After years of hunting/fishing, etc. with my better half - and he having the knives to do what was needed... over the past year and half I have ventured out to hunt without him, but have hunted with guides, to which have had the knives to do what was needed. Now I am on lease as my own person and doing other outdoor trips on my own or with other ladies and will want to do "what is needed" I would like to know what is the best field/hunting knife I need to have on me. I appreciate any feedback you all intelligent ones can give!

Mine is a Case Trapper that my grandfather gave me, I can clean anything with it. I would suggest a locking knife, a 4 1/2" Blade Kershaw is hard to beat. I would say go see what feels right in your hand and you are comfortable with, and if you don't like your first choice, thats why there are backup knives.

Thanks for the info Alta! This gives me a head start to research!

if you're looking one GOOD hunting knife to act as general
purpose cleaning/gutting/cutting/skinning

get a Knives of Alaska Magnum Hunter
(don't ever get a pointed blade for general hunting duties )

http://www.cabelas.com/product/Knives-of-Alaska-Magnum-Hunter-Series-Knives/714475.uts?Ntk=AllProducts&searchPath=%2Fcatalog%2Fsearch.cmd%3FN%3D0%26Ntk%3DAllProducts%26Ntt%3Dknives%2Bof%2Balaska%26WT.srch%3D1%26WT.tsrc%3DPPC%26WT.mc_id%3Dgoogle%7Ccam_Knives%2BTools_Fixed%2BBlade%2BKnives%7CUSA%26rid%3D20%26WT.z_mc_id1%3D%26gclid%3DCJ3KidKOjbkCFZCe4AodtTQAOw%26gclsrc%3Daw.ds&Ntt=knives+of+alaska&WTz_l=PPC

it is made with D2 Tool Steel
tough, stays sharp and easy to resharpen
comes with handsome leather sheath

marble's woodcraft or ideal
patterned blades, or herter's
improved bowie or bull cook knife.
case 2 blade hunter, large sodbuster,
any good 2 bladed trapper pattern,
puma hunters pal, randall made #11,
buck 110, normark big swede, puma
earl, u.s. made sharpfinger or
deerslayer, pro tool jwf knives,
etc. , etc. , etc.

there's no right or wrong choice.
someone's "baby" might be crap to me,
or vice-versa

(this will be one of those 24-25 +
page deals i'm sure)

Kershaw makes a nice knife that has interchangeable blades, for cleaning gutting and skinning. My dad has one and it has been a great knife. very shape and holds a edge well.


Walter

There are a zillion knife choices, and it's tough to buy a knife for someone else. As for me, I carry a good old USMC KaBar for skinning and general use (chopping bones or tree limbs or gutting deer without getting my hands and shirt sleeves bloody). I also have a 3 blade Browning folder with gut hook blade. I've used and retired a bunch of knives over the decades and I finally settled on those two that I keep in my possible bag.

Some pointers when looking for a good all around outdoor and hunting knife:

1. Go with a stainless steel blade 440C, CPM154. Stay away from
damascus or any other fast rusting carbon steels
2. Get a thick blade 5/32 + you can bust pelvic bones easier
without bending or breaking the knife
3. Gut hooks can make your cleaning process easier
4. Keep your blade length under 5 inches..much longer and it
will interfere with inside work

Mine is vintage Gerber.Have a look

These are the knives I generally have in my pack on any hunt I go on. I'll very them depending on how long I'll be out, and if I'll be camping and may need to do some wood craft with one of them.

The top one is a Gravelle Custom in A2 steel. It's a thick one and is great for heavy work, but not so good for dressing animals. The second one down is a Queen #4190 in D2 steel. This one is great for skinning and cutting up deer and hogs. The next one down is a Fallkniven F1 with VG10 steel. It's a great all around knife for field dressing and general camp work. Fourth in line is an Esee 4 in Rowen 1095 steel. The Esee 4 has a custom set of grip scales on it. This knife is great for general camp work, and dressing deer and hogs. It's tough and they have a life time warranty. I highly recommend Esee. Last in line is a Wilson custom with Aldos 1095. This knife is the perfect size for skinning and quartering deer and hogs. I really like this particular knife as it has a great heat treat and the blade holds an edge for a long time, and takes a screaming razor edge.

The bottom 4 knives are my go to knives anytime I hit the woods hunting. If I camp out, the top one will be in the camp for heavy work.

I noticed someone mentioned using a Trapper. It's amazing how useful the spey blade is on a trapper. With the rounded tipped spey blade you can zip right through the belly skin of a deer or hog, and have them gutted with no worry of puncturing the stomach or guts. So, I do carry a Trapper with me as well as the fixed blades. And, the main purpose for my trapper is using the spey blade for gutting. I've found it more useful than the gut hooks commonly seen on other knives. I found that the gut hooks were difficult to sharpen correctly, and dulled rather quickly. Once dull, a gut hook is very difficult to use. That's true of any knife, but a dull gut hook is pretty useless.

If you want to look at a lot of good knives go to www.knivesshipfree.com. I recently purchased a Bark River Classic light from them. Used it last year to field dress a doe and 2 180lb hogs. Kept it's edge really well.

There are a lot of great suggestions here. Once you pick one, get a Havalon to keep in your bag. It will be great for field dressing and even light skinning.

Be sure to sneak it back into your pocked and pull out the big knife when you are done and everyone is admiring your work.

AWESOME Info! Lots to think about!! Thanks! I'll let you know what I get!

Buck model 110 or Buck Vanguard

the swing blade is a good knife/ 2 in one

I have a couple. A larger silver stag, which is d2 tool steel. And then a couple smaller ones, a few cold steel roach bellies and a finn bear. Highly recommend all of them. I am not a fan of the knives of alaska blade styles, although they are great knives.

Mora 711. Excellent steel, easy to grip, and easy to sharpen to a shaving edge. Not too big, lightweight, and just a good size for an all-around knife. The only complaints would be the sheath and they aren't made for heavy usage, ie: splitting bone, chopping wood, etc.

10years ago this thread would of been nothing but moore maker... but I can't even recommend them any more. Makes me sad

I went out and got a hand made damascus steel knife made by Gary Pickens, myelkcall.com. they have handmade oak handles and i even had my initials put in the handle. I have been through many knives over the years and most won't hold an edge past the 2nd deer in an evening. Gary's customers, alot of elk guides up in the northern midwest, boast as many as 39 elk dressed before the knife needed sharpening. Personally, it may be a stretch on that number, but ive dressed, skinned and quartered a good amount of deer with mine and its still sharp as a razor. he offers a great selection of handle material and he backs his product. in all, if you are looking for a great diverse hunting knife, look to get one custom made to suit your needs. most of the time, those guys making them are hobbyists that have perfected their trade and stand behind their product. i think its important to support the little man, other than buying from china.

I much prefer fixed blades for serious work. I keep a SOG Tomcat 3 in my day pack for emergencies. While it's one heck of a folder, I can't quite bring myself to completely trust a folder in some situations. For field dressing and skinning, etc., I bring a Buck Vanguard in BG42, a super steel that was fashionable 10 or 15 years ago. I've also got a G. Sakai in 440C, a much less fashionable steel, but the straighter blade profile can be very useful under some circumstances. I also have a Fallkniven F1, and a couple of smaller Bark River knives in A2, I believe. Last, but not least, I bring a single edged 10" MMHW in 5160 for heavy work; it's absolutely terrific, and I find that I use it much more than I expected.

If you aren't an enthusiast, and especially if you don't want to sharpen your own knives, you might consider the Havalon Piranta, which has a replaceable / disposable blade system. Finally, the lowly box cutter, particularly with the curved shingle cutter blades, can be amazingly useful for skinning large hogs.

The Knives of Alaska suggested above are excellent and will last a lifetime. Anything made by Buck will be of excellent quality for the price point; the steel is usually quite soft, but they also sharpen very easily, and are thus easy to maintain.

Why stay away from Damascus?

Typically your damascus steels are of high carbon content alloys and will therefore rust quickly. While they look nice in a collectors case and can be sharpened easily they are not good field carry knives. You will have to maintain them as you would a nice rifle.. wiping all moisture from them and oiling them down. Most people do not want to go thru that process. Once rust forms you loose the nice appearance of the layered steel and it has to be re etched.

I'm a fan of the Fallkniven H1. I've had one for years and it is a very solid knife. Good thickness, non-slippery when wet and holds its edge. The Moran is also a good choice.