Tools of the field - Knifes

[Daveinthebush]

After being up here for a while I have settled on a few knifes that I usually carry on most all hunts.

Smith and Wesson

Great little caping knife.  I have two sharpened and ready to go.  You can usually pick them up on Ebay for less than $20 shipped.


Schrade 1430T

My brother sent me this for Christmas and I was doubtfull.  It has become a standard carry.  Easy to sharpen and great for bear and caribou.  The gut hook is a little small for moose hide.  Most gut hooks are.

Browning FTD

Another standard carry.  A bit bulky but all three blades do come in handy.


Wyoming Saw

A buddy showed me his and I was sold.  I only carry it for long camping trip and moose hunts.  The saw really cuts and it will breeze through a moose leg.

I am still looking for others though.  A very small knife for cuting the hide around bears toes is a must.  A large gut hook for moose would come in handy too.

[Sourdough]

Dave, I got two with gut hook large enough for Moose.  One is a buck folder I got through Cabela's (a bit spendy)  the other I got at Wal Mart, very reasonable price.  The brand is Winchester and they have it hanging on the wall display with other knives in a blister pack.  I was looking at one in the knife display and really liked it but told the lady behind the counter it was too small for Moose, she went and got one off the display down the aisle, same knife just bigger and just the right size.  A large nonfolding knife.  The gut hook is really large, and it holds an edge reasonably well, and is not hard to resharpen.  I loaned it to a guide friend at camp this year and he would not give it back till after the season.

[oldprofessor]

Dave,

The best thing for dealing with bears toes - and for splitting ears, eyes, and lips, etc. - is a good pair of surgical scissors.  Use the blunt ends to separate anatomical planes instead of cutting tissue.

I taught anatomy to medical students for twenty-five years and have developed good technique for cleaning up tender parts.  I am retired from the university but still pursue anatomy as an amateur taxidermist.  I prefer scissors and blunt dissection over any method of cutting.

But, sharp knives have their purpose too...

Dan

[williamlayton]

This is a fun read and VERY informative.
Keep talking.
Blessings

[akpls]

Dave,

I taught anatomy to medical students for twenty-five years and have developed good technique for cleaning up tender parts.  I am retired from the university but still pursue anatomy as an amateur taxidermist.  I prefer scissors and blunt dissection over any method of cutting.

You would probably be appalled at my "hack it & stack it" method of butchering!   :oops:  :lol:  

[Daveinthebush]

Professor:

Someone once told me of a method using string to free the hide from the kunckles in the claws.

Have you ever heard of this or given it a try?

I usually try every knife/edge/cutting tool in the house until I find something that works right somewhere.

[oldprofessor]

Dave,

Many taxidermists simply cut the claws off and use artificial claws in their rugs or mounts.  Personally, I don't like the look of artificial anything and prefer to use the natural parts even though many times they are rough and cracked.

I have not used string but I can see where you could make it work.  Tie a non-slip knot around the "fingers" and use that for circumferencial leverage.  Pull on it as you evert the skin away from the phalanges.  It is hard to do those details because it is usually done outside in cold weather when your own fingers are cramped and cold.  Many times, what is needed is a third, or fourth, hand.  Surgeons use assistants to hold traction but the rest of us can make handy little tools.  Take three or four halibut hooks and file or grind off the barbs and blunt the end a bit.  Use split rings to attach each hook to a piece of 12"-18" stainless steel chain.  Then, attach those chains to a single split ring and you have a third hand that can grab hide or carcass.  Tie it to something fixed and you can then use gravity or pull against it.

But, as I said, get a good pair of rounded nose surgical quality scissors for those fine little details in any animal.

Don't those skinned bear forepaws look very human-like?  

I have a Shrade knife just like yours and have used it for the past three seasons.  The gut hook is handy but, in my mind at least, it alters the "balance" of the blade and there is one section of the edge that does not acheive the desired degree of sharpness with the steel in my hands.  For working tools I prefer the relatively inexpensive, but good quality, knives that are easily sharpened and cheaply replaceable.  For field work, that is something like the Shrade and for kitchen and butchering it is something from Chicago Cutlery or Jantz.  I usually leave the expensive and fancy knives at home.

Dan

[Dand]

This fall I started out with a Kershaw Black horse II and a Browning  model 828 folder - both essentially brand new.  Once the moose was down I ended up mostly using the Browning as the gut hook / special skinner blade was VERY handy on the legs and belly.  I was pleased how it worked.  I think the Kershaw would have been fine but I didn't need it.

I had a Buck Cross Lock  titanium coated for a couple seasons but couldn't get used to only sharpening one side.  Also the coating would chip and the edge would get ragged and not cut well.  The gut hook worked ok but would jam up with hair.  I don't recommend this knife with the coating - with standard steel maybe. Nice and light.

Had a Remngton folder with a saw / gut hook blade.  Knife blade didn't hold an edge well at all and the gut hook got dull and wouldn't take an edge after only one caribou.  Dumped that knife - with better steel it would have been a keeper design.

My all time favorite was a Puma folder (General I think). If I got it sharp properly I could clean and skin 3 - 4 caribou without touching a steel.  But after about 15-20 years I wore that knife out, lock and cutting edge.  And the sharp point was a hazard sometimes around the guts.


Dave, I tried one of those folding Brownings like you show FTS or some such?  I felt the spur of the gut hook stuck out too far on the handle and irritated my hand.  I sent mine back after handling it around the house for 2 days.  

I'm nearly 100% for folders and light weight is nice but the Buck Crosslock and the Browning FTS seem a bit too lightly constructed for my tastes.  Once in a while you HAVE to do a little prying and I was concerned my Buck wouldn't hold up.

[cattail]

When dealing with a moose I like a big knife blade the bigger the better I carry the big Dexter Russel Butcher knives with the white handlles the stainless ones as they are thicker and strudier then the nonsatinless. They only run $25-$30 and so in my opinion are somewhat disposable. with all the cutting surface those knives have they can turn a mosse into peices in quick time That and the larger sized wyoming belt saw then the one pictured above . I like the larger sizes when cutting through rumps and taking off a full side of ribs.  As for skinning critters that I want to save the hide on the longer I do it the more I spend on good quality hollow ground custom knives I really like the Dunn knives $110-$145 they can pelt 10-15 beaver clean skinning without touching the thing up that in conjunction with the Dunn sharpening system (a Black & Decker Grinder with knife sharpening wheels) I feel I have the best set up Ive ever had in 25 yrs of trapping.