What knives do you carry on your hunt?

What knives do you carry hunting?


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WKR
Joined
Oct 14, 2020
Messages
391
Location
Tx
My daily carry knife is a Case xx folding knife. I carry it on my belt while hunting. Definitely my favorite knife. Other than that I have a pretty hefty custom skinning knife I got from a friend.


My outdoor edge mysteriously disappeared. But I still have replacement blades in my truck console.

I’ll probably end up buying a Havalon.

For cleaning fish I use a fillet knife made by Case and a serrated Dexter. I like the Dexter for thick scaled, heavy ribs species. The Case makes easy work of thin skin speckled trout and flounder.
 

TheGDog

WKR
Joined
Jun 12, 2020
Messages
3,263
Location
OC, CA
Just get the Havalon Dual Blade folder. Aus8 for the regular, then the scalpel thing as well. Works great. And you've always got a blade that can be used for cutting off pokey branches on a sit, but still have your scalpel.

What I like about it is that for cuts where the blade will drag across bone, I can use the regular blade to conserve the scalpel from getting dulled so dang fast. So use it to remove forelimb at the knee, and after initial cut of backstrap with scalpel, then switch over to regular blade for all those cuts where you use the rib bones as a guide to slide across.
 
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TheGDog

WKR
Joined
Jun 12, 2020
Messages
3,263
Location
OC, CA
PS another cheap option is the OldTimer SharpFinger! When my wrist had gotten shattered, and I couldn't apply much hold-down force with a fork... the shape of that SharpFinger blade made me able to cut my steak at dinner again with mostly just using the one hand! It's not great steel, but sharpens up easily. And super cheap. They also have one with a guthook too. Only reason I don't carry it in the field is because my back injuries prohibit me from wearing a regular waist belt in the backcountry cause it exacerbates my area of injury pretty quickly. So I nowadays use FirstLite suspenders on my pants. So no belt to hang the sheath off of. Hence the reason I mentioned the Dual Blade Havalon folder.
 
Joined
May 12, 2017
Messages
934
Location
NY
Just ordered the updated benchmade hidden canyon. Had it engraved for my elk hunt starting on the 1st. I like the looks of it and how it seems like its not to big to get the guts out without cutting into stuff. On that note, I didn't know esee made new models with s35v steel. I am very interested in that as I think the esee 3 would make a decent hunting/survival dual purpose knife with that steel. Ive got a ton of esee and kabar knives but on the heavy side for most of em and not meant for hunting. Next purchase will be that esee 3 s35v or the benchmade steep country.

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Joined
Oct 14, 2021
Messages
38
Location
Beaver, pa
Usually a Buck 193 Alpha and Havalon but either one can work alone for field work... and I'm not really packing things out or anything.
Usually use the Havalon for the bung hole and skinning skull at home. Have gutted with just havalon or just the Buck. Buck is good for skinning out large areas and the Havalon for detail.

Esse and Helle are good knives for anywhere too. Brother was using a Helle Eggen up in alaska for quite a while.
 

Jardo

WKR
Joined
Aug 7, 2017
Messages
468
Location
Hawaii and Utah
i’m a knife geek. i’ve been using the outdoor edge for deer and it’s ok, but i’m going back to using my falkniven and my bark river fox river.

i tried using a mora on an elk several years ago and i only got half way done before it got dull. on elk you will need 2 or 3 mora knives if your boning out and caping.


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twall13

WKR
Joined
Jan 21, 2015
Messages
2,568
Location
Utah
I voted for the replaceable blade option but in reality I always carry two knives in the field and find myself using the replaceable blade less and less. Mine is a Tyto that basically lives in the back of my Bino harness. I had a Havalon before it and prefer the Tyto for how the blades change and how it fits my hand. That said, I picked up a Kifaru Helium awhile back and find I really like that thing. It doesn't weigh much more than a replaceable blade knife, is always around my neck, stays pretty sharp, and has a more solid feel to it when cutting up an animal. I'll still continue to carry and use both but the Helium is really growing on me after cutting up a couple of elk and a deer.
 

Semorbux

FNG
Joined
Sep 15, 2021
Messages
28
I carried a folding Gerber Gator for years as my only knife. Now I have so many knives I switch it up constantly.

When Deer hunting I usually carry a Gerber Gator fixed blade on my pack's belt and a Rough Rider Trapper inside the pack as back up as I don't carry a sharpener.

I just picked up a Buck Vanguard to replace my Gator but I haven't found a sheath that I like yet that will attach to the molle webbing on my Pack. So it sat in my drawer all season while my cheap Gator got carried instead. Really wish Buck would offer molle sheathes for all their popular knives.
 

ThisIsMyHandle

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
May 24, 2020
Messages
259
I usually carry my dads old schrade old timer and my grandfather’s old Boy Scout knives. But I’ve been thinking about getting a havalon piranta and using that as my primary gutting/quartering knife and having the old timer on my belt as back up.


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4fletch

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Oct 24, 2021
Messages
110
If I need more than the Case Sodbuster Jr im going back for an axe and saw.
 

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mbania

FNG
Joined
Oct 20, 2021
Messages
24
Location
Ohio
For general field dressing I carry a Havalon, for quartering and any other heavier work I carry a Cutco with the serrated edge.
 
Joined
Aug 21, 2018
Messages
302
Location
Palmer, Alaska
Just get the Havalon Dual Blade folder. Aus8 for the regular, then the scalpel thing as well. Works great. And you've always got a blade that can be used for cutting off pokey branches on a sit, but still have your scalpel.

What I like about it is that for cuts where the blade will drag across bone, I can use the regular blade to conserve the scalpel from getting dulled so dang fast. So use it to remove forelimb at the knee, and after initial cut of backstrap with scalpel, then switch over to regular blade for all those cuts where you use the rib bones as a guide to slide across.
I have been carrying a Havalon and a Cutco Double D hunting knife for quite a few years now, but the last few animals I have broken down I found I never even touched the Cutco. I just asked for the Havalon Dual Blade folder for Christmas this year :), hoping Santa drops that in the ol' stocking as I like the idea of having a hotdog stick cutter in the same package as my field dressing knife.
 

kid44

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Sep 26, 2019
Messages
238
Over the past few years I have been making due with whatever I have laying around the house. Last year I dressed and quartered a handful of whitetails using a $15 Mora. It worked OK. I have a little bit of extra cash laying around and decided that I want to upgrade the knives that I carry into the woods.

I just purchased a Havalon and was considering buying a general purpose fixed blade. ESEE caught my eye. I am considering purchasing an Izula II or ESEE 3 to compliment the Havalon. Does anyone have any experience with those knives. Do you have another knife that you might recommend? I'm trying to stay under $100.
I carry when hunting a good pocketknife, a knife suitable for field dressing and a skinning knife but don't carry the skinner into the field usually as most skinning is done back at camp or at home.
Havalon.

What's a "kill kit"?
Most likely everything you would need to use after you have the animal down. Knives, hatchet if you us one, field dressing gloves, deer drag (rope) etc.
 
Joined
May 10, 2015
Messages
2,050
Location
Timberline
I carry when hunting a good pocketknife, a knife suitable for field dressing and a skinning knife but don't carry the skinner into the field usually as most skinning is done back at camp or at home.

Most likely everything you would need to use after you have the animal down. Knives, hatchet if you us one, field dressing gloves, deer drag (rope) etc.

Oh. I just refer to that as stuff you may need. Never thought to call it an actual "kit"...
 

TheGDog

WKR
Joined
Jun 12, 2020
Messages
3,263
Location
OC, CA
Havalon.

What's a "kill kit"?
A zipperd organizational pouch for inside your pack into which you've place everything you will need or want once the animal is on the ground. MeatBags, Havalon+blades, gloves, zipties, gut zipper, tags, etc. Organization pouches are awesome for a solo hunter. Helps you to not mess up and forget something you'll really need.
 
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