Best Field Dressing Knife | Our Buying Guide

Field dressing an animal is not a pleasant process. But if you’re a hunter, then you must know how to field dress a deer, turkey, or an elk. So to achieve this, what you need is the sharpest and the best field dressing knife. Such a knife helps in gutting the animal quickly and in the most efficient manner.

When it comes to field dressing, you should know that the longer you take, the more the chances of losing all that body heat from the carcass.

And this leads to the formation of bacteria on the surface of the animal’s body. Plus, a field dressing knife can also be used for cutting rope or any other survival purposes.

So there are many advantages of carrying such equipment. Let me discuss all of them below. This way you will not consider a field dressing knife to be a waste of money, time, and especially effort.

Quick Comparison: Top 5 Best Field Dressing Knife List

Preview

Product

Our Rating

Price

Buck Knives 279 Folding Alpha Hunter Knife

Buck Knives 279 Folding Alpha Hunter Knife

Outdoor Edge Razor-Lite Folding Hunting Knife

Outdoor Edge Razor-Lite Folding Hunting Knife

ESEE 6P Black Fixed Blade Knife

ESEE 6P Black Fixed Blade Knife

KA-BAR Fighting/Utility Serrated Edge Knife

KA-BAR Fighting/Utility Serrated Edge Knife(Editor’s Choice)

Cold Steel SRK Kraton Handle, Black Blade

Cold Steel SRK Kraton Handle, Black Blade

* Below, you’ll find our more detailed reviews, but you can also click the links above to see customer reviews and current prices on Amazon.com

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Best field dressing knife: The benefits

 

  • The right kind of knife helps in cutting through the skin of the deer easily. This makes the process of harvesting the animal’s organs quicker. And you already know how crucial it is to perform the field dressing task as fast as possible. Otherwise, the meat’s quality gets compromised, and that’s how you pave the way for contaminations.
  • Field dressing knives are usually small in size, so they’re convenient to carry around in the pocket. The goal is to make them easily accessible, right? Because why would you want to take heavy-weighted tools that cause discomfort and inconvenience?
  • Gutting an animal with a sharp knife is not an easy job, right? And it gets dangerous too if you’re using the wrong kind of knife. The field dressing knife helps in performing the task both successfully and safely.

Best field dressing knife: Features to look for

Knife Type

There are two kinds of hunting knives that come in the best field dressing kit. The first one is a fixed blade knife. This kind of a knife is more commonly used by hunters. And it’s because fixed blade knives rank the highest regarding durability.

This is what a fixed blade knife looks like:

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The second type is a folding knife. The best folding hunting knife offers only one advantage. The fact that it is convenient to carry around in the pocket.

This is what a folding knife looks like:

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Blade

The first factor that you must take into consideration regarding the blade is the blade point. For field dressing, you need three points. There’s drop point, trailing point, and clip point. A sharp clip point is essential for piercing as well as slicing.

The trailing point is responsible for deboning due to its bigger and curved cutting surface. And lastly, the blade’s drop point is used to pierce through the animal’s skin at any given location.

The second factor to take into account regarding the blade is the blade length. The length of the blade entirely depends on the kind of animal you’re hunting. You shouldn’t pick a field dressing knife that’s bigger than the size of a rabbit. And more often than not, gutting the animal doesn’t require a knife any larger than at least 5 inches.

Lastly, the blade composition is also another feature that must be given importance. Hunting knives are either made of stainless steel or high-quality carbon steel. Using the latter gives you more toughness and sharpness. While the former offers maximum durability by preventing the formation of rust.

Tang

The reason why many hunters opt for fixed blade knives is because they are built with a full tang. While folding knives don’t offer this particular feature. A full-length tang allows the blade portion of the knife to extend to its handle. And this is important when you’re learning how to field dress a deer.

Handle

I’ll try to keep this short and to the point. The best hunting knife in the world will have a handle made of plastic rubber. You don’t need a handle constructed of wood as it tends to slip when wet. Synthetic rubber, on the contrary, offers better grip even when your hand has blood on it.

Sheath

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A nylon sheath can go a long way in protecting you or someone else from getting injured. It also helps in shielding your knife from unfavorable weather conditions.

Best field dressing knife: 5 top choices

Preview

Product

Our Rating

Price

Buck Knives 279 Folding Alpha Hunter Knife

Buck Knives 279 Folding Alpha Hunter Knife

Outdoor Edge Razor-Lite Folding Hunting Knife

Outdoor Edge Razor-Lite Folding Hunting Knife

ESEE 6P Black Fixed Blade Knife

ESEE 6P Black Fixed Blade Knife

KA-BAR Fighting/Utility Serrated Edge Knife

KA-BAR Fighting/Utility Serrated Edge Knife(Editor’s Choice)

Cold Steel SRK Kraton Handle, Black Blade

Cold Steel SRK Kraton Handle, Black Blade

1. Buck Knives 279 Folding Alpha Hunter Knife with Heavy Duty Sheath

Buck knives are considered to be made of high-quality materials, so they tend to last for many years. And the Buck Knives 279 Folding Alpha Hunter Knife is no different. It is the best folding hunting knife with a stainless steel construction.

It comes with a smooth and secure lock mechanism. And carrying the knife in the pocket is also quite convenient. Thanks to its lightweight design!

The Buck Knives 279 Folding Alpha Hunter Knife is built with a strong drop point. This feature is solely created to perform heavy-duty tasks. The robust tip of the knife is quite versatile. What it does is reduce the risk of accidental piercing. And this can go a long way in retaining the meat’s high quality.

Buck Knives 279 Folding Alpha Hunter Knife

We Like

  • The field dressing knife is both slip and rust resistant.
  • It has a rubber handle for better grip and safety sheath for additional security.

We Don’t Like

  • The knife’s liner lock gets engaged off center. And this causes the field dressing blade to easily fold.

2. Outdoor Edge Razor-Lite Folding Hunting Knife 3-1/2″ Replaceable Stainless Steel Blade Kraton Handle

The only best field dressing hunting knife that comes with valuable, reusable blades is this one. The Outdoor Edge Razor-Lite Folding Hunting Knife is thin yet extremely sharp. The innovative razor replacement blade system is the perfect solution to the problem of dull knives.

All you need to do is push the knife’s lock button. This removes and can also be used to insert the newly sharpened blade. You get as many as six blades along with a useful nylon sheath.

The best hunting knife in the world is one that comes with a rubberized handle. Such a design helps in securing a non-slippery grip. And we all know how essential that is when you’re field dressing an animal. So if you’re learning how to field dress a deer and you’ve never done this before, then this might be an ideal choice for you.

Outdoor Edge Razor-Lite Folding Hunting Knife

We Like

  • The knife offers a perfect fit on the hunting belt.
  • The release mechanism of the handle is easy to use.

We Don’t Like

  • The strength of the blade is not satisfactory.

Razor-Lite by Outdoor Edge

3. ESEE 6P Black Fixed Blade Knife with Desert Brown Molded Polymer Sheath

If there’s any field dressing knife that has been popular for many years, it’s the ESEE 6P Black Fixed Blade Knife. Constructed with high carbon steel to hand over exceptional sharpness and durability, the knife has a practical blade design. The length of the blade is perfect for skinning the game in the safest and most efficient manner.

On top of that, the tip of the blade has a drop point solely created to perform field dressing tasks.

And that’s not enough. You will find the Micarta scale handle of the ESEE 6P Black Fixed Blade Knife also quite impressive. Plus, the handle is easily removable too. And these are not even the best features of the knife.

The blade’s full tang and rear design are the most valuable elements. The former provides maximum knife strength. And the latter can also be used as a hammer.

ESEE 6P Black Fixed Blade Knife

We Like

  • The field dressing knife comes with a high-quality plastic sheath for additional safety.
  • The Micarta handle of the knife offers an excellent texture. This helps in providing a better grip even when your hands are wet.

We Don’t Like

  • The removable handle of the knife can prove to be quite uncomfortable in certain situations.

4. KA-BAR Fighting/Utility Serrated Edge Knife with Hard Sheath (Editor’s Choice)

This best field dressing knife is also used as a highly reliable combat knife for military purposes. The equipment is constructed with high-quality carbon steel. So you don’t need to worry about sharpness and durability.

The length of the blade is slightly larger than normal. And it’s because this field dressing knife also poses as a military combat knife. That means you get a multi-functional tool that you can rely on completely to perform all kinds of tasks.

You will also love the full tang design of the KA-BAR Fighting/Utility Serrated Edge Knife. This is useful in offering maximum strength during field dressing. The blade’s valuable serrated edge is perfect when you want to sever joints while gutting the animal.

KA-BAR Fighting/Utility Serrated Edge Knife

We Like

  • The light weight of the field dressing knife makes it easy and convenient to carry.
  • The knife comes with Kydex sheath and an extra belt loop to provide maximum safety.

We Don’t Like

  • If not taken care of, the blade tends to rust quickly.

The KA-BAR Legacy

5. Cold Steel SRK Kraton Handle, Black Blade

The best all around hunting knife for field dressing is one that ranks the highest in performance. And the Cold Steel SRK Kraton Handle Black Blade falls under that category. The blade of the knife is equipped with a thick coat.

This goes a long way in protecting the knife’s stainless steel construction from unfavorable elements and environments. You will also be glad to know that the knife has a solid clip point. What this does is perform exceptionally well for delicate work and for skinning, slashing or cutting.

Due to its thick quality, the Cold Steel SRK Kraton Handle Black Blade provides you with a sturdy point. It also offers an exceptional edge configuration without compromising on sharpness. The knife’s Kraton checkered grip and the useful finger guard add more value to its handle.

Cold Steel SRK Kraton Handle, Black Blade

We Like

  • The field dressing knife comes with an exceptional Kydex variant sheath. This adds maximum safety to the whole experience.
  • The knife is light in weight to offer better control while field dressing.

We Don’t Like

  • The blade is a tad too long.

Cold Steel SRK

Conclusion

I hope that now you have finally understood how to choose the best field dressing knife. The process of field dressing is one that should be done as quickly as possible. Otherwise, your successful hunt will go to waste in no time.

So in this article, the KA-BAR Fighting/Utility Serrated Edge Knife is considered to be the best all around hunting knife.

The KA-BAR Fighting/Utility Serrated Edge Knife comes with a handle that’s made of high-quality, plastic materials. This gives you a secure and slip-resistant grip.

The finger guard and full tang design of the knife make it suitable for field dressing in the most efficient manner. The thick steel blade tends to hold an edge pretty well. And as someone who’s learning how to field dress a deer, you will love this particular feature.

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