"Hunting" knife vs fillet/boning knife

[mcseal2]

I used an Altitude like I would my other knives cleaning my moose skull. I wasn’t impressed with it for that task. I wasn’t careful enough with it against the bone, and it dulled quicker than expected. I learned I was better off with a different steel that was easier to sharpen and more frequent touch-ups.

 

[schwaf]

I used an Altitude like I would my other knives cleaning my moose skull. I wasn’t impressed with it for that task. I wasn’t careful enough with it against the bone, and it dulled quicker than expected. I learned I was better off with a different steel that was easier to sharpen and more frequent touch-ups.

Agreed. My experience with my 940-1 is that it loses a razor edge very quickly, loses a toothy finish quickly, and you're left with a smooth, semi-sharp "good enough I guess" edge for a long time. Until it chips, that is.

 

[TradArcher]

Buck had another run of the Kalinga not too long ago but I don't think it's released in a fancy steel this go around. Very nice knife though and has that curved belly.

 

[sierracharlie338]

If I was going to jump out of the box is the s90v worth the upgrade over s30v? looking at the benchmade steep country vs saddle mountain skinner

Imo no. S30v gives some of the best properties available in todays market. Cpm 3v is probably the toughest but s30v is no slouch. D2 is another of my favorites.

 

[Remington92]

What about something like the benchmade puukko? It’s a cpm3v

 

[mcseal2]

I wasn’t a huge fan of the benchmade pukko when I held one. I never used one though. It just didn’t feel the best for me. I like a little bit of a guard. Not enough to get in the way, but enough to feel when using the knife if that makes sense.

Factory knives I have and like in 3V are the Bradford 5.5 full flat grind (but I don’t like the sheaths), and Lt Wright Forest Trail in saber grind. It took me years to find the Forest Trail I wanted, but its a heck of a knife. I may like it more than my custom knife with more time using it. The Montana knife co Supercub looks good too if I needed another knife that size, its a bit lighter and available in several steels.

Nothing wrong with the D2 Dozier Pro Guide either I based my custom off of. It was my favorite game knife before I had my version built.

 

[BRTreedogs]

If the Bubba lucky lew folding filet came with out the partial serration id definitely try it.

 

[schwaf]

Assuming you're looking for options at Scheels, my personal pick would be the BM steep country, then Puukko or Leuku, then saddle mountain in s30v. I've extensively used the meatcrafter at my job as a butcher and loved that too. That said, I own and primarily use the Bark River ext-1 in 3v/cruwear/magnacut and it doesn't get much better than that for me as a general outdoors/hunting knife. My quest for a perfect do-it-all knife ended there. Honestly though, I could just use a Mora companion and it would do everything I need it to in the end. Steel/knife snobbery is just an expensive hobby, not a necessity.

 

[Remington92]

Back when I was in high school I met an old knife maker and asked him to make this one for me. Shame the bar stock was too thick and original edge angle too wide. I just found it in a drawer where it’s been for years. Decided to try reprofiling it to 17* took an hour and now the edge is better but still too wide and the Damascus still feels like it would be grabby.

 

[nephewjephew]

What about something like the benchmade puukko? It’s a cpm3v

I have a Bm Puukko for sale...

 

[SmotPoker]

I do all my in field processing with a rosewood handled Victorinox 5" curved boning knife. I have been exclusively using it for nearly 15 years. I use the knife to gut, skin and debone.

I have used many "hunting knives" which all performed well, but can't match the versatility of a small boning knife. (Buck 110, 119, Gerber, Bark River Knives, Grohmann #1, about a dozen folding knives from various manufacturers.

Just make sure to bring some sort of field sharpener to touch boning knives up, as they're generally softer metals and will need to be honed during the course of butchering an animal.

 

[crowlja]

It depends on what your doing in the field. Are you just gutting in the field and then skinning at the shop? Are you quartering and de-boning in the field? Are you just doing a deer? Or do you have an elk down?

I have the Steep Country and this is one of my go-to knives. A "traditional" hunting knife has a deeper belly that helps with skinning. The Steep Country also has the S30V steel that has pretty good edge retention and slices very well.

But if your just gutting in the field and taking a deer back to your shop to skin and do the rest of the work at home, think of a Havalon or an outdoor edge replaceable blade for field work and then you can use your boneing knives on the butchering block.

 

[roosiebull]

I'm thinking about changing up my knife game for the season. I currently run a gerber vital folder and small saw in my pack and a benchmade osborne 940 on my hip for field dressing. I usually have the opportunity to gut in field but haul out and then skin and debone in the shop later. At the shop I almost exclusively use differing size fillet or boning knives.

That being said I have a scheels gift card burning a hole in my pocket and was eyeing a benchmade steep country. Looks like nice size and everyone talks highly of. But I find myself going back to what I know and eyeing something along the lines of a 5-6" Victorinox curved boning knife.

My question is what do the traditional hunting knifes like the steep country provide or lose compared to a boning knife? When I first started hunting my dad always carried a serrated cutco long blade hunting knife and thats what I started on as well but that got old quick once I was on my own.

It sounds like you are not hell bent on buying a knife to hand down, you just want the most practical tool.

I have been all over the board on knives and own a pile, high end production knives, custom knives, and everything else trying to find the perfect combo

About 15 years ago I started using a havalon almost exclusively, but have bought several knives since trying to replace it, now use a tyto (same concept)

I hate sharpening in the middle of a critter, no way to get the blade clean usually, so you are fouling your sharpener with dried meat from the blade and generally fighting it, and unless you have a pretty elaborate sharpening system, you probably aren’t getting it back to super sharp (especially a hard steel like s90v)

For the weight of a worksharp guided field sharpener, you could carry another 2-3 knives. I have a BM altitude, and it will not stay sharp enough through a whole elk, so that’s why I keep going back to the tyto, no down time, always a sharp knife, I can get through an elk with 2 blades with a little strategy

I’m going to try one more knife, the day 6 dragonfly, it seems to address the issue I have with knives, but we’ll see. My knives in the field vs processing at home are vastly different, I like fillet/boning knives at home processing, but wouldn’t ever pack one for breaking critters down in the field

The only knife that I would consider as a primary field knife is my dalstrong shogun series paring knife, but I need a new handle put on, but the blade steel is by far my favorite for field use, it holds an edge really well, and takes an edge extremely well

 

[Jockc]

Particularly when elk hunting during the rut, I want to be able to break down an animal quickly, get those quarters cooling, and take as much meat off as possible. I carry a replaceable blade Outdoor Edge with an European “opener”. I have mixed feelings about the knife, but I love that opener to start skinning. It’s particularly good if legs have started to get cold. Then I use a Helle Polar—a small traditional Scandinavian knife with pretty good steel—to skin out the elk, which seems to be when my knives lose their edges to dirt. Then I use the OE (or a good regular but smaller knife) to take off the rear quarters. Then, unlike most here, I prefer a folding or short (~5”) fixed fillet to take off the front quarters and fillet the backstraps, the loins, the meat laying over the ribs, the flank meat, the brisket, and the neck. I don’t know why, but as I’ve aged I’ve come to really enjoy braised brisket and neck meat…and I know for a fact I can remove everything except the rear quarters faster and cleaner with a fillet knife. Everything except the OE has a wooden handle, which is light and far more comfortable in cold temperatures. If it is cold or bad weather is coming in, I substitute a traditional Finnish knife (a Roselli Hunter) in the event I have to baton wood or build a little shelter. The Roselli is still a light knife with its birch handle, which my son and I fight over if temps are single digits or colder, with very hard steel I prefer to sharpen at home. I’ll also throw in either a light drywall saw or a better Silky folding saw in those conditions. My older, beautiful, and excellent but heavy name and custom knives now only get used on easy hunts or floats.

 

[Jockc]

Like SmotPoker, though, I have considered just bringing a boning knife out with a small diamond sharpener for everything. I think it would work fine—though I don’t like skinning with a sharp, thin knife—but it wouldn’t be as fun.

 

[Wrench]

People tease me all the time about my knife choices. I've been using the same knife for at least 20 years and you couldn't convince me that anything is better for working dead elk and deer. This one's been in at least 50 elk now.

The steel is easy to work and edge retention is good enough to bone an elk without needing to touch it.

The blade locks into place and is longer than it looks. The saw will cap a skull and split any sternum should you wish.

The money maker is the blade that cuts the hide from below and doesn't leave hair behind.

This lives in my kill kit and a zero tolerance 452cf in my pocket.

Victorinox Hunter Lockblade Swiss Army Knife with Liner Lock at Swiss Knife Shop

The Hunter Swiss Army Knife by Victorinox was designed for the serious hunter and outdoor enthusiast. 12 functions, including a rounded, curved gutting blade and large locking blade. Add custom engraving to the Swiss Army Hunter at Swiss Knife Shop.

www.swissknifeshop.com

 

[Calicoastie]

I know late to the party. The 940 Osborne with s90v is the only one from Benchmade I personally recommend. The rest I've had don't hold an edge worth a damn.
I'd have to see what the other steels were I'm pretty sure one was s30v, can't remember the others.
It's been my daily career for 7 years, I might touch the edge up once a year.

Hunting? I run something similar to a lamb skinner, but custom with I want to say 1095 steel? Broke down 3 Moose the winter of 22/23 with it, before needing to touch up the blade.