Good Huntsman!

[JNieporte]

Note: I've owned and used Huntsmans for many years, but never for cleaning an entire deer. I've hunted deer for many years, but never with a Huntsman. A Classic SD will dress a deer (done it a few times) but I wanted to try the saw and other tools.

The Huntsman is my favorite four-layer SAK. I wanted to see if I could get rid of some pesky deer on a friend's property, since they were tearing up his crops. The first task was sawing some branches down so I could work more efficiently. A trail camera showed where the deer was traveling, so I didn't need to stalk it, use calls, or set up bait. The Huntsman's saw, while small, worked just fine. The can opener's small Phillips screwdriver made it possible to adjust the scope rings on my rifle (I use self-made Phillips screws, not hex screws). Re-sighting the scope wasn't necessary for a few shots, as I was only shooting a short range and I know the rifle well. More waiting, using the scissors (and a lighter) to trim the frays on my sling, and then the mean crop-eating buck shows up. He's a seven pointer. Now, as much as I like trophies, this was going to be used for meat, so it was determined that I'd shoot him in the head if I could. One 230-yard shot later, he's down. Now the knife can work. Oh yeah, with a little bit of practice and training, you can use the saw to estimate range. I used my buddy's rangefinder for my measurements though.

The main blade did a good job of getting the hide off. The wood saw opened up the ribs and got through some tough tendons, but I found that it gunked up easily with blood and marrow. However, it also came out just by wiping it off on my pants. I wanted to see if I could use the can opener like a pipe cutter and remove the antlers, but it wouldn't work. Oh well. The saw worked. The insides were easily removed with the small blade and scissors. The saw worked well on the pelvis.

The second deer was also a buck, but unimpressive and was a shorter distance away (about 150 yards). The same Huntsman took it apart without resharpening. I'd say the Huntsman is good for two deer before it needs a touch-up.

In general, the Huntsman is a pretty good field dressing tool. I know that a lot of this has to do with experience and "it's not the tool, it's the person using it" but I feel that I can give the Huntsman to my wife, who has no hunting experience, and she could get similar results. I didn't make a fire this time, but the spine of the saw works very well for striking ferrocium rods.

So, how did the Huntsman clean up after this? Quite well, actually. I ran it under the sink in the hottest water I could tolerate, then let it soak in hot water with dishwashing liquid for an hour. Remove, dry with a hair dryer on low, then resharpen and lubricate as needed.

And yes, I do own and use a Hunter model. Just trying new things 

[Donald]

Thanks for the report!

  + saw.

[Singh]

After using it it to dress a deer, I'd take the scales off,  boil it, then run it through a dishwasher.  You never what blood/guts/gore are stuck in the nether regions of the knife.

[theonew]

Excellent anecdote!!! While I'm not a SAK scissors fan (other than on a 58mm model) it sure can't hurt having them around. Sounds like a win-win, eliminate the pests and fill your freezer

[MARIOS7319]

After using it it to dress a deer, I'd take the scales off,  boil it, then run it through a dishwasher.  You never what blood/guts/gore are stuck in the nether regions of the knife.

+1

[JNieporte]

After using it it to dress a deer, I'd take the scales off,  boil it, then run it through a dishwasher.  You never what blood/guts/gore are stuck in the nether regions of the knife.

I know all too well. One of my Campers came from a friend who used it as his only deer knife for 11 seasons. All he did was run it under the faucet, let it air dry, and sharpen it. No lubrication, no further cleaning. When I got it from him, I took the entire knife apart and cleaned everything. It was one of the dirtiest I've ever seen. The scales had to be replaced; they were warped and stained, with a few cracks, and a lot of deer gunk in them. There was no more room for the tweezers or toothpick; it was all packed with crap. Some hair and other stuff worked its way into the liners and springs. Everything had to come apart. I didn't have a jig or the right size pins, so I used thicker pins that I had to meticulously file down. The main blade was badly sharpened, so I replaced it with the main blade from a bag of SAK parts I had. I don't think I've put so much work into a used $15 knife before.