Anybody carry a fixed blade knife on their belt while hunting?

[06 SB]

I used to carry a Buck knife (either a 102 or a 118) on my belt. Their sheath had a strong block along the sharp blade which made it safer. Anymore, I just throw the same knife in my backpack.

 

[Playtimefun]

Still always carry one. Have multiple that I will use on deer but only one that I use on moose and elk. I had it custom made by a friend... steel is REX 121 which is classified as a tool or "super steel"

My friend said he can shape 3 knives from 1 belt on his big belt sander. With the REX 121 he used 42 belts to shape the knife. Then it went to Peters Heat Treating where it came back with a letter stating a measured Rockwell hardness of 70. Then finish sanding was excruciatingly slow.

It will gut and skin an entire moose without needing a touch up. The ugly part is that I couldn't sharpen it until I bought a true knife sharpener (Hapstone R2 system).

 

[Calvin45]

Still always carry one. Have multiple that I will use on deer but only one that I use on moose and elk. I had it custom made by a friend... steel is REX 121 which is classified as a tool or "super steel"

My friend said he can shape 3 knives from 1 belt on his big belt sander. With the REX 121 he used 42 belts to shape the knife. Then it went to Peters Heat Treating where it came back with a letter stating a measured Rockwell hardness of 70. Then finish sanding was excruciatingly slow.

It will gut and skin an entire moose without needing a touch up. The ugly part is that I couldn't sharpen it until I bought a true knife sharpener (Hapstone R2 system).

I had never heard of rex121. Looked it up. Crazy hard but what I'm seeing is it's not very tough (hardness and toughness often have an inverse relationship). Have you had any issues with it chipping or otherwise proving to be brittle?

 

[Playtimefun]

No... but I also don't go slamming it into bones. Surprisingly I haven't chipped the blade yet but I also don't use it to say open a can of beans in the field. But to say take the legs off a deer, not a problem. I don't split vertebrae with it. If I'm cutting bone I use a saw. It's not a "camp" knife. I don't split wood with it kind of thing.

 

[Calvin45]

No... but I also don't go slamming it into bones. Surprisingly I haven't chipped the blade yet but I also don't use it to say open a can of beans in the field. But to say take the legs off a deer, not a problem. I don't split vertebrae with it. If I'm cutting bone I use a saw. It's not a "camp" knife. I don't split wood with it kind of thing.

Makes sense. Sounds like a heck of a steel for edge retention. No doubt an amazing skinner (the shape of the knife looks like a good skinner too)

 

[Playtimefun]

I played with various ideas on cardboard for a month before we started. I did screw up on the handle a bit though. Think it needed to be thicker but yeah it holds an edge like crazy. So far... I am gentle on it but last year it did a complete moose and you could still shave the hairs off your arm.

It's a little big for deer so hoping I can convince my friend to make another for me but slightly smaller. Thinking of a different design though... I really like the feel of both the Knives of Alaska Alpha Wolf and the good old Russell No. 1 Canadian Belt Knife.

 

[338weatherby]

I don't carry one on my belt because of the pack. Instead I've fastened the sheath to my bino harness strap. It's out of the way and safe to access and put back.

 

[Brushcutter]

When I'm hunting I ditch my EDC knife.

My pocket knife doesn't get sharpened nearly often enough. So whenever I head for the hills, I swap it out for a sharp one.

 

[1wildcatfan]

I like the idea, but never have. I usually have a folder in my pocket and a disposable blade knife and benchmade altitude in my kill kit.

I remember my grandpa and uncles hunting with fixed blade knives in leather sheaths in the 80's and 90's.

Thought all Texans carry a fixed blade.

 

[ObiWanKannoli]

One Gerber Terracraft in my pack, in a thick leather sheath. Winkler edc blade in my bino harness in a kydex sheath, blade down. Havalon kit in my kill bag.

 

[LRNut]

I like the idea, but never have. I usually have a folder in my pocket and a disposable blade knife and benchmade altitude in my kill kit.

I remember my grandpa and uncles hunting with fixed blade knives in leather sheaths in the 80's and 90's.

Between this and the "What was hunting like in the 80s and 90s?" thread I am feeling old. Hard to believe if you are in your 20s now, 1984 is the same as 1944 when I in my 20s.

 

[Calvin45]

Between this and the "What was hunting like in the 80s and 90s?" thread I am feeling old. Hard to believe if you are in your 20s now, 1984 is the same as 1944 when I in my 20s.

I'm in my thirties but same idea. What doesn't feel real to me, even though the math says it's obviously true, is that we are closer to the year 2050 than we are to 1990. That made me stop for a second

 

[wilkup]

Hunting from horseback, I will always carry a fixed blade on my belt. Having a blade immediately available is a safety thing.
On foot I typically leave them in my pack just because it gets in the way of the waist strap on my pack.

 

[copper still]

I carry a fixed blade Mora basic 511 a classic scando knife. Mora knives are some of the best value you can get. Very sharp nice thick functional blade comes with its own plastic injection sheath that easily clips to your hip or waders. I think I paid $10 for it so I don't worry about messing it up or losing it. I also just started carrying a tiny Kershaw for doing inner cavity work.