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How many deer skinned before your knife needs sharpening? #7024764 01/04/18 06:58 PM
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In your opinion, how many deer should you be able to skin with a "good" knife before it needs sharpening?

I'm looking to see how the "average" knives I own stand up against the really good ones.

Thanks in advance.


"Some people will never like you because your spirit irritates their demons."
Re: How many deer skinned before your knife needs sharpening? [Re: Texas Dan] #7024791 01/04/18 07:10 PM
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I probably run my knife at least once on steel while skinning. Just to keep the edge.

Re: How many deer skinned before your knife needs sharpening? [Re: Texas Dan] #7024793 01/04/18 07:11 PM
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Re: How many deer skinned before your knife needs sharpening? [Re: Texas Dan] #7024999 01/04/18 09:50 PM
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It'll do 2, maybe even 3. But I like to touch it up after each. A good sharp knife is a pleasure to use.

Re: How many deer skinned before your knife needs sharpening? [Re: Texas Dan] #7025063 01/04/18 10:28 PM
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Re: How many deer skinned before your knife needs sharpening? [Re: Pitchfork Predator] #7025202 01/04/18 11:51 PM
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Originally Posted By: Pitchfork Predator
2-3


I'm interested to know what brand of knife and grade of steel you guys are using to clean two or more deer.

All of my knives are Buck knives and I can get through one deer at best.

Perhaps I need to get better at sharpening them.

Thanks.


"Some people will never like you because your spirit irritates their demons."
Re: How many deer skinned before your knife needs sharpening? [Re: Texas Dan] #7025223 01/05/18 12:01 AM
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I always touch up a knife blade after gutting a deer or hog just to keep it nice and sharp. My MikeC is always ready to go after gutting something. Matter of fact last yr I killed 4 hogs one night and gutted them all with my MikeC and that included cutting through the ribs by the sternum.

Re: How many deer skinned before your knife needs sharpening? [Re: Texas Dan] #7025431 01/05/18 02:15 AM
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Originally Posted By: Texas Dan
Originally Posted By: Pitchfork Predator
2-3


I'm interested to know what brand of knife and grade of steel you guys are using to clean two or more deer.

All of my knives are Buck knives and I can get through one deer at best.

Perhaps I need to get better at sharpening them.

Thanks.


All of mine are custom, many from the knife makers on this forum. Damascus and Elmax are the top 2 steels for holding an edge the longest out of what I own. I use the Worksharp to sharpen them.


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Re: How many deer skinned before your knife needs sharpening? [Re: Texas Dan] #7025495 01/05/18 03:15 AM
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Originally Posted By: Texas Dan
Originally Posted By: Pitchfork Predator
2-3


I'm interested to know what brand of knife and grade of steel you guys are using to clean two or more deer.

All of my knives are Buck knives and I can get through one deer at best.

Perhaps I need to get better at sharpening them.

Thanks.


Are you using one knife when you do a deer? Are you gutting and skinning, and quartering?


Re: How many deer skinned before your knife needs sharpening? [Re: Texas Dan] #7025546 01/05/18 03:58 AM
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I have a G W Stone knife that has been used on 5-6 deer between sharpenings. We use it for skinning and cutting but keep it off the bones.


" In God We Trust "



Re: How many deer skinned before your knife needs sharpening? [Re: Texas Dan] #7025547 01/05/18 04:00 AM
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A couple of my Pancho (Fred Aguirre) knives processed several deer between touch ups.


" In God We Trust "



Re: How many deer skinned before your knife needs sharpening? [Re: postoak] #7025612 01/05/18 05:48 AM
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Originally Posted By: postoak
Originally Posted By: Texas Dan
Originally Posted By: Pitchfork Predator
2-3


I'm interested to know what brand of knife and grade of steel you guys are using to clean two or more deer.

All of my knives are Buck knives and I can get through one deer at best.

Perhaps I need to get better at sharpening them.

Thanks.


Are you using one knife when you do a deer? Are you gutting and skinning, and quartering?


Yes, but with a saw used for all bone cuts of course.


"Some people will never like you because your spirit irritates their demons."
Re: How many deer skinned before your knife needs sharpening? [Re: Texas Dan] #7025618 01/05/18 06:11 AM
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My old Boker will get thru 2-3 deer dressing and skinning, needs attention doing a 2nd hog...

Re: How many deer skinned before your knife needs sharpening? [Re: Texas Dan] #7025749 01/05/18 12:56 PM
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I can easily get through two deer with one sharpening with my Bucks. I use the WorkSharp system. My son was struggling to get through even one deer with his Buck, and I discovered that he was using the wrong angle when sharpening: it was too fine. The finer the edge, the more likely it is to become dull more quickly. Not only are really sharp knives a pleasure to use, they are much safer than a knife with a dull or even a marginal edge, since you won't have to "force" your way through a cut with them. WorkSharp recommends the following angles in their User's Manual: Outdoor knife: 25 degrees; Kitchen knives: 20 degrees. These angles will give you what WorkSharp describes as "Toothy Sharp" and "Shaving Sharp." If you want the ultimate edge, they recommend going to 22.5 degrees on your outdoor knives and 17.5 degrees on the kitchen knives. My personal experience has been that putting the "ultimate" edge on my hunting knives makes for great cutting but a fragile edge that doesn't hold up quite as well, so I stick with the 25 degree angle.

Last edited by mikei; 01/05/18 03:43 PM.
Re: How many deer skinned before your knife needs sharpening? [Re: Texas Dan] #7025779 01/05/18 01:19 PM
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My spyderco (Japanese) steel can make it through two deer with a problem.

Re: How many deer skinned before your knife needs sharpening? [Re: Texas Dan] #7025890 01/05/18 02:28 PM
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I use a Ka-Bar, with partial serration, and always resharpen after each kill. On deer I suppose I could do 2 or 3 before needing it...and we have done two hogs back to back before. I'm doing about a 20-25 degree "utility" angle and its just sharp enough to shave my arm hair.

Re: How many deer skinned before your knife needs sharpening? [Re: Texas Dan] #7026441 01/05/18 09:33 PM
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I use 4 knives at a time and so can get through 4 deer. I have a heritage knife (first knife I ever bought, in 1972) that I use for cutting through the hide and separating the hip joints. I have a Stic drop point that I find useful for the gutting. I have a Buck 103 skinner for the actual skinning. A skinning knife doesn't have to be particularly sharp, anyway. I have a filet knife for cutting around the anus. If all these were to fail during the quartering of a deer, I have my Havalon Piranta in reserve.


Re: How many deer skinned before your knife needs sharpening? [Re: Texas Dan] #7027573 01/07/18 12:06 AM
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Much of it depends on HOW you skin. If you cut through a lot of hair your edge will not last as long.


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Re: How many deer skinned before your knife needs sharpening? [Re: Texas Dan] #7028159 01/07/18 02:40 PM
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The knives I use are carbon steel knives I built early on in my progress as a knifemaker. I use the same knife to field dress, skin, and debone. I occasionally touch up on a steel. Two deer is no problem on one sharpening. By the time you get through the third one, you need to sharpen. Don't try and cut bones with a knife, and it'll go further.


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Re: How many deer skinned before your knife needs sharpening? [Re: Texas Dan] #7028884 01/08/18 01:45 AM
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I had a someone leave this review on my facebook page: "Andrew sent me a CTX 440C Stainless Steel with Black G-10 Handle to field test and I field tested the heck out of it. I field dressed 14 deer and hogs and cleaned/quartered 5 or so of them....all without a single sharpening. I finally had to sharpen it only because I love a really sharp knife! Awesome knife Andrew. Perfect size. Great company! Recommend 100%!"

Re: How many deer skinned before your knife needs sharpening? [Re: Texas Dan] #7029140 01/08/18 06:20 AM
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We all have pretty much switched over to Havalon knives with the disposable blades. I can usually quarter several deer before I notice anything. Hogs quicken the dulling process pretty significantly. Some of us like to cut through the joints for separating legs/heads/etc and some prefer the sawzall. It does take some getting use to as you can break the blades easily if you put them in a bind. I bought a 100 pack of blades on Amazon and I remember it was not expensive. Once you get used to it, it can really rock and roll on the skinning shed and cut some time off. The first time I used it 5-6 years ago, I cut myself pretty deep because it sliced right through the deer like butter and I wasn't used to it. My dad gave me hard time about it and took over for me while I went to bandage it. When I came back out, he was walking towards the house holding his hand with a cut in the same exact spot as mine. He said "damn, that knife is sharp!" I still makes me laugh out loud now.

Re: How many deer skinned before your knife needs sharpening? [Re: Texas Dan] #7029854 01/08/18 07:32 PM
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My Buck 120 will do two deer before I take the Lansky to it, I think it could probably do three but I've never had three to clean and quarter at a time. Hogs are a different story.


�A hunt based only on the trophies taken falls far short of what the ultimate goal should be.� -Fred Bear
Re: How many deer skinned before your knife needs sharpening? [Re: Frio County Hunts] #7034960 01/12/18 01:14 AM
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Originally Posted By: friocountyhunts
We all have pretty much switched over to Havalon knives with the disposable blades. I can usually quarter several deer before I notice anything. Hogs quicken the dulling process pretty significantly. Some of us like to cut through the joints for separating legs/heads/etc and some prefer the sawzall. It does take some getting use to as you can break the blades easily if you put them in a bind. I bought a 100 pack of blades on Amazon and I remember it was not expensive. Once you get used to it, it can really rock and roll on the skinning shed and cut some time off. The first time I used it 5-6 years ago, I cut myself pretty deep because it sliced right through the deer like butter and I wasn't used to it. My dad gave me hard time about it and took over for me while I went to bandage it. When I came back out, he was walking towards the house holding his hand with a cut in the same exact spot as mine. He said "damn, that knife is sharp!" I still makes me laugh out loud now.



x2 on havalon, yes super sharp

Re: How many deer skinned before your knife needs sharpening? [Re: Texas Dan] #7035069 01/12/18 02:21 AM
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Just like an old gun with marks that you put on it twenty years ago-a knife has a memory. It has marks on the sheath and on the blade. Your dad put some of those memories there. A disposable blade is well; disposable. Not to much to say about one at the campfire; but you bring out that 60 year old puma!!

Re: How many deer skinned before your knife needs sharpening? [Re: Huntmaster] #7035155 01/12/18 03:21 AM
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Originally Posted By: Huntmaster
Just like an old gun with marks that you put on it twenty years ago-a knife has a memory. It has marks on the sheath and on the blade. Your dad put some of those memories there. A disposable blade is well; disposable. Not to much to say about one at the campfire; but you bring out that 60 year old puma!!


A disposable, no matter how effective, feels just that: disposable. As we gain experience, we realize that there's much more to hunting than simple efficiency.


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