Kitchen knives for field dressing?

[olchevy]

Anyone use kitchen knives for field dressing deer? I have had numerous "deer hunting" knives and while they do work to me a good fillet knife or a good kitchen caping knife seems to do better. My local deer processing place only uses fillet knives and no other ones.

Why buy expensive hunting knives when a good kitchen knife or good filet knife work even better?

 

[batoncolle]

Anyone use kitchen knives for field dressing deer? I have had numerous "deer hunting" knives and while they do work to me a good fillet knife or a good kitchen caping knife seems to do better. My local deer processing place only uses fillet knives and no other ones.

Why buy expensive hunting knives when a good kitchen knife or good filet knife work even better?

I use my Swedish Mora. It's dirt cheap and keeps a nice sharp edge.

 

[jeffdt]

Anyone use kitchen knives for field dressing deer? I have had numerous "deer hunting" knives and while they do work to me a good fillet knife or a good kitchen caping knife seems to do better. My local deer processing place only uses fillet knives and no other ones.

Why buy expensive hunting knives when a good kitchen knife or good filet knife work even better?

Excellent question. My opinion (fwiw) is a blade is a blade is a blade. I don't need a fancy name or a high dollar brand, Sharp is sharp. Our ancestors used to do it with piece of hand worked flint.

 

[GreenPanther]

A field knife is much sturdier and comes with a sheath. I have no idea how I would even go about carrying a kitchen knife safely in the woods to field dress an animal.

 

[LARGO9]

To me field dressing a deer in the woods is a hole lot different then processing a deer in a meat cutting room with tables, saws running water, AC, and several different knives for several different purposes. Don't think i could never split the pelvic bone with a fillet knife, all my knives for filleting fish are skinny and flexible where by boning knives same shape but thicker and stiff. with all that if it works for you then it's all good..

 

[BackWoods]

As long as it's a thicker, hefty blade I don't see why not...problem is, most kitchen knives have thinner blades with a super sharp but, "brittle"edge. No substitute for a good, sturdy fixed blade. And not all good blades have to be "high dollar"...that's a myth.

 

[Kornbread01]

Anyone use kitchen knives for field dressing deer? I have had numerous "deer hunting" knives and while they do work to me a good fillet knife or a good kitchen caping knife seems to do better. My local deer processing place only uses fillet knives and no other ones.
then
Why buy expensive hunting knives when a good kitchen knife or good filet knife work even better?

>>> I've used all kind of knives for field dressing deer. Main thing is, as with any knife, they need to be SHARP! And for dressing deer, or any game animal the longer blades with sharp pointed tips are least desirable. The shape of the blades, length , etc. is really up to the individual. So very many good blades out there today. The one thing I've really learned to appreciate is those gutting zippers. Those little razor sharp "hooks", like seat belt cutters, for opening them up. Real quick& neat. Then finish with good blade & short blunt nosed bone saw for pelvic bone. Most expensive ($$$$$$$) doesn't always mean better.

 

[olchevy]

I mean my favorite fixed blade / hunting knife is my buck gen 5 I have had for a good while. It does great on deer very handy and the blade us only 3" long so it's easier to stay in control of it. But I have found that good quality kitchen knives and fillet knives do just as good.

 

[howl]

Hard to beat semi-flexible boning for taking one apart. A processor I used years ago would round the tips off so he could stick the blade between the silver skin and hide. He it look like they had zippers. I learned it his way and haven't looked back.

 

[Laufen]

I worked at a meat laboratory in College. I bought my own boning knives and meat hook. Still have them. Even more important than a sharp, flexible (has to have some flex) knife is a good meat hook. A 60 minute job becomes a 20 minute job with a hook, and it's easier on your hands.