Best knife for skinning deer?

[Coiloil37]

Originally Posted by 1899b

Not at all. My Buck 110 is a great 60 dollar knife. Never once have I ever thought of it as top of the line knife but it works for me. But good for you for conveying that you are pretentious when it comes to cutlery. I also made meat last week with a rifle topped with a 40 year old Weaver K4 and not an $800.00 Zeiss. The end result is what matters..

Perhaps you and Cal need to grow thick enough skin you don't have to feel like people are talking about you specifically when they are generalizing on a public forum.
I agree the end result is what matters. In fact, whatever makes YOU happy is all that matters. If you want to clean animals with a broken mason jar I don't care as it has nothing to do with me.
The great thing about these forums is people get to share ideas and experiences. The hard part is sifting through the posts trying to work out who knows what they're talking about.
I spent most of my life with "normal" knives. We're talking scharade, gerber, buck etc. I watched my old man carry a few knives to gut and skin his elk. My grandfather used one knife but stopped mid job to sharpen it (usually a few times). I did the exact same things and though it was normal. I actually found bears to be the worst on a knifes edge, it often took me three knives to skin a bear (I demand a razor sharp edge, I won't use something that won't shave).
Anyway, long story short I found there are not only better steels, there are also better heat treats, edge grinds, ergonomics designs and custom options (lipstick) to meet every taste. All of a sudden I can have one knife that will not only out cut everything I've ever used before but will cut longer and resharpen easier. It also looks better and the sheath is safer. As Cal alluded to before, a fixed knife on the belt becomes an issue when you jump in the truck or on the quad but Doziers horizontal sheath has that sorted as well.
The fall of 15 I gutted and skinned a bear, three elk and four deer with one knife. At the end of the season it still shaved hair off my arm and didn't need to be touched up (I bring up that year because it was the most animals I processed before I sharpened the knife). That kind of performance for $200 is worth talking about.

So here we are on a thread where the OP asks what the best knife is for deer. He doesn't state a budget or sound like he has any knowledge on knives. He gets the usual answers because most guys haven't expanded their minds past the usual Canadian tire/ wholesale sports type knives. So all of a sudden, due to popularity, the buck, gerber, cutco etc is all a guy needs.
He buys one, probably never learns how to properly sharpen it (really how could you when it doesn't take a very good edge and loses it faster then the average guy can put it back on) and maybe gravitates to a havalon or something with a replaceable blade. Next thing you know a buck 110 is a great fixed knife but this havalon is the bees knees for hunting because not only do I not have to sharpen it but I can just change the blades when they get dull. You see where this is going?

The web is full of misinformation, people talk about stuff they don't have any experience with or they've just never asked themselves if the way they're doing a task is the best or the tool they're using could be improved.
I will freely share information if I've got personal experience on the subject and I won't jump onto a thread to talk out my butt just to increase my post count or try and convince people I know what I'm talking about. If you don't want to buy what I'm selling (figuratively speaking) I don't care. It was free to give, take it or leave it as you please.

I don't care what anyone else uses or how they prioritize their finances/ time. If you want to spend money on tags and fuel so you can get out there that's your business. If you want to shoot an old rifle or scope, that's awesome. If your rocking a trapper Nelson pack board with a scharade sharp finger, $40 Walmart binoculars and a 100 year old Winchester 94 and getting it done, good on you. When we walk past each other on the trail I will never look down my nose on you or judge you based on your equipment.
However, if you get on here and start telling a guy your pack frame is the best on the market I'll probably tell you what I know about packs.

[crazy_davey]

Originally Posted by Coiloil37

Couldn't get much further from the truth. Maybe you aren't capable of noticing a difference... doesn't mean it's not there.

Exactly right!

[LongBomber]

I have somewhere around 100 knives- always looking for the next great knife. Tried all kinda of steel from 440 to s110v/90v/m390 etc. My advice is stop cutting the hair. Poke a hole and cut from the inside of the hide out. And skin carefully without cutting through into the hair. Any steel will do much better if you avoid cutting hair.
And go to acklands and buy some blue rubber cut resistant gloves. Best $20 I ever spent. Not only do you not cut yourself, but they grip hide very well, you can almost just pull the hide off.

[1899b]

Originally Posted by Coiloil37

Perhaps you and Cal need to grow thick enough skin you don't have to feel like people are talking about you specifically when they are generalizing on a public forum.
I agree the end result is what matters. In fact, whatever makes YOU happy is all that matters. If you want to clean animals with a broken mason jar I don't care as it has nothing to do with me.
The great thing about these forums is people get to share ideas and experiences. The hard part is sifting through the posts trying to work out who knows what they're talking about.
I spent most of my life with "normal" knives. We're talking scharade, gerber, buck etc. I watched my old man carry a few knives to gut and skin his elk. My grandfather used one knife but stopped mid job to sharpen it (usually a few times). I did the exact same things and though it was normal. I actually found bears to be the worst on a knifes edge, it often took me three knives to skin a bear (I demand a razor sharp edge, I won't use something that won't shave).
Anyway, long story short I found there are not only better steels, there are also better heat treats, edge grinds, ergonomics designs and custom options (lipstick) to meet every taste. All of a sudden I can have one knife that will not only out cut everything I've ever used before but will cut longer and resharpen easier. It also looks better and the sheath is safer. As Cal alluded to before, a fixed knife on the belt becomes an issue when you jump in the truck or on the quad but Doziers horizontal sheath has that sorted as well.
The fall of 15 I gutted and skinned a bear, three elk and four deer with one knife. At the end of the season it still shaved hair off my arm and didn't need to be touched up (I bring up that year because it was the most animals I processed before I sharpened the knife). That kind of performance for $200 is worth talking about.

So here we are on a thread where the OP asks what the best knife is for deer. He doesn't state a budget or sound like he has any knowledge on knives. He gets the usual answers because most guys haven't expanded their minds past the usual Canadian tire/ wholesale sports type knives. So all of a sudden, due to popularity, the buck, gerber, cutco etc is all a guy needs.
He buys one, probably never learns how to properly sharpen it (really how could you when it doesn't take a very good edge and loses it faster then the average guy can put it back on) and maybe gravitates to a havalon or something with a replaceable blade. Next thing you know a buck 110 is a great fixed knife but this havalon is the bees knees for hunting because not only do I not have to sharpen it but I can just change the blades when they get dull. You see where this is going?

The web is full of misinformation, people talk about stuff they don't have any experience with or they've just never asked themselves if the way they're doing a task is the best or the tool they're using could be improved.
I will freely share information if I've got personal experience on the subject and I won't jump onto a thread to talk out my butt just to increase my post count or try and convince people I know what I'm talking about. If you don't want to buy what I'm selling (figuratively speaking) I don't care. It was free to give, take it or leave it as you please.

I don't care what anyone else uses or how they prioritize their finances/ time. If you want to spend money on tags and fuel so you can get out there that's your business. If you want to shoot an old rifle or scope, that's awesome. If your rocking a trapper Nelson pack board with a scharade sharp finger, $40 Walmart binoculars and a 100 year old Winchester 94 and getting it done, good on you. When we walk past each other on the trail I will never look down my nose on you or judge you based on your equipment.
However, if you get on here and start telling a guy your pack frame is the best on the market I'll probably tell you what I know about packs.

Cool

[amosfella]

Originally Posted by LongBomber

I have somewhere around 100 knives- always looking for the next great knife. Tried all kinda of steel from 440 to s110v/90v/m390 etc. My advice is stop cutting the hair. Poke a hole and cut from the inside of the hide out. And skin carefully without cutting through into the hair. Any steel will do much better if you avoid cutting hair.
And go to acklands and buy some blue rubber cut resistant gloves. Best $20 I ever spent. Not only do you not cut yourself, but they grip hide very well, you can almost just pull the hide off.

I agree with the cutting the hide from the inside. However, sometimes when the hide is caked with dried mud balls, you don't have a choice but to cut hair.

Also, I'm not a fan of the solid rubber cut resistant gloves. Personal preference. The bag of knitted cotton glove lining gloves work very well for me, and they're cheap. Check peavey mart. Get a pair of fish filet kevlar gloves if you feel you need them.

I skinned and boned out a whole horse with a bark river grizzly in 3V without touching the edge. Mostly a let's see if I can deal. Still cut amazingly at the end of it.

Edge geometry is important for edge holding. It could possibly be more important than the steel used.

[Coiloil37]

Originally Posted by amosfella

Edge geometry is important for edge holding. It could possibly be more important than the steel used.

Nope, it's important but not more important then steel or heat treat. You really need all three, matched to the task at hand to have anything worth talking about. The geometry will cut, the steel and heat treat will determine how long before the edge is damaged.
The convex edge on a bark river will take more abuse then a thinner ground blade at the expense of slicing ability. So while it's a better choice for cutting firewood, nails or stabbing through a mud crusted boars chest in the middle of the night with a dog swinging off its ear... it's never going to slice like a flat or hollow ground blade. On the other side of the spectrum a hollow ground blade is easier to sharpen, slices better but isn't as supported and won't take the abuse so you better know what it's capable of and how to use it.
When you start talking about guys like Phil Wilson with seriously thin (.005 behind the edge) ground 10v or s110v blades they'll slice like a razor and for a very long time with the steel and heat treat he uses but you can't start prying joints apart or sticking them in the ground while your lighting your smoke.