- Joined
- Jul 6, 2007
- Messages
- 463
I just picked up a new skinning knife, the Dozier Whitetail Skinner, and began to ponder the evolution of skinning knives in my life.
When I was young, back in the mists of history, we all used a Buck knife because that is all the hardware store sold. We used Buck 110's because we all had one on our belt. Then, when we were flush, we popped for a Buck Skinner. Harder to sharpen, strange ergonomics, useless on coyotes and rabbits, and not particularly useful for anything else but skinning big game ... it was still "perfect" to hear us boast to our friends still skinning with 110's.
Of course, the old guys were still using ordinary Case slipjoints that had been worn down thin, but we ignored them.
Then I visited my ancestral home of Finland, and discovered puukkos. A dream to sharpen, a very ergonomic and light wood handle that was grippy when bloody ... even the simple ones seemed exotic, and darned effective. I brought back a couple, and have happily used them for thirty years. My puukko of choice for skinning is a Lapin Puukko, made by Esa Silvola and kin near Rovaniemi. The steel keeps an edge through many animals with minimal touch-up, and the light weight large-sized grip makes it a comfortable and effective tool for all-day skinning.
But then a Dozier came into my hands, and I found myself with a magically sharp blade, small and precise. Utterly refined and elegant, despite its size (or perhaps because of it -- maybe those old guys with the Case slipjoints had a point) it would skin an antelope or a deer faster than previously imaginable, but still could handle a squirrel or rabbit with ease. The Yukon Pro Skinner seemed a good choice. The handle is much smaller than the puukko, with a balance point further back. While easy to manipulate, it was not as comfortable over several animals. But the steel! While the puukko was good for skinning all day before touching up, the Dozier was good for all season, it seemed. While I've handled sharper blades, none seemed as "usefully sharp" for as long. Elegant enough for caping, strong enough for quartering.
Now I have a Dozier Whitetail Skinner, and it seems the best skinner of the lot. It has the shape and feel of the puukko, in comfort of the handle and the useful curve of the blade. I particularly like the "thumb grooves" on the top of the blade, which I actually use to rest my index finger when getting to a precise section. It has the steel of a Dozier, of course, magically sharp. I received it too late to fully work it this past season, but it shows great promise.
When I was young, back in the mists of history, we all used a Buck knife because that is all the hardware store sold. We used Buck 110's because we all had one on our belt. Then, when we were flush, we popped for a Buck Skinner. Harder to sharpen, strange ergonomics, useless on coyotes and rabbits, and not particularly useful for anything else but skinning big game ... it was still "perfect" to hear us boast to our friends still skinning with 110's.
Of course, the old guys were still using ordinary Case slipjoints that had been worn down thin, but we ignored them.
Then I visited my ancestral home of Finland, and discovered puukkos. A dream to sharpen, a very ergonomic and light wood handle that was grippy when bloody ... even the simple ones seemed exotic, and darned effective. I brought back a couple, and have happily used them for thirty years. My puukko of choice for skinning is a Lapin Puukko, made by Esa Silvola and kin near Rovaniemi. The steel keeps an edge through many animals with minimal touch-up, and the light weight large-sized grip makes it a comfortable and effective tool for all-day skinning.
But then a Dozier came into my hands, and I found myself with a magically sharp blade, small and precise. Utterly refined and elegant, despite its size (or perhaps because of it -- maybe those old guys with the Case slipjoints had a point) it would skin an antelope or a deer faster than previously imaginable, but still could handle a squirrel or rabbit with ease. The Yukon Pro Skinner seemed a good choice. The handle is much smaller than the puukko, with a balance point further back. While easy to manipulate, it was not as comfortable over several animals. But the steel! While the puukko was good for skinning all day before touching up, the Dozier was good for all season, it seemed. While I've handled sharper blades, none seemed as "usefully sharp" for as long. Elegant enough for caping, strong enough for quartering.
Now I have a Dozier Whitetail Skinner, and it seems the best skinner of the lot. It has the shape and feel of the puukko, in comfort of the handle and the useful curve of the blade. I particularly like the "thumb grooves" on the top of the blade, which I actually use to rest my index finger when getting to a precise section. It has the steel of a Dozier, of course, magically sharp. I received it too late to fully work it this past season, but it shows great promise.
