Best knife for game

[JonS]

I've got a few:
Knives of AK, Alpha Wolf, very hard steel, hard to sharpen in the field
Swiss Army Hunter, saw, blade, folder so messy to clean, love the saw to cut ribs to help with tenderloins and show new hunters where they are.
A little Mike Miller made knife, works great, dulls a little faster than I'd like.
Gerber razor/scalpel Havalon copy- too damn sharp and scares me in the backcountry a little bit, blade seems secure until you wiggle and depress the release button
Wyoming knife- gut hook, easy to sharpen/replace blades, light and functional, like a little bigger for deboning and skinning/quartering.
I'm thinking/trying to get one blade and played with a buddy's Benchmade Steep Country. Nice and light, good blade he says stays sharp through an elk.

Is there something else I should be looking at for the one that does it all?
What's the favorite to keep in a kill kit?

 

[Trr15]

I'm guessing you're going to get a lot of different answers. I go back and forth with the havalon and replaceable blades, but I always keep a Helle Orn fixed blade in my pack and have used it exclusively the past two seasons. Helle is a brand that doesn't get much recognition, but they make fantastic knives. Worth looking into.

 

[Huntin wv]

I have been interested in that KOA aloha wolf. Which steel is your blade made of? Maybe it’s not what I need if it’s that hard to sharpen. How is the edge retention?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Ralphie]

I love the havalon. I’m really good at dulling and super bad at sharpening. They are scary sharp which I love. I did cut my thumb to the bone one time though caping an elk. The thumb of my glove was solid red before I made it back to camp.

 

[EasilyExcited]

The halfface blades skinner is an awesome design. Expensive but worth every penny

 

[JonS]

I have been interested in that KOA aloha wolf. Which steel is your blade made of? Maybe it’s not what I need if it’s that hard to sharpen. How is the edge retention?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Pretty sure mine is D2 tool steel. Pretty good edge retention, just hard steel so when dull, hard to sharpen.
I'll check out the Helle, don't know much. The reviews I've heard on the Benchmade are pretty solid.

 

[coloyooper]

Havalon is tough to beat just due to cutting time down on sharpening, etc. sure it’s nice to have a solid blade but man those replaceables are sweet.

 

[Marble]

Everyone in my group carries a havalon, a knife with around a 5 inch blade and a pocket knife.

I change it slightly by carrying a two blade lockable folder by Tree.

 

[Blakelok]

I vote Morakniv Companion. Sturdy, inexpensive, lightweight, easy to sharpen.

I just picked up a Benchmade Hidden Canyon on sale at a huge discount, wanted one for years. Great for quartering a whitetail - I don’t think I would want to process something the size of an elk with it though. Blade is too short.

 

[PNWGATOR]

Victorinox paring knife.

Seriously. Inexpensive. Holds a great edge. Nimble.

 

[Super Duty Dad]

I really like my Tyto with replaceable blades. I still carry a fixed blade for backup, but so far no problems at all. Love the fact that you just pop a new blade on and you are back in business.

 

[Jesse Jaymes]

The halfface blades skinner is an awesome design. Expensive but worth every penny

Just got a Half Face from Mrs.....like a STOOOOPID expensive one. I've never seen anything close to a Skinner pattern. Have a name/model?

 

[Dinger]

I've got, had or used a lot of hunting knives....but when something hits the deck that needs to get in a freezer, then this is what I use almost exclusively. The sheath is heat shaped 1" ag pipe and the cheap carabiner means it's easy to clip to a belt loop, no need to un-belt to wear. The knife is always clipped to the exterior of my pack. The sheath is easy to use one handed so the knife is always stowed safe and clean when not needed during processing.

Doesn't have the cool factor of my other hunting knives but a 5" or 6" boning knife is a workhorse at getting skin off and meat into game bags. The only cheaper knives I have than these are my Mora's.

 

[Mountainman3]

I prolly have 45 knives. From $400 customs to $15 mora. The knife I go to for just about every skinning situation is the outdoor edge swing blade. The gut hook is by far the best I’ve ever used. I use the push style gut hook to cut the perimeter of the hide off the animal. Hard to put in to words but I end up peeling the hide off kinda like eating a banana. It’s easy to sharpen and I’ve completely skinned and deboned two deer before having to resharpen. You can find them for around $50.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Wapiti1]

The newer "supersteel" knives and the old D2 really need diamond stones to sharpen properly. But once sharp, they stay sharp a very long time. I have one in ZPD-189 and one in S90V and they will do multiple animals without doing more than a quick touch up every two or three. My go to is the Spydeco Stretch ZPD-189.

420, 440, VG-10 all sharpen easy, but dull faster. That said, I can get through two elk with a good 440C knife before sharpening it again. I have an old Kershaw 440C that I've been using for 30 years. Still a great knife.

If you don't like to sharpen, go replaceable blade, and I recommend the Havalon Titan, so you have a heavy general use blade along with the scalpel blade. Great combo for camping.

Learning not to cut against bone, and hair is probably more important than which knife you use.

Just my thoughts.

Jeremy

 

[justin davis]

For hunting I really like the Ironwill K1 knife. Super light at only 1 oz. But it’s a fixed blade and won’t brake like a havlon blade. Holds an edge well and works awesome.

 

[robtattoo]

That little, pink, Victorinox paring knife has been a revelation for me. I broke down 2 cow elk with it this year. I carry a tiny ceramic stick & literally give it a couple of licks, per critter.
Best $6 I've spent in ages & I much prefer it to the $100+ Tyto above it.

 

[Buzby]

Mora and victorinox are my go to. Lightweight, cheap, hold an edge, and easy to sharpen. I have way more expensive knives that don’t get used. Most are heavy and hard to sharpen. You can get a mora for $15. I don’t know of anyone who has regretted buying one. There’s no reason not to give them a try.

 

[npellegrene]

Good question, thanks for sharing.

 

[EasilyExcited]

Just got a Half Face from Mrs.....like a STOOOOPID expensive one. I've never seen anything close to a Skinner pattern. Have a name/model?

He doesnt have any listed on the website right now but these 2 in Damascus put in some serious work this year