Recommend a knife

I picked up a couple of customs from Blade Forum sellers based over in Europe. Not all that refined but really well made and great to use. I rotate between my SM’s. The Mora’s I tend to use for larder work. Also depends on the deer - gralloching a Sika stag in the rut is a little harder on a knife than a roe doe…
 
I’ve pretty well tried most blade grinds and the only grind I can sharpen is flat grind in all honesty a strop up now and then is all mine require to keep them razor sharp
Cost wise - buy once cry once and get a half decent blade you like and can sharpen, from trying I know I can’t get a good edge on a scandi grind, no matter what I do I now have only flat grind blades
Ah , someone with a little common sense speaks up . One of the most hilarious things i have seen was a video of Ray Mears filleting a salmon to cook over an open fire ( with a scandi knife ) . The mess he made of it had me rolling about in laughter .
Scandi knives are good for splitting and working wood . I have seen folks split down a deer sternum with them ( not something i would really want to do in the field on a contamination)
Its all about friction , In the Larder we don't want to be using our best stalking knife , it's quite cabable but even the best of us will take the edge down some , as it finds bone . A STALKING KNIFE is for bleeding and without nicking and opening the green gut out . The nearest thing to a stalking knife is the straight boning knives like the victorinox , They work pretty good for the field also but no way as good as the Stalkers Knife . The fly in the ointment is they are too long , you also need to a secure and safe sheath .
IMHO As a long time Stalker and knifemaker , my advice is get a nice ground up build stalking knife from any of the established Knifemakers in the deer sector use it for that it was really designed to do ie Stick / Bleed and open the cavity and remove the Gut . Sure folks have used all sorts of things even a sharp rock . But i ask ... How many of us have bought knife after knife because the last one failed ? Pretty Sure all the better established knifemakers will service and re-sharpen their products . We are not mass manufacturers stamping out hundreds in a day with machines and every one of us could probably find a PAYE job that paid better
 
stalking knife...use it for that it was really designed to do ie Stick / Bleed and open the cavity and remove the Gut

Agree. The knife I take with me on a stalk to do the gralloch is a small sharp [folding] blade. I try to avoid cutting anything but soft tissue with this one.

Back at the vehicle I carry a small set of butcher's knives and a steel. These are used to remove head and legs either at the vehicle or AGHE. It matters not that they dull as they come up against bone because a quick touch with the steel restores.
 
Also most with custom knifes has a blaser too!

I do chuckle 😂

Agree. The knife I take with me on a stalk to do the gralloch is a small sharp [folding] blade. I try to avoid cutting anything but soft tissue with this one.

Back at the vehicle I carry a small set of butcher's knives and a steel. These are used to remove head and legs either at the vehicle or AGHE. It matters not that they dull as they come up against bone because a quick touch with the steel restores.
Yeah i have done similar in the past in certain places . but you do tend to get somewhat earthy meat from it . For a longish time i bleed and remove the Gut , Big beasts are always best worked on in a larder or a good as substitute as you can find . A lot depends on a lot eh
 
I gralloched 8 deer with this knife yesterday evening, including going through the rib cage and all I’ve had to do this morning is give it a little tickle with a steel, now razor again!

So if you want a knife, they absolutely bombproof and I can say now by the end of this morning session I reckon there’ll be another four or five deer to fall over so that knife will have cleaned well over 200 deer since I’ve had it, and it hasn’t seen a stone yet!

Google - Victorinox bushcraft knife £65
 

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I gralloched 8 deer with this knife yesterday evening, including going through the rib cage and all I’ve had to do this morning is give it a little tickle with a steel, now razor again!

So if you want a knife, they absolutely bombproof and I can say now by the end of this morning session I reckon there’ll be another four or five deer to fall over so that knife will have cleaned well over 200 deer since I’ve had it, and it hasn’t seen a stone yet!

Google - Victorinox bushcraft knife £65
Forget about the knife - I want that mug!
 
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