How to use my Hunting knife?
Once you’ve got your Roselli Hunting knife, how do you use it when out in the field? We’re confident that you, as a hunter, know how to handle game and take care of your gear. But being experts on our own knives and their abilities we’d like to share some quick knowledge that might come in handy this hunting season.
Field Dressing
Field dressing, for those who don’t know, is removing the internal organs as soon as possible to help preserve the meat. Since it needs to be done quickly and out in the field when the game is just taken down, a sharp hunting knife is optimal to use. Because our hunting knives, in both UHC (Ultra High Carbon) and Carbon steel, are particularly designed for the task, cutting through the skin and abdomen, you’ll do it with ease.
There are different ways of field dressing and some prefer to cut open the rib cage to detach the internals. When doing this, most people stab the knife straight through the ribs in the middle, to be able to bend them out and access all the intestines in there. But when you do so, your knife will take a strong beating to its blade because, as mentioned above, our hunting knives are not designed for stabbing into hard objects.
This concerns all knives, and will affect the sharpness of your knife regardless of what kind of steel the blade is made of. You might even deform it when doing so. That particular method of field dressing is easier for some, and is a matter of what you personally prefer to do. But remember, going through a ribcage is not what a high carbon steel hunting knife is made for, resulting in possible deformation or a chipped blade. To fix a chipping, you need to grind a new edge. Like you would do with any type of knife that has a damaged edge. If you are not sure how to, take a look at our Care & Repair Guide or send us your knife to us for our free sharpening service.
If you want to avoid this, when using a clean UHC - steels knife or Carbon steel knife, you can instead cut along the midline from the bottom of the breastbone to a point near the scrotum or mammaries. Without risking damaging your knife you can then insert your whole hand in the opening just beneath the breastbone.
Skinning
When done with the field dressing you skin your game, usually by hanging it up once back from the hunting trip. Our UHC - steel knives are great to use when skinning as you will spend less time sharpening your knife. Due to their sharpness you’ll also get a clean cut, making them the perfect outdoor companions due to their diversity and ability of handling medium to large sized game.
What type of model you want to use for this stage is a matter of personal preference. But our Hunting knife, UHC is the most commonly used by hunters when skinning large sized game like moose, wild boar or elk. The shape of it’s blade is optimal for this task, and the UHC - steels sharpness makes sure that you’ll perform detailed work without using too much force.
When skinning an animal it’s important to have a razor sharp knife, to be able to separate the fur and skin from the meat. A sharp knife makes smooth and precise cuts, which is what you need when field dressing, skinning and dealing with your game. If you use a dull blade or a low quality knife you might tear the meat, and also miss out on getting all the meat off the bone. Using an UHC - steel knife or Carbon steel knife makes it much easier when skinning. Their durability and sharpness gives you the opportunity to work with your game unbothered by having to resharpen it in the meantime.
The whole process, and having a sharp and durable knife, is about hygiene as well. When you skin and peel your game you don’t want the knife to have any contact with the meat. You want to cut in between the fur and the meat, since there might be a risk of bacteria contamination if you cut a wound into the meat while skinning. Contamination of meat may occur through the initial wound as well as during field dressing, handling, and transport.
Butchering
Once you’ve strung up your game it’s time to butcher it, cutting parts of the animal into manageable pieces. Some may prefer using a butchering knife, or even three different ones, while splitting, stripping and cutting primary meat into smaller pieces. But if you don’t have one, your Hunting knife, UHC can perform this task as well.
What hunting knife should I choose?
Haven’t got your #oneknifeforlife yet? Both our UHC steel knives and Carbon steel knives were made to be used by hunters so you can be sure to trust it through thick and thin. Our most popular models when it comes to hunting chores, and the models that hunters have recommended others to use are:
If you have any questions or need any advice on your purchase, don’t hesitate to contact us at info@roselli.fi. We speak English, Swedish, Finnish and Italian! Stay safe and good luck this hunting season!