How many knives do you carry if you are moose hunting as I have heard some say that you may need more than one or a good sharpener. I am thinking about a sharpener but am not sure what is used out there? Thanks for any advice for a rookie.

I carry a mid-sized Buck folder and a fixed Russell #1 both in belt sheaths.
I also carry a Schrade skinner and a Gerber folding saw in in my pack along with a sharpening stone.

__________________

“Beware the man with one rifle. He may not have enough interest in it to be competent.”
Mike Venturino


CSSA Member

If you're good with a steel or stone one knife will do just fine although some people are adamant about keeping one solely for gutting. Myself, I suck at a steel, so I usually have two or three at hand. Nothing dulls a knife like moose hide and hair other that a thick skinned bison. Buy a decent one that holds a good edge would be some the best advise you can get. Save yourself the headache take two or more, but a moose down with only one knife is not a bad problem to have

__________________
Everyday I Think People Can't Get Any Dumber,
But Everyday I'm Proven Horribly Wrong

Thanks for that. I have a fixed blade buck and a folding Gerber. You are right in that a moose down is not a bad problem to have. A friend of mine has a chainsaw that he has just for moose with vegtable oil, have any of you had experience with these or it a good axe enough?

Lots of bones chips with the chainsaw, a little messy cleanup, but a good field dressing saw will do the job easy and is lightweight to carry on a belt or in a pack. $20 -$40

__________________
Everyday I Think People Can't Get Any Dumber,
But Everyday I'm Proven Horribly Wrong

Try a battery powered recipricating saw. Much less mess than a chain saw.

Im waiting for Princess Auto to put them on sale again and thats just what Im getting. Did a moo cow awhile ago into halfs with my makita and it was the slickest thing.

The one thing to remember is that often you are in a group and will have several knives as it is. I pack different amount of knives depending on what I am hunting and what I have for transportation. When backpacking I have one knife and a small sharpener. When I am in the river boat I have 2-3 skinning knives, set of caping knives and a camp knife plus a good sharpener. But with the other guy in the boat we have at least 6 knives. One trip we had 7 guys in camp so I am sure there was not enough game in the valley to dull all our knives.

__________________
Less work and more play!

Three, I guess. A 5" fixed blade Mora, a 2 3/4" Finnish fixed blade and a Gerber guthook. Last two, a Coughlan folding saw and a stone are in my pack.

I've chainsawed using mineral oil and you sure don't want your truck behind the saw.

__________________
Own your own stuff.

I use a small folding knife for cutting around the anus and to free the colon from the connective tissues. I find my normal kershaw blade to be too big for these jobs where you have limited space. As well if you do not want to cut all the way down the neck to free the esophagus, you will want a smaller knife to get in and free the connective tissue around the esophagus. I also use the kershaw blade trader with the saw attachment. Nice to have to cut the sternum, and does not dull the blade as you would if you are cutting the ribs beside the sternum. I think cabela's sells them for around $40, not too expensive and works fine.

Some good council here already but I'll offer my 2 cents worth.

I usually carry 2 or 3 knives of high quality. They are all presharpened before I go out. 2 are 30 year old Bucks and one is a new Knives of Alaska knife with D2 tool steel for the blade.

The Buck's are generally good for one moose before they need a touch up.

The Knives of Alaska cleaned and skinned a (small) moose and a large elk this year before it needed a touch up.

I am not good with a stone so I picked up an EdgePro Apex from these guys, never had knives so sharp.

http://edgeproinc.com/

We use a Makita reciprocating saw with a generator - pretty slick.

Buy a lansky sharpening kit and all you will need is one good skinning knife and maybe a caping knife! I have been guiding up north for 5 years and all i have is those 2 knives and scapel aslong as you can get a good edge and not hit bone you wont need to carry a saw or 5 knives

i carry a buck folder, a 5 inch muela fixed blade, and a Krommers Alaskan Timberline mini axe. I also carry a 3.5"x7" medium stone to keep all three shaving sharp.
the buck folder gets all of the game work done, gutting, skinning
the muela is my duty blade for cutting ropes, sticks..... anything non meat related.
Now my timerline axe is my favorite, this thing gets it all done, slices through sternum, pelvic bones...... i have skinned out an entire calf moose and 3 deer on one sharpening.
I learned the art of keeping blades shaving sharp from an old retired fish processor, one skill i'm glad i learned.

for those with no such skill at sharpening knives..... save yourself the frustrations and get yerself a Lansky sharpening Kit.... as the guy above mentions ..... they work exceptionally well and are "kindergarten simple" to operate at home or in the field.

Lansky for sharpening at home or in camp
...in the fied I have a dmt diamond , really good for touch ups..

knives 2 ...buck110 cuzz its bombproof mostly use a fixed blade muella for the last 10 yrs,,

And I never lv. camp without my wyoming saw, sure there are lighter saws but I can 1/4 a moose and not be double dog tiresd..

used a sawsall in camp this yr on a moose, make sure ya have 2 batteries and xtra long blades.worked great.

like chainsaws..never put any oil in them thou, found there was enuff moisture in the moose to work right,

an axe works too !!for 1/4ing, seen some guys do a decent job but it sure is fast..

well thats my .02

__________________
" Only stupid people are never wrong "

I carry 1 or 2 small folding, well-sharpened cheapie Gerbers (both are ~ 2-1/2" or 3" blades). A hunting partner and I quartered up a bull moose 4 or 5 years ago using nothing but one of these, without any real difficulties. Once or twice it might have been nice to have a longer boning knife, but it wasn't a necessity. Just like quartering up and partially deboning a deer. I don't see why you need anything more, unless you are actually cutting the moose up into 4 equal pieces like a cow, then you need a saw or something.

A folding hand saw will allow you to remove the antlers and skull plate without having to pack out the whole head. That's one thing you can't do with a knife. I have a cheap Buck folding saw, because it came in yellow so I won't lose it.