Deboning Elk in the field

[TheJason]

Wrong...

Bring someone along that knows what their doing and has all the "stuff", and then play dumb.

Hilarious

How many of us have watched someone fumble through something like this until we finally push them out of the way and say "fer Gawd's sake let me do that!" Me thinks I've been played a few times. :W:

 

[TheJason]

I use a Knives of Alaska Alpha Wolf for everything.

And screw those stones. Buy a Ken Onion Work Sharp.

 

[Blueniner9]

I use the pak lite knives by buck. They hold an edge and make quick work of boning an animal.

 

[Duck-Slayer]

I believe my knife is a Buck, that's a lightweight backpack style, only about 6" long total length, use a Lansky sharpener at home and never had a problem with it going dull after deboning a whole elk... it's a great knife, used one of those havelon's on the first elk I shot, it was the guy I was with knife, after the 3rd time replacing a blade because it broke or was to dull, I pull my knife out and finished the job with alot fewer complications... a good knife and sharpener is all you need.....
Matt

 

[Danvet]

If you want to use what the professionals use, 5 days a week, 8+hours a day, cowboy has the answer. 6" Victorinox and keep it sharp.

 

[Gr8bawana]

So true!!


I learned how to sharpen a knife to a razor edge when young.
Worked at a fish company for 5 yrs and really learned how to sharpen.
Years of woodworking same,sharpen the tool blades:

Preposterous! To expect someone to take the time to learn to sharpen a knife blade?
In today's instant gratification, thowaway society they find it far easier to just snap in a new disposable blade.

 

[putm2sleep]

Exactly - .?

 

[putm2sleep]

I want to know more about Jap and Arkansas stones?!@
Enlighten me please - shoot, I will just ask Surry!

 

[JoeSchmo]

Preposterous! To expect someone to take the time to learn to sharpen a knife blade?
In today's instant gratification, thowaway society they find it far easier to just snap in a new disposable blade.

Fly fishing purists, archery purists, truck purists, gear purists, and now add fixed blade purists, sharpening purists. I guess everyone, myself included, draws their moral line in the sand somewhere - gotta stand up/believe in something... otherwise, what a boring life!!

 

[Mthuntinfool]

I just received a razor lite as a christmas present, so I can't say how it works. I have used the Buck knives that you get from RMEF as a gift, and I am impressed. The only thing I had to fix, was as there is no guard, I dull/grind down the very back edge of the blade, other wise fingers can slip over and get sliced up. I learned that the hard way. The buck knives are strong, keep an edge well, and don't weigh much either.

 

[Bambistew]

When it comes to hacking up big critters in the field or home, I prefer a Forchner 5" flexible, curved boning knife. Super easy to sharpen in the field or home, and is made for one thing... taking meat off the bone.

For small critters, or when I'm not de-boning, I will pack a Havalon usually, but am only sold on them for caping more so than boning/gutting etc. They aren't real ergonomic in my hand.

I've a few nice hunting knives, but rarely carry one in the field anymore. Stiff blades and hard to sharpen steel don't really help much when you're skinning a moose, or taking the meat off the bone. I'd rather have a smallish pocket knife for general purpose and backup.

 

[mtmiller]

When it comes to hacking up big critters in the field or home, I prefer a Forchner 5" flexible, curved boning knife. Super easy to sharpen in the field or home, and is made for one thing... taking meat off the bone.

Because of you Bambi, I started using Victorinox knives as well. Very happy with the curved 5" "soft-on".

 

[hank4elk]

I've gutted & skinned a deer with my Swiss Army knife.
Had to boil it to clean it after...lol. I've had it since I was in Cub Scouts......1963' ?
My record for little is my 2" Kershaw key ring knife,did a deer with that just for fun. Great steel.

Arkansas stones use honing oil to lubricate. Just cut blocks of stone.I have 3 grades.
Japanese use water. 2 grades.
I use a piece of float glass to sharpen plane and chisel blades, it's dead flat.I put 3000 & 6000 grit emery paper for final sharpening.Water for lube.
I probably have a half dozen oil stones,Nortons and such.I have my grandpa's and it's actually concave from use.Perfect for small short curved blades.I have one for hatchets and axes ,big blades too.
I also have curved/concave tapered stones for woodgouges,carving chisels & knives.
A leather strop works for polishing as does sisal wheels and rouge for some tools.

Now a days I use ceramic sharpeners in kitchen.Forschner,Heinckel, Gerber models. Easy & quick.
I'm always being asked by a cook or chef to sharpen kitchen knives for them.....Great for trade out and making a woman happy........meals guys....jeez.
I have a little hand held model I take hunting and a mini stone or the diamond sharpeners.

Now I know I'm old school and it takes patience and years to learn to sharpen blades/tools right.
And I can still dull a blade quick if I screw up.But I can fix it as soon as I figure the hold,pressure and angle.
I have sharpening systems, belts,jigs and such. They tend to grind a blade down too quick for me.
Same with chainsaw systems,I prefer a simple round file.

 

[seahuntr]

Vickies rule. Sharp, lite, cheap. Get a box. A lifetime supply.

 

[Kevin W]

Wrong...

Bring someone along that knows what their doing and has all the "stuff", and then play dumb.

Ha a buddy tried that on me a few years back with a buck he had just shot. Told me that he had only cleaned a rabbit before, I told him I had a solution. Just pretend it's a big rabbit!!!

 

[ShootsManyBullets]

I've got a few knives and can't say that I'm really in love with them. Ken Onion is making everything in my house pretty sharp now.
We'll see if the extra time working my blades has any effect in a few months.

 

[knobbytire]

I agree with get a good, high-carbon steel blade and keep it sharp. Take a diamond sharpener with you and give the blade a stroke or two every so often as you debone.

My granddad was a blacksmith and had kept all his old reciprocating hacksaw blades (he lived prior to the advent of bandsaws) which were high speed steel. I made some of these into slicing knives... Blow a couple of holes through using an acyoxy cutting torch and mount walnut handles with brass rivets. HSS does rust, but it holds an edge better than stainless which tends to "smear" as you sharpen. However, HSS is so hard that it's brittle and doesn't like being bent. But I don't think that I have a better slicing knife than that HSS knife.

Point is: stainless is great for being rust free, but doesn't always make a great cutting edge. I'd look for something high-carbon and almost black. And keep it razor sharp so you spend less time cutting and more time hauling meat.

 

[zhetrick]

Cutco knives are the absolute best in the world and I only say that from experience

https://www.cutco.com/products/product.jsp?item=drop-point-knife#sm.0000hz4qw8a0oek9105oibf930jh8

still sharp after 1 moose, 3 elk, 1 mule deer, 5 whitetails, 1 turkey .. that includes gutting, quartering and capeing plus some processing