Small game knives

Mosby

Mosby

Well-known member
I got out my small game knives last night to sharpen and pack up. I got them on clearance years ago at the LL Bean store. Two of them are Canadian Grohmann knives and one is an LL Bean labeled thin blade boning knife w/ a big fat walnut handle. I didn't pay much for any of them. They have an XX on the sheath, which I think meant that they were returned. They were dirt cheap at the time.

I've considered buying a new bird and trout knife recently but I keep talking myself out of it. I remind myself that I still like my old knives. Old knives have steel that is easily sharpened on simple crock sticks. I can get a really nice edge on them, with a few minutes of effort. I like that. I have a ton of other knives. Most are newer but I always end up taking the same knives on hunting trips because I can get them sharp without a degree in engineering.

Do you guys like the new...really hard steel knives or older hunting knives with softer steel?
 
Rapala 4" fillet knife. I have one that's 20+ years old and i have 3 more that are 1-10 years old. Cheap stainless steel that's easy to sharpen.
 
Js4fn said:
Havalon is my favourite with replaceable surgical blades
I just pull my pheasant apart they never see a knife
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I've haven't used the Havalon on birds but I've used it on several elk. I know some really like it but It isn't my favorite. I've cut myself a couple times using the dang thing and I never have a place to put the old blade when I switch one out on the side of a mountain. I still carry one in my pack but prefer other knives I have.
 
Love opinel folding knives…filet models…great on fish, breasting birds, etc…inexpensive…I spent $3 for a Walmart filet knife several years ago, as I was needing to breast some birds on my ride home from SD for my birth father that I had just recently met…still use that knife, takes an edge quickly…
 
I've got more knives than I know what to do with. My favorite is still my Buck 110 Folding Hunter. I've used it on everything from pheasants to elk and moose. It's a tough knife to beat. I've had it for over 40 years..

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I find those Havalon knives difficult and therefore dangerous to change blades. Maybe its becuase I have short nails so its harder to pull up the blade release or something. I wish I liked them more. They make a lot of sense
 
I have a custom Bark River knife that is a bit overkill, but it is an amazing blade. It would also work well in an emergency situation. It is their Classic Drop Point design made out of S30VN steel. It holds an edge really well. I also have a hand made knife that is a classic trout/bird knife pattern. It was locally made from a file and seems to do really well on birds. It is much smaller and easier to use for breasting out a bird, etc.
 
Dakotazeb said:
Here a pic of my actual 40+ year old Buck. Still looking good.
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I have the same one. Mine isn't 40 yet. Probably closer to 35. I bought it and shot a small buck a few days later. I was broke as a joke back then and didn't have anything to sharpen it, so I used it straight out of the box. Had to borrow my brother's Case knife to finish the deer....which he thoroughly enjoyed. It's the only Buck knife I own but I'll never get rid of it.

I just put some conditioner on the leather sheath and a few swipes on the crock stick and mine is good to go.
 
Mosby said:
I just put some conditioner on the leather sheath and a few swipes on the crock stick and mine is good to go.
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I use some brass cleaner on the ends of the Buck 110 to shine them up occasionally and a little oil on the wood handle.
 
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