Spyderco Forums

I really like my Southfork, good slicer and a very good knife for gutless skinning as practiced up here in the Yukon. Made an impressions
video in 2013 that I'll share here.

https://youtu.be/DkINOl_ ... nV0ceWlkmw" target="_blank

I am no steel expert but with equal heat treat there are steels with more wear resistance than 8Cr13Mov which is similar to Aus 8 and might be a bit under a good 440C.

440C = 1% carbon, 17.5% chrome
AUS-8 = 0.75% carbon, 14% chrome
8Cr13Mov = 0.8% carbon, 13% chrome

The carbon and chrome combine ...

Thanks jtoler! Thinner tha the factory Spyderco would be a scary slicer. I might just go Bison hunting, spring break. If I do so I'll post some pictures like I have for some previous moose hunts starring the Spyderco Impala and the Spyderco Stretch. Great knives all!

Cliff: As my skill level has gone up I have come to like thinner and thinner knives for hunting. Separating joints for gutless skinning doesn't require much side loading if you attack the right spot. Even the back quarter pops right off when you slip around the ball joint. For this game sharp and ...

Thanks all....this is a really nice knife! Have a fair bit of caribou and moose meat in the freezer but I might just go get a bison just to see how it works! We'll see if work cooperates with me.

Wow, I could be a big fan! The South Fork came yesterday and I am pretty impressed. The 3mm blade thickness and full flat grind makes for an excellent slicer. The handle ergonomics are outstanding and the blade shape should make easy work of a moose or bison. After nearly 30 years of practicing the ...

TheNeedyCat wrote:ever tried moose jerky? i love it you should make some :D mmmmm.....

Funny you should ask...I am eating some as I type!

One last thing about the Impala. It is designed to be really easy to clean. It has an open back and you can actually see between the scales (edge wise) when the blade is open. Water gets right in and cleans it out easily. Very well thought out folding hunter. Nothing else quite like it.

Bring it ...

No Fair..The Ocelot is a great..great caribou knife. We have a little steam cleaner that cleans it right up. I think the blade shape might make it the best Tim Wegner derivative of them all. A pressure washer also does the trick...clean the knife at the same time as you clean the truck.

I have ...

I live in Whitehorse, Yukon. This young bull was taken within 130km of my front door. (Gotta keep our exact spots a bit secret)

Got finished cutting up the meat last night. 12 hours all told and we now have lots of steaks, roasts, stewing meat and burger. Likely no need to buy meat for the rest of the year now. Might go caribou hunting in November to add some variety. Good luck on your elk!

dbcad wrote:Wish you good eathing North61. Appreciate your reviews :)

Thanks kindly.... and thanks for reading. One more picture if You'll indulge me. My son 8 is learning all kinds of spydie skills. Here he is with my partner. Gotta learn em young

I'm curious what your sharpening technique is and what your opinion is of VG10 for processing such a large animal. Do you have to sharpen half way through or does it stay sharp start to finish? Did you use only this knife?


It won't dull too badly if it's sharp to begin with. The moose fur has ...

Is this the VG10 flavor?
I have had moose burgers (tourist at a Pow Wow years ago), and the meat was a bit dry and lean. I would guess that it is good for you, since it is low in fat.

Yup it's VG10. I have to admit I lose some of the health benifit by mixing my moose ground with ground pork ...

I couldn't have only one Spyderco but if forced to I'd make mine the Wegner designed Ocelot.....Superb construction..really cute and non threatening with the little paw prints and yet it's a really sturdy outdoors knife with a superb shape for hunting/ general outdoor use.

Folks hated on the prints ...

I also have the Impala with gut hook and serrations. I can safely say that the gut hook will not work on a moose. Hide and hair is way to thick and tightly attached. On caribou it tends to ball up with hair. It might work on the lighter hair/hide of a deer or maybe..impala. Mine cuts rope very well ...

David Lowry wrote:Cool post on a great knife. I think it's great that you eat what you kill. What does it taste like? Beef? Deer? Like nothing else?

Texture like very lean beef...taste closer to deer than beef but I like it better than both. It doesn't taste like chicken if that helps :)

That's about as good of a review as you can ask for a knife.

What does moose taste like? Gamey?

Nope,,,just shared some back-straps with the family...no game taste. Cutting up the meat today and not a hint of smell. Even the liver tastes ok. Excellent stuff.

If you keep the hide and hair away ...

After this the camera crapped out so I have no pictures of removing the head, backstraps, tenderloins and ribs. Nor of the brutal carry from moose pond to freighter canoe. Nor of the calf and cow we floated by on the way home. My son and hunting partner were there.... these are the ties that bind ...

Didn't mean to go all country on you. I do play the banjo but it's a tenor and my favourite song is a Fats Waller standard.

Lots of knives are usable. The Manix and Para both look to have a good blade shape.
The Impala has just a lovely sweep for skinning and a large enough straight section for ...