ok, want to know y'alls opinions.
what do you use?

(this isnt a hunting knife persay, the tip prolly has too much of a chance of punchin through the guts BUT, has anyone had any experience with the Timberline Aviator? looks nice...how about the SOG Seal Pup?)

Spyderco endura if I loose my cold steel.

Al Mar's or SOG's

Brend Model 2

Cold Steel Master Hunter for the heavy work and Wyoming for guttin'/skinnin'.

I agree...Randall knives are the "tit's"

I still have a Randall "Arkansas Toothpick" that my dad orderd in '65 (took about a year to recieve) Real Ivory handle...Would never "use" the knive...Too much Historical and sentimental Value...


BTW: Randall Knives were cherished by our troops in Vietnam...No brag-Just fact!!!

I like my Cold Steel SRK. I know, alot of people don't like them because they are so thick. But man, it slices through a deer's ribcage like nobodies business!
I wouldn't consider any knife that doesn't. Any others out there that will?

You should try the Cutco Hunting Knife.  Cutco is known for their kitchen knives, but they make a kick ass hunting knife for about $40

Personally I think the knife market has played up the need for expensive large knives. People used to hunt with Schrades, Bucks, and many others bought from their sporting goods stores. Some folks used the butcher knife from the kitchen. They all worked just fine. Along comes the "Custom" knife maker and now people "need" these pretty, high-dollar knives. The BEST hunting knife, in my opinion, is the one that is sharp, simple in construction, inexpensive and used correctly in the hands of the hunter. If you seperate ribcages and pelvic girdles in the field, bring something that will do the job - a hatchet or small saw, or a plain old hunting knife that you won't mind hitting with a rock to hammer it through those parts. For skinning, it's best to not use the knife unless you get to a real hard part where you can't work it off with your fist or finger tips. I had a "Hunter" friend of mine once help me skin my one and only grizzley. He whips out his fancy knife, I got out a cheap ULU and he proceeds to not only cut up my hide, but his fingers too. I gladly finished the job by myself. Now if you like flashy knives, I'm sure most everyone here knows more about them than I do, so I can't help you there (although I DID have a STRONG hankering for a Randall knife some years ago, I just didn't want to wait two years to get it....my loss!)

I have killed deer every year for the last 20, and I have had to clean them all, and for me, the Buck Crosslock hunting folder combo with the hook blade is what I have when I go to the woods, for 3 years now. The Crosslock original was for cops/paramedics, and the hook was big, for cutting seat belts off of accident victims, but the hunter's hook is smaller and designed for slitting game. The hook allows you to open a whitetail up for field dressing, without nicking anything messy or getting your hand dirty, as easily as opening a zipper. The blade is pretty nice, too. I think it cost $40-something.

Rant: I'd hate to lose a real valuable knife in the woods, much less a utility hunting knife, so why do most knife makers assume hunters want CAMO knives? Have they ever dropped something in the woods between the stand and the truck and had to go look for it? Camo knives suck - give me something easier to find if I drop it, like walnut 'n brass, black, orange, or blue, even!(/rant)

For actual hunting, for me it's usually whitetails..

Anyway, I usually carry a VERY large old Buck bowie (stag handles FWIW), using it most often as a machete to clear away branches around a tree stand or the like. For gutting or skinning I use an old but VERY sharp Case folder.  Both were given to me by my father and both are cherished but still used.

Camo knives, help me out here, ROTFLMAO. Where's the camo contact lenses, camo dental paint, camo toilet paper......[(:)]
Case and Bucks have been good hunting knives for a long time!

I inherited my grandfathers R.H. Ruana and love it. Great bonehandled skinner made in the fifties out of the shock of an olds.

Alex