knife recommendations
09-05-2017, 08:58 PM
#11
Spike
Join Date: Aug 2017
Location: San Francisco, CA
Posts: 16
If you are looking for a knife specially for skinning purpose, I would suggest you the Victorinox Lamb Skinning Knife. It features Fibrox Pro Handle which is amazing. Can give it a try.
Knives for Hunting & Skinning
Knives for Hunting & Skinning
Last edited by antGone; 11-27-2017 at 10:29 AM.
12-10-2017, 07:32 AM
#14
Spike
Join Date: Dec 2017
Posts: 10
Am looking for a recomendation for a good Elk skinning and quarting knife. Last year I tried a Havalon on my Elk and i broke several blades. It works fine for Deer but not strong enough for Elk in my opinion. Are there any other modles with changable blades that are made for Elk or Moose? Thanks for any help.
01-29-2018, 06:52 AM
#16
Super Moderator
Join Date: Dec 2017
Location: texas
Posts: 1,201
I've lost count of the deer and elk Ive processed decades ago, you need a decent knife ,
but theres no reason to spend hundreds of dollars on an edged tool,
that works perfectly well, you can get for under $30-$100,
It takes some practice and experience, too learn to quickly and cleanly dress game and keep the venison clean and free of dirt and contaminants,
if theres snow or a mountain steam handy place the sealed 2 gallon zip lock bags in the snow,
or water to cool, before you pack out the venison to reduce chance of it starting to spoil.
because this is a thread about equipment Id include a few related tips gained over the last 45 plus years of elk hunts.
this woodsman (above) and the sharp finger (below),are both a darn good value in a skinning and dressing game knife,
both work, you may prefer one vs the other,
but both get the job done and at the very low price,
you could buy both and give the one you don,t prefer to a son or friend
youll find either available under $29 if you shop carefully
https://www.midwayusa.com/product/83...nife-sharpener
youll need a handy blade sharpener no mater what blades you select.
if you dress out Elk youll occasionally find a heavy blade handy for some jobs
I,ve found this Kukri far more useful than a hatchet, for various reasons, and if you ever dress out out elk you know that there's times where that a heavy blade or a hatchet can be useful and can be used to make the job easier,but for some people the weight and length, of the kukri plus having it as a second blade tool, make it less than ideal,
if you do much long distance back packing you'll rather rapidly find you'll need TWO different edged tools, a small nimble slicer/Skinner, and a chopping tool that must be longer and heavier with more mass.
something like a 8"-10"
bowie can be used for both but its not close to ideal for either job.
but if you must have only one blade you can get by with a cold steel trail master
https://www.midwayusa.com/product/2....n-handle-black
keep in mind youll want a small portable game hoist , too get the deer/elk off the ground for skinning and processing, theres no way one person lifts an elk up on a near by tree without a decent hoist in his pack ,
and a few dozen 2 gallon zip-loc bags to place the boned out venison in to keep it clean, all the elk I've shot were too heavy for one person to drag very far in steep canyon country, so you'll find you'll be forced to bone out much of the meat and pack out the elk in sections , in a decent high quality back pack. for two guys this generally takes several return trips, hang the carcass high and leave a shirt with your odor close by, or coyotes and bears may steal it in your absence , and it makes sense to have a, lighter weight, handy, 2lb-3lb heavy caliber handgun, rather than a heavy 7lb-9lb rifle,thats not allowing you to keep both hands free, on return, packing out meat, trips as theres a small chance youll be disputing ownership of the venison ,
on a return trip with other predators.
once youve dropped an elk down in a canyon bottom several miles from any road access,
in a canyon like this (I hunt here frequently) youll see the advantage of a good back pack, good ankle support boots and a handgun with a shoulder holster.
but theres no reason to spend hundreds of dollars on an edged tool,
that works perfectly well, you can get for under $30-$100,
It takes some practice and experience, too learn to quickly and cleanly dress game and keep the venison clean and free of dirt and contaminants,
if theres snow or a mountain steam handy place the sealed 2 gallon zip lock bags in the snow,
or water to cool, before you pack out the venison to reduce chance of it starting to spoil.
because this is a thread about equipment Id include a few related tips gained over the last 45 plus years of elk hunts.
this woodsman (above) and the sharp finger (below),are both a darn good value in a skinning and dressing game knife,
both work, you may prefer one vs the other,
but both get the job done and at the very low price,
you could buy both and give the one you don,t prefer to a son or friend
youll find either available under $29 if you shop carefully
https://www.midwayusa.com/product/83...nife-sharpener
youll need a handy blade sharpener no mater what blades you select.
if you dress out Elk youll occasionally find a heavy blade handy for some jobs
I,ve found this Kukri far more useful than a hatchet, for various reasons, and if you ever dress out out elk you know that there's times where that a heavy blade or a hatchet can be useful and can be used to make the job easier,but for some people the weight and length, of the kukri plus having it as a second blade tool, make it less than ideal,
if you do much long distance back packing you'll rather rapidly find you'll need TWO different edged tools, a small nimble slicer/Skinner, and a chopping tool that must be longer and heavier with more mass.
something like a 8"-10"
bowie can be used for both but its not close to ideal for either job.
but if you must have only one blade you can get by with a cold steel trail master
https://www.midwayusa.com/product/2....n-handle-black
keep in mind youll want a small portable game hoist , too get the deer/elk off the ground for skinning and processing, theres no way one person lifts an elk up on a near by tree without a decent hoist in his pack ,
and a few dozen 2 gallon zip-loc bags to place the boned out venison in to keep it clean, all the elk I've shot were too heavy for one person to drag very far in steep canyon country, so you'll find you'll be forced to bone out much of the meat and pack out the elk in sections , in a decent high quality back pack. for two guys this generally takes several return trips, hang the carcass high and leave a shirt with your odor close by, or coyotes and bears may steal it in your absence , and it makes sense to have a, lighter weight, handy, 2lb-3lb heavy caliber handgun, rather than a heavy 7lb-9lb rifle,thats not allowing you to keep both hands free, on return, packing out meat, trips as theres a small chance youll be disputing ownership of the venison ,
on a return trip with other predators.
once youve dropped an elk down in a canyon bottom several miles from any road access,
in a canyon like this (I hunt here frequently) youll see the advantage of a good back pack, good ankle support boots and a handgun with a shoulder holster.
Last edited by hardcastonly; 01-29-2018 at 08:37 AM.
02-28-2018, 05:39 AM
#18
Typical Buck
Join Date: Sep 2009
Posts: 614
I'm a life long fan of Case fixed blade skinners,,, try one of those,, also get a high end bone saw.. or even a pruning saw from "Silky Saws",, they are sold as pruning saw but are great for bone... Best small SS saws on the market
