semi

I am kind of new to field dressing but I am looking for a good hunting knife for just that task. I have used cheap knives in the past and have lostfew along the way. What i am looking for;

1. Under $60
2. has to have a leather or nylon sheath (lost too many to belt clips)
3. comes out of the package sharp and stays sharp
4. Sturdy handle with something to grip

I have been using a 3.5" blade. Not sure if that is correct but it works for me. Can anyone give me any suggestions? i am ready to pick one up atthe local gander, cabela'sor online.

Buck Hunter 1

Buck folding hunter. 30+ years old and i still use it. Keeps a great edge.

npaden

Gerber has about a dozen knives that would fit your requirements for under $60.

I have a nice folding one that has a nylon sheath and cost right around $30. I think it is a gator. It has skinned and quartered an elk, 2 deer, an antelope and close to a dozen pigs. I carry a little Smith's sharpener with it because I like to keep a knife verysharp. I don't know of a knife that will hold it's edge skinning and quartering an elk. I think I paid $10 for the sharpener and it fits into the knife's sheath.

Horizontal Hunter

Semi,

I have a folding buck knife that I have had for nearly 30 years. Many years ago I broke the tip off digging a slug out of a tree and since then it sat in a drawer. This year I sent it back to Buck knives under their lifetime warranty. The blade was replaced, no questions asked, and the turn around was pretty quick.

That being said I don't use a folding for cleaning deer because the slot in the handle collects crap and needs a good cleaning afterward. I just got a Grohmann GR1 which is their original design. It feels great in my hand and I look forward to using it for many seasons. I like the elliptical blade point (modified drop point)much better than clip point blade on the buck knife.

It wasn't as sharp as I would have liked out of the box, but I am real particular about how sharp my knives and broad heads are. I am not happy unless shave hair with very little effort. If you look around you can get it in your price range.

http://www.grohmannknives.com/pages/outdoor.html

Bob

BUCKMARK

I also have the Buck folding hunter, have had it for 20 years, sharp as the day I got it. My other buck knife is a fixed blade. I also have a gerber set that has a gut hook, 2 saws and and a folding blade, this is the set I use to field dress with.

UncleNorby

Leather Hunter #0379
M3FINN SS
3 1/8" Clip Blade
6 1/2" overall; 2.5 oz.

The above info is for a fixed blade knife made by Case. I always liked Case knives.

superstrutter

I don't use folding knives to clean game. It's too much trouble keeping them cleaned. I would go with stainless steel rather than carbon steel. Stainless will not rust on you,unlike carbon. I use a whitetail skinner. It keeps a good sharp edge and you can get one for $40 or $50. There are a lot of good knives out there that cost less than $50 and hold a good edge. I do prefer a fixed blade. They are much easier to keep clean.

Jasonlester

The main thing is it sharp. I have several I use. One I love but it isn't made anymore (a Westmark 702).

My others are all well under your price range. I have a sharade or old timer (can't remember) with a gut hook and a rubberized handle that does great. It stays sharp pretty good too. I usualy try to remeber to sharpen before season. But I have done several deer before resharpening it.

Good luck.

DeerandbearhoG

Disposable box cutter -$.99 Seriously, Theyll zip a deer open quicker than any hunting knife and if ya lose it who cares? 1st click the blade out about 1'' to open the belly up and you dont have to worry about puncturing the stomach[:'(] then use about 3'' of blade to remove the organs. Best part is NO CLEANING, you can just chuck it when your done!

bowmanaj

Just bought a "BUCK" field dressing knife with a gut hook for 20$. Couldn't pass it up. It is extremely sharp, the handle is made of easy grip material and the gut hook works great. I used it to field dress a deer last saturday. No problems.

EDIT: Oh, and it comes with a belt sheath too..