Calling deer hunters

Well said, Bruce. There is nothing in this to suggest that the Buck 105 or even the 102 would not also be appropriate. I don't like folding knives for hunting because they get dirty inside, and... well... there's just no substitute in function for a fixed blade, in the field, in the butcher shop or in the kitchen.
 
I grew up using Buck 112 and 110 to field dress game. I prefer lockbacks for that kind of work. If she wants a folder, I don’t think you can beat bang for the buck of those knives. I’d suggest one from the Buck custom shop if you have the time to wait for it. I’ve ordered 2 knives from them and have been really impressed with the quality. Bought my daughter a 110 from them for her 16th. Engraved and with S30V blade it was well under your max price. You get a choice of scale materials as well.
 
If you’re wanting a single blade folder a Case slimline Trapper will work well for the tasks you describe. I have used them to field dress deer and they work just fine. No need to split the pelvis bone.
Fixed blades are easier to clean up but I used a folder for years and it really wasn’t that big of a deal.
 
For a person with smaller hands I would suggest a Buck 112 for a folder option. And if a fixed blade is an option she would be interested in trying I would suggest finding a vintage Schrade USA 152 OT Sharpfinger. The older 158 OT are a good option as well, they have a gut hook. The Sharpfinger was THE deer knife in my neck of the woods growing up.
 
Misplaced Hillbilly said:
For a person with smaller hands I would suggest a Buck 112 for a folder option. And if a fixed blade is an option she would be interested in trying I would suggest finding a vintage Schrade USA 152 OT Sharpfinger. The older 158 OT are a good option as well, they have a gut hook. The Sharpfinger was THE deer knife in my neck of the woods growing up.
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About 5 or 6 years ago, recently enough for the memory to be fairly vivid yet, I was forced to field dress my deer with an old Sharpfinger that was missing about the first eighth inch of the tip.

It did the job, but it was a real lesson in being properly prepared. IIRC, I had been very ill, and had just managed to struggle out for a while to hunt. I remember standing over that buck, thinking, "Crap, no knife". The old Sharpfinger in the truck saved the day, but I swore, "Never again".

If this person is a newbie to skinnin' critters, I think a folder is not as good a choice as a fixed blade that is big enough to use with confidence.

I have used a Bark River Micro Canadian once to field dress and it worked but once was enough.
 
A folder for a small-handed deer hunter? Buck 112. No, it’s not a non-stainless steel, but for these purposes that’s a good thing. Remember blood is essentially sea water.

FWIW, I’m one of those weird guys who thinks that the *best* knives for processing animals are the ones that guys who do this for a living use.

I haven’t cleaned an animal larger than a squirrel in years, but if I had to choose a knife from among those I routinely carry to field dress a deer, I’d pick this one: the humble Victorinox paring knife.

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You can get a buck 112 in 5160. If i still hunted I'd probably get one. An old schrade 7ot can be gotten in carbon steel for cheap and they are great, but not small. I prefer folders for carrying. I hate the idea of falling on a fixed blade. And they aren't hard to clean with a toothpick or the point of another knife or whatever.
 
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Txjohn said:
I sort of suggested a fixed but she didn't seem to excited about it . Guess for discussion purposes I should include fixed blade as well . I can see how that would be ideal.
Price 150 max . She's also a minimalist so I'd get bonus points for some thing less
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I'd go with a Kabar Dozier lockback then,for twenty bucks The original blade profile model
 
Buck Vanguard is still one of my favorite deer knives ... the standard version ... or the Cabela's Guide Series that uses S30V steel ... it just is a really good design for a hunting knife.
 
Well....ironically this Hess Whitetail arrived yesterday. It has some vintage appeal and I think will age well. But it’d be hard to beat one of the various Buck fixed blades or folders. Maybe a customized one to have some more sentimental value to her.

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I don't know how many are out there right now but ESSE has a new little 3.5-inch drop point hunter fixed blade with a comfortably long handle that seems like a real work horse to me. Thats from the 100+ deer I've field dressed over the years.
 
Sidehill Gouger said:
I don't know how many are out there right now but ESSE has a new little 3.5-inch drop point hunter fixed blade with a comfortably long handle that seems like a real work horse to me. Thats from the 100+ deer I've field dressed over the years.
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What did you use on the deer you dressed?
 
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Blade shape and thickness are everything when it comes to hunting knives. 90% of what are billed as hunting knives are ill suited for the job. Too thick. Too much belly or not enough.

Folder? Any full sized trapper. Also GEC made an 81 coon skinner that is a good candidate. Any one of the muskrat patterns around 4 inches is an excellent candidate.

I've used a queen D2 full sized trapper (in red stag no less :eek: ) to process every deer I've gotten for 15 years or so. Skinning them I do with a Bark River fixed blade. For small game a little GEC 66 slim is almost perfect.

Best of luck,
Will
 
DrPenguin said:
Blade shape and thickness are everything when it comes to hunting knives. 90% of what are billed as hunting knives are ill suited for the job. Too thick. Too much belly or not enough.

Folder? Any full sized trapper. Also GEC made an 81 coon skinner that is a good candidate. Any one of the muskrat patterns around 4 inches is an excellent candidate.

I've used a queen D2 full sized trapper (in red stag no less :eek: ) to process every deer I've gotten for 15 years or so. Skinning them I do with a Bark River fixed blade. For small game a little GEC 66 slim is almost perfect.

Best of luck,
Will
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Thanks for all the feedback , getting impression small fixed is the way to go . I'd like to hear more about blade shape / thickness.
 
I’m not up on all the Buck models at all, but I just saw a thread on the 212. That looked perfect, except I’d prefer a single guard to a double guard. Love the blade though.

Always fun to see the wide range of recommendations on this subject. Probably a bit overwhelming to the OP! :)
 
A gec to dress a deer ehh i probably wouldnt. I didn’t dress one with it but I would recomemd the Benchmade hidden canyon small fixed blade very nice package with a good horizontal leather sheath. It looked too nice for my purposes with it so i sold it. I’ve always used a 110 easy to clean out holds a good edge great blade shape. This year tho planning on using a Schrade 153uh I fully expect it to be wonderful for the task
 
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A good drop point IMHO is the blade shape I prefer for field dressing large game ... the second would be a spear point ...

now if you go farther and get into detailed work like caping a deer out fully to mount ... I like the Knives of Alaska's caping knife ... or White River's Backpacker Pro or Caping knife ... something much smaller with a good comfortable handle ...
 
I would suggest a buck 112 or a Case (or GEC) trapper. Case makes a mini trapper that might fit the bill. I especially like the yellow delrin trappers, they look good and arent too expensive and can be found easily if dropped. A trapper will give you a clip point blade for gutting the deer and a spey for skinning and cutting out backstraps etc. A Buck 112 is better than a 110 for those with smaller hands, and has a nice finger guard. You can get all of these knives in carbon or stainless steel, and honestly either is fine in my experience. I mostly use a fixed blade when I hunt, because like everyone else has said, pocket knives get pretty gross inside. When I do use a pocket knife it is generally a Buck 110 (420hc steel) or a Case full size trapper (carbon steel).
Also, I would stick to traditional pocket knives. There are some great designs out there in the more modern knives but modern knives tend to have more nooks and crannies for gunk to get into, where as a Trapper or even a Buck hunter lockback is more of a closed up design, and proven by millions of hunters. Just throwing that out there. Also, some one here suggested a GEC bull nose sodbuster and I think those are good choices too, as well as Case sodbuster jrs. Good luck, and good hunting! :)
 
I have been cleaning deer for fifty years using everything from an Uncle Henry stockman to a Buck General.
Here are some issues that you need to be aware of:
1: Gunk will get into crevasses of the knife. Not just blood, but blood, hair, fat, and particles of meat. They will need to be cleaned out with hot soapy water quickly if you use a folding knife or you'll have to disassemble the knife to get it clean.
2: Deer hair normally has a lot of dirt in it. This will quickly dull knives with inferior steel.
3: An upswept point will snag on intestines when you open the body cavity. While a seasoned hunter like myself knows how to avoid this, it's still better to have a drop point that curves away from the intestines or at least a clip point with minimal curvature to the clip while opening the body cavity. Once you puncture the stomach or intestines, you've got a mess and your knife will need to be continuously cleaned off to avoid tainting the meat.
4: If you plan on cutting through the rib cage with the knife, you don't want a flimsy knife or too short a blade. You can always just use a saw or hatchet, etc. and avoid using the knife for that, in which case a thinner, shorter blade works OK. Depending on what knife I'm using, I either use the knife or a sawzall to cut the rib cage. Sometimes I can power through it with the knife alone (if I'm using a Ka-Bar for instance) but sometimes I have to baton through it.

With all that in mind, if you really want a folder, then I would recommend something like the Cold Steel Voyager Large Clip Point. Not necessarily that specific knife, but something that has it's characteristics. The deep finger notch in the handle means someone with very small hands can get a good grip on it. The blade is 4" which is what I consider minimum for a skinning knife, and it has what I consider just the right about of belly. It is AUS-10, pretty decent steel. And it can be disassembled so that it can be completely cleaned.

I do not own one, so it's not like I'm pushing my favorite knife...The closest thing I own to that is a CRKT Alaskan Bwana. That one would almost fit the bill but not quite. I don't think it would be comfortable with someone with smaller hands. My personal preference is for larger fixed knives, with 5"-6" blades, but most people like smaller blades than that. Last year I used a Ka-Bar. A long blade is probably not a great idea for beginners as it is harder to control and easier to cut yourself with.
 
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