If you plan to succeed, you’re a step ahead of the other hunters any day. Part of a successful hunter’s plan should include the basics of field dressing, as well as a hunt kit that includes the tools you’ll need in the event of success.


First, pack a good hunting knife. Whether you choose a fixed or folding blade is up to you, but experts agree you should pick a knife you’re comfortable using and bring along a stone to sharpen it. You’ll need this to make incisions in the animal for field dressing - it will come in handy for skinning as well.
The second thing you’ll need is a lightweight saw. There are plenty of options here, including the folding variety, but the key again is finding a tool you’re comfortable with and can wield with confidence in the field. The saw will be used to remove antlers and split the brisket.


Finally, consider bringing along a lightweight hatchet or axe - some experts recommend a pair of hatchets. A good hatchet is useful if you’re going after bigger game as quartering an elk is no easy task, so you may as well be tooled up for the job.

What do 'some experts' plan to do with the hatchets. Hack the elk ? Not only not necessary questionable at best. A decent knife, good sharpeningequipment and a full grown elk can be inviscerated, skinned and quartered in about 45 mins....if I'm doing it myself. Hatchets are for wood.

Hatchets can be handy for splitting quarters, and getting through bone. I mainly use one to cut poles for hanging meet out of reach of scavengers, since it often takes several trips in and out to recover all the meat on an elk. There are many ways to deal with an elk, and you may not see the need for a hatchet, but that should not deter others. There was a reason most Native Americans, Frontiersmans, and others packed hatchets for 100's of years, they come in darn handy in the backcountry. I have used one of the gerbers for several years, and use it for all kinds of tasks, and with proper sharpening can use the blade as a skinning knife as well.

One thing I've been carrying around for the last decade to assist with the field dressing of whitetails is a pair of pruning shears (small andlightwieght). They make quick work of the pelvic bone and on big bucks if knife is having trouble going through the brisket then the shears come in handy. They're much faster than a saw.

I too carried a foldable hatchet for years, nowadays I carry a 18V sawsall in my truck for most bone cutting exercises...I know this wouldn't be a good option for the back country but it works well for an in camp cleaning when your vehicle is there. I also keep more than one sharp knife to save on sharpening again this is for in camp use where pack-ability or roomis not an issue. I also have used a machete for this purpose and it too works well...I believe that Rod was just pointing out some basic necessities that would be needed. My father in law has one of the little pack-able saws that works like a champ, he has had it for years....Till I started bringing the sawsall....

All I've ever used for the last 25 years is a Buck 110 folding knife and a Gerber small folding tree saw for the pelvis bone. Just started to use disposable latex gloves too. Nice to keep blood off your hands and I use a extra pair to put my bloody knife and saw in. I find the less crap I have in my pack or pockets the better I like it.

Old Scrimshaw Old Timer folding knife and new the pack pair of rubber gloves. I am looking forward to ripping through a deer and not have to worry about fending the mosquitoes off my hands in the early season due to to residual blood.

I use a buck lite folding knife and i don't split the brisket or pelvis on a whitetail.

i use a buck vangaurd to do everything. it has a really well balanced and fat handle w/ plenty of weight to split thye brisket of bucks well over the 200lb mark though i dont split the brisket untill they are hung up at camp or in the garage

I don't bother field dressing game anymore. I just skin, quarter, put it in the pack and walk out. I use a Buck Alpha Hunter for all of my big game excursions.