Deer Processing Knives - AR15.Com Archive

Deer Processing Knives

eclark53520 [Member]

9/23/2011 4:36:20 PM

What are you guys using for dressing/skinning/quartering/de-boning etc?

At the moment i'm using a single old knife my Grandpa gave me a while back when he decided he was too old to do the deer hunting thing anymore. I think it's an old Buck.

Looking to get something better suited for the job. I like this Buck for gutting and quartering(meaning it gets the job done), but skinning and de-boning are a PITA with it. Just need idea's on what you guys find to work.

Thanks!

Mikeyworks [Member]

9/23/2011 5:27:23 PM

I carry one of these in my field pack. It allows me to cut up what I need to and has the gut hook for field dressing the deer.

(Winchester knife with gut hook)

...and one of these is in my "back at camp" kit to debone and cut the meat out

Gerber filet knife:

Ponyboy [Team Member]

9/23/2011 7:06:27 PM

I've got a Winchester knife just like the one above without the fancy handle. We've also got several other smaller short fixed blades that we use when skinning out similar to this

I think it's easier to skin with a shorter knife than a longer one. We have several like that so if one starts to dull out we can just grab another one and keep going. I also try to stick with knives that have rubber grips. Easier to hold on to when they get all bloody than a wood grip or hard plastic gripped knife.

supremeweasel67 [Team Member]

9/23/2011 7:13:24 PM

Old Timer Sharpfinger

I once had an Ol' Timer, tell me that all you needed was a Paring Knife ( The kind used in kitchen for veggies and fruits).
The Key is SHARP SHARP SHARP.

JoeCoastie [Team Member]

9/23/2011 8:57:18 PM

I use and Opinel #6 wood widling knife. It's high carbon steel and can be razor sharp for starting the skinning process. After that I just use my fixed blade Buck knife for cracking the ribcage/ gutting.

Iowaredneck [Team Member]

9/23/2011 9:29:09 PM

fillet knife for de-boning makes easy work of it.

supremeweasel67 [Team Member]

9/23/2011 11:04:51 PM

Originally Posted By Iowaredneck:
fillet knife for de-boning makes easy work of it.

Also great for removing the "silver film" and "Talo".

SecurityForcesmember [Member]

9/24/2011 6:46:09 PM

Last season I used my Benchmade Nimravus... Won't be doing that again. My hands are large enough as is, using a big knife is a PITA.

When I get a new blade, should I go with or without a gut hook?

soldierman79 [Team Member]

9/25/2011 1:17:08 PM

A utility knife with a few extra blades is an extremely handy skinning tool to field dress with. Been using one for a few years now and ain't looked back. As far as processing, I like the fillet knife idea.

ma1775 [Team Member]

9/25/2011 2:21:24 PM

Originally Posted By SecurityForcesmember:
Last season I used my Benchmade Nimravus... Won't be doing that again. My hands are large enough as is, using a big knife is a PITA.

When I get a new blade, should I go with or without a gut hook?

I have a couple knives with gut hooks in them, but I have never used the gut hook. Most are never really sharp and are really hard to sharpen once they are dull. I would skip the gut hook personally, unless it just happens to be on a knife you like at a good price.

David4327 [Team Member]

9/25/2011 2:58:52 PM

Gerber Gator, rubber handle shaped really well for cleaning game.

thebeekeeper1 [Site Staff]

9/26/2011 10:43:58 AM

For gutting, skinning, and quartering, any sharp knife will do. For butchering I use only knives (several styles) made by Forschner.

RDTCU [Team Member]

9/26/2011 10:46:21 AM

What I use 90% of the time:

And the guthook is actually wide enough to sharpen with crocksticks and doesn't clog up with hair like the smaller hooks...

For trimming after thawing or cubing etc I've got some good fillet knives and ceramic knives.

Gloftoe [Team Member]

9/26/2011 10:55:47 AM

I hunt with a good friend of mine every year. He's been using something called a 'Canadian Belt Knife' and loves it. I decided to try one (albeit a cheap one) last year. It was this one:

http://www.coldsteel.com/cabekn.html

And I've got to say, it works damn fine. I can't even explain why the blade geometry works so well, but it does. I still have a heavier bladed knife (Gerber fixed blade drop point) for any ham-fisted cutting, but the belt knife does the lion's share of the work from gutting, to skinning to quartering and final butchering. I plan on upgrading it from the Cold Steel version to something from Grohmann either this year or next.

I've found knives that have guthooks, saws or any other 'gimmick' are unneeded and more difficult to use.

NickV [Member]

9/26/2011 11:01:48 AM

I have a Winchester branded knife like the first response that stays in my hunting pack. We don't field dress/ gut in the woods where I hunt, we take care of all of that back at the camp site (and haul off a gut bucket afterwards). Back at camp I have a pair of Gerber knives specifically for skinning and to cape (if needed). As for bones we go primitive, a set of tree limb loppers remove the legs and cuts through the back/ neck and a bow saw does the rest.
I'll usually bring the deer home quartered like that and deboning is accomplished with my Henckel knives from the kitchen.

whitetail_hunter [Member]

9/26/2011 8:57:18 PM

I like Havalon knives, they have replaceable surgical blades.

llanero [Team Member]

9/26/2011 9:24:27 PM

For skinning I use my Victorinox Swiss Army Knife, my Victorinox German Army Knife, and a Bass Pro Shops' Red Head Trapper pocket knife.

For the initial hacking off of the quarters, I use an old Ka-Bar I bought back in '80.

For deboning, nothing has done me better than my Henckel boning knife that I got in '91.

eclark53520 [Member]

9/27/2011 8:14:40 AM

Thanks for all the replies guys, got some great idea's i'm going to try this year.

Why would you guys gut back at the camp? The last place i want a gut pile is next to camp....plus, it's a lot easier to drag deer when they're not full of completely un-needed parts...

jw, seems completely backwards to me.

thebeekeeper1 [Site Staff]

9/27/2011 2:26:06 PM

Originally Posted By eclark53520:
Thanks for all the replies guys, got some great idea's i'm going to try this year.

Why would you guys gut back at the camp? The last place i want a gut pile is next to camp....plus, it's a lot easier to drag deer when they're not full of completely un-needed parts...

jw, seems completely backwards to me.

I do it because it's easier and nicer. Dragging a gutted deer has a bad tendency to get dirt in places I don't want it. Plus, I have a nice inclined spot to do it in camp. Gut piles are easily moved later if the coyotes don't eat them the first night (as they typically do).

Oh, and I use an ATV and trailer to haul most deer carcasses around, so the extra weight is a non-issue.

CaputLapidis [Team Member]

9/27/2011 2:43:53 PM

I use a Buck or Marttiini skinning knife for skinning and dressing, along with a bone saw or a sawsall with a pruning blade.

For butchering I use Henckel Pro S Schincken knives, 6 and 8 inch, and a 5 inch Henckel Pro S boning knife.

eclark53520 [Member]

9/27/2011 4:18:10 PM

Originally Posted By thebeekeeper1:

I see. Well, different strokes i guess.

We hose out the carcass with cold water anyway so any dirt that does get inside is washed away. I don't like moving gut piles plus i do all my skinning/butchering at my house in town...so the coyote's probably won't want to come in to clean up the gut pile. Not to mention the neighbors might have an issue with it.

TEXAN1970 [Member]

9/28/2011 11:53:36 AM

I used a knife of my brother's with a gut hook on some hog's last week or so, I'm gonig to wally world to get one soon

buckfever34 [Moderator]

9/28/2011 2:35:23 PM

Your experience may vary, but I am friends with the local butcher and he gives me his filet knives for free when he has them mostly sharpened away. They are "junk" to him, but I can still get a lot of good use out of them.

As for a gutting knife, I use whatever I have that is sharp. I have an actual caping knife for caping duties and I also like using a utility knife for some skinning and caping duties.

Gentry85 [Member]

9/29/2011 4:03:58 AM

I've used a Cutco drop point with a serrated edge for the last two deer I've gutted and skinned. Scary sharp and hasn't lost a bit of it's edge. Handle is very comfortable and doesn't get even a bit slippery when covered in blood/guts. Worst part is trying not to cut yourself when you're shoulder deep in the deer.

Skg_Mre_Lght [Team Member]

9/29/2011 8:28:04 AM

http://www.cabelas.com/field-care-outdoor-edge-kodi-pak-knife-set-2.shtml?WT.tsrc=CSE&WT.mc_id=GoogleBaseUSA&WT.z_mc_id1=745985&rid=40&mr:trackingCode=A6CC1BCD-958E-DF11-A0C8-002219318F67&mr:referralID=NA

I received these as a gift about 5 years ago, now everyone in my Elk Camp owns a set. I have carried these on elk, deer, pronghorn, mountain lion and bear hunts. It is alot easier to pack than a full on butchering kit, but has all of the basic necessity. I don't know how I lived so long without a bone/saw for field dressing.

Ponyboy [Team Member]

9/29/2011 10:34:12 AM

I've noticed that a lot of this is a north/south thing. It seems that most people in the north gut their deer in the field and most people in the south like to do it back at camp or not at all.

We've always got some kind of winch system setup back at the camp so we'll hang, skin, gut and quarter all at the same time. Usually we don't gut the deer though.

Skg_Mre_Lght [Team Member]

9/29/2011 10:49:30 AM

Originally Posted By Ponyboy:

I also believe it is the difference in size of deer, also.

I grew up in Georgia (although we still field dressed them where they lay) and remember a 120 lb deer being a monster (as far as body size), while here in Wyoming, a 200 lb muley or a 600 lb elk is a normal sized critter. You won't be hauling one of those very long without field dressing it.

Another difference is that, up here, most public land is foot traffic only...so you have to hike back with your animal. Three years ago I had to hike 3 miles, one way, back to camp with an elk...which took four trips (quartered out).

eclark53520 [Member]

9/29/2011 1:24:26 PM

Originally Posted By Ponyboy:

How do you get the inner loins without gutting the deer? Probably some of the best meet on a deer.

MrNate [Team Member]

9/29/2011 5:07:42 PM

I've been using a Benchmade Fixed Griptilian for the past couple of years for field dressing, then a filet knife for skinning.

1-Wolverine [Member]

9/30/2011 9:09:16 AM

Originally Posted By RDTCU:
What I use 90% of the time:
http://www.ridgelandoutfitters.com/i/Buck%20Knives/Buck_Alpha_Folding_Hunter_with_Guthook_-_Rosewood.jpg

And the guthook is actually wide enough to sharpen with crocksticks and doesn't clog up with hair like the smaller hooks...

For trimming after thawing or cubing etc I've got some good fillet knives and ceramic knives.

What kind is that? Well, there it is, in the link from the picture above, Buck Folding Alpha Hunter,

castiel [Team Member]

9/30/2011 12:57:46 PM

Originally Posted By Gloftoe:
I hunt with a good friend of mine every year. He's been using something called a 'Canadian Belt Knife' and loves it. I decided to try one (albeit a cheap one) last year. It was this one:

http://www.coldsteel.com/cabekn.html

And I've got to say, it works damn fine. I can't even explain why the blade geometry works so well, but it does. I still have a heavier bladed knife (Gerber fixed blade drop point) for any ham-fisted cutting, but the belt knife does the lion's share of the work from gutting, to skinning to quartering and final butchering. I plan on upgrading it from the Cold Steel version to something from Grohmann either this year or next.

I've found knives that have guthooks, saws or any other 'gimmick' are unneeded and more difficult to use.

That cold steel knife looks great! I just ordered one from amazon and hopefully I'll get to put it to use next month.

manowar669 [Team Member]

9/30/2011 9:48:21 PM

AlmightyB [Team Member]

10/4/2011 6:44:13 PM

I use a dexter russel 5" deboning butcher knife and a sawzall, milwaukee cordless.

Burley [Member]

10/5/2011 11:22:23 PM

For gutting/skinning, I've been using a Buck Vanguard since 1995. It's gutted 31 deer and skinned about 50. Holds a very good edge and the brass is just starting to get a good patina.

For processing, I use a 4" and 6" Rapala fillet knives.

Scott_R [Team Member]

10/10/2011 10:26:26 AM

For field dressing, I use one of these: It's a Browning FDT (Field Dressing Tool)

For boning, etc; I have always used a Forchner 6 inch:

In my younger days I was a butcher, and these knives are fantastic for the money, take a steel very well and are (and can be kept) razor sharp.

Back in those days they were about $10.

ma1775 [Team Member]

10/12/2011 5:04:19 AM

Originally Posted By eclark53520:

Originally Posted By Ponyboy:

How do you get the inner loins without gutting the deer? Probably some of the best meet on a deer.

you can string up the deer by the back legs, with them spread apart so that the head is down towards the ground, you can skin it first then cut the muscle over the stomach and push the guts down into the chest cavity and cut out the tender loins, then cut off the back strap, front legs and back legs, all the while leaving the guts in the chest cavity, it helps to have a large barrel or bucket (but not needed) of some kind to drop that into and basically you haul off the spine/ribs/guts in one package.

eclark53520 [Member]

10/12/2011 1:05:42 PM

Originally Posted By ma1775:

Originally Posted By eclark53520:

Originally Posted By Ponyboy:

How do you get the inner loins without gutting the deer? Probably some of the best meet on a deer.

lol, or you just skip all that mess and hassle and leave the guts in the field...

TheLoneGremlin [Team Member]

10/13/2011 11:41:50 AM

this little package has served me well for a decade now.
travels in my hunting pack wherever i may roam.

as previously noted, it's all about using something sharp. very sharp.

THE_BUSHMAN [Member]

10/13/2011 3:25:41 PM

Originally Posted By whitetail_hunter:
I like Havalon knives, they have replaceable surgical blades.

http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q36/jason7895/knife.jpg

Havalon and the good old Retractable utility knife with a roofing blade.

Skyjunky [Member]

10/19/2011 12:01:07 AM

If you want a gut hook knife its cheaper to buy some hook blades at home depot for a utility knife. They're cheaper and sharper than buying a traditional gut hook knife.

HOSS48604 [Member]

10/19/2011 1:58:54 AM

Buck 110 folder for a do-all knife, for dedicated skinning a Ka-bar skinner, and for processing 4" and 6" Rapala filet knives. Just my .02 on the north/south gut/no gut thing, here in MI we gut em 1. for an easier drag and 2. at least in my circle as long as weather permits we let ours hang sometimes for a week or so (as long as it stays 40ish or less in the barn) kind of like dry aging beef. At least that's what Gramps taught me.