Preferred hunting knives (Read 3938 times)

Q

Preferred hunting knives
« on: July 16, 2018, 09:58:50 PM »
Assembling my gear while I prep and train for my first solo hog spot-and-stalk archery hunt, I'm on the subject of knives.

Plan on packing carbon mora and beef skinning knives for essentially all quartering, skinning and fleshing tasks, and a utility blade with either a safety or hook blade for initial hide cuts to save my blades.

Interested to know what others use.

bojanglez

Re: Preferred hunting knives
« Reply #1 on: July 16, 2018, 11:42:18 PM »
i mostly use havalons. they only suck for getting ribs off mouflon but other than that they are great for skinning just dont slice your finger off theyre sharp. running dogs and catching pigs i just  used a big bowie knife. i tried the outdoor edge replacement blade knife but their blades dull up quick,  the havalons are better

Shoboshi

Re: Preferred hunting knives
« Reply #2 on: July 17, 2018, 11:41:37 AM »
Victorinox 6 Inch Curved Fibrox Pro Boning Knife with Semi-stiff Blade
Victorinox Beef Skinning Blade Fibrox Pro Handle, 5", Black

Inexpensive, fits my large hands, and light in hand. Only bad part is that it comes with no sheath. I initially made a sheath by folding cardboard and duct tape. Later I made my own out of Kydex.

I have heard good things about Havalon, but I have found a few blades on the ground and in the grass over the past 3 years. Maybe it fell by accident, forgotten, or irresponsible hunters. Whatever the reason was, it has the potential to ruin another hunter’s day. Havalon works, but my brain is a spaceball and I probably would misplace the small blades and I like sharpening up my knives after. Feels good when you can put back a decent edge.

Q

Re: Preferred hunting knives
« Reply #3 on: July 17, 2018, 07:39:04 PM »
i mostly use havalons. they only suck for getting ribs off mouflon but other than that they are great for skinning just dont slice your finger off theyre sharp. running dogs and catching pigs i just  used a big bowie knife. i tried the outdoor edge replacement blade knife but their blades dull up quick,  the havalons are better

I don't plan on running dogs, but considered carrying my modded assegai or boar spear for charges and dispatch, should they not expire quickly. The mod allows me to quickly take down or assemble in seconds, prior to or after a shot.

Q

Re: Preferred hunting knives
« Reply #4 on: July 17, 2018, 07:42:19 PM »
Victorinox 6 Inch Curved Fibrox Pro Boning Knife with Semi-stiff Blade
Victorinox Beef Skinning Blade Fibrox Pro Handle, 5", Black

Inexpensive, fits my large hands, and light in hand. Only bad part is that it comes with no sheath. I initially made a sheath by folding cardboard and duct tape. Later I made my own out of Kydex.

I have heard good things about Havalon, but I have found a few blades on the ground and in the grass over the past 3 years. Maybe it fell by accident, forgotten, or irresponsible hunters. Whatever the reason was, it has the potential to ruin another hunter’s day. Havalon works, but my brain is a spaceball and I probably would misplace the small blades and I like sharpening up my knives after. Feels good when you can put back a decent edge.

That was the biggest negatives for me as well: no sheaths. How long did the cardboard sheaths last? Although I really liked the victorinox, I ended up going with a dexter. Still considering a good boning knife and if i should swap out the mora.

Shoboshi

Re: Preferred hunting knives
« Reply #5 on: July 17, 2018, 09:21:47 PM »
I carried the knives in a bag so they lasted For months. You can always wrap a bit of duct tape again if it wears. Kinda crude but it worked. I also used the fingers of an old baseball mit. But that added a lot more weight

Q

Re: Preferred hunting knives
« Reply #6 on: July 17, 2018, 09:55:32 PM »
I carried the knives in a bag so they lasted For months. You can always wrap a bit of duct tape again if it wears. Kinda crude but it worked. I also used the fingers of an old baseball mit. But that added a lot more weight

I went ahead and ordered a semi stiff boning knife. I'll keep the mora as a utility, and the boning and beef skinner as designated processing knives; thanks for the recommendation.

Its been a while,  but i think i can make a pvc sheath for these. At less than $30 for both knives ($10 boning,  $17 beef skinner), i think pvc is more than enough to protect them; no need to invest in kydex or deal with leather.

Im also a huge fan of accusharp sharpeners, and recently picked up their mountable modules. I mounted the accusharp to the frame of my pack, and now have a low profile sharpener to touch up the blades in the field as needed,  that i also don't need to worry about forgetting or losing.

Jmoto808

Re: Preferred hunting knives
« Reply #7 on: July 18, 2018, 10:41:32 PM »
Love me some Silver Stag Knives. Made in America and they utilize buck antlers / elk in their handles. Gonna pick up another one soon. Not budget friendly, but they are hand made. Most of their knives use D2 steel which has a high carbon content, sucker gets sharp fast and holds an edge, but with our humidity here and if blood stays on it long, it'll rust before your eyes. Just wipe off good and put frog lube or coconut oil or any food friendly oil and it'll be G.

Q

Re: Preferred hunting knives
« Reply #8 on: July 28, 2018, 08:55:37 PM »
Love me some Silver Stag Knives. Made in America and they utilize buck antlers / elk in their handles. Gonna pick up another one soon. Not budget friendly, but they are hand made. Most of their knives use D2 steel which has a high carbon content, sucker gets sharp fast and holds an edge, but with our humidity here and if blood stays on it long, it'll rust before your eyes. Just wipe off good and put frog lube or coconut oil or any food friendly oil and it'll be G.

I prefer high carbon blades for everything. I force patina all my knives with a hot vinegar bath, then lubricate. I recently switched to mineral oil, since laboratory tests have shown frog lube is likely just scented coconut or canola oil with a binder. Mineral oil is cheaper, lasts a very long time,  and doesn't go rancid like food oils

Q

Re: Preferred hunting knives
« Reply #9 on: July 28, 2018, 08:59:51 PM »
Decided to return the boning knife and pick up an elk ridge mini Skinner to pair with my mora. Used the Money i saved to swap out a modified tramontina machete on my pack with a cold steel smatchet.

 a mora is good enough for my needs, and the mini Skinner is perfect for what I intend to do with poacher dressing in the field.

My tramontina was a bit too long and obnoxious for my pack, and I like the multipurpose nature of the smatchet over a golok/latin hybrid machete.

New loadout is far more low profile, utilitarian and versatile, and no need to mess with making a new sheath, though I may do one for my smatchet.

myanmar1

Re: Preferred hunting knives
« Reply #10 on: July 29, 2018, 09:11:15 AM »
Waiting on a skinner i ordered from
https://www.hikoito.com/

Pricey, but made in Hawaii.
“Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote!” — Benjamin Franklin

Q

Re: Preferred hunting knives
« Reply #11 on: July 29, 2018, 10:06:51 AM »
Waiting on a skinner i ordered from
https://www.hikoito.com/

Pricey, but made in Hawaii.

That Skinner looks great.

I decided to just pick up the elk ridge because of the smaller blade profile and size; gives me more dexterity, and can't beat the $10 price point.