I use the knife to split the pelvis and it makes gutting the deer alot faster, say...less than 5 minutes. What I do is with the deer's belly facing me, the head up, is just kinda tap the knife with a log or rock into the top of the pelvis. It generally splits the majority of the way down and with your feet on the legs you lift up on the tail and it spits the rest of the way. Then the all the guts, lungs, heart etc come out in one glob when unzipped and I use the windpipe as a handle to drag the whole mess out. It makes for a quick clean with very little blood and mess. You know the drill. It has never damaged an edge of with any of the knives I've used. The little knife I was referering too is my only custom and I just don't want to baton with it.

Another thing that makes the whole cleaning process easier is a good shot. If I'm not pursuing a trophy that means a headshot. I used to think that the practice was crazy and not "sportsman" like for some reason. Now, I think it makes great sense. I've never had a headshot deer run off. I have recovered deer that ran 60 yards with jello for a heart. That might be easy tracking some places but the cover here can get so dense it is easy to lose an animal.

Also, a miss on a headshot is a clean miss. Not that I advise taking shots where you think you might miss.

I hang my deer to quarter them, then to a stainless table to process. Quartering them on the ground is a pain.

From the left I think the 1st, 3rd and 7th blades would be my choices for all around, if you can only have one, "hunting" knives. Reminds of of that scene in Rambo...officer:"what is this for?" Rambo: "hunting" officer: "what do you hunt with a knife" Rambo: "name it".

,

We used a big saw to split the hogs in half.

I've seen people use those roofing hammers with the little hatchet on the back. I'd be in guts or bladder for sure.

A spine shot will drop them in their tracks....every time....

Doc

Nice post. Thanks!

>>> Here are a few I consider to be very worthy for skinning and processing game...

I think the Vex would be terrific for this.

The first knife given to me when I was a kid - from my dad, for hunting, was a Buck 118.



[/quote]

I pretty much disagree with your selection of skinning knives...the Buck 118 and the one your father used are far superior....skinning knives need an upswept blade... I already know we differ in opinions, but I have skinned enough hogs and deer to trust my past teachings and experience...

One thing we can agree on, is that Buck's can be very difficult to sharpen.... their steel early on was very hard....but once you got an edge it would hold up well...later years it was much easier

The best gut opener and skinner ever made is the Wyoming knife.... you may disagree...but thats okay... It has a gut hook, and a short upswept blade.... I can skin a deer or hog faster with that knife than anything else I have ever used....and believe me, I have used a bunch... quartering, butchering, de-boning, etc.... are better left to those knives you depict.... but for gutting and skinning.... sorry, I humbly disagree...

YMMV

Doc

I am not going to baton with any knife....waste of time...


oops... said it again..

hehehehehe
Doc

Lol, I don't really consider it batoning really...just kinda assisting in starting a split in the pelvis.

I think the knives I picked had the most sweep, but you are refering to KG.

Hopefully, I can add another 50 deer to the count of chopped up critters this season. 30 something is my all time record for whitetails quartered in one season. I think it was 33 but I lost count. This season I think I will attach a little stick to my sheath and notch it every deer I clean.

Heck, getting any deer is a privilage.