Is there a "best" blade style and length of a hunting knife for field dressing deer? Most likely game is Texas Whitetail.

The three basic blade styles I've seen are the "clip point", the "drop point", and the blade with a "gut hook point".

Does a long blade (6"+) have any real advantage over a short blade?

Thanks!

UPDATE:

Thanks to all who responded with opinions, experiences, and suggestions.

I no longer hunt and the knife is for a young relative. I asked him what he wanted and he said a knife with a "gut hook". So, whether that feature is necessary or desirable, it's what he requested. So, I ordered a Buck (made in USA) like this one.



Whether or not he gets to use it, at least it's a handsome knife.

Thanks again!

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Lorin

Skeezix--This is akin to asking "Ford or Chevy," "Dogs or Cats," "Colt or Ruger or S&W." I personally like drop points with about a 4 inch blade. Excellent general purpose field knife. This is an excellent, short article:

The Difference Between a Drop Point Knife and a Clip Point Knife | Outdoor Life

This is outstanding advice as well:

http://www.outdoorlife.com/blogs/hun...obref=obinsite

Anza knives are wonderful and priced right (drop point):

http://anzaknives.biz/store/index.ph...roducts_id=140

Clip:

http://anzaknives.biz/store/index.ph...roducts_id=139

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Possum—The other white meat!

^^This!!^^

It's all personal preference; I like fixed blades over folders,(for big game), the only gut hook I've ever liked was a Wyoming Knife, & I find that any blade length after 4" gets in my way . After that, as long as it's some good steel that will take & hold an edge, I'm happy. There are a lot of really good fixed blades for not much money out there; they might not look pretty, but they do a great job. Take a look @ Mora & Marttinni.

-Klaus

For me, I have settled on a 3and 1/2 to 4 inch blade in a drop point. Works great for me.
A 6 inch or larger blade is a little too unhandy, gets into a survival type blade. Granted, a 3 or 4 inch blade can't do what a 6 incher can do, but it doesn't sound like you are going to war or need a survival knife.

I personally like a 4 inch blade with a drop point for my general hunting knife. That said I carry one in the field but seeing that we clean our deer at our base camp I can have several knives with me that can perform some of the cutting better than the drop point. But for cleaning in the field I use a 4 inch drop point knife.

Here are a few pictures of hunting knives that have all proved to be very good and functional in the field. The longest blade pictured is 5-inches in length. That is probably the very maximum I would ever go. I prefer a knife that has a blade somewhere around 3½- and 4-inches in length.

You'll notice that the clip blade tends to be a little more prolific than the drop point, although I probably prefer a drop point to a clip blade. I'm not a gut-hook fan, but to each his own.



Good hunting knives come in a wide variety of shapes, sizes, and prices.

I think my top priority in looking for a good knife would be quality steel. There are some good steels out there now, each with its pros and cons. Aesthetics and flash are nice, but they really don't help you dress and bone out an elk or deer any better.

There's a wealth of information from the guys here on this forum. A lot of these ol' boys know all the ins and outs of blade steel and can point you in the right direction. My own personal opinion...I guess, if I had to choose only one type of steel for dressing out an animal, I'd probably lean towards a blade of S30V steel. But, like I said, there a lot of good steels out there. I also like a good quality high-carbon steel, too, but you have to stay on top of it a little bit more than S30V. But...that's just me.

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Pack light and cinch tight.

My knife carrier has a skinning knife, dressing knife and a bone/meat saw. It does everything from small antelope to full sized elk. I carry a sharpening stone because hair can dull a knife quickly.

A 4 in. drop point is hard to beat. I have saw knives with what people called a gut hook but I don't know what it would be good for. Larry

I'm going to let you in on a little secret. Unless you are buying "pretty", or want to impress your friends, the best hunting knife available, in my opinion, can be had for around $15 on ebay.

Mora knives are the best value I know of.

I'm a drop point fan as well. A clip point blade seems to puncture intestines more readily when field dressing, and I believe they are more difficult to sharpen.

I don't know what's "best" but I know what works for me.

Mine is a Japan-made Kershaw 1050 Folding Field.
The only thing I do with it is field dress and skin deer. The blade is slightly thicker than it needs to be, but overall I love the look and feel of it.
I think the advertised blade length is 3 1/8", which I find is perfect for field dressing. I wouldn't want a longer blade at all for that task.

As for a gut-hook, I tried one once, and I didn't see any real advantage, and I found that the hook would actually interfere with the rest of the field dressing process - especially cutting out around the... um... well, you know.

From what I understand, the 1050 was discontinued a while back, but they can still be had on eBay, etc.
There are differences in them that affect the value of them, but I don't know any of the particulars.
I bought mine brand new several years ago for just under $200. That's the most (by a long shot) that I've ever spent on a knife, but it has been worth every penny. It performs well, keeps a great edge, and sharpens easily.

Most of all, it's a gorgeous knife, IMHO.

Noi more than four inches, drop point and some sort of stainless, and you'll be happy.

I like a 4 inch drop point Hunter.
I still have my first 'big' knife.
It's a Sears Buffalo Hunter. I wore out the original sheath and the homemade one that I made.

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NRA LIFE MEMBER

I have had success on elk using 2 knives mostly, a ka-bar game hook leather for skinning and the "unzipping" and then a kershaw lonerock large hook for the heavy work. They handle a great deal of abuse! and haven't had to be sharpened yet so I'm satisfied.

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Still just a kid at heart

Go big or go home! I once went squirrel hunting with a guy who carried a full blown survival knife. I have no clue what brand, but it was a biggie with maybe a 12" blade and all kinds of gadgets like a big compass, etc. And then another time we went hunting bunnies and one of our group had a full blown Bowie. I thought it was a kitchen carving knife he pressed into duty. But it did have a sheath.

One of the gun mags a while back (like in the last century) an article about watching the knives others carry and what you can learn from it. Even fisherman seem to get lost on size. Sometime look at the filet knives they sell for our freshwater bluegill. Almost all the Rapalla or whatever are approaching a foot long. There is just something sexy about a long sleek blade. And after all, its the sexy image we seek, not utility. The conclusion was the smaller the knife, the better for small game and critters up through deer in size.

In all fairness, I don't know squat about dicing up a moose or an elk. And I can imagine maybe a big bear requiring a chain saw to reduce in size. Not that I know because the bear we occasionally get around here are little and black. Its been said they're yearlings who got kicked out of the house. They had to move.

So the next time you see a hunter, look at his gear. The boots, the hunting pants and coat, and surely the knife if visible and the gun. Look at the wear and tear on the equipment. Especially the guys with the tiny knives and the battle worn gun. I'd bet the ones with worn out gear all have appropriate knives. The guys wearing the new or not even hunting gear will be the ones with the Walmart sporting goods knives.

And I even saw a guy maybe 20 or so years ago with a Streetsweeper shottie! He was also going out after bunnies. Go figure.

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Dick Burg

3.5-4" drop point.

Check out fellow Texan outta Matador Texas.

MOORE MAKER KNIVES.
Great blades at reasonable prices good folks
to deal with.

http://catalog.mooremaker.com/browse...group_id=29383

I have used a Buck Ranger and a smaller Browning lockback folder on all
the deer I've taken. The Browning also has been used on most of the
grouse I've taken.

Got some other knives around but the Ranger and the Browning are what
see the most use.

I am no expert but my tools have evolved---I now keep a kit with several tools to get the job done and over with.

1. Long ago---I had a Gerber folder----could not keep an edge and was hard to sharpen (all the other MAIN brand knives were this way---I do not like them).

2. Started using a Puma folder---easiest to sharpen---holds edge well.

3. However---would often use a long slender knife to core the anal cavity, then use the folder for the rest.

5. I have a dmt sharpener---red on one side and blue on the other, and a small butchers steel----really makes life easier.

6. Move on to boning knife once quartering starts---again-need butcher steel---now a full size one.

7. Recently evolved into using the butt out-----good tool.

8. I have recently obtained some Wyoming style razor blade zip type cutters to try---hopefully will make the cuts along the limbs to the center much easier and faster.

Again---I like to get the work over with and move on to refreshment.

These are some of my most used ones for big game; I prefer a Case Muskrat for the small stuff & furbearers. The dollar bill is for size reference. None of the knives in the second picture retails for more than $30, (& half of them are under $20). The one to the left in the second pic is a Mora, the others are Marttinni. They work great, great steel, but they won't win any beauty contests.

-Klaus

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I've never seen the need for a huge "hunting" knife really. I've carried this Swiss Army Knife for about 25 years now and have skinned and boned out whitetail and mule deer as well as a nice sized adult black bear. The blade is about 2 3/8", but that has always seemed to do the job. Don't need a sheath.
It's stainless, holds a good edge.

I like a nice high-quality knife as much as the next guy, but really, this is all I've ever "needed". (The one on the left. The Case Peanut is my day-to-day carry).

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Been up since before breakfast

Assuming we are talking about a quality tool made with good steel and a good heat treat for edge holding, the only real criteria for a hunting knife is that it has a good belly for skinning. I find a 4" or shorter blade gives more control than the big 6-8" blades.

BHK Nessmuk

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Regards,
Guy-Harold Smith II

The better question is flat-ground or not. My blade master and I tested hundreds of knives over many years. The result was that most flat-ground knives out performed other styles by a large margin for processing meat, at least for us. The blade style/shape made little difference. We even took pictures of the favorite knives of professional butchers - after several sharpenings you couldn't even tell what the original shape of the blade was.

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You are what you learn.

I carry a Case stockman for field dressing. All 3 blades will be razor sharp. I open the cavity starting at the ribs or pelvis, I use the sheeps foot blade and slide my finger along under it.

I have larger knives for skinning and butchering. All will get stone sharpened prior to Deer season.

If I carry a belt knife it is a custom 4" hollow ground drop point skinner I had made in the late 80's. It is D2 steel with a blood red micarta scales.

I keep a folder in my day pack at the blind. Also a small cold steel machete for clearing shooting lanes.

After briefly using folding knives I decided that a fixed blade knife was
the only way to go for a hunting knife. For several years a Buck 103
Skinner with a 4" blade was my deer hunting knife for field dressing
and I liked it very well except it didn't have much of a point. When it
was stolen from me I replaced it with another Buck, the original
Knighthawk with it's very strong 6 1/2" blade. The magazine writers
usually repeat the same old "wisdom" that real hunters use small
knives for big jobs. But the Knighthawk is the best knife I have ever
used for field dressing deer. The strong blade with a sharp point and
non slip grip simply make the job easier. It's not so handy to carry
however but I can live with that. So far it has field dressed about 18
Whitetails and been touched up a few times with a hard stone and the
black oxide is not even worn off the edge. It's the bottom one in the
pic of course.

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Whohoo, that's my favorite as well! And I own a lot of knives!

I think I paid around $40 for mine back in 1982. I love the ergonomics. It's a great all round hunting knife. Despite being a folder, it has big, thick handles to grip, not flat like most folders. That's a great feature when your hands are slick with blood while splitting a deer's sternum.

A third option is the spear point, which is kind of a cross between clipped & drop.

I really dig the looks of the black oxide blade on your 110. I may have to order one from the Buck Custom Shop.

Yeah, but what percentage of hunting knives will ever see that much use?

It is critical that you learn how to hone a bevel at the the the same angle the bevel was originally ground to. "Sharpening"
beginning with coarse grits and especially jigs to hold a consistent angle is actually grinding a new bevel, then honing. Doing this every time you "sharpen" will turn a hunting knife into a paring blade in a surprisingly short amount of time.

For me, though I can't hunt anymore, it's a four inch drop point, convex ground, cryo-treated A2 tool steel at Rc 58-60, convex ground, with canvas Micarta handle. In short, a Bark River Highland Special--preferably the original version with the .150 inch thick blade. The later slightly heavier blade is nice, but I gave mine to my son and kept the thinner blade.

Very comfortable in the hand, ferociously sharp out of the box, holds the edge well, and can be stropped back to sharp on a piece of corrugated cardboard or the leg of a pair of jeans (I've done both). Not stainless, but has good stain resistance.

A blade over 4.5 inches just seems clumsy to me.

Not a drop point, but the old Buck 118 Personal is excellent.

Mora knives are great, and inexpensive. But the Buck, and especially the Bark River, are just about bomb-proof. You'd have to work very hard to do much damage to the Highland.

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Oh well, what the hell.

Although it's been quite a few years since I've gone hunting, this is my favorite knife. More of a skinner, but I never had any trouble gutting deer or rabbits with it. And it just seemed to be an extension of my hand. I'd hold it between my thumb and first two fingers, then use pressure from my ring finger to rock the blade up and down while skinning.



L8R,
Matt

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SD40-VE owner and proud of it!

The very best knife ?......is the one that you have on you when you need it! Cannot tell you the number of folks I know that seem to have left theirs in the truck...

Randy

PS. I dug out my hunting knives and decided to use my old Herter's #2 Improved that I bought when I first started hunting in 1967...seems like it sold for less than $10.00.......otherwise I often use my Kershaw 1050 as one of the others has photo's of.

I work at buck knives and I'd recommend the pak-lite kit is has 3 blades standard 4 blades optional it's a perfect starter kit for someone looking for some American made cheap knives. Google buck 135,136,140,143 they are 420HC with a tang hollow grind perfect for skinny and boning.