Knives - Show Me

[David58]

I sometimes complain about my lack of funds for guns (I am a muzzleloader kind of guy), and then I look at the pile of knives I have. Many, if not most, sadly, have never been in the field. But cutting and wrapping our elk this year had us needing a good knife - Randy's EBS is great in the field, but not the best for the final butchering. So, we recruited one of my friend Don Kaulitz's belt knives for some of the processing duties.

Any of you using fancy or handmade blades?

 

[Durango Mike]

I sometimes complain about my lack of funds for guns (I am a muzzleloader kind of guy), and then I look at the pile of knives I have. Many, if not most, sadly, have never been in the field. But cutting and wrapping our elk this year had us needing a good knife - Randy's EBS is great in the field, but not the best for the final butchering. So, we recruited one of my friend Don Kaulitz's belt knives for some of the processing duties.

Any of you using fancy or handmade blades?

The attached picture is a group of knives I have used at least once dressing game, L-R Geo Herron bird knife, skinner and drop poing hunter, he made these for me in the 70's and have probably taken their last trip into the woods, the drop point by Turcek is handled with an impala horn I shot, the Lile drop point still goes with me along with the Brooks skinner that have done a few elk, the Norris folder I carry every day for the last 25 years. The Herron knives are now collectible and have gotten too pricey to use.

 

[bigtee]

I have a VG 10 Gut N Bait Knife I take everywhere. It has a sheath that clips on my pants leg and it's a pretty versatile knife that can be used for cleaning and gutting deer, cutting misc hay string or even filleting out fish. I haven't really seen anything else like it but its a good all around knife at a pretty decent price. I got it from outrigger outdoors.

A guy down the road from me makes knives from scratch from some of the craziest materials you can imagine. He literally made one from cactus, but more commonly makes them from deer horns. He charges over $300 for a knife but I know it takes him a lot of time to build them, so I don't blame him for charging that. I haven't had him build me one yet but maybe I will in the future.

 

[rwc101]

I have made a few rather basic knives but I find that mass produced boning and filet knives tend to be the great for processing game at home.

 

[CUElk]

I have made a few rather basic knives but I find that mass produced boning and filet knives tend to be the great for processing game at home.

Yep. I was processing a deer last night. Had expensive knives laying on the table but my go to knife is a cheap filet knife and a good sharpener. Filet knife really helps getting around bones and trimming out silver skin.

 

[Sam Colt]

Victorinox Fibrox. Boning, curved boning, and breakdown knives with a good steel are indispensable.

 

[noharleyyet]

https://flic.kr/p/2hqsFki

 

[BRI]

I have 4 Ruana Knives. An orignial M stamped that I got 39 years ago when I turned 12 and it was my first year hunting. Mad at myself for beating it up the way I did but back then you had a knife to use, not look at. Can't bring myself to use them anymore.

 

[Gut Shot]

This is my primary hunting knife. I made it several years ago.

Pic isn't great.

 

[Gut Shot]

First knife I made.

 

[Straight Arrow]

Ruana drop point which was lost in the snow and found a year later, needing some restoration.
Other knife is a custom knife with antler butt adorned with elk ivories and custom sheath made by an old hunting partner, now gone to hunt and fish in his paradise.

 

[6mm Remington]

The guys at work had this special Ruana 5AD built for me when I retired. I sure like it! They even had some extra nice touches added. The knife is engraved as is the leather sheath, they used some pretty wood on the handle instead of the elk horn typically used (I have other Ruana's all with elk antler handles.), and Mike & Mark at Ruana did some awesome gimping on top of the blade. The gimping was all done file work by hand!!

 

[IAhawks84]

I bought a knife out in Montana at a little local shop. The gentleman who sold it said all of the local guides buy Knives of Alaska knives from him. I purchased one and used it to field dress my white tail this year. Worked great. I'll be ordering more.

 

[ThunderNocked]

I sometimes complain about my lack of funds for guns (I am a muzzleloader kind of guy), and then I look at the pile of knives I have. Many, if not most, sadly, have never been in the field. But cutting and wrapping our elk this year had us needing a good knife - Randy's EBS is great in the field, but not the best for the final butchering. So, we recruited one of my friend Don Kaulitz's belt knives for some of the processing duties.

Any of you using fancy or handmade blades?

OOOOHHHH YEA!!!! I have several 'fancy knives' and they all have officially seen Caribou Blood. I regularly pull out my sliciest knife (Sheep Horn Wilderness Explorer by Bark River Knives) as my go to 'carving knife'. I used it in the field this last time and was super excited and impressed with it - see photo below.


Left to Right - Bark River Knives Bravo 1 in Green Linen Micarta, BRK Canoe in Desert Ironwood, BRK Wilderness Explorer in Sheep Horn, BRK Bobcat in Evergreen Burlap Micarta.




I have a few others but these are my primaries. I have a couple more and I'm looking to get a Hinderer XM-18 3.5 Spear Point or Bowie which is a folder but I plan to use it on animals as well. In some ways its more expensive to do the knives just because it is 'easier' to justify just a few hundred dollars here and there. hahaha.

 

[Dan O]

The guys at work had this special Ruana 5AD built for me when I retired. I sure like it! They even had some extra nice touches added. The knife is engraved as is the leather sheath, they used some pretty wood on the handle instead of the elk horn typically used (I have other Ruana's all with elk antler handles.), and Mike & Mark at Ruana did some awesome gimping on top of the blade. The gimping was all done file work by hand!!

View attachment 165252

View attachment 165253

Very special knife with special engraving. What year did you get your knife?

 

[pre6422hornet]

Couple that I have made.

This is my go to knife when in the field. 8670 steel with micarta. Light, sharp as Heck. I have currently sold 8 of these in the USA and in a short 18 months they have been used on Elk, Barbary Sheep, Whitetail, Mulies, Coues, Alaskan Brown Bear, Blacktails, feral hogs, Key deer, snakes, and hundreds of ducks and birds.


Here is one I just finished this fall for a fellow Hunt Talk member. He sent me a pic with dimensions and asked that I recreate a knife his granddad made many moons ago.

 

[Jbotto]

Couple that I have made.

This is my go to knife when in the field. 8670 steel with micarta. Light, sharp as Heck. I have currently sold 8 of these in the USA and in a short 18 months they have been used on Elk, Barbary Sheep, Whitetail, Mulies, Coues, Alaskan Brown Bear, Blacktails, feral hogs, Key deer, snakes, and hundreds of ducks and birds.
View attachment 165473

That looks wicked useful!

 

[ignorethefringes]

Stuff like this reminds me that we really need a HTer shop on this site somewhere so some of you guys can sell you knives, woodwork, art, etc. Randy can charge the buyer a small fee to support the site.

 

[fmnjr]

Holy heck, thanks guys now I have even more chit to buy. Nice blades!

 

[noharleyyet]

A Huntalker sent me this one...looks like etched steel, cemented antler scales...keeps an edge. Thoughtful gifts knives...

https://flic.kr/p/2keK62m