Skinning and butchering knife

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I shot my first deer this last year and the one antler he had wasn't much to brag about. Instead of just tossing it on a shelf I'd like to use it for a knife handle. What I want to know is what blade profiles do you guys recommend for skinning and butchering? If you have links to knife blanks you like that would also be appreciated.
 
That is kind of a personal preference question. Some folks like a scalpel, some folks like a big wide green river skinner blade. I think to get the most versatility you want a medium width blade with some belly to it but it still needs a sharp point. I like a clip blade or a drop point, and usually gravitate towards something 3-1/2 to 4 inches long. A knife with these features is good for general hunting/camping use on top of being good for field dressing and butchering. I did my entire deer from field to freezer with these 2 blades this year.

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The bigger knife I made probably 20 years ago and has always been my go to blade. It has a 4 inch blade made from 3/16" O1 steel.

The smaller knife is my edc and is about 3" of leaf spring steel. It is a little small for my taste for processing a deer but was good for field dressing and did a lot of trim work while I was butchering.

This is what works for me, but a lot of folks wouldn't want either of these knives for processing a deer. I would think about what sort of knives you like and what your impressions were of whatever knife you used on your first deer and then go looking fora blade blank.

Good suppliers are:
www.knifemaking.com
www.texasknife.com
 
I shot my first deer this last year and the one antler he had wasn't much to brag about. Instead of just tossing it on a shelf I'd like to use it for a knife handle. What I want to know is what blade profiles do you guys recommend for skinning and butchering? If you have links to knife blanks you like that would also be appreciated.
To me, skinning knives aren't good butchering knives. And butchering knives aren't good skinning knives. And a compromise is just that, a compromise. For a skinner, give me a big belly classic skinner Maybe 4 1/2" blade. For butchering, I want about a 6" boning/slicing knife. Neither blade needs to be very thick. They should both be in a decent corrosion resistant steel that can take and hold an edge.
 
The two Schrades and the top in particular are my favorite *skinning knives*. Though, the jury's still out on the gut-hook - I DO always take 2 152s.
The Guttman *Canadian Trapper* has served me well for butchering.
These are generally carried for field dressing and separation.
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These generally stay behind. The heavy, chisel grind Dwyer speaks for itself.
The Mora is priceless for extended finger-work and boning.
The Forgecraft "Hi Carbon" carver is a priceless tool. Slim, strong and easily honed though holds its edge long too.
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With my experiences - I'd feel any of them warrant a fine momento-grade rehandling.

Todd.
 
From what you guys are suggesting it looks like I already have my bases covered with skinning knives but my butchering cutlery is lacking. I used a filet knife this past year so maybe a boning knife would be an appropriate improvement. Also going to see if I can find a blank with a Damascus finish because why not?
 
From what you guys are suggesting it looks like I already have my bases covered with skinning knives but my butchering cutlery is lacking. I used a filet knife this past year so maybe a boning knife would be an appropriate improvement. Also going to see if I can find a blank with a Damascus finish because why not?
Try going to antique stores and flea-markets. I find the best knife projects there using vintage steel.

Todd.
 
I used to cut up horses, cows, and roadkill ungulates on a fairly regular basis, to feed to captive predators (long story). I've used a lot of different knives, but I pretty much found that as long as it was sharp, it'd get the job done.

Honestly, my favorite knife was an $11 carbon steel Mora (the red wood handle type). Despite having much more expensive blades available.
 
Whitetail doesn't make for very good handles because of the large core. You'll need to cure it then stabilize it.
Thinking of splitting the antler in half and using them as scales (I think that is what they call them). Still need to stabilize? I thought that was mainly for rat tail tangs.
 
I can't get a link to post up. If you search Amazon for "Green River Buffalo Skinner blank"...you will find it.

I have a green river patch knife. It is a good blade.

the Green River buffalo skinner has been around since the 1830's and was used on buffaloes. Probably on a lot more animals than just buffaloes. This is a large knife but it has plenty of curve, which makes it excellent for removing hide.

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I think this Grohmann skinner would make an excellent skinning knife:

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a shooting bud field dressed a deer with this Case Canoe the week before and had not cleaned the knife, yuck! He was given the knife when it was new, about 1964. You really don't need a big knife.

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this is a Grohmann Canadian belt knife. I gave bud a cheap Cold Steel version of this and he liked it for skinning and field dressing. The blade is not more than four inches, it is more like a kitchen knife. It is very maneuverable when cutting.

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Those Canadian belt/boat knives make good all rounders. I lost one field dressing a nice buck about 25 years ago. Laid it down in the leaves and looked for it at least two hours after we were done. Still feel bad about that one. I've got one of those Cold Steel imitations zip tied to the front rail on my trout boat. Not the same by any stretch.
 
this is a Grohmann Canadian belt knife. I gave bud a cheap Cold Steel version of this and he liked it for skinning and field dressing. The blade is not more than four inches, it is more like a kitchen knife. It is very maneuverable when cutting.

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I'm really liking the look of that knife and handle. Would you please get the dimensions of the handle so I can make sure I have enough antler to work with? Might have to see if Grohmann will send out a blank.
 
I've been using this buckmasters knife set since I was about 10 when my dad gave it to me. Think there made by western?. Good ss holds edge long time and gets shaving sharp. The smaller one is great for the butt cutting and braking down the muscle groups the Skinner works good and cuts the stakes and larger meat.

I do use my mora but tend to always go back to these.
The rubber works better when wet to, and kinda feels warm.

Western-Usa-Buckmasters-Piggyback-Double-Knife-Set-R2.jpg
 
For any knife that you'll be using where your hands or the knife might get wet or slick you want to:
  • Avoid slick/smooth handles. You don't want the knife slipping in your hand.
  • Avoid round handles--they will make it easier for the knife to twist in your hand which makes controlling the blade more difficult and increases cutting effort due to indexing problems.
  • Make sure the knife has some kind of positive feature to prevent your hand from slipping onto the blade. This can be a guard, a very aggressive handle texture, or a blade profile that has an unsharpened portion near the handle that drops down far enough to keep your fingers off the sharp part of the blade.
 
I'm really liking the look of that knife and handle. Would you please get the dimensions of the handle so I can make sure I have enough antler to work with? Might have to see if Grohmann will send out a blank.


The OAL of the knife is 8.5 inches, the handle is 4 1/4" from butt to tip on the bottom, to 4 1/2" from butt to tip on top.

Luckly you, Grohmann sells a knife kit, complete with sheath. This is the first I have seen this, so don't know if it will be offered again. Just attach your stag to the handle and you will have one unique knife!

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http://www.gknives.com/index.php/products/outdoor/original-design-kit-detail
 
The OAL of the knife is 8.5 inches, the handle is 4 1/4" from butt to tip on the bottom, to 4 1/2" from butt to tip on top.

Luckly you, Grohmann sells a knife kit, complete with sheath. This is the first I have seen this, so don't know if it will be offered again. Just attach your stag to the handle and you will have one unique knife!

View attachment 878596

http://www.gknives.com/index.php/products/outdoor/original-design-kit-detail
Was just looking at that kit on their site and for some reason design kit didn't register in my head as a blank. How about the height of the handle? My antler is narrower than I'd like.
 
Thinking of splitting the antler in half and using them as scales (I think that is what they call them). Still need to stabilize? I thought that was mainly for rat tail tangs.
Whitetail is not suitable without stabilization because it has a large pithy core.

The tines have enough density to handle small knives without stabilization.
 
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