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[tdot]

Kestrel Ovis Hunter - absolutely shocked how much I love this knife. I found myself using it to butcher the deer at home, in addition to my usual repertoire of butcher knives. I've never done that with any of my hunting knives before.

 

[Wmmichael20]

Buck 110, or packlite set,caper,Skinner,gut hook combo...

 

[SkunkCabbage]

Kestrel Ovis Hunter - absolutely shocked how much I love this knife. I found myself using it to butcher the deer at home, in addition to my usual repertoire of butcher knives. I've never done that with any of my hunting knives before.

You and I are in the exact same boat. Had a few doubts initially with it but after breaking down the first deer last year with one I'm sold. Highly recommend that knife. Buy the handled version.

 

[chiefhoyt]

The Kestrel Ovis is by far my favorite knife i own. The shape/design/tip make it the best all round knife to debone and quarter that i have used. The handled version is slightly more conformable but i tend to carry the skeleton version with paracord more than anything else.

Like Tdot said, I have now started using the handled ovis for my butchering once the animal is home.

For elk and mule deer trips it is always in my pack. Cant recommend the ovis enough.

 

[NebraskaStickHunter]

I was fortunate enough to get the Benchmade steep country and love it so far. No touch up needed quartering out two deer in the field one morning. I am very interested in a kestrel as well but no need for it so I am not in a hurry for it yet.

 

[Violent Hippie]

Is anybody using a disposable blade knife for cutting and wrapping once you get back home? Thats when i most appreciate a sharp edge.

Yup. I used the Tyto this season for butchering at home . It allowed me to save alot of meat due to the ability to make such fine razor cuts. The tyto and ESEE Izula are my preferred combo .

 

[Totoro]

Dozier BuckHunter or Ergo-Workhorse are my preferred pocket pieces.

 

[mcseal2]

Just got back from CO this week and processing a couple muleys.

I used the Dozier Pro Guide knife on my buddies buck, and he used it on mine. It works well so I'm nitpicking, but I like my Bark River classic clip point hunter a shade better. It just seems to slice more effortlessly. It's a bit thinner blade and has just a bit more belly to it. The 3V steel is tough enough that they get by with a thinner blade I think. Both will do anything a guy needs to do and do it well, it's a small difference. I'm going to see about getting a kydex sheath similar to the Dozier wilderness design made for the Bark River and it will be my primary knife going forward most hunts.

To be fair to the Dozier the Pro Guide is their "one knife for everything" option and not as game specific a design as several of their others. It still does great on game, its just a bit beefier design. I think the Bark River will handle the same jobs and abuse and it fits me a bit better for game.

My buddy uses his Grandpa's knife for sentimental reasons. It's a nice old Kabar folding hunter made with carbon steel that takes a wicked edge but needs touched up more often. He hadn't got it sharpened after his buck so he used my Dozier on my buck while I used my pocket knife, the ZT 452CF. I always carry that knife and my concealed carry handgun when traveling but I planned to switch to a smaller/lighter folder once I got to hunting. I carried the ZT for all 10 days and never switched. I like the little bit bigger blade for knife work around camp and it works awful well on game also. It's blade shape is nearly identical to my Benchmade Saddle Mountain Hunter. That ZT just seems to fit me and ride clipped in my pocket well enough I don't notice it until it's needed. I took it to AK last year as my pocket knife and liked it, now I ended up carrying it the whole time for both my scouting trip and hunting trip. I think it kinda snuck into being my new favorite folder without me knowing it.

 

[Lawnboi]

5 deer in this year on my lt Wright small northern hunter. Still favorite skinning/deboning knife I own. Belly, thickness, grind, handle all perfect. Blaze scales help too. 4 of those deer were done without a touch up, including jointing lower legs. 2 min on the stone and strop and it’s back to shaving sharp.

Lt frontier first as my pocket knife skinned and deboned 4 elk quarters no problem.


Much like mentioned above, I find a knife with a lot of belly perfect for cutting up meat. Not the best for other chores, but when you need to slice it’s nice when the knife does most of the work.

 

[TREE ‘EM]

I’ve mostly carried my Dunn Predator for the past 20+ years. Decent knife and holds an edge exceptionally well but the steel is a little too hard and brittle. I usually skin 6-10 head of big game every year with it plus a few coyotes that need to be skinned before I can get back to my shop. It only needs to be sharpened at the end of the season each year. I had a Dunn Full Skinner and Minker but they both rolled off the bench and both blades snapped on impact- too brittle.

I switched to Wiebe and Victorinox blades on the bench.

I bought a Havalon a couple of years ago but I haven’t been able to warm up to it.

 

[5BtoSB]

Benchmade Steepcountry and a Tyto 1.1 worked great this season.

 

[bigbike182]

My Behring Made Bridger R. Sous Version with a slightly different Bladestyle from the standard does it all, just have to clean it very good to prevent it from corrosion...

 

[Creaky Bones]

5 deer in this year on my lt Wright small northern hunter. Still favorite skinning/deboning knife I own. Belly, thickness, grind, handle all perfect. Blaze scales help too. 4 of those deer were done without a touch up, including jointing lower legs. 2 min on the stone and strop and it’s back to shaving sharp.

Lt frontier first as my pocket knife skinned and deboned 4 elk quarters no problem.


Much like mentioned above, I find a knife with a lot of belly perfect for cutting up meat. Not the best for other chores, but when you need to slice it’s nice when the knife does most of the work.

Is your northern hunter AEB-L?

 

[Lawnboi]

Is your northern hunter AEB-L?

Yes. LT did an amazing job on it too. Very easy to touch up, and holds an edge great.

I also have the bigger northern hunter in aebl. Great knife as well but prefer the small for deer sized game.

It’s a heck of a knife for what they charge.

 

[Creaky Bones]

Yes. LT did an amazing job on it too. Very easy to touch up, and holds an edge great.

I also have the bigger northern hunter in aebl. Great knife as well but prefer the small for deer sized game.

It’s a heck of a knife for what they charge.

I also have both. I don't use the large one much, but the small is my new favorite general use knife. It's a little laser. There's a great read on AEB-L here if you're interested in semi-nerdy steel stuff- https://knifesteelnerds.com/?s=aeb-l

 

[Cng]

A couple decades ago, I used the Cold Steel master hunter carbon V. Decent steel, and the rubber handle was grippy even when wet, or with fat and blood on it. Today, I like the Cold Steel pendleton hunter since a 3" blade is plenty and the handle is better shaped. I like the cpm3v premium steel. In the unlikely event that it would need sharpening in the field, I carry a small diamond stone.

I'll second this! I have a Bark River Bravo in A2 that fits my hand like a dream, but it's a huge chunk of steel and too thick for a lot of field dressing and butchering chores.

My favorite butchering knife is the Cold Steel Master Hunter, like mentioned above, but in 3V. For some reason I don't like thin boning or filet knives that flex. The MH is what I consider an appropriate thickness along the blade for a do-it-all knife, but it tapers down toward the tip so it's thin enough to get in anywhere I need it to.

I don't have a Pendleton Hunter, but only because I found a deal on a used Benchmade Hidden Canyon in S30V. It's everything I need for field dressing and quartering. I think a small lightweight knife in a good steel for skinning and quartering and then a longer knife at the house for butchering is a good setup for me. If I was boning out in the field I would probably just bring the Master Hunter for everything. Or that little Pendleton Hunter mentioned above could probably handle it all too.

 

[Lawnboi]

I also have both. I don't use the large one much, but the small is my new favorite general use knife. It's a little laser. There's a great read on AEB-L here if you're interested in semi-nerdy steel stuff- https://knifesteelnerds.com/?s=aeb-l

The large makes a hell of a kitchen knife. I don’t kill big enough stuff to need the extra blade.

Agreed on the small. I think if more hunters would try one they might see the light. That continuously sweeping blade along with the drop at the point really works well on game. LT is more known in the beat the crap out of wood community, but he makes a heck of a usable knife. Of the dozen or so Iv had in my hands I can’t say Iv seen a bad one from their shop.

 

[TTurboEE]

Gerber Vital folder replacable blade for small tasks in the field and when a bigger knife is warranted benchmade steepcountry is what's in my hand. Not a huge fan of the grip on the gerber going to try out the Tyto 1.1

 

[Blakelok]

I have two:

Benchmade Hidden Canyon
Morakniv Compaion - great beater knife.

 

[Blakelok]

I have two:

Benchmade Hidden Canyon
Morakniv Compaion - great beater knife.