does anyone only carry 1 knife for hunting

[Idagnome]

The Havalon Barracuta has worked great for me on the last two elk. Usually carry 2 straight blades and a saw blade. The full size handle makes it secure when things get slippery. I work for a knife company that makes both pocket and fixed blades. I bring those knives as backup but they stay in the truck, except for photos.

 

[hickswr]

Unless you hunt naked, there’s no reason to carry only 1 knife.

 

[mtwarden]

^ agreed; with the lightweight knives available today (especially the Havalon types) makes sense to have two- just in case

 

[BarCO]

I carry a argali serac as my only hunting knife. I have a little bug out as edc, so technically 2.

 

[Capt Shann]

Only carry one blade on a day hunt. Multiple days i always carry at least 2. Ounces to pound to pain i know but regret is terrible.

 

[Trevor96]

1 in the pack, 1 on my belt and 1 or 2 in my pockets. I think I could cut back a little bit

 

[mcseal2]

I carry this Gerber with interchangeable blades. The saw blade comes in handy for cleaning up around the climber stand. I must have had this knife for 30 years. Keeps an awesome edge.

The only horror story I have is following a long night out when let’s say I was not in great shape the next day. I did not realize until after I shot a nice buck I had left the knife home. Well, after rummaging through my truck I made the most out of what I had. Certainly not ideal and I knicked my hands up good, but I got the job done. I do keep a second knife in my truck now.

I have one of those Gerber's too. It has replaced my Altitude as my second knife a lot of the time. I carry the Gerber in my pocket with the Utility or Hunter blade on it for normal use and keep a small pouch with the saw and the Hunter and/or gut hook blade in it. Great little knife.

I still love my ZT 452CF but I'm carrying it less hunting now. Around home the clip catches in the net wrap of my blinds I make from round bales. In AK I always have on rain pants with zippered pockets so the clip doesn't work well. Western Lower 48 hunts I'm carrying my fixed blade on my belt and may not have a second knife on me. If I do it's the Altitude in my pack's emergency kit. The Gerber or Altitude are both better caping knives than my 3V custom, but I almost always do Euro mounts anymore and am not worried about that.

My system isn't the lightest and I'm ok with that. I finally found someone to make me a 3V version of my Dozier Pro Guide. It has the same shape but is 3V steel and has a high saber grind and 90 degree spine. The kydex sheath holds a Exotac ferro rod that has a couple tinder tabs in the top. That, the Gerber, and my little ceramic rod are more than plenty to handle any animal I'll ever shoot.

16.6 ounces for everything in the pic.

 

[derekvieira]

An Argali is all I need. Were counting ounces here right? Pocket knife feels dull compared to Argali so left it behind. Boned out two elk with that one knife and probably could have done a third (if I had to) before sharpening.

 

[RockyMountainWest]

My buddy gutted out an entire cow elk a couple days ago with my folding benchmade and had no issues at all

 

[Tdonat]

I always have 3 knives with me when I’m out. One in the bono harness and two in the pack, plus a lightweight sharpener. Worth carrying the extra few ounces if you loose stuff like I do.

 

[Kimmo H]

My buddy gutted out an entire cow elk a couple days ago with my folding benchmade and had no issues at all

I've done this a few times aswell.
I always carry one blade with me when hunting. My Benchmade Grizzly Ridge has gutted and even cut up to pieces several moose.
I usually carry a fixed blade now when hunting moose, as the folders are so annoying to strip and clean after inevitably getting submergeded in blood when gutting, but they do get the job done when needed to.
Of course I prefer to have real knives for processing game further, but those I keep in my car, rather than with me out in the field.

For small game I usually take the Benchmade or a Civivi Elementum, wich is nice for its price. Folders are just nice to carry as they fit basically anywhere.

 

[Scoot]

One havalon and a few blades with me usually. No need for anything else for me.

 

[Coveyleader]

I used to use fillet knives, now a Havalon Baracuda, a few blades with it as you never know how many animals hit the dirt in one day. I can do a whole elk in minutes with one blade.

 

[crgchck]

Depending what I’m doing and or hunting depends on the knife.. whitetail day hunt packing meat out= filet knife “that’s right” makes super fast work of quartering a whitetail. Like 5min fast
Backpack/camping for multiple days= buck mesa..
as far as sharpening….. always.. 3m 600grit wet dry sand paper will sharpen anything to a razor edge in seconds if you have something round to wrap it around.. IE tent pole, arrow etc..

 

[rdb83]

I carry a least two. One replaceable blade and one regular blade. Just because sometimes you need the strength of a regular bladed knife. How much weight are we saving by only taking one?

 

[Fire_9]

My buddy gutted out an entire cow elk a couple days ago with my folding benchmade and had no issues at all

An entire gutout huh? That’s really taxing on a blade….

 

[crgchck]

I've done this a few times aswell.
I always carry one blade with me when hunting. My Benchmade Grizzly Ridge has gutted and even cut up to pieces several moose.
I usually carry a fixed blade now when hunting moose, as the folders are so annoying to strip and clean after inevitably getting submergeded in blood when gutting, but they do get the job done when needed to.
Of course I prefer to have real knives for processing game further, but those I keep in my car, rather than with me out in the field.

For small game I usually take the Benchmade or a Civivi Elementum, wich is nice for its price. Folders are just nice to carry as they fit basically anywhere.

So I’ve never understood “gutting” anything other than a black bear.. you don’t eat the gutts, the ribs of anything other than a black bear are not eaten, so why gutt… I primarily carry a cuda fillet Knife. I cape, cut front shoulders, hind quarters, back straps, and inner loins off without gutting and leave carcass for predators.. I put the cuda in an old leather sheath from a rapala fillet knife so I can wrap my wet paper around for sharpening and then as a strop.. I usually only have to do once during a cleaning of an elk or whitetail… bear is normally twice butt mostly to remove waxy fat. …. Why gutt if your not using the ribs or gutts.??

 

[bsnedeker]

Why gutt if your not using the ribs or gutts.??

So you can drag it out whole and hang the critter for aging and/or processing. I quarter most everything, but it sure is more pleasant to break an animal down when it's hanging in my barn vs. doing it on the ground in the dirt. If I'm close enough to the road I'll gut and drag vs quartering.... usually only happens with antelope and whitetail does.



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[Sccritterkiller]

I carry a pocket knife always everywhere including hunting, a bugout, last year I took one fixed blade knife on my elk hunt, Speedgoat, bugout never came out my pocket. I did the gutless method and caped the skull and it was still sharp, it was freshly sharpened before the hunt. Havlons work great for small game, waterfowl, and turkeys but I have broke too many blades on/in deer/elk/hogs to use it on big game anymore.

 

[crgchck]

So you can drag it out whole and hang the critter for aging and/or processing. I quarter most everything, but it sure is more pleasant to break an animal down when it's hanging in my barn vs. doing it on the ground in the dirt. If I'm close enough to the road I'll gut and drag vs quartering.... usually only happens with antelope and whitetail does.



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So you can drag it out whole and hang the critter for aging and/or processing. I quarter most everything, but it sure is more pleasant to break an animal down when it's hanging in my barn vs. doing it on the ground in the dirt. If I'm close enough to the road I'll gut and drag vs quartering.... usually only happens with antelope and whitetail does.



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so on a whitetail doe.. not saying this is right, I roll her over on her back Hide-on and remove both front shoulders then take my right foot and step on her left rear leg and remove right hind quarter, then remove left hind quarter, roll over on her legless body, now belly down, and split her hide down center of her back… I then remove both back straps and proceed to remove the inner loins from the topside of her ribs right at the spine… split both hinds between the bone and ligaments stick the hoof of each of front leg between the split of the rear and throw over shoulder…. Leaving hide on.. can age as is once home.. hide keeps dirt bugs and debris off.. once cured for 1-2 day , I then remove hide.. from quarters. It’s really easy and makes doing on ground for me is much more efficient than dragging all that other sh!t around.