Thread: Choosing a knife?

Looking for a knife to field dressing deer and skinning also, what should I look for? Anything to avoid? Worth looking for one with a gut hook or not?
Cheers

Avoid the gut hook for now learn to do it properly. You just cant do the arsehole with a gut hook.
Just get a mercator for now and after a while u will know what u want in a knife yiurself

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Cheers creeping death

Being relatively new to the hunting scene myself, i hadn't a clue what to get in terms if a knife when i started out.
But i've read a lot and talked to a lot of people about the subject so ill share with you what i have found out

A field dressing knife and skinning knife are technically 2 different style knives but having said that, with a little skill you can do both jobs with either knife.
A field dressing knife should be short, around 12cm long or shorter with a slight curve and pointed tip, i prefer a fixed blade knife to a folding one, i just wouldn't feel uncomfortable applying as much pressure to a folding knife that i do to a fixed blade, you can do yourself some serious harm if the locking mechanism failed
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Skinning knife should be larger with a substantial curve, the idea being that you use more of the knives edge and therefore it doesn't become blunted so quickly
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You can unnecessary spend a small fortune on knives so don't go out and spend $100+ on your 1st knife (you wouldn't buy a brand new Merc to learn to drive in would you!), also don't buy cheap and nasty as it will let you down when you need it the most, in essence you do get what you pay for.
For a beginner i would suggest a cheap model of a good quality brand, i bought the 'Cold Steel Finnbear' for $35 and im quite happy with it, its nothing fancy but it does the job and if i loose it in the bush it won't cost much to replace.

I agree with CreepingDeath, don't get sucked into fancy gimmicks like a gut hooks and blaze orange camo handles (no-one will be impressed when you whip out a fancy shinny knife in the hut).
Learn how to dress, skin and butcher a deer properly without aides such as gut hooks etc its not the knife that butchers the animal but the skills of the guy using it, also buy a good quality stone from you local hardware store and learn how to sharpen a knife, its a skill that will be with you for the rest of your life and i reckon its more satisfying that way too.

Finally, chose something that you realy like!, sounds silly but your Knife is a very personal thing so don't buy something close to what you want becasue it was on sale as you may end up lementing over the decision only to buy the knife you really wanted in the 1st place.
Some people will have guncases full of rilfes, but they will only use 1 knife out when hunting!.

That my 2c worth.

Hi Phillipgr, over the years Ive had a few knives, havent lost them, just plain worn them out.

I was looking at buying a new knife, my faithful Buck has got a large crack in blade close to the heal, from cracking to many rabbit and hare legs, literally thousands!
I was looking Bucks etc and one day I took a good mate and his son on a goat shoot and he produced this little knife that caught my eye, so much so next day I went and
brought one, Ive used it for skinning, capeing, gutting even headskinning!it holds an edge well and better yet if you pay more than $15 youve paid too much!

Sad to say you buy them from Bunnings the brand is a Bahco. This was the easiest link I could find for you to see what they look like.
Bahco General Purpose Knife 210mm - George Henry & Co. Ltd

RUNAS

If I could add a word of wisdom from an old fellah I would advise you to get a knife that holds an edge well as a sharp knife requires very little pressure to do its job. More cuts are caused through too much pressure being exerted with a blunt knife than through the use of a well maintained sharp knife.

Originally Posted by Rushy

If I could add a word of wisdom from an old fellah I would advise you to get a knife that holds an edge well as a sharp knife requires very little pressure to do its job. More cuts are caused through too much pressure being exerted with a blunt knife than through the use of a well maintained sharp knife.

Very wise words there. I totally agree.

Amen to that, Rushy.

I was gifted what I thought was a cool knife when I was accepted into the army. I love the shape and size of it, but as we found out on my weekend it was super blunt straight out of the box (unbeknownst to noob me) and now since having a handsome southern man sharpen it for me, I have found that it does not seem to hold it's edge very well at at.

This arvo I have been looking at reviews of my knife and gave up after the fouth review starting off something like "...I LOVE this knife, it's pretty awesome but I haven't really used it for anything yet...."

Spot on Rushy, a sharp knife is a safe knife.
Iv bought them iv made them and the really good ones I lose so for the last 4 or5 yeatrs I had a cheap greenriver. it did the job but I took a lot of the point off it to give it some shape and the edge would really onlyu last for one feild dressing.
Definitely recommend at least having a look at our forum advertiser Zedteq knives. Reasonable price for a quality hand made NZ knife by someone who is supporting our forum.
Heres the one I got. I love the non slip Handel. Blade is a little deeper than i would like ideally but it will only get shallower


Have a talk to him im sure he would make whatever you require.

after heaps of lost fancy knives, i just use a green river boning knife for...everything haha, works awesome

I made this for hunt

Uploaded with ImageShack.us

and my hunting knife is this

Uploaded with ImageShack.us

Linyera not only do you have the best job in the world, you are a master craftsman as well. I am impressed.

Originally Posted by linyera

I made this for hunt

Uploaded with ImageShack.us

Nice Not the sort of thing i would carry around but beautiful work linyera.

Originally Posted by RUNAS

Hi Phillipgr, over the years Ive had a few knives, havent lost them, just plain worn them out.

I was looking at buying a new knife, my faithful Buck has got a large crack in blade close to the heal, from cracking to many rabbit and hare legs, literally thousands!
I was looking Bucks etc and one day I took a good mate and his son on a goat shoot and he produced this little knife that caught my eye, so much so next day I went and
brought one, Ive used it for skinning, capeing, gutting even headskinning!it holds an edge well and better yet if you pay more than $15 youve paid too much!

Sad to say you buy them from Bunnings the brand is a Bahco. This was the easiest link I could find for you to see what they look like.
Bahco General Purpose Knife 210mm - George Henry & Co. Ltd

RUNAS

Get this! Cheap, cheerful and very good stainless. Much better than my mercator.