To Guthook or not to Guthook? Knife question.

[hillman]

Hello,
I haven't been hunting since I was a kid and went with my dad, over 20 years ago, but I am going to start hunting this coming year and wanted to know about hunting knives. I've been told by a few different people that if I'm going Deer hunting, I need a knife with a "guthook", and others who say it's completely unnecessary and might even get in the way. I have lots of knives already, from Kukri machetes, jungle and camp knives, down to tactical and utility folders, but none specifically for hunting and so wanted to get some feedback before I purchase.

As I said, it will be primarily for deer hunting in Vermont, and I hope to get something of good quality for under $100 or close. I've been looking at some of the Becker knives (no guthook, though!) but other than that, I'm not really sure what would be best for hunting. Any input would be appreciated.

Thanks

 

[Mike-Mike]

I think it is unnecessary. However having the option available might be good. Unless you are looking for an excuse to buy another knife you probably have something more than sufficient. I choose a med size fixed blade for VT hunting on the mountains because I want something that will double as a survival knife if I got lost of injured.

I would bet more animals have been gutted with this LINK ~~> http://www.amazon.com/Buck-110-Folding-Hunter-Lockback/dp/B000EHYZKK

Than any other knife. Good luck.

 

[dixidawg]

I have been hunting for over 30 years, and never used one.

 

[Buck Nekid]

I too was tempted by the gut hook. Seemed like a good idea but after having used both I see no advantage to it. If anything, that hook gets to be annoying making the knife less useful for general use.

 

[Chuck Would]

A guy I used to hunt with had over 50 deer to his credit. He used a pen knife to gut most of them.

 

[HorizontalHunter]

I have been hunting for about 30 years and never have used a knife with a gut hook. In fact the majority of my deer were field dressed with an old Schrade sharp finger which has about a 3" blade. I much prefer a fixed blade to a folder as the blade recess on a folder gets full of "gunk".

A few years ago I switched to the Grohmann GR1 original Canadian belt knife and it is by far the best I have ever used. My only "complaint" was that it was not sharp enough out of the box to suit me but I am very particular about how sharp a knife should be. This knife has a 4" blade which is about the max that I would use. I have dressed 5 deer with it so far and I have not had to touch up the blade.

Bob

 

[jshooter]

I use a gut hook of sorts. For a couple of seasons I used a small utility knife with a carpet cutting blade now I have a cheapo Gerber gut hook knife. Both had easily replaceable utility blades so I never had to sharpen them. The reason I went with either of these is to keep my hunting knife sharp. That first cut through the hide and down the chest cavity can dull a knife. Pretty much any cuts near hair I used the utility knife.

 

[davemata]

I would bet more animals have been gutted with this LINK ~~> http://www.amazon.com/Buck-110-Folding-Hunter-Lockback/dp/B000EHYZKK

That knife is the only knife I've ever gutted out a wild animal with, and I just bought a new one specifically for this season. I don't see the point of a guthook other than it looks cool. I don't know a single chef or butcher that uses them, nor have I met a single person who routinely slaughtered using one.

If you want to get a new knife though, GO FOR IT! Knives are a ton of fun.

A thought though, why not a box cutter?

 

[Sparkey]

I use a folding Husky utility knife works great from birds to deer and just change the blade when it dulls.

 

[Plural of Mongoose]

I use an old Marble's brand sheath knife with a 4 inch blade.
Ive gutted hundreds of deer with it and never felt the need for a guthook.
I tried one of those Wyoming knives out one season after receiving it as a present. I used it on two or three deer and decided it was a PITA and never used it again.

 

[edhead35]

I have this. Haven't skinned with it yet, but nothing but good reviews from people on it. It cuts under the skin so it doesnt dull as much from the hair.
http://www.cabelas.com/product/Outd...outdoor+edge&WTz_l=Header;Search-All+Products

 

[BaldAssCat]

I have a cheap Gerber fixed blade with a gut hook and I thought it was pretty good. They didn’t change the blade shape away from the standard drop point to put the hook on the back so I didn’t lose anything from having it there and it cuts the hide as advertised.

Of course if you just want a gut hook without compromising on your blade or having to sharpen an inside edge you can try this… http://www.gerber-tools.com/Gerber-E-Z-Zip-45924.htm

 

[Madball13]

I had a Buck knife with a folding blade on one side and a flip out gut hook on the other, it worked really well on my first deer. I have since lost it and used a Buck 110 and that worked the nuts too.

 

[Jamie]

I had a Buck knife with a folding blade on one side and a flip out gut hook on the other, it worked really well on my first deer. I have since lost it and used a Buck 110 and that worked the nuts too.

Interesting. Must be a very special knife.

 

[davemata]

I dunno man, I wouldn't want any buck near any nuts.

What happens with a sneeze?

 

[dixidawg]

What is the difference between beer nuts and deer nuts??













Beer nuts are $1.25 and deer nuts are under a buck........ nyuk,nyuk,nyuk

 

[Madball13]

You got to have the right knife to harvest the best part of the deer.

 

[Mr Weebles]

I've never used a gut hook but my NC hunting guide used one a couple of times. However, he dresses the deer upside down hanging from a gambrel which makes more sense. He basically unzips them and gravity causes the guts to drop out.

I always used a fixed blade ... as someone else mentioned, all sorts of crap can get into the recesses of a folder.

This is my latest deer knife. Amazon has them for $15, and the blade is only 3 5/8". The poly handle has a nice grip and it cleans easily.

Good skinning knife, too.

 

[hillman]

Thanks everyone for the info. I decided no gut hook and used hunting as an excuse to order a Becker BK2. I've heard from a few hunters that it's a little overkill but it works great and is good for other things out in the woods.

 

[Mr Weebles]

Thanks everyone for the info. I decided no gut hook and used hunting as an excuse to order a Becker BK2. I've heard from a few hunters that it's a little overkill but it works great and is good for other things out in the woods.

Becker BK2 looks like a fine knife but the blade might be a bit large for skinning. I have a Gerber Prodigy and its blade is a little shorter than the BK2 and I find it too big for skinning.

Personally, I prefer a knife with a blade <4" for that job.