Bring sharpener for fixed blade or ditch it for a Havalon?

[hiker270]

I carry a fixed blade and a DMT Diamond sharpener along with a Havalon. Like the Havalon but have snapped blades off while quartering elk out. Have found out changing a blade while your hands and knife are bloody and slippery can be a chore.

 

[Hnthrdr]

Take both, a havalon with extra blades and a fixed iron will or islee izuza and a sharpener. All in maybe just a few extra oz but I like having both. MD I can usually get through a whole buck with 1 havalon blade fixed blade for getting into joints/ cutting the head off

 

[Jethro]

I would have a sharpener at the truck, but not carry it with me. I like 2 knives. Benchmade folder clipped in pocket and Havalon Barracuda in kill kit. Benchmade makes the hide cuts, Havalon the rest.

 

[idelkslayer]

A well sharpened knife will get you through an elk without needing to sharpen the blade. You should get through a deer just fine. As long as you aren't constantly cutting across bone the edge should last. I carry a pocket knife in addition to my fixed blade, I use the pocket knife to pop the knee joints and separate the skull. Doing so keeps the fixed blade from getting dinged up. If for some reason I don't have a pocket knife, I just save all the knee joints and bone work for the end. That way my blade stays sharp for the majority of the work.

I bring a sharpener if there is potential to be working through multiple animals over the course of a week long hunt.

 

[hibernation]

For elk, I like having two fixed blade knives. One for skinning and a second for quartering/boning. Keeps the knife that contacts meat cleaner and sharper, and neither knife weighs very much. The cheapest combo I've found for this is a mora and a small fillet knife. Hunting with a partner, we each just bring one knife and then no one needs to sharpen.

For deer, I've never felt the need to sharpen during, even with a mora. But you could do the same, keep your mora for the skinning and general work and carry a cheap lightweight, maybe even folding, fillet knife for the quartering and detail work. Basically a flexible boning knife, more similar to what you'd use in a butcher shop than a havalon / scalpel type anyway.

 

[Hnthrdr]

That work sharp field sharpener weighs about a oz, not sure why you wouldn’t bring it?

 

[Maverick1]

For deer, I've never felt the need to sharpen during, even with a mora. But you could do the same, keep your mora for the skinning and general work and carry a cheap lightweight, maybe even folding, fillet knife for the quartering and detail work. Basically a flexible boning knife, more similar to what you'd use in a butcher shop than a havalon / scalpel type anyway.

For deer, just shoot a fawn and pull really hard. The hide, hind quarters, and front shoulders just pop right off!

 

[SirFellowShrimp]

For folks who are saying they get through a whole animal without sharpening their fixed blade, are they talking about quartering or boning out? There's gonna be a dozen miles and at least one mountain pass between me the truck. Thanks y'all

 

[Hnthrdr]

Sounds like quite the packout. For MD, you will save a little weight boning out, not like an elk. My biggest MD quartered, with bones in and extra meat were 100&110 lbs hanging, that was minus skull

 

[yak]

Havalon only has worked great for me. I don't have any issues with the blades breaking. My guess is my style of breaking down critters is a little more finesse than others. I can honestly say over the years I've broken down 30+ big game animals with the gutless method and have only broken a couple of blades. I typically change the blade halfway through an elk using a micra leatherman which I carry in my bino harness anyways for other purposes.

Sharp and light. Just make sure to carry out your spent blades and take your time to cut the tendons in the joints rather than using your knife to pry. Havalon gets the job done for me.

 

[mxgsfmdpx]

Honestly packing that far in, I’m bringing a backup knife. Tyto with replaceable blades in the kill kit and then your fixed blade and you’ll be dialed in.

 

[hibernation]

For folks who are saying they get through a whole animal without sharpening their fixed blade, are they talking about quartering or boning out? There's gonna be a dozen miles and at least one mountain pass between me the truck. Thanks y'all

Just quartering, that's a fair point. In that case, I'd consider either a second knife or a small sharpener. Just a honing rod should be enough to touch it up as you go, same as a butcher would be using.

I've used the mora on a lot of deer, it's really a great all-purpose blade but it can feel a little clumsy doing detail work like boning out. Something with a thinner, more flexible blade will make life a lot easier when you're deboning, and get you a cleaner end result with less meat left on the bone. Personally, I'd rather add the second knife over a sharpener, it won't be much difference in weight.

And damn dude, that's a long pack out.

 

[chasewild]

This is a good question, I actually still go back and forth on bringing my havlon even though I have a sharp hard steel fixed tyto. I never bring a sharpener though.

 

[TaperPin]

I have yet to kill an animal this tiny little 2” blade won’t easily skin without being sharpened. The 5” Forschner boning knife can easily bone an entire elk without needing sharpening.

I did go a number of years packing a sharpening diamond stick, but that’s not needed if the knife is sharp when leaving home.

 

[svivian]

Honestly packing that far in, I’m bringing a backup knife. Tyto with replaceable blades in the kill kit and then your fixed blade and you’ll be dialed in.

This would also be my approach

 

[butcherboy]

I actually hate a flexible knife for deboning. I prefer a stiff or a semi stiff knife. At work I use a 6” curved semi stiff victorinox knife, a 5”, a 8” breaking knife, and a 6” straight stiff knife for all trimming and deboning. Used a 5” curved semi in the field for many years. I made a sheath out of milk jugs and duct tape before anyone made a kydex sheath for one. Now I carry my one MKC knife for all skinning, quartering , and deboning. Also pack a small lightweight steel for touch up if needed. I do use it since I’m a butcher by trade and a “dull to me” knife drives me crazy!

 

[Dos Perros]

For folks who are saying they get through a whole animal without sharpening their fixed blade, are they talking about quartering or boning out? There's gonna be a dozen miles and at least one mountain pass between me the truck. Thanks y'all

I meant quartering for my WT doe.

 

[LongWayAround]

This is exactly what I was thinking. For one deer it doesn’t even take 30 minutes to have it ready to pack out. If you’re dulling a good quality and sharp fixed blade on one deer you are making mistakes.

He did say it will be his first time, so I assume there will be some inefficient cutting.

My opinion is the same though. Go in with one sharp knife and don't worry about it. Deer are small and easy. It's not like an elk caked in mud and pine sap.

The OP's lack of experience is all the more reason to avoid the havalon. If guys haven't used them, it's hard to appreciate how sharp they are.

 

[LongWayAround]

For folks who are saying they get through a whole animal without sharpening their fixed blade, are they talking about quartering or boning out? There's gonna be a dozen miles and at least one mountain pass between me the truck. Thanks y'all

Why are you going to go 12 miles in?

I'm not sharpening a knife to get through a deer, quarters or boned. If I'm using an outdoor edge, it's the same blade for the entire animal. Don't saw on bones and you're fine.

A lightweight sharpener is a better idea than walking twenty miles to shoot a deer.

 

[MatukaJoe]

Replacement blade knives are a hard no for me from the trash to the replacing while having cold or bloody hands to just carrying more shit. Fixie all the way. Get a high quality steel knife like SV35 or 45 or Elmax and you won't sharpen for multiple animals unless you are bushcrafting with it too. Use gutless method and if needed debone the meat as well. Hard to beat Argali carbon knife for its size shape weight etc. one of my personal faves is the Brissa Enzo Trapper in Elmax but knives are like cartridges everyone has their favorite and most everyone is going to big hah!
If you wanted to be super frugal a small cheap 4-5" boning knife and a pocket sharpener would get you the whole way.