hunter07 Report post Posted October 24, 2006 Which would you rather have after you make the shot and its time to gut or skin your game ? I usally just carry my lucky BUCK knife with one back up knife just in case, and of course a good sharpeing stone. But on the other hand i know people who carry multiple knives and just get a new one out once they lose an edge. My BUCK knife tends to keep a good edge for a while. What do you do? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Redman Report post Posted October 24, 2006 My surgeon scalpel handle with replaceable blades, you will NOT find a sharper knife. Redman Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hunter07 Report post Posted October 24, 2006 Nice, I never thought of that, But i would be afraid i would slip and take the tip of my finger off or something like that......hahaha Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shortpants Report post Posted October 24, 2006 For elk I got the outdoor edge knife set so I don't have to stop and sharpen. A client of mine had this set last year and we used it, needless to say I was impressed but I have'nt got to use my set yet.(got skunked this year ) For deer I use a razorblade style gut hook and unzip them from rack to tail and then around the body halfway back for the mount. I then skin them with my Knives of Alaska set.(little capeing knife and the one that looks like a butter knife) If a saw is needed the $9.00 retractable Gerber from walmart is great. I do not gut elk but I usually gut deer to get the tenderloins out. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GTT Report post Posted October 24, 2006 For elk I got the outdoor edge knife set so I don't have to stop and sharpen. A client of mine had this set last year and we used it, needless to say I was impressed but I have'nt got to use my set yet.(got skunked this year ) For deer I use a razorblade style gut hook and unzip them from rack to tail and then around the body halfway back for the mount. I then skin them with my Knives of Alaska set.(little capeing knife and the one that looks like a butter knife) If a saw is needed the $9.00 retractable Gerber from walmart is great. I do not gut elk but I usually gut deer to get the tenderloins out. I like my knives of Alaska as well.... I carry the cub bear, & the alpha wolf. they hold a great edge & I have used both of them on everything from coues to moose. Outdoor edge are great too, I use these around the shop. My set came with a sharpener that is quick & easy to use. They didn't come with sheaths so I use mine for work. I like small pocket knives like buck, old timer, shrade, etc...For detail work such as caping out the head or skinning out paws & hooves.Only thing I don't like about these little lock blades is they're harder to keep clean than fixed blades. Also, these knives I mentioned are cheap & you can get them just about anywhere. I also use a scalpel like redman mentioned. You can get 100 replacement blades for around $30.00. But like shortpants said, you need to have a steady hand because they are extremely sharp!!! For elk I got the outdoor edge knife set so I don't have to stop and sharpen. A client of mine had this set last year and we used it, needless to say I was impressed but I have'nt got to use my set yet.(got skunked this year ) For deer I use a razorblade style gut hook and unzip them from rack to tail and then around the body halfway back for the mount. I then skin them with my Knives of Alaska set.(little capeing knife and the one that looks like a butter knife) If a saw is needed the $9.00 retractable Gerber from walmart is great. I do not gut elk but I usually gut deer to get the tenderloins out. I like my knives of Alaska as well.... I carry the cub bear, & the alpha wolf. they hold a great edge & I have used both of them on everything from coues to moose. Outdoor edge are great too, I use these around the shop. My set came with a sharpener that is quick & easy to use. They didn't come with sheaths so I use mine for work. I like small pocket knives like buck, old timer, shrade, etc...For detail work such as caping out the head or skinning out paws & hooves.Only thing I don't like about these little lock blades is they're harder to keep clean than fixed blades. Also, these knives I mentioned are cheap & you can get them just about anywhere. I also use a scalpel like redman mentioned. You can get 100 replacement blades for around $30.00. But like shortpants said, you need to have a steady hand because they are extremely sharp!!! Sorry shortpants, it was hunter07 that replied about the scalpel being super sharp. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
COUESAZ Report post Posted October 24, 2006 -I use my knives of alaska cape knife. And my two favorite Knives of all are my Bark river North star, And Bark river mini skinner. You can not beat a top quality knife. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Couesdeer Report post Posted October 24, 2006 I have a buck 110 that I bought used aout 20 years ago. With that and my Knives of Alaska cub bear, I can dress and skin out a Coues' buck in under an hour. Once the carcass is back at camp, I've found that a commercial grade meat saw makes quick work of quartering and cutting chops. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
coues4x4 Report post Posted October 24, 2006 Oh, come on fella's.I just whip out a good ol sharp rock and go to town,if that one gets dull I grab the next one on the ground.Thats an old Native trick I learned from Lark. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Redman Report post Posted October 25, 2006 Nice, I never thought of that, But i would be afraid i would slip and take the tip of my finger off or something like that......hahaha One can buy a nice scalpel handle and 50-100 blades on Ebay for less than $20.00 Redman Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
COOSEFAN Report post Posted October 25, 2006 Them scalpels are amazing.....but they scare the heck outta me! I've done some damage already to my hands being in the glass biz during the offseason, just holding a scalpel sends chills up my spine! I use and love the Knives of Alaska. They hold an edge for a looong time! I also have a Bladetech that was given to me, it is the Tim Wegner design and I have skinned and quartered several elk without ever sharpening it! JIM> Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
azcouesandelk Report post Posted October 25, 2006 I carry 2 knives with me in the field. I carry a buck zipper. Has the gut hook on it and makes gutting an animal super easy. And I carry a buck skinner which has a steep front edge and makes skinnning easy. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
WFGinNM Report post Posted October 25, 2006 I haven't had the fortune to use a knife on a coues yet, but I carry a Buck fixed blade for separating leg joints, hip sockets and the skull from the spine on elk, bear, mulies and such. Also carry an old schrade 3 blade folder I found turkey hunting one year to do the skinning. Real easy to touch up either knife with a packable diamond steel. usually use the scapel back at camp or home to skin out the head to turn lips, eyes, ears, and nose. --Bill Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DEERSLAM Report post Posted October 25, 2006 I only use one knife. It's made by Dave Kauffman, Kauffman Custom Knives from MT. It has worked very well for me. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cmc Report post Posted October 25, 2006 I carry one camp knife, it's my the one I carry daily, and my 'ole trusty' hunting knife that does all the work on the animal. For about 12 years now I've been carrying my A.G. Russel Feather Lite AUS-8 knife. It's same knife i use for all my big game animals from pig up to elk and everything inbetween. Light, strong and holds an edge for a long time. For a razor edge I use at Redi-Edge Tactical (http://www.klawhorn.com/rediedge.htm) that will leave you with a hair shaving edge in seconds. Again one knife to gut, skin and quarter my animals. I process my own meat at home in which I use a fish flaying knife from walmart I bought 10+ years ago for $9+ or so. My daily carry is a CRKT M16-02Z that I use for general purpose stuff in camp and in the field. cmc Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AFscout80 Report post Posted October 26, 2006 knives are all personal preference to the hunter but take the time to learn how to sharpen well. it took me a very long time to learn to sharpen well. that's because i am a dumbass. one of the biggest tricks whether you use the draw method or the circular method, is to make sure that the angle you use is the same on both sides of the blade. if not, you are going to dull it out. for the field use a diamond sharpener, it won't get your knife any sharper than a whetstone however, it will do it with less effort and much less time. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites