Butchering knives - what do you use.

[Catchfish]

I used a victorinox sheep skinner this year to gut and skin 3 moose this year and I didn’t sharpen it a bit. I always use victorinox fillet knives for halibut and salmon normally 8”. A couple years ago a friend moved and he gave me all his bait knives from his boat and I cleaned the rust off and now have 5 victorinox boning knives that are excellent.

 

[Stuie88]

I used a victorinox sheep skinner this year to gut and skin 3 moose this year and I didn’t sharpen it a bit. I always use victorinox fillet knives for halibut and salmon normally 8”. A couple years ago a friend moved and he gave me all his bait knives from his boat and I cleaned the rust off and now have 5 victorinox boning knives that are excellent.

Did you like the shape of the sheep Skinner? I thought I would love it but I went back to a curved boning knife, the sheep Skinner wasn't my favourite


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[Catchfish]

I really did like the shape I was skeptical because it is wide and not any sort of a point on it, but I didn’t have a problem poking holes in a moose hide to make handles. I could see using it in smaller animals it might be to big to get in the hip sockets real easy.

 

[Catchfish]

Flagging isn’t in my kill kit specifically it is a part of my normal camping/hunting pack

 

[Wilderlife]

I've used a stack over the last few years - F Dick, Victorinox, Dexter, etc. I like the Dexters the most; especially the carbon steel ones. I like sharpening them more.

Just in the last 12 months I've probably processed over 50 deer at home. I use lots of different knives to experiment and see what I like. In my experience, being able to sharpen a knife well and maintain that edge on a steel throughout the process is more important than what the knife is.

 

[Hackleback]

bought 6 boning 6” Vick’s from Amazon for $7 a few years back for processing. Dad bought 3. Wife stole one for the kitchen and I’ve hidden the other two. I have since bought a fillet knife, skinner, couple pairing knives, and 10” breaker great value for the knife you get. The boning get the hardest use of any of my knives View attachment 148255

A curved boning knife like this will do most anything you need to process game. I like the 8 or 9" curved boning knives a bit more. A larger knife is nice for getting the silver skin off the loins using a technique much like taking the skin off a fish filet. These commercial type knives are easy to take an edge, keep it, and touch it up.

 

[slatty]

Henckels boning knife with the yellow handle. Using it for years it’s great. Last month processed 5 pigs with just light touchups.
I just picked up a Vick’s 10” breaking knife. I freeze trim in bags then grind it when I can get to it. Needed something beefy for breaking up the large frozen chunks. Don’t have much experience with the breaking knife yet but excited to use it.

 

[EastMT]

I've also thought about carrying a 6'' boning knife for day hunts, but I don't like the profile for skinning, so that would have me carrying two knives.
I will say since switching to an OE replaceable blade knife my Havalon has never been used.

If you are interested in a hybrid knife, this one is great. It’s all my dad has carried for decades. It has the curved profile and more rounded tip of a skinner but narrower blade like a boning knife. It’s a great combo. It’s plenty strong to break through brisket, rib joints, and pelvis.

 

[Stuie88]

That's the sheep Skinner, it is a good knife but I went back to knibes with a point, usually an dexter russell curved boning knife. I thought I would love it, but it never clicked for me

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[Marshall18]

Did an upgrade last year from my outdoor edge game processing set.

I went heavy and built a nice set. Bought some wusthof knives and some victorinox. They all do fine but man, I butchered a whole whitetail with one of the 6” victorinox boning knives and it would still shave. Didn’t need another knife at all. These things are great.

i use Victorianox because it’s what we carry at the meat processing plant I work at so I get then about half off. In my opinion I like using the 5” boning knife vs the 6”.i feel like I have more control with the 5” and when your in the middle of nowhere at our deer lease the last thing you want is to cut yourself to the bone and be 3 hours from a hospital.

when I’m needing to stay mobile and cut something up in the field, I now use the replaceable blade folder from outdoor edge. Has an edge like a victorianox but can also carry in your pocket. I was going to buy a nice fixed blade knife because I wanted something tougher to pop the sockets with, but if you are boning an animal correctly with a sharp knife you really shouldn’t need to use your knife like a crow bar to pop a joint. I was hesistant at first but im now sold on the outdoor edge blade. Only downside is the waste from the blades, but I’m still on my first blade so hasn’t been a big issue.

 

[DBlack]

I use the victorinox have for over 25 years. We kill a beef an several hogs on top of six or seven deer a year so they see some use in a year an can not say anything bad about them. Have 8" breaking knives several skinning along with 6" boning and all take a edge well an hold an edge. I do prefer the the semi flex for close work.

 

[WyoBC_99]

Man the Victorinox are classics. Get a nice sharpener and these will last you forever. The knife and the sharpener stack up a bit like the rifle and the scope; it's no use having just one of quality.

 

[JLane330]

Several Dexter knives from the commercial restaurant store and a Buck folding fillet knife. The handles on the Dexter's are great and the blades stay really sharp. Not too expensive too.
My kitchen Henkel's...not great for butchering.

 

[DropTyne]

Great thread with good info! I have been researching knives.

 

[willidru]

What is the next level beyond victorinox? I won’t be due for another upgrade for a while but curious what else is out there.

I’m no expert, but Ive use the victronix flex and it’s great. For a “upgrade” I got gift and it was a shun classic 6” boning/fillet 6” and I really like it. Keeps a good edge and breaks down the animal very nicely. Very fancy looking too. I don’t know that I would have spent the extra money on it myself, but I’ve been using more than my victornix lately.

 

[winoschubert]

I’m no expert, but Ive use the victronix flex and it’s great. For a “upgrade” I got gift and it was a shun classic 6” boning/fillet 6” and I really like it. Keeps a good edge and breaks down the animal very nicely. Very fancy looking too. I don’t know that I would have spent the extra money on it myself, but I’ve been using more than my victornix lately.

My mother has a habit of buying me nice knives for Christmas, so I’m pretty setup. I also have a 6” Shun FileT/Boning Knife, and then I have a Miyabi 9” Chefs knife. I have a Wusthof 7” chefs knife too, it's very versatile but doesn’t hold an edge for very long, I have to rehone a lot.

 

[Wmmichael20]

You guys are way more dedicated than me on knife specifics, I've just been using my sharade fillet knife and buck 110 folder for the last 20 years ...hmmm who knew... maybe do some shopping after this Covid crap is over!

 

[butcherboy]

I use a 6” curved semi flex, 5” curved semi flex, and an 8” breaking knife everyday 5 days a week. In 30 years as a meat processor I like them the most and I’ve tried a lot of knives over the years. I also use the lamb skinner on the butcher floor as well as a 6” straight blade and a 6” or 8” beef skinner. These knives are all Victorinox. I carry the 5” in a sheath in my hunting pack and a really small steel. Also carry a curved pairing knife for caping. The pairing knife will also up the skin pretty quick and easy.

 

[Krieg Hetzen]

I went with a Shun Classic Boning Knife this year, got the others for the wife and wow, they are damn nice. We shall see if they can hold up to a whole moose or not.

 

[bjfoxhoven]

I butchered a whole whitetail with one of the 6” victorinox boning knives and it would still shave. Didn’t need another knife at all.

Man I noticed the same thing. Bought one and I use it for everything bow. By far the best knife I’ve had for processing deer. And I use it in the kitchen a lot too because it is way better than the other knives I have in my fairly expensive knife block.