How To Choose The Proper Style Of Knife For Each Specific Hunting Task

Am Shooting Journal ^ | 9/2016 | T Claycomb

[w1n1]

A knife is a tool, and you must choose the correct one for each specific job. While you can dig a hole with a spoon, a shovel works a lot better, and the same goes with knives.

Also, I don’t jump out of helicopters with a tactical knife clenched in my teeth to cut off the heads of the bad guys. I just like to hunt and fish, and gut, skin and cut up what I kill, so my advice comes from that perspective.

LET'S DISPEL A MYTH. Just because you skinned your first bear with a certain knife doesn’t automatically mean that it is the best skinning knife. In fact, it may not even be a good skinning knife. It just means that it has some sentimental value.

Hunters can justify carrying four different knives. These are: a clip point to cut the pattern (the initial cut when skinning), a drop-point knife to skin, a caping knife to skin around the eyes, ears and lips, as well as the feet of bears, and a boning knife to bone out your game.

Do I always carry all four? No. When I’m hunting hard in the mountains, I usually only carry two: a knife to skin my animal and a boning knife. I’ve skinned more than a hundred deer with a clip-point knife, because it’s a versatile choice. However, if you want to keep the hide or mount the head, it’s best if you use a drop point. Read the rest of the story here, what about you hunters out there, what blade do you carry on a hunt?

[JoeFromSidney]

I don't hunt, but I carry a Cold Stel Voyager folding knife for various purposes. It does everything I've needed

[onedoug]

I carry one for “various” purposes too.

[Candor7]

Boning knife for moose,deer,and bear,lubed with olive oil:

g

All purpose hunting knife, get one today:

( Russell Belt Knife)

[Oberon]

My perspective on knives... I depend on a single knife for all hunting-related tasks while I'm in the field. My particular choice is a Kershaw folder.

It's a folding lockback with a drop point, about four inches of blade, and a curved edge. No serrations, no tanto point. The grip is long enough that I can get my whole hand around it, made of textured synthetic material (Kydex, maybe?) for scales, and no finger grooves.

To my way of thinking, that's just what an all-around working knife looks like. Plenty of grip, not too much blade, drop point, and a belly in the smooth edge. This kind of knife, either in folding or fixed-blade trim, is my knife of choice for general use.

[M-cubed]

That Husky is WAY oversized!...lol....like using a Bowie knife to skin a rabbit.....I have a friend that uses a mini Echo that he bought new in 82....its always been treated with the finest virgin olive oil and only used on moose....the guy is like a Master Surgeon...

[Okieshooter]

I agree that you need the proper style of knife for a particular job, but IMHO these knifes are the best made bar none.

http://www.mccroskeyknives.com/

[Elderberry]

This is my skinning knife, The Havalon Piranta