Any recommendations on a good knife for deer?

Worst part of the weekend was my knife falling out of my sheath sometime Saturday, so I’m in the market for a new one. My old one was just a cheap folding knife, it was OK but didn’t hold sharp very long. Anyone got any recomendations? Won’t spend over $100, and the less the better as long as it’s quality. Never had one with the “gut hook” on the end, good feature, or no?

Thanks for any recomendations.

Cutco knives are SCARY sharp! Look them up online. I think their site is http://www.cutco.com. Do a Google Search to be sure. I have one and its like a scalpel and a light touch up keeps it ready for action. I gutted 9 deer with it this week and cut up 8 of them with it and its still ready for action. It cost about $80, but its the best knife I’ve ever used. Comes with a lifetime guarantee and free lifetime sharpenings. All you pay is the shipping. They have a straight blade and a serrated blade. I prefer the straight blade, but that is personal preference.

I know a guy in LAX that sells them. PM me if you are interested and I’ll give you his phone number.

i agree cutco is one of the best knives that i have owned. gut hooks seam to be good at just getting in the way. my opinion but i dont recommend a gut hook.

Here is the knife I have used for about 6 years now. It is the Gerber Gator. It has performed wonderfully for me. It has a 3.75 inch blade and only weighs 5 ounces. The one I have is a fine tip but they also have a drop point and a gut hook. The best feature of this knife is the textured, non-slip handle.
Oh yeah, it is only about 35 bucks.

Here is a link for more info on this knife. Gerber Gator

I second the Greber Lenny!!Its a very good knife that keeps a good sharp edge…I bought mine 5 or 6 years ago for around $30.00. It also comes with a sarated (sp?) tip that works great for cutting through the rib cage. I ended up getting both a regular blade and the sarated tip one..(in case I lost one) The handle is great as well and no worry of slipping when your cold and bloody cutting through bone.

Hey Moss–Great bucks anyway–here is the knife that my father,brothers, and I all use BUCK 102 Its just fits your hand perfect, the blade is not to thick/thin and holds a good edge–will last a lifetime. I have seen them priced as low as 44.95.

I use a Buck knife also, I have had this one for over 20 years. Buck Knives

I’ve tried several knives over the last several years and time after time one keeps going afield with me. Ok, two. Both are Schrade Old Timers. One is a 4″ blade, the other a heavy 6.75″ blade. (Est lengths based on memory, knives are at cabin.) I do have a very nice folding Buck but it is too dang pretty to bloody up. Also have a Gerber with a gut hook. That one made it to part way through the first gutting job, I should have left it in the woods. Also tried a folding Gerber, no gut hook (they are worthless IMO) with a half serrated blade. I now hate serrated blades and gut hooks, neither work very well and both suck to sharpen. Back to the Schrade it goes. These guys are inexpensive, durable, and a breeze to resharpen when needed.

Cabelas has the Gerber Freeman X-change on sale for 65.00
quick change blade,gut hook, and saw very nice knife for the money. The blades fit nice and solid.

I run actually 2 knives for hunting, sometimes it is handy to carry 2, that way when I am done with my deer, I can jump in on the ol mans and get his done as well. I use a remington gut hook, have had that one about 5 years, hold a nice edge and also rubber handle for gripping with bloody hands. the other one I think is a schriber or something like that, I like that one as well, free gift.

shane

I use a Buck Proline one piece knife with a gut hook.Im not a big fan of folding knifes, have seen them fail and cut the heck out of the hunter on the other end.Also have a Western that I like really well that was my Grandpas.

Folding Gerber

straight blade…no gut hook…

I’ll second the Buck 102. Been using the same one for over 25 years now.
Just pointed it out to someone at Fleet Farm the other day looking for a xmas gift for a hunting son, but don’t remember the price.

I recommend the Buck Crosslock series of knives. This one knife will enable you to “do it all” in the field. I personally like the gut hook feature. I think it will open your deer like a zipper. The saw blade works for sawing through the pelvis of a buck and also works well for sawing open the sternum. It seems to hold an edge pretty well.

Having said all that, I do not own one. One of my sons and my brother-in-law have them. My knife is a single blade Kershaw with a gut hook and a rubber handle. I really like it a lot. I carry a small saw for doing the pelvis on bucks and opening the sternum. My saw is also handy for last minute trimming of shooting lanes.

JF

Buck knives are hard to beat. This is what I use.. BUCK knives

I have been using the Buck Ranger for years and love it. It did take few times of sharping it, to get it to hold edge well. I have a uncle who uses the cutco knife. He has done many deer and has never had to sharpen it.

I use basically the same knife as Jarrad, the handle is slightly different. I do like the gut hook function and have used it to zip open that deer without much fear of puncturing something I shouldn’t.

Eric

I’ve got a Cutco serrated fixed blade I highly recommend. Forever Guarantee…etc. It slices through the ribcage easily and it is SCARY SHARP! It’s easy to clean and I’ve had it ~10 years…10+ deer without sharpening it.

I have used a old cheap Sharp 300 folding knife. It works fine but a little hard to clean.

This year I used my Swiss Army pocket knife since I packed my Cutco in the wrong pack I keep it sharp so it’s no problem cutting I just didn’t do the rib cage. I Don’t recommend it since it is even harder to clean.

I do pack a Wyoming zipper knife for opening them up clean and fast. You have to love the zipper action.

I also use a cable saw for the pelvis although I just picked up a Sagen Saw after the season for next year.

For actual butchering time we use a Buck skinning knife to get the hide off. And Chicago Cutlery for all the boning and steak/chop cutting work. The sharpen up fast since they seem to be rather soft. We usually touch them up after every quarter.

Whatever brand you get just make sure you keep it sharp!

Ferny.

I use a cutco drop point hunting knife for field work. For deboning/meat processing the cutco fishermans solution gets the nod. I have 2 of these and everyone fights over the one not in my hand!

Jami

I have used quite a few different knives over the years but the one I have settled on and have been extremely happy with is by Knives of Alaska. The model is called the Wolverine. I have gutted 3 deer with it and have yet to sharpen it…I still think its got a couple left in it before sharpening. A little on the spendy side but worth it in my opinion.

Take care

I picked up this Gerber 2 years ago. I have gutted 5 deer, and it is as sharp as the day I got it. The guy at Cabelas, recommended it, or the Alaskan. I got the Gerber.

Gerber

big g

A lot of dang good knives have been mentioned.

My opinion, dollar for dollar, ya just can’t go wrong with the Gerber Gators. I got on them back in the early 90s, when I was in the service. I’m on my 3rd knife since then. The first one got lost, the 2nd one I broke the tip of the blade, trying to use it as a pry-bar ( ), the 3rd one gutted it’s 8th deer this year and has yet to be re-sharpened. I can still trim the hair on my arm too. All for a measly $30……

Dollar for dollar, I’ll never buy another type of blade as long as the Gators are around.