fourmules

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.

kellyguinn

Try Outdoor edge knives or have one built by a member on here named Spartan1. He make very good quality knives.

Oldtimr

Generally, the requirements of a skinning knife and a knife to quarter a big game animal are different for each action. I am not a big believer in changeable blade knives. There are many knives out there on the market in both fixed blades and folding knives of good quality. You want to look at a blade that will hold an edge for both tasks which to me means carbon steel. It takes a fine edge and dresses up easily with a couple of strokes on the stone or steel. A finer blade for skinning and a heavier blade for taking the animal apart. Look at Gerber, and Case for good blades for the money. There are so many manufacturers out there the only way to find what you want is to handle some different brands. Or, you can go with custom knives where you tell the maker what you want. I have never found the need for that.

super_hunt54

As OT pointed out, the 2 tasks require 2 different blade types generally. CAN you perform both tasks with a single blade type? Yes you most certainly can. But when it comes to larger game animals such as Elk and Moose, as you found out last season, you should have the proper tools for the task. A good curved edge "skinning" knife is required for Elk and larger game. This one from Gerber is highly recommended. http://www.gerbergear.com/Activity/H...nife_31-002743 It's form lends to making the skinning MUCH easier. For quartering I recommend a fixed strong back blade of 4 inches or more such as the Gerber Gator seen here http://www.gerbergear.com/Knives/Fix...de-Knife_46904

And before you ask, no I am not affiliated with Gerber in any way. They just make pretty dang good knives that tend to take and hold an edge (when sharpened properly) as well, if not better than, most knives on the market today. When I pack for an Elk or Moose hunt, I generally have 4 knives with me. I tend to bone out the meat at my camp site so I use a filet knife as well. Saves on weight and packing space. But for the job of skinning and quartering you can get away with 2.

rockport

If I had to pick a mass produced knife I'd go with a Kabar bk15 or bk16

Here is my BK15

Here is my bk16


I mostly use green river blades that I have customized to my liking.

An old 1095 schrade sharpfinger is also a good one


I have a pretty good collection Photobucket is broken right now. I'll post some more pictures when it starts working again.

rockport

Here are my green rivers that I use

Oldtimr

RP maybe you know this but you can buy Green River finished knives or just blades here. www.crazycrow.com . They sell all kinds of knives and blades and components to build knives.

rockport

Yeah I have looked at those. I bought some from a guy on ebay and we got to talking and Ive been buying from him every since.

He lives close to the factory.

Superman70

Helle Harding is my choice, a puma white hunter and hunters pal make a good combo set

JZlinker

I like outdoor edge myself.