Knives for the fall hunt.

Hope to draw a tag worthy of breaking these out again...don't use them much, but do on special hunts.

Custom knives made by a friend from Missoula. Haven't used them since the day I took this picture.

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Some nice knives here. Knives are interesting, as there are so many types, from cheap to expensive custom. Here is my take on knives.

Any knife will gut/skin/bone a critter if it is sharp. The better the steel, the longer that it will hold an edge, but that comes at the cost of being more difficult to sharpen. The whole key to a knife is your ability to sharpen it. After that, it is personal preference. There are several good steels out there and I am not going to open that can of worms.

I personally have one custom knife made by Cody Wescott of Las Cruces, NM (who is unfortunately dead I believe). It is a heavy, D-2 steel knife that has done a lot of elk, deer and three Oryx, to total satisfaction. D-2 is not easy to sharpen and holds a blade real well. I have numerous others with lesser steel in them that all perform very well, as long as they are kept sharp. The main difference is that they are easier to sharpen, but the blade lasts a shorter time-no big deal.

I traded Cushman a couple replaceable-blade knives a while back, for a swing-blade from Outdoor Edge. The AUS 8 steel gets real sharp and is a pretty good steel. Today I took the knife with me on a depredation hunt. The blade held up for field stripping two deer and later de-boning the quarters. A few minutes on the diamond and it was ready for another go-around.

The bottom line, is that the looks of a knife is personal choice, as is the quality of the steel. The better the steel, the better the blade will perform, but if you cannot sharpen it, then it is useless. Replaceable blades are a real savior to those who cannot sharpen a fixed-blade knife. I, personally, have no use for them, as they dull quickly and are not strong. When I had them, I re-sharpened them and they were better than factory-but still weak in my book.

Knife discussions are like gun discussions, in that as long as it serves the purpose-who cares? Pick the knife that works for you and go for it!
 
Though I'd like a custom someday, I get by with one of the following, or all three, for all my big game hunting:
1. Schrade Sharpfinger. Was my dad's and the knife I remember as his "hunting knife". It goes with me every time I'm hunting whitetails.
2. Cabelas Buck 110 with S30V steel. Gets scary sharp and stays that way
3. Havalon

The knife I almost always have in my pocket and that I use on small game, birds is a Buck trapper. It was the last thing my dad ever personally gave me. It'll be a bad day if I ever mis-place that piece...
 
I missed out on getting one of those BHA Bechmade Steep Country's, but was able to pick one up on a great deal from promotive. It is a sweet little knife! It will be displacing my buck vangard in S30v, that weighs about twice as much. I will still use the buck around MN, but will pack that steep country in the mountains.
 
^^^^...have been tempted to try the top pic shape....looks ergonomically handy. Cool pics.
 

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