I can tell by your avatar that "your mother was a hamster and your father smelled of elder berries " !
Hunting & Fishing What is your go to knife in the field?
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I can tell by your avatar that "your mother was a hamster and your father smelled of elder berries " !
Personally I would never spend more than $100 for a field knife, they are so easy to put down and loose while dressing/quartering an animal.
I carry the Benchmade Hidden Canyon hunter on the belt, nice and small, use it for skinning/ gutting everything from game to hogs and cattle on butcher day. Holds a great edge, and due to size is easy to maneuver inside body cavities. plus a 6" filet knife in the pack for quartering and deboning as required.
I made this knife from scissors steel.
The second knife was made from a file.
The third knife, was made by a guy in a dirty night shirt.
The second knife was made from a file.
The third knife, was made by a guy in a dirty night shirt.
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I received a custom knife from Bloodroot Blades as a gift for my 40th. Pick your style/shape/size, steel and handle. Great craftsmanship. Awesome blade. And, I use it in the field. Not into having a knife that sits unused.
http://www.bloodrootblades.com/field/
http://www.bloodrootblades.com/field/
I have a bark river gunny that is a sweet knife. Easy to carry, great size blade. I also picked up 3 of these this week as gifts. Great reviews...And the price hasn't been this low in a long time. They usually go for $20
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009XDR0NK/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009XDR0NK/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Wayne Hendrix makes a very nice knife, especially with the desert ironwood handle. Look great and work very well.
I use a set of NWTF Save the Habitat knives. They are like the Outdoor Edge ones, but the grips are better and the blades are thicker metal. I keep a pull through sharpener in my pack to touch them up. I've got tons of different ones including the Knives of Alaska ones. For the money, there are better sets out there than the high dollar ones, plus I don't worry about losing them.
I used the Havalon for years, until i discovered the Outdoor Edge! It's slightly larger with a little heavier blade, still has the surgical sharpness and swappable blades. The problem I had with Havalon's was breaking blades in the joints on elk. I can process an entire elk with one Outdoor edge blade without having to worry about broken blades to cut my hands on.
I need one again. I had a Case as a kid. We were out picking elderberry's and I climbed up to pick more and it fell out of the sheath. I went back a month later and found it. It was all rusted. I had it with my stuff, but never knew exactly where it went.
I’m a cheap knife guy. I love the Mora and the SOG Field Pup - I carry a cheap folder (Gerber) for miscellaneous use and the fixed for field dressing and on animal work.
I’m a big fan of the bark river line up (their huge line up). I think if you can’t find one to your liking I their catalog of options it’s because you passed out in the middle.
But for the money my money is still in ESEE
Here is my ESEE 3 I just finished etching the logo
But for the money my money is still in ESEE
Here is my ESEE 3 I just finished etching the logo
Me too. While I have a few customs I really cannot justify the cost for carrying in the field, hacking, etc with the potential of loss. In fact I have become more interested in quality cheap knives than customs.
Yeah, though to be clear. I use my Moras for skinnng , gutting and cooking mostly, and my Gerber Strongarm or a Cold Steel for heavy work. Right tool for the job. However, being in sales for 40 years and a cheapskate I will never pay $100 plus for a tool based on its name unless there is no option in it's class or it is something my life depends on.
Kaybar old timers trapper knife, had it since the early 70's. It's been on every hunting trip I've been on. Lost it once, finished cleaning a grouse and left it sticking in the ground, didn't realize it until the next day, trekked miles back and there it was!
For a backcountry knife I carry an ESEE-3. They're carbon steel so you can use it for fire starting and it's robust enough for chopping and splitting wood. Sharp as hell! If you break the blade, they'll do you a solid by replacing it. They're an excellent company and knife. The only downfall is you have to keep them oiled because they're carbon.
I've also got a 4.
Xdeano
I've also got a 4.
Xdeano
I've used a Gerber Gator for 15 years for the same reason... Cheap, takes a good edge, easy to sharpen, stainless blade is really stainless, so blood, shit, piss, salt, guts, etc., won't stain it. Wash it out and air dry it, put it back in the sheath for the next one. I've skinned with it before even, though I do prefer a flexible blade as well.
I have some nice custom bushcraft knives, which I do carry in the field, but I wouldn't use them for gutting or skinning unless I had to...
I have a Buse and I look at it and ask myself...why? Waste of money. My favorite go to knife that I hand out to my friends like candy when they see me use it is an Opinel No6. I love simplicity and there is something about the knife I just like. I have not broken one yet but if I did I would not care and I would pick up another. They are so affordable I keep several around and give them as gifts when I feel like it.
