Big game and bird knives

onpoint

onpoint

Active member
I'm a knife nut

What kind of knives do you have for all your game dressing and cleaning.

I have one of these K-Bar knives that has cleaned 100s of birds. I love it

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Ka-Bar-Small-Game-Bird-Trout-Knife-Kabar-/400263204323

Western knife company use to make one just about like this K-bar. Had several. They always seemed to get legs and disappear.

My family got me a Kodi-pak for Christmas.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Outdoor-Edg...509?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item336f3de95d

I have one of these Winchester knives and it has been nothing short of outstanding. Gutted and skinned a ton of animals with it. For a in expensive knife. They are very good quality.

http://jaysknives.com/winchester.htm

Winchester Knife
"Rosewood Guthook Skinner"
Imported
Order #WNRGS

Winchester Knife "Rosewood Guthook Skinner". Nice contoured rosewood handle scales. Satin finished stainless steel guthook skinning blade etched "WINCHESTER". Full tang. Nickel silver double guard that completes the perfect feel of the handle. Nickel silver handle pins. Brass lined lanyard hole. Comes with kydex reinforced nylon belt sheath.

Features:
Blade Material: Stainless Steel
Handle Material: Rosewood
Blade Length: 4-1/4"
Overall Length: 9"
Weight: 8 oz

Our low internet price $29.95

_____________________________________

I have way too many to list. I have a whole case of razer sharp carbon steel butcher knives. Just butchered 6 Lamb's, a 1500lb beef steer and our deer from this fall.
 
I own 2 knives any more and have bought several wanna be's that just don't hold a candle to these two, the "Buck 119" and a "Rapala" original fillet knife in a 4 and 6 inch. You can use the 119 for any thing in the field from cutting down a tree to gutting. And the Rapala, well, it does everything else... hands down the two best, most dependable, and most useful knives on the planet.:thumbsup:
 
I dont have enough game to clean and certainly dont have a steer to put in the freezer but you may be a good guy to ask..

I have a Gerber that I carry on my belt and it loses its edge so fast its crazy
what type of steel do you prefer to keep an edge as long as possible?
 
I have a number of knives but basically 3 Buck knives that get it all done.

Folding Hunter 110
Vanguard 692
Skinner 480

I've had the Buck 110 for over 30 years and it's been through a lot. Tough knife to beat IMHO.
 
jsdriggs said:
Trade off. Dulls quick, soft steel, sharpens quick.

My Buck knife has steel that is so hard, I'm seriously considering hiring someone to sharpen it. What a pain in the arsss.
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JS, I have a Buck, get it sharpened by a pro just before hunting season. Then carry a small steel/diamond sharpener to touch up. When I'm out Mule Deer and Elk hunting I carry a boning knife also.
 
I have a bunch of Buck knives, had them for many years but i wouldn't rate them very well. They are too hard of steel and very hard to sharpen once they are beyond just a touch up. In fact, I had a buck knife break the blade off just ahead of the handle once well breaking the pelvic bone on a whitetail. A true sign of being too hard of steel.

I like a high carbon steel blade of many of the older high quality knives from Germany or Sweden. Today's stainless is much better then it use to be. Solingen German knives are among the best. Case XX a very good knife.

I have a Schmidt & Ziegler butcher knife made from Solingen German steel that was my dad's. It's been in the family for 40 or more years.
 
I read about you guys having trouble sharpening Buck knives. Geez, I've never had that problem. Always felt they were easy to put an edge on and I'm no great knife sharpener.

Onpoint, funny you should mention Solingen knives. My first hunting knife is a Solingen with a 5" fixed blade and a bone handle. On the blade it says "PIG, Solingen, Germany". Not sure what the "PIG" stands for. I've had that knife for over 50 years and you can still put a nice edge on it. Use to be my only big game knife until I got the Bucks.
 
A friend gave me a knife that he made out of an old file. It kept a good edge when sharpened and stayed sharp for a long time. It grew legs and disappeared.I've been looking at some of the old files I have and going to have another one made.
 
Dakotazeb said:
I read about you guys having trouble sharpening Buck knives. Geez, I've never had that problem. Always felt they were easy to put an edge on and I'm no great knife sharpener.

Onpoint, funny you should mention Solingen knives. My first hunting knife is a Solingen with a 5" fixed blade and a bone handle. On the blade it says "PIG, Solingen, Germany". Not sure what the "PIG" stands for. I've had that knife for over 50 years and you can still put a nice edge on it. Use to be my only big game knife until I got the Bucks.
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Same here, it lasts years just for gutting. If it is dull I have the butcher edge it up. I think twice in 15 years. The 119 will cut right through the bung hole bones as well. Still say best knife on the planet.:thumbsup: You do need to be careful with one though, they come surgical sharp... I got stitches from mine the first use hardly touching my hand.
 
for a really cheap knife that gets razor sharp and hold a great edge, check out Moras of sweden. great knives and come in either high carbon or stainless
 
3 of my favorites, have added a 4th with about a 5" blade for the bigger jobs, all made by a fella down in Mississippi named Gene Ingram.

Top one is a Bird and Trout (forgot his number designation), middle is a semi-skinner (again, forgot his model number designation), bottom is a #1 Drop Point.

PC140001.jpg


Have some others from his buddies also out of Mississippi, Dave Winston and Al Alexandar that look just as good.
 
Charles May Knife

Does anyone own/use a Charles May knife for cleaning birds? I saw a article in field and stream about his knives, they look pretty sweet!
 
Great discussion.
I'm kind of a knife freak and have quite a collection. I have my Dad's deer knife, a "Boone" Sheffield England steel, popular many years ago. Has gutted many a dear and is retired. Has some collector's value.
I use a Parker (Japanese surgical steel) survival type knife that I use on deer because it is very sharp, sharpens easy, has a hefty backbone that tears tru a chest cavity and I pound it thru the pelvis with no harm to the knife. Bought 3or four and sold or gave a couple away. A deer nut buddy of mine who got one also swears by it. They were $9.00 apeice.
Still have my first Case deer knife, a beauty stag handle, also retired.
I have had trouble sharpening Bucks for others too. Must be a knack that I do not have. Hard stuff.
Rapalas are easy to sharpen, but the fillet types do not hold an edge long. II use them a lot tho. I have an Ekco fillet that tho not a major brand, is excellent. Have worn a lot of steel off the blade but still a go to.
Favorite boner is a Chicago Cutlery will stay sharp thru two hind quarters and the length and flex are perfect.
I have a KHYBER STLSS surgical JAPANESE folder that is so sharp I fear picking it up. I use it for skinning and some more delicate work. The blade is a little thin but I like that knife if your looking for razor blade sharp.
 
I second the vote for the chicago cutlery as a boning knife. I have had good luck with them and they are easy to sharpen. I recently took a knife skills class at a local cooking school. A rep from Wusthoff knife company showed a really easy to use a steel to sharpen knives. Place the point of the steel down perpendicular to a solid surface. Pull the knife down and across the steel at the proper bevel edge angle for the knife you are working with. For chicago cutlery, that angle is 20 degrees, for buck knives it is fifteen degrees.
 
While stationed in Germany I picked up two old Solingen knives. One has a slender blade, while the other is heavier drop point. Both have antler handles that have been worn pretty smooth over the years. They hold their edges well.

When I was a kid, I knew an old man who made knives out of old saw-mill blades. He would rough cut them and then shape them by hand. He put antler handles on them and gave them away. Sharpest knife I have ever seen. Would hold an edge through skinning and boning three deer before needing a 10 minute sharpening.
 
I have 8-10 Western brand hunting knives that I use for all game chores. The 3 1/4 inch blade is what I use for birds. I have larger ones and curved ones that I use for deer, beaver, coon, coyote, etc. They are tough and utilitarian as well as attractive. I watch at antique shops and yard sales and pick up any I run across that are priced right. They are unfortunately no longer made. I bought my originals new and remember many days as a youth looking into the display cases wishing for this model or that. They're family just like my guns and traps. Many memories!
 
Ya know... I would like to get one of those "lifetime" type of knives, but I just don't know a damn thing about knives. I have no idea how to judge the quality of a knife, other than the price (which often isn't a good measure of quality).

I have an Outdoor Edge knife that I got from Cabelas a couple years ago. It's scary-sharp and has done a nice job field-dressing deer. The blade is a little big for birds, but it is plenty sharp enough to fillet the breast off the bone neatly. It's pretty ugly, with it's hunter orange rubber handle.

I would like to buy a knife that I will still be cleaning game with 30 years from now. One that looks good, is super sharp, and durable. Maybe one that was custom made for me with a handle that is something other than rubber. It woudn't have to be too fancy, just a little classier than what I have now, and one where you can see that some real craftsmanship went into it... You know, something that doesn't look mass-produced.

If you guys have a source for a knife like that, please let me know. Thanks.
 
Toad said:
Ya know... I would like to get one of those "lifetime" type of knives, but I just don't know a damn thing about knives. I have no idea how to judge the quality of a knife, other than the price (which often isn't a good measure of quality).

I have an Outdoor Edge knife that I got from Cabelas a couple years ago. It's scary-sharp and has done a nice job field-dressing deer. The blade is a little big for birds, but it is plenty sharp enough to fillet the breast off the bone neatly. It's pretty ugly, with it's hunter orange rubber handle.

I would like to buy a knife that I will still be cleaning game with 30 years from now. One that looks good, is super sharp, and durable. Maybe one that was custom made for me with a handle that is something other than rubber. It woudn't have to be too fancy, just a little classier than what I have now, and one where you can see that some real craftsmanship went into it... You know, something that doesn't look mass-produced.

If you guys have a source for a knife like that, please let me know. Thanks.
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Toad:

I used a lot of production knives before going the custom route. Now it is like a disease, can't have just one (and they take up a lot less room than guns :) ).

Anyways, there are a lot of reputable makers out there. I have knives from Gene Ingram, David Winston, Al Alexandar (all out of Mississippi), and Mike Miller out of Oklahoma. Charles May was referenced above, he too is also out of Mississippi (all those Mississippi guys are good friends, interact/work with each other). Rick Menefee out of Oklahoma gets a lot of good reviews. Bob Dozier in Arkansas is a well known maker as well.

Most of those guys have a backlog of from a couple months to a couple years. Often their knives can be bought on various knife websites, but you'll pay an upcharge to get the immediate satisfaction.

If you do a google search their websites will come up. Prices vary, Miller and Winston's are in the $125-$200 range, Ingram pushes $300 now (he wasn't that high a couple years ago).

Check out the knife forum at 24hourcampfire, many many pics, and many of the makers also post over there.

http://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/forums/41/1/Knives_and_Blades
 
cheesy said:
Toad:

I used a lot of production knives before going the custom route. Now it is like a disease, can't have just one (and they take up a lot less room than guns :) ).

Anyways, there are a lot of reputable makers out there. I have knives from Gene Ingram, David Winston, Al Alexandar (all out of Mississippi), and Mike Miller out of Oklahoma. Charles May was referenced above, he too is also out of Mississippi (all those Mississippi guys are good friends, interact/work with each other). Rick Menefee out of Oklahoma gets a lot of good reviews. Bob Dozier in Arkansas is a well known maker as well.

Most of those guys have a backlog of from a couple months to a couple years. Often their knives can be bought on various knife websites, but you'll pay an upcharge to get the immediate satisfaction.

If you do a google search their websites will come up. Prices vary, Miller and Winston's are in the $125-$200 range, Ingram pushes $300 now (he wasn't that high a couple years ago).

Check out the knife forum at 24hourcampfire, many many pics, and many of the makers also post over there.

http://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/forums/41/1/Knives_and_Blades
Click to expand...

Thanks for the reply and the info. This thread really got me thinking about a custom knife, and I've been looking at them for a couple days now online. Geez, some of the work that guys are putting into these knives, WOW! I never would have imagined the beauty they can put into what is basically a hand tool.:thumbsup: I was really drooling over one that would be ideal for field dressing game... It was only $1200.00.:eek: It had some really nice scrollwork on the handle. If I had money to throw around :eek:, I could see myself collecting those things...

Seriously though, I think I would be willing to drop $200-$300 for a hand made knife. Sure beats the price of a hand made shotgun. So many things are mass produced and disposable, it would be nice to own one that was hand made by a craftsman instead of a factory.
 
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