A knife for deer and elk?

[Oh Mah]

Outdoor edge swing blade

I love this one.

[vandeman17]

Bunch of outdoor edge knives for sale on camofire right now

[724wd]

Havalons are awesome but should come with a map to the nearest ER in the package.

   i thought you'd have said a custom knife, not some throw away... 

[Woodchuck]

Havalons are awesome but should come with a map to the nearest ER in the package.

   i thought you'd have said a custom knife, not some throw away... 

My custom is waaaaaaaay awesomer but I don't want people knowing all my secrets. I need to hurry up and get another ordered to beat the holiday rush.

[Duckhunter14]

As mentioned above, the Outdoor Edge Swing Blade with the replaceable blades on the other side will break down any animal you drop (I usually carry 2 extra blades). I used to use the havalon but as weird as it sounds I found it was too sharp. I was cutting through the hide and slicing into the meat while skinning and with elk I would break blades when doing any work around heavy bone or skinning out the head.

 As most have mentioned I just cant get away from bringing a light weight fixed blade just in case also. Last year I carried the Kestrel Skinner and was beyond impressed. I skinned a moose, four elk and several deer before I needed to put a new edge on it. I also have a Benchmade connection and was able to get the altitude at a good price and have been impressed with the bear I cut up with it. Still razor sharp.

For under $50 the Outdoor Edge is tough to beat.

[viva_che1363]

I have yet to jump on the replaceable blade bandwagon.
I currently carry a small 3-4" Fixed blade drop point for gutting, skinning etc, and an older marttiini ( rapala) fillet knife. I dont know if they used better steel on the older blades but mine are a breeze to get razor sharp and the thin blade is great for cuts getting around bone.

[aman]

thanks boys! I'm taking a look at some fixed blade knives right now. Replaceable blade knives look great but I want to build some memories on a single knife.

[yakimanoob]

The Gerber Vitals knife has been a solid performer for me. 

Anybody know if those Havalon gut-hook blades will fit in the Gerber?   The beefier Havalon blades don't quite fit in my Gerber so I'm a little leary.  But man, a good hook is sure a time saver when it comes to opening up the hide... 

[Jonathan_S]

No clue. Never have carried a gut hook. Just score along the spine and start skinning is what a lot of us do.

[biggfish]

I have a gerber vital after listening to hunt talk radio Randy Newberg highly recommends it. So I watched it action. On his YouTube videos. He makes quick work of quartering out an elk. They now also make a vital big game which has gut hook blades as well as larger replaceable blades that to seem like it would be an excellent skinner. Steven Rinnela used to use havalon so you can watch his tutorials on YouTube and see it in action. Most of the videos I've seen with replaceable blade knives recommend also having a stout fixed blade for popping joints and any other action that will require tourqe.

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[dvmagernbk]

I bought a Mode One caping knife at the Sportsmans Show last year. Used it for the first time on my deer this year alongside my Havalon. Actually put down the Havalon. Mode One was exceptionally balanced, sharp... felt natural like an extension of my hand rather than a knife. I'm going to buy more if they show up at the show again this year.

[7mmfan]

The Gerber Vitals knife has been a solid performer for me. 

Anybody know if those Havalon gut-hook blades will fit in the Gerber?   The beefier Havalon blades don't quite fit in my Gerber so I'm a little leary.  But man, a good hook is sure a time saver when it comes to opening up the hide...

I used the havalon gut hook blades last year for the first time. Used them strictly for making my initial cuts on the hide for skinning. I felt they worked really well. I've always struggled pushing a knife in a straight line down the spine but pulling the gut hook worked really well for me. The only issue I have is that it's just another blade to change and the time spent changing back to a scalpel blade probably voids any time saved by using the gut hook.

In the end it's a matter of seconds anyhow, and I enjoy the process of breaking down animals so I'm usually not in a huge rush to complete the process (I'm not saying I take all day and the meat spoils because I sit on my arse basking in the glory of my kill, so haters move along!) Just do what works best for you.

[tlbradford]

I have yet to jump on the replaceable blade bandwagon.
I currently carry a small 3-4" Fixed blade drop point for gutting, skinning etc, and an older marttiini ( rapala) fillet knife. I dont know if they used better steel on the older blades but mine are a breeze to get razor sharp and the thin blade is great for cuts getting around bone.

This is my preference as well.  I also have a leatherman wave on my belt for a multipurpose tool.

[dreadi]

A fillet knife, a scalpel with replaceable blades and a deboning knife. Two out of three can be had inexpensive from restaurant supply shops. Of course for all three there’s Amazon. Bring smaller sharpener as well.

[T-Dozzer]

I carry 2 knives. Either a tyto or havalon than a esee izula or a spider delica.
Im a weight weenie so I like the light weight knives. Plus, for the price, they are just about disposable.