hickory butcher knife for inside work.

 

[Show Me]

When grandkids were heavy into shooting deer I got a Havalon and extra blades. Along with a limb loper ,
deer get gutted in the backhoe loader bucket and the mess gets dumped off a cliff.

It's always been Buck knifes for me. My first was about when Lego's and Hot wheels came out.

 

[Axis II]

Outdoor edge swingblade

 

[9x56MS]

Outdoor edge swingblade

I have been looking at this knife but haven’t aquired one as of yet. One question? How does the gut zipper blade work for skinning use?

 

[WisBorn]

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

Those knives are to nice for field use

 

[WisBorn]

The past several years I have been using either a Buck 105 or a Mora Champion. Last season I carried a Buck 110 Lite folder, but didn't get the chance to try it out .


Since this is the hunting part of the forum. How many bow hunters have done the field dressing work with a broadhead?

 

[Axis II]

I have been looking at this knife but haven’t aquired one as of yet. One question? How does the gut zipper blade work for skinning use?

You cant because it’s rounded on the tip to keep from cutting guts. The knife part works great though

 

[9x56MS]

You cant because it’s rounded on the tip to keep from cutting guts. The knife part works great though

Thank you for that information. I guess I will stick with my gut hook on my Boker knife then as it really helps when skinning out the legs and brisket. You saved me from disappointment. I am in your debt sir.

 

[Kingcreek]

I carry an old BuckLite nylon handle folder with a 110 blade. I keep a mora in my pack.
Back at camp or barn I have my custom 2 knife set. Mel Sorg Jr aka Mad Poet Knives made the 4.5” semi skinner and the 3” companion caper/boning knife cryo tempered D2 by Paul Bos and dessert ironwood scales.

 

[CraigC]

I don't have a particular "go-to". I'm fairly promiscuous when it comes to knives. Once I started doing the gutless method, I'm no longer skinning them out and found it doesn't matter as much what knife I use. I do like the Green River butcher pattern and have used them up to 8". I've put together a few using their blades. Like this 6":



I had Kim Ralston make this one with a 4" spey blade.



Their Hunter is pretty good too.



It's usually something in the 4" range like this:



But sometimes I use my heavy 8" Hudson Bay.

 

[argonn]

Cold Steel Master Hunter