ESEE for hunting

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unclerod

Joined
Apr 21, 2010
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For those of you ESEE fans that hunt....In your opinion which ESEE blade is best for your North American hunting needs where the primary requirement is field dressing game? That being said while you are out you'll run into other opportunities to use a blade. Just curious which blade you'd take along if you could only fit one in your bag?
 
I have used both an izula and an rc4 to dress out whitetail and hogs. I have both con vexed and they held up fantastically. I liked the 4 for parts that needed a heavie hand. However the izula is great for cleanup after use due to no handles. I left some paracord on for grip and just tossed it after I was done. Also had good luck for fine work with my mini Canadian as well.
 
When Dave and I go brontosaurus hunting, I use the Junglas and he takes his RTAK II.

When TTD and I go on our witch hunts I take my ESEE-3.

Hope this helps.:D
 
shotgunner11 said:
When Dave and I go brontosaurus hunting, I use the Junglas and he takes his RTAK II.

When TTD and I go on our witch hunts I take my ESEE-3.

Hope this helps.:D
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Actually I wasn't referring to hunts of that nature more along the lines of whitetail etc - but thats good to know cuz I've got a Bigfoot hunt coming up this fall.....:D
 
i would take the 3 because it is thinner, 1/8th if an inch. and maybe pair it with something larger, say the 6.
 
For hunting, anything up to Whitetail sized game I would say the ESEE3 would be best. If getting larger, I would bump up to the ESEE4, but it is personal preference, really.
 
I've used my RC-3 for whitetail the last two seasons. Works excellent. Thin blade for dressing and skinning. Secure grip when bloody and robust enough for other field tasks:thumbup:
 
I'm a fan of the 3 for hunting. I see no reason to need a thicker blade for game processing duties. The extra blade length on the 4 would really only be useful to me in a couple areas, and it's not that big of a deal on something the size of a whitetail.

I've processed a couple deer with my 3s and have been quite happy with them.

The Izula is an excellent skinning knife. Skinned my deer with it last fall. It's also great for small game like birds, rabbits, etc.
 
The first time I put my hands on a 3 I said "this knife would be a PERFECT whitetail knife". But I "already had" a good hunting knife so I went with the 4. I later got a 3 and it will be replacing my tried and true Case hunting knife.

My dad field dressed a deer with his 4 last year and said he was extremely impressed.

I think people often times use too much knife for hunting tasks. I think the 3 would be perfect and that would be my first choice, but a 4 would also be a pretty good option.
 
adaman04 said:
I think people often times use too much knife for hunting tasks.
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I couldn't agree more. I prefer the smaller blades for field dressing because IMO you can better control your blade at all times, you wouldn't want to burst the guts because you had too long a knife. If I needed to butcher the game too well that's another story but it's not the case for me.

I do have my dedicated hunting knife, which is not ESEE, but last year I gave it a break and took the Izula. I dressed a moose and 2 deer with it and I loved it. Easy to clean too when you are done. Also easy to sharpen. Even while dressing the moose I did not feel I had "too small" of a knife.

The only tools I needed...




 
My choice is the RC4 haowever that is because I don't have an RC3. I convexed the edge on my 4.
 
I'd say the 3 is more suited to field dressing. I would go with the 4 if you hike into remote areas.
 
I used the RC6 this last year because it was my only ESEE blade at the time. I thought it would be too much blade for turkey, but it wasn't bad. I field dressed and processed a whitetail with it and was pleased. That being said I now have an RC3 and I think it would be perfect for field dressing chores, but a RC4 would fall right in between them. So I'd think you couldn't go wrong with a 3 or 4.
 
I never go hunting without my 4 and my Izula. If I could only bring ONE kife into the backwoods it would be my 4-not quite as easy for skinning chores (although I used the 4 on a bear last year) but a better all-purpose survival knife. I use my Izula mostly for dressing with an assist from the 4 for butchering.
 
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