Hunting knife needed

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lsboogy
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Re: Hunting knife needed

Post by lsboogy »

lsboogy wrote: Tue Oct 08, 2019 9:15 pm
old onion wrote: Tue Oct 08, 2019 1:12 pm How bout it? Any Chefs out there who are hunting guides ? Nope, didn't think so.
Onion- I'm not a guide, just have lived too long where field dressing became a matter of how fast, and I know a fair number of Montana and Alaska guides. I have a good selection of hunting knives (Benchmade, Reeve etc) and I still hold on to my Buck 119. I am just thinking back, and most of the guides I know still carry a Buck or a KaBar. A few carry custom stuff, but they all invariably have large (5" +) fixed blade knives. Maybe it's a thing, but I have had many days dressing out lots of deer, and I'll carry my 119 when I go hunting. I feel like many out there pooh pooh the thing, but I've done so many deer, some big elk, and a couple moose with it and I would never question its capability.
A sharp blade can field dress an animal in short time, carry what you like, but don't get on a high horse until you can dress out lots of carcass in a short time. I'm an amateur compared to some I know, but their blades are all the same - stainless, sharp, big and fully capable.
By the way Ken, those ar beautiful knives
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Re: Hunting knife needed

Post by Vouston »

Drewski wrote: Thu Oct 03, 2019 11:44 pm
Vouston wrote: Thu Oct 03, 2019 8:56 am Seeing this thread reminded me of you guys and all the love for Buck knives. I saw a line of Buck knives with S30V blades at cabelas just recently behind the glass in the knife and optic area. Meant to post this sooner here, didnt know that was even an option over 420, 440, or the 10xx variants. Was tempting to grab one as I dont own a buck but know they are quintessential, maybe wait here for a sale at the holidays. Cheers.
I've also seen the S30V Bucks at Cabela's. The guy behind the counter said he would prefer a convex grind like on a Benchmade to the hollow grind on a Buck. I've used custom hollow grind knives for skinning and not had an issue. Possibly the hollow grind would be more fragile around bones. This is just hearsay and thoughts, not saying that the Buck isn't a good choice.
These bark river knives are awesome, these drop points hunters remind me of the old classic marble knives. And that curly maple handle Drewski is suuuper sweeeeet!

Interesting, the cabelas guy might not be as careful? the hollow grind you definitely need to be more careful with, they are more fragile, right? Also wonder is the grind only as strong as the steel it is put to??? buck knife hollow on 420, 440, or 7Cr17mov going to be different than a buck hollow grind on S30V or if you could get S35VN , a2, d2, etc. Understand though for sure the benchmade can probably take a beating and just keep going without looking back with the convex grind, or at least that seems to be the reputation backing it.
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Re: Hunting knife needed

Post by Vouston »

lsboogy wrote: Tue Oct 08, 2019 10:31 am
Vouston wrote: Thu Oct 03, 2019 8:56 am Seeing this thread reminded me of you guys and all the love for Buck knives. I saw a line of Buck knives with S30V blades at cabelas just recently behind the glass in the knife and optic area. Meant to post this sooner here, didnt know that was even an option over 420, 440, or the 10xx variants. Was tempting to grab one as I dont own a buck but know they are quintessential, maybe wait here for a sale at the holidays. Cheers.
I'd like to hear from some guides on this thread. Or other hunters from areas where deer are a 5-10 a day thing, and elk and moose are not just thoughts. Having a mid sized animal to clean and dress is one thing, but large numbers of carcasses is another. Kind of the difference between a home cook making a meal for 2 and a pro chef making 250 meals every night. Anyone on this forum guide hunts? If you get a guided hunt as your guide what knife they carry.

I love high end knives for pocket and kitchen use, but a hunting knife is a utility tool for the field - more KaBar and Buck knives on the side of guides than anything else in my experience. I grew up with a buck 119 and it's still my choice, I have a KaBar from my time, and either will do the job every time. But I still prefer a horse to a 4 wheeler in the woods
Ok, definitely not a guide, far from it. However in the winter over wheat and summer over beans n can have 5 permits for deer in hand at any given time and fill at will. This has been part of the rabbit hole for me in sharpening, finding better knives, and better steel because the butcher table or tailgates end up having like 10 knives sitting on there. Switch easily to new blade if something goes dull, grab another knife. Have a local butcher supply store and talked to a few area butchers, they all love Victorinox. Watch the new butcher show that was on History channel, almsot all of them appeared to have a victorinox knife in hand. They seem to hold an edge ok, definitely can get screaming sharp but dont quite seem like anything to really write home about.

As for the field I agree that the "big box stores" go to ,do all knifes, come from bench made, kabar, and buck. Maybe throw spyderco in there to? My favorite currently being my good ole kabar. See a lot of Case knives also behind the glass but other than pocket edc how much are they used in field either. The other one, I dont have any friends or family using them but they're constantly touted on hunting shows in commercials and sponsorship is the Havalon. Just open a little package and wa la - new blade razor sharp again, like replacing a DE blade in an old gilette fat boy. Maybe popular with guides, until you run out of blades in your replacement pack deep in the woods or on a mountain, then you're in trouble.
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Re: Hunting knife needed

Post by jmcnelly85 »

I’m no guide but I learned with the 105 woodsman paired with a small pelvic saw, seems pretty split from the folks I know between smaller knives of varying quality (mostly bucks and benchmade) or the 119 special. Elevate the head on a hill, start low, work up, and it all comes in one swoop once the esophagus goes. I’m not an expert or as fast as my father in law (also uses a woodsman w/saw) but little knives are capable. Then again I’ve never had to do 5-10.
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Re: Hunting knife needed

Post by old onion »

lsboogy wrote: Tue Oct 08, 2019 9:15 pm
old onion wrote: Tue Oct 08, 2019 1:12 pm How bout it? Any Chefs out there who are hunting guides ? Nope, didn't think so.
Onion- I'm not a guide, just have lived too long where field dressing became a matter of how fast, and I know a fair number of Montana and Alaska guides. I have a good selection of hunting knives (Benchmade, Reeve etc) and I still hold on to my Buck 119. I am just thinking back, and most of the guides I know still carry a Buck or a KaBar. A few carry custom stuff, but they all invariably have large (5" +) fixed blade knives. Maybe it's a thing, but I have had many days dressing out lots of deer, and I'll carry my 119 when I go hunting. I feel like many out there pooh pooh the thing, but I've done so many deer, some big elk, and a couple moose with it and I would never question its capability.
A sharp blade can field dress an animal in short time, carry what you like, but don't get on a high horse until you can dress out lots of carcass in a short time. I'm an amateur compared to some I know, but their blades are all the same - stainless, sharp, big and fully capable.
Humm! I'm not on a high horse,way to old for that . It's unfortunate that I have been poor all my life and haven't had the money to do all the many things that you have had the opportunity to do in life such as all the hunting and gutting but that has nothing to do with the way I feel about the Buck 119. I still think it is a poor excuse of a hunting knife.Nothing you will or might want to say,will change that.Like you say," use what you want".
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lsboogy
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Re: Hunting knife needed

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No offense meant onion. I just lived in a place (Bozeman area in Montana) where hunting was different. We could get 7 deer tags a day for $1 each - they were considered varmints. Our group woul leacpve work at 4:45 and be on a hay pile at 4;50 with some coffee and our trusty 22's and wait till the herds cam in at dusk. Shoot me in the head at 40 yards and then have to field dress many deer to take to the local processes in short time. None of us were well off by urban standards, but we all had a pickup and guns - shot and field dressed hundreds of deer a year living out there - local food shelf staple. I just know too many folk who are in my shoes,with a big ol Buck on their hip - still my choice when I have to do a carcass with the sun going down
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Re: Hunting knife needed

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lsboogy wrote: Wed Oct 09, 2019 8:57 am No offense meant onion. I just lived in a place (Bozeman area in Montana) where hunting was different. We could get 7 deer tags a day for $1 each - they were considered varmints. Our group woul leacpve work at 4:45 and be on a hay pile at 4;50 with some coffee and our trusty 22's and wait till the herds cam in at dusk. Shoot me in the head at 40 yards and then have to field dress many deer to take to the local processes in short time. None of us were well off by urban standards, but we all had a pickup and guns - shot and field dressed hundreds of deer a year living out there - local food shelf staple. I just know too many folk who are in my shoes,with a big ol Buck on their hip - still my choice when I have to do a carcass with the sun going down
Sorry.I think I took your last post the wrong way.
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Re: Hunting knife needed

Post by Organic »

Clay Allison might be a good person to ask. He was a field guide before he started Wicked Edge.
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Re: Hunting knife needed

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old onion wrote: Tue Oct 08, 2019 9:32 am Here is the Bob Cat Hunter by Bark River with CPM154
How do you find the slightly smaller Bobcat vs the Classic Drop Point? Based on online specs, the blade is about a quarter inch shorter but the handle is about a half inch shorter. Blade is also thinner on the Bobcat. Any preferences? Noticeable differences with the different steels?
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Re: Hunting knife needed

Post by old onion »

Drewski wrote: Thu Jan 23, 2020 10:45 am
old onion wrote: Tue Oct 08, 2019 9:32 am Here is the Bob Cat Hunter by Bark River with CPM154
How do you find the slightly smaller Bobcat vs the Classic Drop Point? Based on online specs, the blade is about a quarter inch shorter but the handle is about a half inch shorter. Blade is also thinner on the Bobcat. Any preferences? Noticeable differences with the different steels?
six or one half dozen of the other. I gave both a try for the first5 time while field dressing my deer this past gun season and one could get used to either one he choses. Myself, I now have the Bob Cat as a permanent fixture in my field dressing pack and the Classic is in the drawer. I also gave my new L.T Wright Frontier Valley in 3V a go on my cousin's deer and that did a wonderful job also. It's small but it does wonders and is now a toss up between it and the Bob Cat. When I first got into deer hunting, I was happy with field dressing a deer with my Buck 110 and could never get into any bigger knives for just field dressing. I guess it is all what you like to use as any knife can work for field dressing. When I reach up and inside the deer to cut the wind pipe, I like to know where my blade edge is in relation to my fingers. The shorter blade allows me to place my index finger closer to the point for control and I know where my fingers are. Some hunters do things differently so you need to figure out how you want to do it and be comfortable.
Hope this helps.
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Re: Hunting knife needed

Post by Drewski »

old onion wrote: Fri Jan 24, 2020 9:37 am
Drewski wrote: Thu Jan 23, 2020 10:45 am
old onion wrote: Tue Oct 08, 2019 9:32 am Here is the Bob Cat Hunter by Bark River with CPM154
How do you find the slightly smaller Bobcat vs the Classic Drop Point? Based on online specs, the blade is about a quarter inch shorter but the handle is about a half inch shorter. Blade is also thinner on the Bobcat. Any preferences? Noticeable differences with the different steels?
six or one half dozen of the other. I gave both a try for the first5 time while field dressing my deer this past gun season and one could get used to either one he choses. Myself, I now have the Bob Cat as a permanent fixture in my field dressing pack and the Classic is in the drawer. I also gave my new L.T Wright Frontier Valley in 3V a go on my cousin's deer and that did a wonderful job also. It's small but it does wonders and is now a toss up between it and the Bob Cat. When I first got into deer hunting, I was happy with field dressing a deer with my Buck 110 and could never get into any bigger knives for just field dressing. I guess it is all what you like to use as any knife can work for field dressing. When I reach up and inside the deer to cut the wind pipe, I like to know where my blade edge is in relation to my fingers. The shorter blade allows me to place my index finger closer to the point for control and I know where my fingers are. Some hunters do things differently so you need to figure out how you want to do it and be comfortable.
Hope this helps.
Very helpful, thanks. You didn't find the handle on the Bobcat too small?
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Re: Hunting knife needed

Post by old onion »

Drewski wrote: Fri Jan 24, 2020 11:01 am
old onion wrote: Fri Jan 24, 2020 9:37 am
Drewski wrote: Thu Jan 23, 2020 10:45 am

How do you find the slightly smaller Bobcat vs the Classic Drop Point? Based on online specs, the blade is about a quarter inch shorter but the handle is about a half inch shorter. Blade is also thinner on the Bobcat. Any preferences? Noticeable differences with the different steels?
six or one half dozen of the other. I gave both a try for the first5 time while field dressing my deer this past gun season and one could get used to either one he choses. Myself, I now have the Bob Cat as a permanent fixture in my field dressing pack and the Classic is in the drawer. I also gave my new L.T Wright Frontier Valley in 3V a go on my cousin's deer and that did a wonderful job also. It's small but it does wonders and is now a toss up between it and the Bob Cat. When I first got into deer hunting, I was happy with field dressing a deer with my Buck 110 and could never get into any bigger knives for just field dressing. I guess it is all what you like to use as any knife can work for field dressing. When I reach up and inside the deer to cut the wind pipe, I like to know where my blade edge is in relation to my fingers. The shorter blade allows me to place my index finger closer to the point for control and I know where my fingers are. Some hunters do things differently so you need to figure out how you want to do it and be comfortable.
Hope this helps.
Very helpful, thanks. You didn't find the handle on the Bobcat too small?
No , not at all . I wear XL gloves. The L.T.Wright Frontier Valley's handle is a bit smaller too and I didn't have any trouble using that knife either. It really is a matter of personal preference. Some like to feel a lot of handle in their hand for the feeling of extra control but I found the small handles on my knives feel just fine.I like a deep finger choil or a blade guard for a more confident feel if using a small blade and short / smaller handle and the Frontier Valley and the Bark River's offer one or the other.
If I can,I'll try to post pictures of both in a following post.
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Re: Hunting knife needed

Post by old onion »

Drewski,
Top is the Classic with a 3-5/8"blade,middle is the Bob Bat Hunter with a 3-1/2" blade and the bottom is the Frontier Valley with a 3 inch blade. Notice the handle size in comparison to each other. All seem just fine to me but I gravitate to the shorter blades for the control that I prefer.Like I said before.It really is a matter of preference.Enjoy.
IMG_0821 (2).JPG
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Re: Hunting knife needed

Post by Drewski »

old onion wrote: Fri Jan 24, 2020 11:40 am Drewski,
Top is the Classic with a 3-5/8"blade,middle is the Bob Bat Hunter with a 3-1/2" blade and the bottom is the Frontier Valley with a 3 inch blade. Notice the handle size in comparison to each other. All seem just fine to me but I gravitate to the shorter blades for the control that I prefer.Like I said before.It really is a matter of preference.Enjoy.
Cheers!
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Re: Hunting knife needed

Post by old onion »

Drewski wrote: Fri Jan 24, 2020 11:58 am
old onion wrote: Fri Jan 24, 2020 11:40 am Drewski,
Top is the Classic with a 3-5/8"blade,middle is the Bob Bat Hunter with a 3-1/2" blade and the bottom is the Frontier Valley with a 3 inch blade. Notice the handle size in comparison to each other. All seem just fine to me but I gravitate to the shorter blades for the control that I prefer.Like I said before.It really is a matter of preference.Enjoy.
Cheers!
LOL, I re read my post. I am laughing at my typing of the Bob " Bat" Hunter. My fingers and brain aren't working together very well today.
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Re: Hunting knife needed

Post by taz575 »

Classic Utility Caper from BRK is an awesome blade, too. Shorter blade with a full size handle on it.
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