Your Favorite Spydie Folder For Hunting, and Why?

[spinynorman]

I'm just about to head up to Maine for deer hunting, and I'm taking my new LH Millie with me - not necessarily the best choice, nor the worst, but it's my EDC right now. Tho a bit pointy for the task, I think it would work fine for dressing out a deer, and would be relatively easy to clean up later.

Got me wondering, what are other people's first choices for a Spydie folder for hunting, and why?
The other choices that come to my mind are: Stretch, Impala, Hunter / Pro-Venator (duh), Chinook, Persian, and the almighty Large Dyad.

I'd personally LOVE to see a LEFT HAND IMPALA, with H1 Steel!!!! I know, when pigs fly... But I'd settle for a lockback ambidextrous version too. :D

[phaust]

I'd pick up and use a captain is what I'd use if I had time to hunt anymore

[D1omedes]

First of all, I've never hunted but I have helped field dress an animal. My choice for such a task would be my Salt 1. It's light, has a bright handle (so I won't lose it), has no liners and H1 steel (easy to clean and won't rust).

I'll be the first to admit that the saber grind would not cut nearly as nice as the FFG of the Millie. Still, I'd hate to have to put such a nice Spydie in the guts of an animal.

[JD Spydo]

When I go hunting or doing anything outdoor oriented I always without exception take my pair of Temperance fixed blades ( PE & SE).

I also will take folders and that just depends on what's currently in my pocket at this time because I do rotate my EDC arsenal from time to time.

You mention the big Dyad. That big boy is truly sacred to me for many reasons.

If I ever get my hands on an S90V Military that blade will accompany me on all outdoor adventures.

Also in my outdoor gear is an older C-17 Catcherman SE. That Catcherman model is not just limited to filleting fish. It's a great blade for food preparation and not to mention it's super for cutting up deer steaks off of a fresh kill.

But the 2 fixed blade Temperance models are a "must" on all my outdoor ventures.

[spinynorman]

When I go hunting or doing anything outdoor oriented I always without exception take my pair of Temperance fixed blades ( PE & SE).

Good call! I have a Temperance PE and I think I'll take that with me too, mainly as it will be a lot easier to clean up than the Millie.

[North61]

Sorry for the resurrection but I missed this the first time through.

The old C48 Wegner is a top choice. For caribou it is my favourite. I have skinned and quartered 3-5 caribou at a time on many occasions with just a bit of light stropping to keep the knife going. The blade shape is very good for gutting and caping and fairly good for skinning. Caribou have hides that are removed mostly by hand so skinning isn't so important.

For Moose which must be skinned all the way a bit more belly than the C48 would be nice. I'd love to give the Impala a try but hesitated when they were for sale and now am left just wondering. I have also used a Progrip and it's well shaped but mine is partially serrated and that's a draw back as is the too short blade.

Folks talk about the Stretch being a good hunter design but it looks even less curved that the Wegner and might not be a great skinner. It does look like a great caper, gutter however. A real favourite blade shape is the Ocelot. It has a continuous curve and works like a hot ****. The blade shape is just enough different than the C48 to be a very good small skinner. It also guts and capes well. The paw prints are a bit hard to clean but not impossible and the only issue with it is that it might simply be too elegant and pretty for dirty work.

Hunting spydies have the kiss of death affixed to them. None of the runs last long and next time I'll buy one on arrival and a second when they discount on the way out. We seem to have some cheaper Canadian distributors now that will encourage me to pull the trigger sooner.

The Moran drop point fixed looks outstanding but I haven't used one.

[supermatch38sa]

Hi,
I´ve been using a Chinook CE for the last 7-8 years and it works great for almost anything you can think off, as for a fixed blade the old temperance is great. I do have the newer one with micarta handle, but in my opinion its older brother handles better at least for my rather large hands. The stretch should do very good as well as its cousins the hunter, pro-venator, pro-grip etc...
Greetings from Arce, Spain!!!
Kindest regards:

[Manix Guy 2]

I switch around a bit . The Impala is tops as a hunter folder regardless if a righty , and a Drop Point Moran . The Chinook II is also a favorite . Regards MG2

[JD Spydo]

Great picks guys. I want another guthooked Impala so bad I could just about sell some personal items to get another one. But the other picks you guys have listed like the Chinook model for instance is a great pick for outdoors. Personally I like my fixed blade Temperance 1 the best for skinning but I've used the Impala model before with excellent results. I've even used the PE blade on my big Dyad with very satisfactory results.

I love the one brother's pick of the older C-48 Wegner model. Those Wegners have ATS-34 which is a great blade steel for an outdoor blade.

Now don't laugh but the Captain model is a really good skinner as well. You wouldn't think of the Captain as being an outdoor blade but it is a great skinner when you have that blade sharp.

Spyderco had a prototype folding blade that they were displaying at shows about 5 years ago. It was called the BISON. I was really hoping that the Bison would have gotten into the main lineup because I truly think that could have been a super outdoor folder. Great thread, Keep the suggestions coming

[JLS]

I hesitate to use a folder if I don't have to where blood, guts and hair are concerned. I've done it, but don't enjoy the cleanup afterwords.

The Morans are really built for this. The blade is great and so is the handle. It's grippy without being sticky and is so light that you don't mind how long the chore takes.

When my wife and I were dating, she was involved in a university research project on alpaca diet and protein content in the meat. They killed and slaughtered about 30 alpacas and did about 15 tests total on them. She knew I was into knives and asked if I wanted to come and help out with the skinning. I took about 5 knives and the Moran came out on top by a pretty good margin. Second was a REKAT Pioneer swept point blade that did admirably, but it wasn't the Moran either. The REKAT has a blade reminiscent of the Wengers.

[ChapmanPreferred]

Impala is my favorite folding Spyderco for hunting. Open construction, gut hook, G-10 scales, VG-10 steel so what's not to love? The Bill Moran FB01 is my favorite fixed blade. I recently had Tom Krein do a full convex grind on one of my FB01's and look forward to trying it out on my next Whitetail deer.

[noddy]

Stretch is just great, but I really like the Millie because you can choke up on it so easily. Really, you can just grab the last few cms of the spine and use it for the finest work :)

[spyderdog]

Don't forget about the ocelot. It works pretty well for this type of duty.

[FIMS]

I wonder what "Dog the Bounty Hunter" would carry when hunting bail jumpers?

Go with God bra.

[boosted]

I like the byrd cara cara plain edge decause of the size and it would be cheap to replace. Thats what I have been taking with me the past couple of weeks

[bigkahunasix]

I have used the Endura and Military extensively and recommend both.

[JD Spydo]

I have used the Endura and Military extensively and recommend both.

Those are great picks for outdoor blades bigK6 :) You know sometimes it just pays to stick with the basics and sometimes we overlook the obvious.

Albeit most of Spyderco's blades are so designed for function that many of their models could be used for all kinds of outdoor chores and some we've probably never even considered.

I just bet that new G-10 Endura would be the Cat's Meow for skinning chores and any other camp chores as well.

The Military is truly the quintescential, all around, all purpose Spyder that anyone could use for just about any cutting chore imaginable.

You just can't go wrong with either on of the picks BigK6 just mentioned. Not to mention that both of them are very easy to clean and re-lubricate. And relatively easy to resharpen as well