Gralloching with a penknife

[Happy stalker]

Not much flint on Scottish Mountainsides covered in peat hags. Perfect for Chiltern hills. Flint is the perfect tool for opening up knees - learnt this when as a kid I tripped, flew through the air and landed on a flint in our garden on the top of Chiltern - i still have a large scar on my knee and makes me still wince just thinking about it.

Ouch! Yip you’re correct but Plenty of quartz around tho, but who doesn’t like a nice well made shiny knife

 

[moeggesit]

Tend to use Swiss Army knife exclusively. Once back in the shed another knife may be added.

 

[Antonyweeks]

I've often thought of using my buck knife as it fits conveniently in my pocket. Bit heavier though than my SAK. Just don't fancy the SAk closing on my fingers (knowing me) inside the carcass...

 

[VSS]

I've often thought of using my buck knife as it fits conveniently in my pocket. Bit heavier though than my SAK. Just don't fancy the SAk closing on my fingers (knowing me) inside the carcass...

Buck 110 is all the knife you need.

 

[Antonyweeks]

That's the one I have. It's excellent...

 

[Ratel]

Ordnary penknife sufficed in my teens. Since then lots of nice shiny ones, currently a Snake and a little Puma gralloching blade.

 

[Ranger22]

I have a small pocket knife taped to the sling on my rifle just in case.

 

[VSS]

I have a small pocket knife taped to the sling on my rifle just in case.

Similarly, I have a spare penknife attached to my backpack strap. It's always there as a backup if needed.

 

[Ratel]

Always got a bag full of everything needed for suspended gralloch in the truck, including half a dozen knives . Little grallocher on my belt which really could do everything needed, but my Snakey knife always gets used for legs heads and tunneling.

 

[Antonyweeks]

Actually I do carry a Ben Orford 'Thorn' in the side pocket of my bino pack. Fits perfectly, sharp as a razor and very neat. Never used it for gralloching though. There was a stalker in Scotland who was on a podcast or two and a couple of youtube video who said this was his favourite knife actually because it was so small. Even for the bigger reds..

 

[Bowland blades]

I get the Small knife thing 100% however, i would never go back to a folding knife, why ? PITA to get all the blood and rotted bits of deer inside the " case" of the knife.
The Caping knife has become my biggest seller at present , 3" blade and a hair over 6" overall sheathed in kydex 6 1/2 " .
None locking folders ? I carry every day carry (EDC) Swiss Army but for deer and game ? Not for me all that blood and hair / meat trapped inside - yuk!

 

[Rafter]

I've done one with a sharpened teaspoon.

Knives are for the flash mob.

No, I didn't learn that in jail.

 

[Bowland blades]

I've done one with a sharpened teaspoon.

Knives are for the flash mob.

No, I didn't learn that in jail.

But it's so much easier to use a knife or make a knife than working with teaspoons ( that take and hold an edge for maybe several seconds LOL)

 

[VSS]

I have watched a vet do a cesarean using nothing other than the tip of a hypodermic needle as a cutting tool.
I bet you could field gralloch a deer with one, and it definitely wouldn't take up much space in your pack!

 

[Rafter]

But it's so much easier to use a knife or make a knife than working with teaspoons ( that take and hold an edge for maybe several seconds LOL)

I went for an overnighter and realised in the afternoon that I'd forgotten my knife, so sharpened the handle of a teaspoon on a rock that night.
The poor old deer i shot the next day looked like something a lion had been playing with by the time I was done, but it worked.

The current cutting tools I'm making are a little nicer. I don't think I could have spelled AEB-L back then.