Looking for a Good Hunting Spyderco

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kramer9802

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Mar 3, 2001
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I am looking for a good knife for hunting. I have read that is what the Tim Wegner (larger version) is good for. Does anyone have a suggestion for a better one. I am going to be using it for deer hunting.

thanks

kevin
 
Can't say I'm a hunter but you just cannot go wrong with a Wegner. Love mine! Try one you won't be disappointed.
 
I don't know how you feel about a fixed blade, but the Moran is an excellent skinner, and the combination of the VG-10 blade and the flat grind make the Moran a wicked cutter.
 
Originally posted by kramer9802
I am looking for a good knife for hunting. I have read that is what the Tim Wegner (larger version) is good for. Does anyone have a suggestion for a better one. I am going to be using it for deer hunting.

thanks

kevin
Click to expand...

Better than the Wegner? Nothing ;)

Seriously the wegner is awesome. Endorsed by the Alaska Dept. of Fish and Game. I bought one for a friend of mine that is an avid hunter. He cant say enough good things about it. He said that he was the envy of camp.

If you are looking for a fixed blade specifically then I would recommend the Moran. I bought my brother-in-law one for Christmas a few years ago. He has field dressed several deer with it. He reports that it does a great job.
 
The Moran is great! Cuts like it's a much bigger knife. Excellent carry system as well.
 
I'll agree, the Bill Moran is an exceptional hunting knife. I am currently testing one for Handguns magazine and have already decided this one will accompany me this hunting season. It's light weight, great steel, excellent shape for field dressing, and would certainly be easier to clean than any folder.

Dan J
 
I'll agree, too...

For a fixed blade, try a Spyderco Moran.
A fixed blade is easier to clean and (perhaps) a bit more reliable.

Nevertheless, I've always prefered folders for hunting:

The Spyderco Wegner is excellent, built like a tank and with an excellent blade shape, but it's also a bit heavy (not really a disadvantage, though...).

My EDC and hunting knife is the Starmate: relatively lightweight and compact with great ergonomics. The blade shape is also quite up to the task of field dressing and processing big game...
 
Hi Kramer, Dan & Dan. Welcome to the Spyderco forum.

Hope you get the answers you need. quite a knowledgeable group here.

sal
 
The Impala prototype looked good as well. It would be an excellent hunter.
 
My vote is on Bill Moran Featherweight. Now it's available in drop point configuration also and it's difficult to decide what I like better. Both have excellent carry system.
But if you are looking for folding knife Tim Wegner certainly is the best for these pupposes.
 
I just found this post, and man.....buy the WEGNER. I am a hunter, and clip a Wegner on all season. I like it so much that I have a NIB spare for good measures.
 
Everyone has given you good advice but, you have to decide if you would rather use a fixed blade or folder.

For the fixed blade, try either model of Moran.
IMHO the fixed blade has more positives....Being easier to clean and MORE reliable.

The Wegner is also an excellent knife. Built very solid, excellent blade shape, and good steel.

I've used both but perfer the Moran. You can't go wrong with either choice.
 
You have gotten some good advice here and I do not have very much to add, but can not resist putting in my two cents on a hunting related topic.

Field Dressing and Skinning is generally what people think of when "hunting knife" is mentioned. In this regard both the Weg and the Moran will shine. I have the Large Wegner and have handled, but not used, the Moran. Their bladeshapes, materials, size, balance and grind will lend themselves to the tasks of field dressing and skinning game, especially deer sized game. Keep in mind that a fixed blade is much easier to clean thoroghly (deer fat congeled from cold is a hassle in a folder!), is more reliable and just overall better (IMO) for these tasks. IMO, folders are a sheeple friendly version of a knife that really shoulf be fixed blade and full tang.

With that said, ask youself if dressing and skinning is what you will be using your "hunting" knife for. There is also cutting the pepperoni and cheese at the card game, food prep at camp maybe light limbing for shooting lanes or better visability in and around the deer stand (if that's the way you hunt). Then there is the remoteness aspect of where you hunt. Will firestarting and wood chopping/splitting be a potential job for this knife? What about potential survival?

Depending on your situation, your type of hunting, your knife (knives) may change. When in a remote area where potential survival is possible and limbing is sometimes needed, I'll carry a good sized Busse and a smaller knife. The traditional "hunting knife" is generally thought to be for field dressing and skinning while able to perform double duty at the poker game for snack prep. A modest sized fixed blade is my choice here. For potential bigger tasks, carry enough knife.

Happy Hunting!
 
I agree on the fixed blade choice = Moran. However, I am kind of surprised that when it comes to folders noone has mentioned the CHINOOK
That´s the folder I´d choose
wink1.gif
 
Yeah I am also suprised no-one meantioned the Chinook, its a work of art and would make a wonderful hunting blade.

Seeya l8tr

MaNcEr
 
Just to add to the mix.....
I've now used my Military(440V) on 5 Deer, 1 Moose, 2 Bears and a mess o' 'coons. I've never had much of a problem cleaning the thing up. In the woods after putting the insides on the outside, I just pour hot coffee over it slow like, then wipe it off. It works well enough till I can clean it with soap and water and then WD-40(it repells water) and then a drylube.
Dan
 
I'll second (third, fourth, whatever...) what a lot of people have already said.

Folder: get the Wegner, you won't regret it. You'll like it so much that you'll search out the now discontinued Wegner Jr. just because it resembles the big one.

Fixed: the Moran is a nice knife, and has a great sheath. I have the original, but I hear a lot of good things about the drop point. That VG-10 is good stuff. I almost wish the Wegner was VG-10. Man, does that stuff get sharp! ATS-34 is no slouch either though.

Good hunting to ya...
 
Wenger is probably the best choice, but if you like he chinook, pick up the latest issue of Tactical Knives, there's a great review of the Chinook and geat picture of the chinook skinning a deer.
 
Don't forget the Mouse. Am certain I read that designer Tim Wegner dressed a large big game animal last season with a Mouse. I'm thinking it was a moose, but a lower 48 moose, not an Alaskan giant.

My next choice would be the Lum Chinese. With the flat grind and good steel (VG-10)it ought to do a whale of a job. I also think the clip point blade on the large Dyad would do the job.
 
For a folding hunting blade, the Wegner is hands-down the first thing that comes to mind. I have one and carry as backup hunting.

If you were looking at Spyderco's, I assume you want a folder. The dropped point Moran is ok, but there are nicer drop points for same ballpark money (Fallkniven F1 notably).

And I've tipped my hand... upswept knives do zip for me in terms of an all-around hunting knife... I much prefer a dropped point, semi-skinner, or at least a flat/straight hunter. With that preference stated, that sets the base assumptions that lead to most of my other comments:

The Wegner is one of the very few semi-skinner folders on the market. There is no clearly better hunting/skinning/game medium to large game cleaning production folder I can think of.

Wegner Knife is built very well, robust, enough belly, semi-skinner point works well upside down in unzipping animal's gut, etc.

The Spyderco hump is kinda ugly, and strictly speaking, it kind of gets in the way when working upside down but not that much, but that's the famous Spyderco hole, and it does make a good opening mechanism (I like thumb studs just as well, YMMV).

The Spyderco Starmate is a sort of dropped point w/ swedge... same hump issue as Wegner (upside down), but arguably better steel 440V for slicing chores, and I like this knife a lot for general utility and it would work fine for cleaning game also. Minor drawback...working upside down, the leading edge on Starmate "hump" is not rounded... it is kinda sharp. This could get old, for your hand, if you did more than one animal.

Can't go wrong on either choice... good fit, finish, lockup, heat treat, just very solid. Those are two of my favorite 5 production folders right now.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Alternatives:
* BM 710 Axis is short on belly but has a dropped point with ground swedge... it would serve pretty well also. Great design. Excellent lockup (axis lock). Probably my favorite overall utility/defense folder. I'd take the Wegner hunting.

* The Camillus Darrel Ralph EDC is a great design, dropped point, and very inexpensive... but not up to the level of build quality or steel quality as Wegner:
http://www.camillusknives.com/camillus-cuda-edc.htm

EDC has a lot of "holes" in it... you'll get guts in there. You'll be able to wash them out. (a good reason for a fixed blade, did I mention the Fallkniven F1? Let me do so again.
http://www.fallkniven.com/a1f1/f1_en.htm )

This isn't "designed" to be a hunting knife, just a great utility knife, but that great blade profile would do the trick for sure.

* Any of the Camillus CUDA "Quick Action" blades have a dropped or spear point as they call it... not exactly a hunting knife, as they are a bit short on belly, but not bad, get what you pay for, but these are decent knives with ATS-34 blades:
http://www.camillusknives.com/Cuda-folders.htm

* Columbia River Knife & Tool has some moderate cost Kit Carson designed spear points also that would work ok. If they make the larger M16 in the spear point (not tanto for hunting!), that would be the one.
http://www.crkt.com/catalog.html

* Gerber makes very inexpensive knives but I'm underwhelmed with their 420 series steel (had an EZ Out that would barely take and then not hold a good edge). But the Gator is shaped to be useable. Anything from them in a dropped or spear point would work ok. For a big more $$, the Gator-Mate comes in ATS-34.

http://www.gerberblades.com/gerberlegendaryblades.html?06149

See also the Magnum LST, AR 3.00, and Fred Carter stuff from Gerber. The Gerber Spectre is dropped too far but would work...like Wegner better at $100 though.

http://store.knifecenter.com/pgi-ProductSpec?GB6900

Hope that gives you some more options... by looking around, you'll convince yourself that your final decision is really a more informed, and for you, a good decision.
 
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