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hey guys, I just got back from utah a week ago (no report yet as I don't have the heart  ) and I gutted my first deer. Yes, I should have been super excited right, well it wasn't MY deer, it was my brothers but I ended up stepping in to gut it. i didn't mind as I wanted to learn how for when I get my own and if I'm on my own. I did have some help from my uncle, but did all the interior work and half the outside. anyways, I was carrying my beautiful custom knife, 5" blade, don't know what is called but I love it and bought it as a hunting knive years ago. in the end they said it was too big and I ended up doing most of the work with my Buck stockman (some of the work with my stepfather's larger buck). The only thing it seemed to me the bigger knife might have been a difficulty on was around the anus. Is it too much knife?  there were a couple of places where a bit more knife would have been nice, like going in for the cut of the trachea. I guess if this one is too big I'll carry my Buck 110 or a Case trapper next time. second question, if the knife is too big for that, what the hell is my "hunting" knife for?  edited to add, the butcher seemed impressed with the job, first the lack of blood on me, and second no damage to the tenderloins. so the little knife worked in the end. Red My rule of life prescribed as an absolutely sacred rite smoking cigars and also the drinking of alcohol before, after and if need be during all meals and in the intervals between them. -Winston Churchill | ||
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Everybody has their own ideas of what a knife should look like and what works well. So this will be one of those questions where you will get 99 answers with 100 opinions. How big a knife you need depends a lot on how big an animal you need to work on - in particular if you'd like to do all the field work without changing blades. That said, for work inside the body cavity, I prefer a blade no longer than 4", and shorter is often better. A bigger knife is just hard to fit into what can be a very constricted space, and consequently incurs a greater risk of damaging parts you don't want damaged - e.g. a bloated belly sack...  As far as form is concerned, a simple drop point is my preference. I like your knife (apart from being on the large side), the shape of the blade is right, and it is very pretty. I don't think a knife like this would be out of place working on a large animal like an elk - although I might still prefer a shorter blade for the body cavity work. I personally bring pretty low cost knives into the field. You can get pretty good steel for little money these days, and loosing a 20-100$ knife is not as bad as loosing a 500-2000$ one. But to each his own. - mike ********************* The rifle is a noble weapon... It entices its bearer into primeval forests, into mountains and deserts untenanted by man. - Horace Kephart | |||
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My favorite deer gutting knife is a Remington big game folder 3.5 in blade. I use it on hundreds of deer, some bears, elk ect. Talking about low cost knifes I brought two wally world winchester brand 4 inch fix blades for hogs dirty, tough hides. For 7 bucks each besides being ugly handles don't fit well ect. They work very well and really hold a edge. I am taking them on my elk hunt they work so well. The remington folder well be on my belt but the winchesters well be in my pack for the cutting up. I have use a 9 inch cold steel bowie to work up game a bit much but it works. Can't beat it for making shelters ect. | |||
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I use a Case Trapper and the biggest blade on it is 3 inches. I've dressed deer, elk, antelope, bighorn sheep, mountain goats, wild boar, bison, and black bear with it. Never needed a bigger blade. The important thing is for the blade to be sharp. I carry a folding bone saw for the heavy work like ripping breast bones and cutting through the spine. If I'm hunting really light, I carry a Swiss Army knife. I've used that little saw on it to cut an elk in half. It took awhile, but it worked. | |||
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I agree your pictured knife may be a bit big for cutting out the anus. I myself use a Buck Vangard, which is a 4 1/4" blade I think, and it is a bit difficult to cut around the anus with it if you do not want to see "raisins". Having said that, I have seen deer gutted with anything for a simple pocket knife up through a 7" or 8" Bowie. The big knives are a plus for cutting the sternum, if you are gutting them that way. Of course they also make these little saws for that, and they are awesome particularly for elk and such. I also know some guys who use two knives, one smallish one for the "surgical" removal of the anus and another larger knife for everything else. I do not like folding knives for any gutting since they are much more difficult to clean up than a fixed blade. It amazes me just hard hard it can be to get all the blood, fat, and hair out of a folder. By the way, I hate gutting so I always try to get out if it if possible, after all I am just a girl. | |||
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Like most things, there are many ways to gut a deer and many types of knives work just fine. I would be very happy with your knife. I have used little, big and in between. Yours for me is an in between. I have an old Buck Frontiersman that I have carried for many years on deer and elk. It works great for me. I can split both the breast and pelvic making the anus a snap. Or I can do the anus the traditional way as well. I also have a Buck minature version of the same knife that a friend gave me and it works great too. So: if you love that knife, use it. It will make you happy! dmw "The liberty enjoyed by the people of these states of worshiping Almighty God agreeably to their conscience, is not only among the choicest of their blessings, but also of their rights." ~George Washington - 1789 | |||
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I like a knife with about a 3 1/2" drop point blade.Works good on rimming the poop chute. | |||
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Having dressed over a 100 deer I have come to use a 3 1/2" fixed blade. Had a Buck 110 and got tired of cleaning the fat out of inside it. My bride gave me a Grohoman boat knive year ago and I find it to be as close to prefect as I have found Clint | |||
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I use these two knives to gut, quarter and skin an animal with the Kershaw (top) doing the lions share of the work if not all of it. It will tackle an Elk no problem. I hate big knives.  | |||
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First of all, Thats a very nice looking knife. I always carry 2 knives with me when hunting. A pocket knife for the more surgical stuff and a bigger knife for quartering, dressing and skinning. I agree with MHO on using inexpensive knives in the field. If I should lose one it wouldn't ruin my trip. | |||
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I have been carrying Buck 110's for over 40 years now and have used them on everything from rabbits and fish to Moose and Musk Ox. The only other piece of equipment for field care of game I carry is one of the Leathermen supertools, lockblade model, because the saw blade does a great job on cutting pelvises, even on an elk.  The middle one in the picture I have ben carrying for 20+ years the one on the right for about 6. Notice how far down the middle one has been sharpened too over the time I have been carrying it Even the rocks don't last forever. | |||
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I like to use a razor knife and the saw on a leathermen. I started using a razor knife in texas on piggs. | |||
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I have an old Bear & Sons knife that is 3-5/8" blade. That covers 90% of my needs. I use one of those inexpensive saws with the protected end for rib and pelvis bones. "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then is not an act, but a habit"--Aristotle (384BC-322BC) | |||
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Dago, you need to move east to get more hunting opportunities. Either that or work less and hunt more. Those pretty Springfields need more exercise! We learned to field dress our own deer by the time we are 14. I typically dress and process 3-5 deer a year. Of course, my hunting is limited by time off work more than available deer or huntable land or tags. Anyway, the neatest field dressing I ever did was with the little 2" folder the NRA sent me for giving them more money (I turn into a sucker when they use scary words like "Pelosi" and "Clinton.") Little made in China knife with an American flag on it. It was very sharp and small enough for around the anus. I find that bigger and older deer are easier to cut the rectum out than young of the year. The rectum is stronger on older deer, and it won't rip when you didn't cut it all free. Plus there is more room to work in the bigger deer. I usually carry a Buck 110, and use it for gutting, skinning, and butchering. I confess, I never cut through the ribs. I rarely cut out the anus. If I'm going to cut through the pelvis, I do it with a hatchet at the house. I don't worry about the trachea. I skin and de-bone almost immediately after a kill, so I don't worry about turds in the rectum. A few recent deer, I skinned and cut the meat off with the guts in. There are many right ways to do it. Any kills with the 1903's yet? This morning, I shot a 2" 200 yard group this morning with a Rock Island single heat treat sporter I will hunt for the first time this year. Jason | |||
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Dago, lots of different ways to skin a "pole cat" as my elders used to say. I agree with a previous poster you need to get out more. I seldom shoot deer anyway, I like elk much better, yummy! | |||
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Red, Over the years I have tried knives of different lengths and sizes. About five years ago I bought several guns from an older gentleman I go to Church with he also gave me his father's Marbles hunting knife. The Marbles is about 7 inches long I learned to use the knife because I like it. The knife you have will serve you well learn to use it and don't look back. I have found that the larger longer knife works better for me cutting around the anus of deer. Bryan | |||
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Dago Red, Here is a link to some information that you might find useful "Choosing Your Big Game Hunting Knife." Everybody has a favorite knife and there really is no perfect knife for everybody. The best all-around knife for me has always been a 4" clip point. I can skin, cape, and bone with this blade and keep picking it up most often. Shawn Joyce Diizche Safari Adventures P.O. Box 1445 Lincoln, CA 95648 E-mail: shawn.joyce@diizchesafariadventures.net Cell: (916) 804-3318 Shoot Straight, Live the Dream, and Keep Turning the Pages to Your Next Adventure!™ Website- www.DiizcheSafariAdventures.com Blog- http://diizchesafari.blogspot.com/ Twitter- http://twitter.com/DiizcheSafari YouTube- http://www.youtube.com/user/shawncjoyce Facebook- http://on.fb.me/gYytdn Instagram: diizchesafari_official | |||
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I have several knifes that I use from time to time,one is a larger one like you have ,it will get the job done. Mostly I carry a Case two blade trapper when hunting,some have bone handles and others have delrin handles and work well around those delicate parts. Nice knife by the way. | |||
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I'm with Mike. Less than four inches long, not too deep in the belly, a drop point and not expensive are the criteria for choosing a working hunting knife for me. These are very good for the money: http://www.handyniknaks.co.uk/...teel-knife-494-p.asp The handle won't get slippery with blood like the beautifully polished one of your knife, you won't care a bout grinding away nicks in the blade and if you loose it falling down a bank you won't be unduly put out. Mine gets about 2-3 deer between sharpening. I also have nice knives and knives of great sentimental value, I shan't be taking them hunting before the good old clipper though!  | |||
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Dude, I agree with everything you say about the knife but you might want to look up the current usage of the word "rimming" before you use it again in this context...... | |||
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I use a Case Trapper too. I've carried it since I was 16. It does everything I need it to in the field. | |||
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I like to use as small of a knife that will get the work done. Anything bigger just seems to get in the way. A 3.5 to 4 inch blade seems to work for me. I also like to stay away from fixed blades when I'm in a tree or on a horse. A fixed blade can be dangerous in any situation where you might fall on it. | |||
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I agree I need to get some more/better hunting. I used the 308 Norma on the double heat treated 03 to kill my brothers deer for him after he shot the antler off with his second shot (first shot had broken the spine but from where we were we only knew it was trying to get up). Great shot at 100 yds through the lungs and out the spine (angle). I miffed one the last evening of hunting, I'd switched to the 06 which was sighted dead on at 100, mistake. I aimed a little high but misjudged the distance, afterwards we ranged it as 450yds. In 6 straight days of hunting it was my only opportunity. (long story). Thanks for the compliments on the knife guys, I got lucky on this one I want to say I paid about 50 bucks for it 15+ years ago. There's a local knifemaker, or there was at least, that did some pretty nice work. I had a couple of other ones from him a better size, 3" -4" blades, but gifted and sold them away over the years. This is my favorite so I kept it. I was looking at the case trapper and was gonna get one, was talking to my uncle yesterday who for a while collected knives, probably has 50, and he said he has a Case trapper I can have. score. Red My rule of life prescribed as an absolutely sacred rite smoking cigars and also the drinking of alcohol before, after and if need be during all meals and in the intervals between them. -Winston Churchill | |||
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Believe it or not, most of my work is done with a 5" Chicago Cutlery boning knife. It is thin enough for around the anus and stays surprisingly sharp. Very quick to resharpen. I have done more than 50 deer with it and my Remington 4" drop point with the nylon handle. Larry "Peace is that brief glorious moment in history, when everybody stands around reloading" -- Thomas Jefferson | |||
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To me, blades shaped like the Bucks shown in Crazyhorseconsulting's post are best for gutting an animal. I have a two-blade Browning folder I have used for about twenty years and 30-40 animals. It has a Buck-like blade, along with a second blade with teeth for sawing a pelvis. Dago Red's beautiful knife would be just about perfect for skinning a deer or elk -- except for around the ears, eyes, nose and mouth, where a pointed blade like those on Brownings and Bucks is needed. Bill Quimby | |||
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[QUOTE]Originally posted by larrys: Believe it or not, most of my work is done with a 5" Chicago Cutlery boning knife. It is thin enough for around the anus and stays surprisingly sharp. Very quick to resharpen. QUOTE] For years I used an old all carbon steel 5" boning knife too. I think it was a Dexter Russell. Mine had about an inch broken off the blade and I ground a new point on it. It was about perfect for gutting but I still had to use a small saw to get thru ribs and pelvis. Left it in a gut pile somewhere and have not replaced it. Hard to find an all carbon steel knife nowadays. 30+ years experience tells me that perfection hit at .264. Others are adequate but anything before or after is wishful thinking. | |||
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Any of these work well for me. Of course I haft a handle for them first but you can use a large flake of flint and do a great job. Most of my custom knives never touch anything as I want to keep them pristine.  Gray Ghost Hunting Safaris http://grayghostsafaris.com Phone: 615-860-4333 Email: hunts@grayghostsafaris.com NRA Benefactor DSC Professional Member SCI Member RMEF Life Member NWTF Guardian Life Sponsor NAHC Life Member Rowland Ward - SCI Scorer Took the wife the Eastern Cape for her first hunt: http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/6881000262 Hunting in the Stormberg, Winterberg and Hankey Mountains of the Eastern Cape 2018 http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/4801073142 Hunting the Eastern Cape, RSA May 22nd - June 15th 2007 http://forums.accuratereloadin...=810104007#810104007 16 Days in Zimbabwe: Leopard, plains game, fowl and more: http://forums.accuratereloadin...=212108409#212108409 Natal: Rhino, Croc, Nyala, Bushbuck and more http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/6341092311 Recent hunt in the Eastern Cape, August 2010: Pics added http://forums.accuratereloadin...261039941#9261039941 10 days in the Stormberg Mountains http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/7781081322 Back in the Stormberg Mountains with friends: May-June 2017 http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/6001078232 "Peace is that brief glorious moment in history when everybody stands around reloading" - Thomas Jefferson Every morning the Zebra wakes up knowing it must outrun the fastest Lion if it wants to stay alive. Every morning the Lion wakes up knowing it must outrun the slowest Zebra or it will starve. It makes no difference if you are a Zebra or a Lion; when the Sun comes up in Africa, you must wake up running...... "If you're being chased by a Lion, you don't have to be faster than the Lion, you just have to be faster than the person next to you." | |||
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For deer I use a cutco 4" serrated blade for the sternum and a buck 112 for the skin, inside work and da bung. Then there is a buck fixed blade that I use for skinning and a fillet knife for deboning and butchering. Never saw bones. ______________________ Are you gonna pull those pistols or whistle Dixie? | |||
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When I first started hunting, several decades ago, I showed my grandfather the hunting knife I had picked out for myself: fixed blade, about 7". Looked like a small dagger. He then pulled out a pen knife. "This is what I use." When he died that knife became mine. I have used on dozens of deer and antelope since then. I like it because there is much less chance of cutting things I don't want to (like my fingers) when I'm reaching up an animal's neck to cut the trachia and esophagus. I have bought small folding knives like that for my nephews and sons to use as well. I particularly like the ones made by Gerber and Buck that are stainless steel with plastic handles because I can run them through the dishwasher. For skinning I like to use larger-bladed knives, but not for field dressing. | |||
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After a few hundred deer, antelope and elk I have three knives that work FOR ME. I have a folder from Cabela's that is made by Buck, 3" blade and saw/ gut hook, the skeletonized handle is easy to clean the blood and gack out of. I've done elk with it no problem. IF I were to carry just one knife I could easily get buy with this one. I also have a Buck 120 "General" with a 7.25" blade, works great for quartering and cutting out the arse end of anything under the pelvic bone. Not for fine work but works great for skinning elk quarters in the field, fast but not accurate. For skinning I've got a little 3" Browning knife that was a premium from RMEF one year, has a finger hole in the blade and a nice handle, wonderful for field skinning a head etc. For big animals it's also nice to have a good ax. I've got a ax with saw in handle from Gerber that works great, not so much on animals as on the brush. I hunt elk in black timber and well, sometimes they die in really nasty places where you need to clear out some bush to work on them. I gave my PH in Namibia a box of Green River skinners for his crew, the 5" curved blades were a huge hit with the skinning crew. They still used 3 to 4 inch kitchen paring knives to open and gut the animals. Hey, they probably have the best idea, after all they do hundreds of animals per year. You need to find "your perfect knife" of combination of knives. The only way to do that is to kill and gut a whole bunch of critters with several different styles and lengths of knives, tough assignment, but it's the only way. | |||
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I have used every design knife blade you can imagine over the years. I had an Aleut Brown Bear guide draw a blade on a brown paper sack and had a custom builder make the ideal skinning knife for the big bruin. I always take it with me regardless of my hunt. I recently discovered the "Swingblade" by Outdoor Edge that in my opinion is the perfect design for the larger animals such as Elk. I had trouble with the thick skin and hair on Elk fauling up the gut hook on even larger blades. The Slingblade gut hook end is ideal for those bigger animal jobs, then just swing the other end for the skinning. The knife is cheap and is all I need. Hope to use it next week in Colorado. Good shooting. phurley | |||
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 Field dressing doesn't take a whole lot of knife. I've used this one to dress a couple of deer. In a pinch, I bet I could even skin one and debone the meat with it too. | |||
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I agree substantially with this reply. It is a personal matter. Your knife will work fine. If you are cutting away on an animal and feel like this custom knife is kinda big . . . well, that's when you pull out your other knife with a shorter blade, such as a Buck 110 folding knife which I think you mentioned. I have a Jim Zumbo RMEF edition Schrade knife that I like. It looks like a serious knife. It has a 6" blade. I find this blade is a bit too long for handy work inside the elk chest cavity, so I use a different knife with a blade more likely about 4" long. Frankly, it is a bit too long for handy work OUTSIDE the elk also, like in working around the back bone, down onto the ribs, to cut a backstrap loose. This isn't the fault of the knife. As I say, I like it. You sure want to have more than one knife to hand when you are working on an elk, and this knife fulfills that role. The preferred knife can break or rather than sharpening the preferred knife when it dulls hacking away on tough elk hair and hide you may switch to the other knife. Have more than one knife and use the one you like. There isn't any perfect knife, I don't imagine. There is probably some work where the longer blade is preferrable to the shorter knife. I wanted to mention that I like the Wyoming Saw for cutting stuff like skull caps and heavy elk legs off. It takes a considerable amount of sawing to get through the skull cap of an elk. When I do this I'm glad to have the ample size and handy handle of the Wyoming Saw at my disposal. I use the smaller blade version of this saw (12" versus about 18" for the longer version). It is one of the most useful gadgets I have bought in all my years of hunting. | |||
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Although it's a bit big, the Cold Steel Master Hunter is a hell of a good blade. Awesome steel that holds a great edge, and heavy enough if you want to split the pelvis (I don't usually). I've never had a problem cuttting around the poop shoot on whitetail with it, even though it's a little big for the task. The only problem I see with your knife pictured is if that top edge is sharp rather than a false edge. I wouldn't want that back blade sharp for opening up the gut cavity. Shoot straight, shoot often. Matt | |||
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What do folks think of this one? It is a Bill Bagwell carbon steel skinner with about a 3-1/2 inch blade. <img src="http://i1131.photobucket.com/albums/m545/nrsolberg/Bagwellskinner2010-12-02.png" border="0" alt="Bagwell skinner"> I am embarrassed to say how little I paid for it on eBay last year. I guess most Bagwell buyers want the big bowies. Norman Solberg International lawyer back in the US after 25 years and, having met a few of the bad guys and governments here and around the world, now focusing on private trusts that protect wealth from them. NRA Life Member for 50 years, NRA Endowment Member from 2014, NRA Patron from 2016. | |||
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This SOG does it all.....gut, then saw sternum and pelvis open......makes the anus a non-issue.  | |||
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Well this does a wonderful job for gralloching/gutting: Fallkniven WM1 (6.9in OAL, 2.8in blade)  I have a cheaper larder/boning knife (e.g Mora) and pull saw for dressing the carcass. Trophy preparation is a whole other story... | |||
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