Best knife for game

[Corey Paulsen (teamkabob)]

^^same here. Cutco DD and the havalon. That cutco is sweet!

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Looks like the Cutcos DD are out of stock

 

[alonsom10]

several of my friends use the replaceable blade knives. Either havalon, gerber or outdoor edge.

 

[PA Hunter]

I have allot of knives including handmade customs I usually end up using my outdoor edge replaceable 3.5 in for skinning and larger fixed outdoor edge replaceable for boning moose & elk. I just love popping a new blade in that is razor sharp whenever I need to.

 

[The Ri Guy]

This is good to know, why does this steel rust easily?

Preface: I'm in the valve and fitting business, not the knife making business, so some of this may not be cross-industry and my verbiage may be incorrect for the knife world.

I believe IW uses A2 tool steel for their knives (can't confirm, site won't load). A2 has a low amount of Chromium content (~5% chromium) whereas "stainless" steels require a minimum of 10.5% in order to passivate the surface and create the oxidized barrier/layer on the metal. So you typically get a tough blade with decent edge retention when using A2, at the cost of corrosion resistance.

In order to passivate you usually use a citric or nitric acid bath, both processes are nasty and are generally regulated by an ASME or equivalent standards body in order to label them as passivated. This may not hold true for the knife world, but if it does my guess is they went with A2 in order to avoid this costly (for a small startup) and dangerous step.

@OP -- Bark River 'Rising Wolf' in CPM S35VN alloy, sheep horn for the scales.

3.5" blade so it's very light and nimble, stout spine/tang for popping joints or sockets, sharpens easily, holds an edge for multiple animals, and the rams horn has phenomenal durability and grip. Highly recommend, although I think Bark River stopped making this knife several years ago.

 

[ldrathman]

Mora Companion is a cheap option that doesn't skimp on quality.

Have had my eye on the Esee Iszula. I like the minimalist design and the size seems perfect for field dressing. Anyone have any experience with it?

 

[Sethmac]

Benchmade Steep Country is what I’m currently carrying

 

[TheGDog]

View attachment 142567

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.

Hey Man... which Multi-Tool is that there? Never seen one like that.

 

[TheGDog]

I've used the Schrade Sharpfinger on a few whitetails and while its no Benchmade it still shaves hair after gutting and slicing through the rib cage of a 3 or 4 year old buck and a doe or two. The handle is comfortable to me and it takes a half decent plain edge knife to hack through a rib cage.
I plan on trying my exchangeable blade outdoor edge on the next animal I get.

I use those SharpFingers as steak knives at our dinner table! When I shattered my wrist... it was the only knife I could use to cut off pieces of steak which didn't require much of a hold with the hand holding the fork... which for me was the jacked-up one that was healing.

And they are actually pretty darn good for processing a Mule Deer. You will have to put it thru a little Smith's sharpener at least once before you finish deboning, but it does work surprisingly well. The shape makes you work very efficiently. And the sharp tip is helpful for getting into specific places to cut tough tendons off their attachment points.

They have one with a gut hook too. And they're both fairly light in weight. And most importantly... they make the sheaths RIGHT!!! They make them so that the belt goes thru at a level which holds the handle BELOW your packs hipbelt so it doesn't push on it and make it twist all weird and crooked while hiking!

 

[TheGDog]

Currently just bring this Havalon dual-blade folder with me. I like it a lot. The regular blade works DANG good! And rarely needs sharpening.

https://havalon.com/bone-collector-rebel-green

 

[robtattoo]

Hey Man... which Multi-Tool is that there? Never seen one like that.

I'm sorry, i honestly have no idea! I saw it at a yard sale for a buck 10 years ago. There's no markers name on it anywhere, but I swear it's Leatherman quality.
Let me do some googling.....

 

[robtattoo]

I found this online, but the link leads to something completely different. *shrugs*
I just googled 'micro multi plier' & scrolled through images until I found it!
Sorry man, that's the best I can tell you!
I will say though, it's probably the most use I've ever had out of a single dollar though!

 

[TheGDog]

Meh... Oh well... when I switched over to the dual-blade Havalon I ended up buying a micro pliers from leatherman

I was either the "Style PS" or "Style CS". I was carrying their Skeletool for pliers and Screwdriver and small game processing knife. But when I found that dual-blade one with the scalpel part too. I knew there was some weight savings I could make use of in there. But I still wanted at least some kinda needle nose cause ya never know when the cholla will want to give ya a hug.

 

[mtwarden]

^ I find a small multi-tool very handy (and safer!) for swapping blades out on the Havalons

 

[nagibson1]

If you're in camp, I really like a dexter 6" boning knife. Cheap knife that I don't feel bad when I use an electric sharpener on it. Gets sharp really quickly and makes nice precision cuts. Makes quick work of nights when you get a few deer in camp.

I got one. I really like it. It's hard to beat for the price.

 

[nagibson1]

From my experience to get the best it means going custom. Steel, heat treat and geometry are the three variables that need to be considered with how well and how long your blade cuts and a custom maker has more control over all three then a mass produced blade.
If you can’t sharpen a knife and aren’t willing to learn you might as well stick with replaceable blades.
If you can sharpen a blade poke around and find a custom maker that builds what your chasing.
I’ve owned a few dozen on my hunt for the best combination of utility, ergonomics and beauty and the best design for gutting, skinning and in a pinch deboning is this one in the middle. Originally I had it made in micarta as I didn’t expect to like it but it did everything perfectly. I’ve never used any design that was so perfectly suited to processing an animal.

So I had another built the way I wanted.

Dan makes a wonderful knife with an amazing heat treat and I’ve never lost the shaving edge on any animal. You can get one built with G10 or micarta scales for about $200 and it’ll be a pleasure to use for a lifetime.

There isn’t a factory blade on the market I would consider or recommend as I can’t think of any that can compare to a custom.

Would you mind telling me who the knife builder on this was?

 

[krimmie]

From my experience to get the best it means going custom. Steel, heat treat and geometry are the three variables that need to be considered with how well and how long your blade cuts and a custom maker has more control over all three then a mass produced blade.
If you can’t sharpen a knife and aren’t willing to learn you might as well stick with replaceable blades.
If you can sharpen a blade poke around and find a custom maker that builds what your chasing.
I’ve owned a few dozen on my hunt for the best combination of utility, ergonomics and beauty and the best design for gutting, skinning and in a pinch deboning is this one in the middle. Originally I had it made in micarta as I didn’t expect to like it but it did everything perfectly. I’ve never used any design that was so perfectly suited to processing an animal.

So I had another built the way I wanted.

Dan makes a wonderful knife with an amazing heat treat and I’ve never lost the shaving edge on any animal. You can get one built with G10 or micarta scales for about $200 and it’ll be a pleasure to use for a lifetime.

There isn’t a factory blade on the market I would consider or recommend as I can’t think of any that can compare to a custom.

Love the middle knife!

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[JonS]

Top two are this gentleman

Crotts Knives – Hand crafted knives in the Dozier tradition.

Bottom is a Dozier, google is your friend

 

[krimmie]

Here’s a couple customs made by Donald A Horn from Midwest City OK. Both are made from D2 steel ...I’ve had them for 20+ years.

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[lmeyer]

I really like the Benchmade saddle mounted Skinner. It stays sharp, has just a bit of heft for camp activities or going right through ribs and has a perfect shape blade (more specifically the tip) IMHO.

Also LOVE the buck packlite caper. If you like replaceable blade size this is awesome in a lightweight fixed blade that IMHO gives you much more capability. Also LOVE the blade shape.

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What steel is the caper? Looks like there's a few versions of it

 

[coiloil37]

Love the middle knife!

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So do I. Perfect design from my experience and is why I had it built the way I wanted.