OT - What knives do you use for butchering?

[bsaride]

I just realized that all my kitchen knives are junk.

If you were to get a new set of knives for butchering game, what would you get?

BTW I send off some nice amboyna burl to have BearPawKnives make a couple
skinners (will post when I get them in a couple months).

[mescalero1]

On the game side of things, I have always liked Gerber

[El Chivo]

I have had a nice Henckels butcher knife for 30 years and it made short work of my buck two years ago. I used it for deboning the meat, and it's going with me this year.

Here is an updated version of it:

http://www.cutleryandmore.com/details.asp?SKU=22

For skinning I used the standard Buck knife and it worked great. But it seemed too light for cutting meat. Something about the shape.

I also recently bought a K-bar skinning knife (nothing like their Marine Corps knives) which I HOPE to try out. It's light and I'm going to carry it and stash the others.

One other new thing I have is a diamond sharpener, looks like a file with small oval holes in it, with a handle. It's lighter than a stone and should be faster.

[mark]

Afternoon all,

I like Green River carbon steel knives, particularly the "Sheep Skinner", not too big and it works well for me.

In fact, I bought a second "Sheep Skinner" should I ever lose the original.

The Ontario "Old Hickory" knives are good as well. Cheap too.

Cheers

Mark

[Old Savage]

I have been using these for more than 30 years. Forschner and Dexter they a have all kinds of designs based on what you like.



These two are useful in the field.

[shawn_c992001]

I have a 6" Green River Skinner, a 6" Ontario butcher, a Western skinner, a Buck Mini Nighthawk, and a Boker folder.

[2ndovc]

Back in another lifetime. My Ex wife's Dad had a whole box of knives and sharpeners.

We'd carry the deer down the basement. Hang it up and start to carvin'.

Pick out a knife, run it through a sharpener and see if it works. If not pick another. Brand didn't seem to matter.

Now I take it to a guy for processing.

jb

[Tycer]

I learned at 86ers ranch that their pros use little, cheap, plastic handled pairing knives. I bought a set of three Mundial white handled ones and love them. I went with Mundial because the German makers have joined all the others in Chinese made knives on their entry level and Mundial is made near where my Rossi and Taurus are made.

[AmBraCol]

Here's a couple of my favorites. They've both skinned/butchered a fair amount of small game as well as taking care of goats and such. The first is an Old Hickory "carving" knife and the second is a "Utica Sportsman" knife. They both take an excellent edge and hold it well. The Old Hickory is cheap, but good steel. The Utica Sportsman is one I got from an old Presbyterian pastor's estate. It was in an old fishing tackle box (steel box) and was rusted to the sheath. It cleaned up OK and once I got the "teeth" off the edge it's become one of the best cutting knives I've ever had. The sheaths were hand made by our neighbor in Brazil and are either deer or goat skin - I don't recall at this late date.

[geobru]

For butchering and cutting meat, I use Chicago Cutlery knives. They will take and hold a razor edge and are very ince when cutting steaks.

Just a footnote: DO NOT USE YOUR SHARPEST KNIFE FOR BONING!!!!!!!! It takes a while to get a knife to a true razor edge and one swipe at a bone can ruin that edge! I'll let you guess how I learned that tidbit!

[Old Ironsights]

Depends.

For the "rough" stuff, Gerber.

For the intermediate deboning, as often as not I use my Puma Folder.

For close/most work I use a Victorionox Paring Knife.

For the rest, (steak prep) - whichever Henckel is most appropriate.

[JerryB]

For deer I like my set of Old Hickory knives, nothing like good carbon steel knives to work with.

[bsaride]

For deer I like my set of Old Hickory knives, nothing like good carbon steel knives to work with.

That's pretty much what I feel, quality carbon steel. I have ordered the Old Hickory set.
Field work is not a problem, I have about 20 to choose from.

[BenT]

For field work I've been trying a variety of different style knives. But once the meat hits the kitchen table I use Chicago Cultlery knives.

[Ysabel Kid]

Here are mescalero1's preferred butchering knives:

[jb00_98]

I use a Schrade Old Timer folder and a Kershaw fillet knife. Both have textured rubber handles that don't get slippery, hold an edge fairly well and touch up quick on a steel or stone.

[dr walker]

I have a smallish custom drop point hunter I use for field dressing, but for butchering I mainly use a couple of old Chicago Cutlery carbon steel knives. One is a 6 inch stiff boning knife and the other is a 5 in multi purpose knife. I also use an old Case XX heavy bladed meat knife cleaver style.

[Jay Bird]

Knives of Alaska, you won't be sorry. Pops and me gutted and deboned whole Elk w/no sharping.
http://www.knivesofalaska.com/