Hunting Knives

RyanLBosley

I have an old Schrade hunting knife I used to field dress White Tail deer. But I need to replace an old Schrade hunting knife. Please suggest me the right hunting knife to replace.

Floridahunt

I suggest replacing the old Schrade hunting knife.

coolcow

I have 

Outdoor Edge RazorPro - Double Blade Folding Hunting Knife with Replaceable Razor Blade, Gutting Blade and Camo Nylon Sheath

The replaceable blades can be sharpened and reused for a long time. Nice knife. I had an Old Timer that required sharpenings during skinning/cleaning and this is good for the whole job. 

altuck

I use the one that is in my pocket.

hoggator

coolcow said:

I have 

Outdoor Edge RazorPro - Double Blade Folding Hunting Knife with Replaceable Razor Blade, Gutting Blade and Camo Nylon Sheath

The replaceable blades can be sharpened and reused for a long time. Nice knife. I had an Old Timer that required sharpenings during skinning/cleaning and this is good for the whole job. 

I went to the outdoor edge replaceable blade last year.   I love that thing.  It’s about $1/blade if you catch the right sale.  I did 4 hogs with one blade.  That’s about 25 cents/hog.  I am just not good at sharpening my knives & this thing has been my best hunting addition in quite some time.  I used to have 3-4 knives in the truck for cleaning.  I would usually go back & forth trying to find one sharp enough.  Not now.  I know it sounds lazy, but time is $.  

away

Try the new Schrade hunting knife.

Big Mak

Fortunately for me,  I learned how to sharpen a knife to a razors edge about 35 years ago on a swordfish boat. I have a 4 year old outdoor edge replaceable blade knife that is in my pack,  still unused today.

 I just can't seem to break away from my old Buck 110 pocket knife. I've cleaned up to 5 deer in a day without having to sharpen or fool with it. Last week I cleaned two hogs without having to sharpen it.  It's the best 22 year old gift I've ever received and it has probably cleaned over 50 deer and countless hogs, among all the other furred and feathered game we kill each season. It has been used hard along the way. I even broke the tip off while pulling it out of a wma cleaning station column while cleaning 4 hogs. A mill **** file subsequently turned it into a drop point from a clip point. I still can't seem to pry it from my hands. Even had a kid ask to use it when he kept breaking his outdoor edge blades on a hog he was cleaning. 

One thing you guys need to be careful about when cleaning deer and hogs is cutting into bone. That will dull a blade faster than scraping it on a seawall. I cannot stress that point enough. The longevity of your edge will directly correspond to how often you saw into a bone so take your time, even if you are in a hurry. Another thing to try is once you puncture the skin, cut from inside out rather than through the hair, in. 

If you get the proper edge to begin with, you shouldn't need more than a few strokes on a steel to keep it razor sharp through many many cleanings. I generally sharpen my knives with a diamond stone before the season and keep it honed with a steel a few times throughout the year. This works for me. 

Maybe one day I'll give my replaceable blade knife a try,  but it probably won't be any time soon. 

H20dad

Can’t find them anymore but the best knives I have are skalad pairing knife from ikea. Went for $1.49 each. Could cut up a whole deer easily before getting dull. Easy to resharpen and came with a plastic sheath. They were very light weight and have a good handle to grip with bloody hands. I would just buy one for every pack, bag or container I had related to camping or hunting. I abused them and now ikea USA doesn’t sell them anymore for some reason. Every other country ikea sells them. 

Big Mak. Were those hogs over a feeder?

Big Mak

No

altuck

Big Mak said:

Fortunately for me,  I learned how to sharpen a knife to a razors edge about 35 years ago on a swordfish boat. I have a 4 year old outdoor edge replaceable blade knife that is in my pack,  still unused today.

 I just can't seem to break away from my old Buck 110 pocket knife. I've cleaned up to 5 deer in a day without having to sharpen or fool with it. Last week I cleaned two hogs without having to sharpen it.  It's the best 22 year old gift I've ever received and it has probably cleaned over 50 deer and countless hogs, among all the other furred and feathered game we kill each season. It has been used hard along the way. I even broke the tip off while pulling it out of a wma cleaning station column while cleaning 4 hogs. A mill **** file subsequently turned it into a drop point from a clip point. I still can't seem to pry it from my hands. Even had a kid ask to use it when he kept breaking his outdoor edge blades on a hog he was cleaning. 

One thing you guys need to be careful about when cleaning deer and hogs is cutting into bone. That will dull a blade faster than scraping it on a seawall. I cannot stress that point enough. The longevity of your edge will directly correspond to how often you saw into a bone so take your time, even if you are in a hurry. Another thing to try is once you puncture the skin, cut from inside out rather than through the hair, in. 

If you get the proper edge to begin with, you shouldn't need more than a few strokes on a steel to keep it razor sharp through many many cleanings. I generally sharpen my knives with a diamond stone before the season and keep it honed with a steel a few times throughout the year. This works for me. 

Maybe one day I'll give my replaceable blade knife a try,  but it probably won't be any time soon. 

You nailed it right there. Too many people do not know enough about cutting up a deer/hog.
Cut meat and cartilage with your knife, use a saw for the bone.

H20dad

I’ve found I dull a knife cutting on the ligaments around the hip bone more than cutting through the ribs. But since the hip ball joints are the last major cuts before moving meat out of the field, no big deal. 

RobertR

I have two Gerber Gator folding knives with gut hooks. They have been used on a bunch of hogs and deer. I also use a cheap Mora Knife to cut out the Butt area.. Last year I bought a Outdoor Edge knife set that has a skinning knife and a boning knife, both worked perfectly. I have a Outdoor edge EDC pocket knife and have used it to skin a couple of hogs, it worked well. I have at least 16 skinning knives most are put away since I prefer the Gerber Gator..But the more I use the Boning knife to skin and quarter game the more I like it.. 

RobertR

RobertR

josh_scott84

I really wish I could remember what I learned regarding sharpening as a boy scout. To much has occur in the almost 30 years in between and I just draw a complete blank.

swampdog

I used a Talon replacement blade fillet knife a few months ago and it worked well. I was trying to keep fish fresh and when it began to dull, I just replaced the blade. 

For my other skinning needs I use a Buck 110 my brother gave me a long time ago. It’s tough and works. I will probably be replacing it soon as the blade is showing a lot of wear. 

Big Mak

RobertR said:

I have one of these too.  I've used it a couple times and like it allot. 

Crkr23

I've carried the same knife since about 1975, a Case 2 blade folding hunter.

bowhunter4life

Big Mak said:

RobertR said:

I have one of these too.  I've used it a couple times and like it allot. 

I have it in a fixed blade version and like it also. I use it for taking hams off ( ball joints) and cutting through cartilage…. My go to is my havalon, I’ve skinned, gutted and broken down entire animals with it. Small and sharp as a scalpel . The blades are a little on the weaker side, if you put much pressure on them they will snap. They are relatively cheap though. For skinning and gutting it’s really good!

RobertR

Big Mak, I had a Buck Lite 110 for many years..it had a OD green plastic handle. I carried it in my pack on many hunts till I miss placed it.. They still make them. The plastic was pretty tuff, had a bull dog chew on it and he did not destroy it..he did put some character marks on the handle..

RobertR

Josh, I roll my truck window down all but 4 inches.. I touch up knife blades all the time using the top of the window. The bottom ring of most ceramic coffee cups can be used if they are not glazed over, use the rough part..empty cup first before turning over...

josh_scott84

Thanks Robert. I'm familiar with the window edge but the coffee cup is certainly a new one. I can sharpen a knife fairly well. I have a piece of leather I run them over to polish them off at the end which helps too but I just can't seem to get them to that factory razor edge. 

WildMan

What Big Mak said.  I have a bunch of knives, but the Buck 110 is my go to.  Note that the older ones have much better steel than the cheaper ones sold in the box stores today.  They also make customs with various steel that are good as well.  My other go to is a Case mini trapper with a carbon steel blade.  Don't let the small size fool you as it can clean some critters if you keep the blade away from bone and cut the hide from inside out as Big Mak mentioned.  Only negative is no locking blade so you need to be mindful of that and you need to make sure to get some patina on the blade to keep from rusting.

I used to carry a replaceable blade knife in the pack just in case but haven't had to use it except for once cleaning a Sambar.  As far as sharpening, I switched to a WorkSharp Ken Onion with the blade grinding attachment and you can get any knife razor sharp in no time once you learn it.

Big Mak

Knives and cell phones are kinda like women.

I have to agree that the older models seem to have better steel. A couple guys who work for me went out and bought the 110s and they don't seem to hold an edge like my old stand by. 

Everyone on the dock brings their knife to me to sharpen and I've noticed that they are considerably more difficult to get a good edge on AFTER they've tried to sharpen em on their own.  I was going to say in my original post to never let another man sharpen your knife once you've figured it out. I think it's the slight variation in angles between individuals that seem to wreck havoc with a blade. Once you get the stroke right, stick with it, and don't let another man have a turn! 

BTW,  for you inexperienced and unwashed, cell phones like to be held and talked to,  but if you press the wrong button you'll find yourself cut off...

swampdog

I agree Mak (on the sharpening). 

I have knives I carry that are mostly as a cutting tool for woods rambling, and then I have my special ones razor ready for skinning and field dressing. I occasionally will carry a different one (my old Buck, Case, Randall) for skinning. I have my technique similar to the way you described and keep them sharp and ready. My uncle taught me how to sharpen a knife when I was about 8. He also gave me a carborundum whetstone I still use. 

Pinman

I have a Bucklite 426 that my Dad gave me some 40 years ago. Green plastic handle. Cleaned a gazillion ducks and a few Turkeys and Deer with it. 

H20dad

I’d honestly never heard of the window thing for sharpening a knife and since I’m rarely standing next to my truck when cutting up a deer, I’m not sure how helpful it would be, since the knife sharpener I use the most weights about 5 ounces and costs around $2 at ikea. 

Interestingly I saw a local YouTube hero discuss this on his show posted this week. Heck of a coincidence, but maybe he trolls Internet forums looking for ideas to discuss. 

davidewells4

Hello my name is David wells living in Atlanta. Please suggests me a  best knives for hunting.

gogittum

Back in the '60s, I was a carpet layer for 5 years and learned real fast how to put a quick, sharp edge on a knife and it's very simple.  I still have my old stone and use it regularly.

Look at the cutting edge and note the angle of the taper from the blade to the cutting edge.  Lay the blade flat across the stone, then tip the back up to where you're matching that angle on the stone.

Not quite straight across, I like to use a slight slicing motion back and forth.  Light pressure - hard pressure will curl the cutting edge. 

Stone is held rigid in one hand, knife rigid in the other.  Lock the wrists - no movement at all.  "ALL" movement is from the elbow.  The angle shouldn't change as you stroke the blade.

If you change angles or twist the blade as you stroke, you're buggered - you'll never get a sharp edge.

As you come around the curve toward the tip, pay attention - you need to increase the angle to compensate.  When satisfied, flip the knife and do the other side.  I usually  switch hands just for showoff.  Strop it on your jeans when done.

For a quick check of a blade, look at the cutting edge in the light.  If you see a shiny edge, the knife is dull.  A sharp edge comes to a razor point and doesn't reflect.

  

H20dad

davidewells4 said:

Hello my name is David wells living in Atlanta. Please suggests me a  best knives for hunting.

These from Walmart kick butt.