does anyone only carry 1 knife for hunting

[PA-R]

One knife, work sharp field sharpener.

 

[Patriot2]

One folding Gerber knife. Holds a great edge, light and yet sturdy. I do not plan to cape anything or I'd probably bring one smaller knife just for that.

 

[ZAK13]

I usually carry 2, a Havalon and a fixed blade.

 

[Wanttohuntmore]

I carry a havalon almost 100% of the time. Sometimes a buck 110 with a diamond sharpener. Sometimes a morakniv with a diamond sharpener, all depends what pack I grab. I messed up in 2010 and switched packs, didn't transfer my knife over, and proceeded to kill a bull with my bow 2 miles downhill from my truck, right at dark. I went through my pack for about 15 minutes before I realized I had no knife, just a fake Kobalt multi tool. The blade reminds me of chrome plated plastic. So I got to work and boned out that bull in 2 hours with the dullest blade you can imagine. Only later did I realize I could have used a broadhead. I try now to keep at least one knife per pack, always.

 

[Tikka90]

Mora makes a lightweight fixed blade knife that works well

 

[Birddy]

I always carry a gerber vital with extra blades and then a fixed blade knife as well

 

[catsfan20]

MKC Speed Goat worked well on deer and pronghorn this past season.

 

[jhm2023]

On lightweight hunts I only carry a Havalon with maybe a dozen or so spare blades of various sizes. I'm not the kind of person that forgets or misplaces things and I'm pretty methodical with my pre-hunt gear prep/inventory, so it's never been an issue for me. Also my hunting partner carries a knife and I rarely solo hunt so there is a contingency just in case.

 

[7MMMAG]

How many do you need

 

[Centralcoastca]

I was really impressed with the outdoor edge swingblade using it on an elk and a couple deer this year. One blade could probably have done more than one animal but they’re cheap enough I started fresh for each one. I never cared for the two havalons I have, blade was just too small for me. I always have a couple extra blades in the pouch that I’ve never needed, but things happen and so they’re there. I also always have a pocket knife with a couple inch blade that is plenty sharp enough to break down an animal mostly for typical pocket knife stuff, but again things happen and I’ve been in unexpected situations where everyone is digging in their empty pockets for a knife they thought they had. Same goes for fire starters for me. A few extra ounces of redundancy can be a game changer.

 

[rcook10]

Only carry 1 but technically two with my multitool. Never had to use a second blade; if you buy once cry once you'd be shocked at how much a good blade will do. My m390 benchmade went through 5 deer and 1 elk last year with no sharpening as a torture test. Worked like a champ.

 

[TheGDog]

I never cared for the two havalons I have, blade was just too small for me.

I like the Outdoor Edge replaceable blade system. BUT... the scalpel blade on the Havalon makes cutting carefully around the anus, especially in smaller fur-bearer like Bobcat, much easier.

 

[CL406]

I will only carry a Norden Ascent knife with a small sharpener to start this year

 

[Lando]

I don't mean to brag, but I've went hunting without a knife more than once.

I made that mistake when I killed my first elk on a solo evening hunt after college, won't make that mistake again.

 

[mcr-85]

I killed a bull 2 years ago and only had a case trapper on my belt. I glassed him from camp and had to haul ass to get him killed. I left everything at camp except my bino harness and gun. I had him quartered and hung in the trees in about 45 minutes with that case pocket knife.

I have killed a few bucks and only had my pocket knife. I don't go anywhere without one.

Sent from my SM-G981V using Tapatalk

 

[RGARNER]

Benchmade Steep Country with a pocket sharpener

 

[TheGDog]

Question for those which have the Argali knives... would one of those Ultralight fixed blades be strong enough to be used for occasionally cutting off pokey branches, from like a scrub oak, when you're choosing to shove your sit back up partially into a bush when calling for predators?

A currently have a 1-knife solution that's a pretty good one... but that knife is a little bulkly in the thickness of it...so on long sits it starts to bug my thigh from the clothing, tightened up by being seated, pushing it into the muscle a lil bit.

So I figure find another knife that's thinner and lighter. But I want something I can deploy quickly if needed. I'd like to be able to either have it in my pocket all the time, or at least the possibility of maybe doing a neck-knife setup with it.

The other thought I had was have the Ultralight knife in the kill kit, then another lightweight folder for quick deploy or trimming away pokey branches.

What setup do you think YOU'd do given these parameters?

 

[TheGDog]

Just wanted to make a quick little post here. At work I recently passed a milestone in terms of years working there. So they were nice enough to kick me down with a gift-certificate. So I chose to use it toward acquiring an Argali "Carbon" knife.

Just rec'd it. I am quite impressed with this thing! After inspecting it in my hands a lil bit and so forth.. I grabbed that plastic-y bag they always shove things into these days to ship things out with.. and Wow... this blade cut thru that like a Hot Knife thru Butter! I wasn't even really putting any pressure onto the knife either!

Just for Spits and Giggles, and to compare/contrast the difference I reached for one of the other lesser-grade EDC knives I have to try doing it with one of them. It was embarrassing how bad that other blade was in comparison.

This thing is definitely going in my pack. I'll probably bring along the simple Havalon as well, just to have backup, but Man!... I can't get over how impressed I am at the difference this high-grade steel makes! I am soooo gonna end up getting myself an EDC folder made with similar steel.

 

[pemborsky]

just wanting to simplify and keep my weight down...I am wanting to leave the replaceable blade knife at home, and instead just rock a single knife, maybe a Mora or something else. along with a simple sharpener.


Does anyone do this? any horror stories of only having the 1 knife and it backfiring? I have always had 2 but only ever used 1.

Yep. The Havalon Talon has replaced my Mora Garberg, Silky Pocketboy and Buck Zipper Guthook, all for a fracrion of the weight and I never have to sharpen anything.

 

[SoloWilderness]

3) Benchmade folder in my pocket. Leatherman Skeletool in my bino harness pro pocket (with my emergency supplies), one thing I never take off is my bino harness. Used to carry a Havalon and love them, but I've broken too many blades, and cut myself too many times to be comfortable with them anymore, keep mine at home for trimming silverskin. Replaced the Havalon with the Gerber "Randy Newburg" multi blade that RMEF gave away a few years back. (it has a couple blades, so technically carry 5 knives ) Also a lightweight diamond flat stone. I've sharpened the Gerber blades multiple times, and done multiple elk with the same blades, holds up well and the blades are about as stout as the outdoorsman.