I might buy a new hunting knife this year. After using a friend of mines gut hook blade to skin my buck I'm leaning towards buyi

[wallofsam]

I might buy a new hunting knife this year. After using a friend of mines gut hook blade to skin my buck I'm leaning towards buying one of those. Are there any drawbacks to those blades and can someone recommend one for under $50?

[rezavoirdog]

Don't do it! Gut hooks get dull and are very hard to sharpen! I usually just grab a fist full of the belly fur and pull as I slice down from the ribs to the pelvis. It's faster and cleaner that way. But, if you really want a knife with a gut hook, try the Buck Alpha out, nice knife gut hook or not...

[Jim in Mo]

I have the buck alpha without the gut hook, its at your price range.

[shane]

Gerber Gator.

[MLH]

I like gut hooks, but not on the same blade as my knife. - too bulky and get in the way. I do have a folding Gerber Gator with a gut hook blade. It is a fine knife for a decent price, but it hasn't been used in years because of the gut hook. Sits in my vehicle in case I have an accident and need to cut the seat belt loose.

Still looking for the perfect standalone guthook. Wyoming knife and Gerber's version of it are too big for my taste.

[rezavoirdog]

MLH: Try Cabela's PBS folding knife, if you need some kind of guthook, it is actually attached to the sawblade, and you get a regular spear point blade. It looks compact and durable, about %70-$90.

[MLH]

Rezavoirdog - good suggestion, but I looked at the S30V version before. I've converted back to fixed blade hunting knives. Just so much easier to clean. I want a flat compact gut hook with a flat sheath I can carry in my pocket or pack. Gerber makes one but it only come in a set. Benchmade makes something close for seat belts -

http://www.benchmade.com/products/product_detail.aspx?model=5

- but it only has a single finger hole. Needs a little more control. I sent a suggestion to them but suspect "not invented here" syndrome. Might have a machinist friend make one for me.

[CPT BRAD]

I like a Wyoming skinner. Its got a tee handle and a gut hook with a flat blade. Its very flexible and will cut through ribs.

[ishawooa]

Gut hooks are OK but not necessary plus sometimes get in the way when performing the tedious portion of gutting or skinning. I prefer not having one since the method rezavoirdog described works just fine. I once saw a guy unzip the deer belly with his guthook and his other hand at the same time with the blade side of the knife. I telling you guys to be careful with those sharp blades. I sharpened a Columbia River for my son two weeks ago. He has always watched me shave hair from my arms when I am finished with any knife sharpening job. He is a teenager so his brain is not fully developed. He was walking into his bedroom performing the arm hair test, tripped on a throwrug, and sunk the knife all the way to the bone on top of his arm about halfway between the wrist and elbow. A trip to the ER required nine stitches from the ER doc. My hunting buddy surgeon checked the kid's arm a few days later and remarked that somehow the radial nerve was not severed but we can't grasp why it was not injured. This all happened in seconds and produced a lot of blood, a painful experience, and a hospital bill of about $1200.00. BE CAREFUL WITH THOSE SHARP KNIVES AS YOU CAN'T UNCUT YOURSELF.

[CPT BRAD]

Damn Ish sorry to hear that a dog stapler cost about 40 bucks! Glad to hear he's alright though. When you coming to AR to hunt???

[slothman]

buck sells a thin skinning model with a lowprofile gut hook that i almost picked up at the store yesterday for $45

[rudyglove27]

I agreed with rezavoirdog answer!

[rudyglove27]

I agreed with rezavoirdog answer!

[rudyglove27]

I agreed with rezavoirdog answer!

[rudyglove27]

I agreed with rezavoirdog answer!