Small Game & Bird Knives

[airedale]

Saw some nice knifes and collections in the thread for field dressing Deer and wondered if there was the same type of enthusiasm with the the small game and bird hunters. For doing up most of my small game animals and birds I like and collect bird hunter's pocket knives with the toothpick or clip style blade along with a gut hook for removing bird entrails. These knives also work well for me when skinning out any furbearers I take.

Al

Boker bird gut hook knife

[atskuv]

yep I got a few my brother has near a dozen LOL Ill post a few pics soon

[airedale]

I have a few more, some not shown here, it took me awhile but I think I have an example from about all the significant makers. Sadly many of the American manufacturers are no longer in business.

Al

Edited September 23, 2017 by airedale

[atskuv]

I have the Buck one and also a nice yellow case also that Remington with the choke wrench and maybe 3-4 more I see you have a Camillus one in pheasant , Me too and also one in duck I think my brother has all four He really collects them he even has one in Damascus I'll send him your picture so he can look over it he is always looking for them and your pic will help him to identify any he may not have if that is ok with you

[atskuv]

 I forgot to say thanks for the blade porn that is one heck of a collection you have.

[rachunter]

funny you posted this I was just looking at some case knives on ebay and the bird and trappers where really chatching my eye.there was one with the hook,blade and saw that I liked a lot.

[atskuv]

A few more but that's just about all of them I only have, 1-2 more somewhere and one of the two I can't find is my everyday bird hunting knife LOL

[airedale]

You have a nice collection started yourself, those Camillus wildlife models are a favorite of mine. Camillus in fact manufactured many bird knives labeled and sold by others like Remington, Western and I believe even the Buck bird knife was actually made by Camillus. Case also has made bird knives labeled for others like Orvis.

I stick mostly with the American made knives but I have a few decent quality foreign Bird knives, The Boker from Germany, a nice Marbles Damascus made in Japan and a Beretta made in Italy. The German Puma from Germany is one I have not got my hands on yet because they are so high priced and rare. I do have a Puma that is made up of German parts and assembled in China even though it is supposed to be and does look the same as the German model I would still like to get one of the real deals. 

Case is about the only game in town when it comes to American bird knives made today, Camillus, Schrade, Kershaw, Western have ceased American production, their names have been purchased to label and sell imported stuff. Besides Case Utica Cutlery still makes some American made pocket knives, I just purchased one for my collection just to have one, it is real nice quality and I would sure like to see them come out with a bird hunter's model. There is one small outfit in PA called "Great Eastern Cutlery" that makes a high quality bird knife called the Woodcock, I picked one of those up and I like it a lot and am impressed with it's build.

Because of the collector value many of these knives are obtaining the knife I now actually use the most is a import made for the now defunct North American Hunting Club, it is made in China but it is of pretty good quality and are being sold on ebay for a song, I picked up four of them for $10 a pop with free shipping some time ago and I see they are still selling the remaining stock on ebay pretty cheap.

Below is a photo of an American made Great Eastern Cutlery bird knife.

Happy Collecting to you ATSKUV

Al

 

Edited September 24, 2017 by airedale

[mlammerhirt]

Very cool thread....never new there was a bird specific knife with the hook. Picked up a case trapper knife and put it away for my now 3yr. Old to have later in life.

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[atskuv]

Thanks Airedale Al that Titusville knife is in my favorite color and looks fantastic what a good pick up. I used to live very near there. I guess the stash will need to grow by one more I’ll have to find me one of them for sure. Do you have a link to those Chinese ones you talk about I may have to retire my Remington rainbow wood one.

welcome to the club  mlammer sorry your stuck in here now , forever  “in search of” and now that you know, we can’t let you leave alive Lol

[Kuvats]

Hello im atskuv brothers i have collected these knives since around 1988 or so they're over 60 bird knives to be collected. I had all on them except a itilian one i saw about 10 years ago on eBay i missed the auction. About 8 years ago most of my collection was stolen. I thought about getting them all again but there are 2 i dont think i could ever replace. If i voild find those 2 i might replace them all again. I have even thought about selling the ones i have left. Im just discouraged right now good luck eith you collection you ogf yo a nice start.

[airedale]

Here you go, I hate to say it but this is one of the reasons American knife companies have gone under, for 11.00 it is a nice knife.

4 minutes ago, atskuv said:

Do you have a link to those Chinese ones you talk about I may have to retire my Remington rainbow wood one

http://www.ebay.com/itm/NAHC-Hunters-Classic-Bird-Hook-Folder-Knife-Jigged-Bone-Handle-/302098577560?hash=item46567a7898:g:0ekAAOSwuOxZwrPW

[airedale]

47 minutes ago, Kuvats said:

Hello im atskuv brothers i have collected these knives since around 1988 or so they're over 60 bird knives to be collected. I had all on them except a itilian one i saw about 10 years ago on eBay i missed the auction.

Hello Kuvats welcome to the board. yes I know there are quite a few more examples of bird knives including a lot of nice fixed blades which I have tried to abstain from. Many are basically duplicates from the same company with different scales designs and colors. I have tried to get a least one good example from all the makers and some I have doubles or even triples on because their handle material and look that just appealed to me.

Sorry to hear your collection got ripped off, had a couple of dirtbags break into my barn a few years ago and steal my motorcycle along with a bunch of tools so I know how you feel.

Al

Edited September 24, 2017 by airedale

[Kuvats]

Al whats the knife with the two choke tudes and vet hook and blade never saw that one must be newer a pic would be wonderful 

[airedale]

That one is an LLBean bird hunters knife that they imported and no longer sell, it is a good quality knife but not a pocket knife as it is a little on the large side. It has the choke tube wrench and a bird hook along with a big game type gutting hook. A leather belt holster came with it for ease of carry.

Al

Edited September 25, 2017 by airedale

[Marion]

What do those hook things do?

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[Otto]

Very nice collections.

I bought the Camillus bird hunting knife for a friend of mine this past Christmas....kind of wished I had kept it for myself!  There is a Camillus collectors knife store right across the street from their old factory.  I stop in every now and then to see what he has, the inventory is always changing.  

I did buy a nice set of rosewood handle steak knives there, very nice knives!

[airedale]

29 minutes ago, The Jerkman said:

What do those hook things do?

They are what most call a gut hook and that is what they are literally. They are used to remove entrails of birds and can also be used on Squirrels especially useful if one is out hunting all day on a warm day, helps cooling them down until you get them home and dress them out properly without having a bloody mess in your game bag. Just cut around the butt and ram the hook up and in, give it a twist and pull the mess out.  There are many bird hunters that like to hang their birds with feathers on and age them the same way beef and deer are aged. before hanging them they will use the gut hook to remove the entrails. 

Al

Edited September 26, 2017 by airedale

[Marion]

They are what most call a gut hook and that is what they are literally. They are used to remove entrails of birds and can also be used on Squirrels especially useful if one is out hunting all day on a warm day, helps cooling them down until you get them home and dress them out properly without having a bloody mess in your game bag. Just cut around the butt and ram the hook up and in, give it a twist and pull the mess out.  There are many bird hunters that like to hang their birds with feathers on and age them the same way beef and deer are aged. before hanging them they will use the gut hook to remove the entrails. 
Al

Very interesting. Thanks for the info. I was scratching my head trying to figure it out. Last time I went pheasant hunting we just breasted them and used the guts and rest for coyote bait

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[Kuvats]

Well i found whats left of my collection ill catalog and post a photo ots worse than i thought havnt seem them in like 7 years ill post a photo tomorrow or sunday

[Kuvats]

Well it turns out i have around 20 knives left. One saving grace is i stoll have my orvis damascus from the 1980 i have never seen another like it it all the years or gun shows and searching ebay. If i didnt have that one knife i would have already posted the others for sale now i have to decide if i eant to start looking for them again. There are a couple i dont know 8f i will ever find again the otbers in time ill find them not sure what to do. Ill call mt brother and talk it over with him

[airedale]

Well I have three more for the collection that came in this week. The first is a Chinese made Tomahawk, it is made in the typical bird hunter's folding pocket style with with walnut handle material, it is of decent quality, not expensive and it is the only one I have ever seen so I picked it up on ebay.

One of my hunting partners whom I do some gun work for surprised me with a little Remington fixed blade bird & trout knife made by Bear & Son using 870 scrap  walnut stocks for the handle material, a nice little knife and my first fixed blade bird knife, USA made to boot.

The last one I received is from HuntingNY.com stalwart "Pygmy"  whom I consider to be one of the good guys here on this board and a friend. Anyhow he read this thread and shot me a message that he had a bird hunter's knife stashed away doing nothing and offered it up for my collection and I accepted. It is a high quality knife made in Japan with a Buck 110 design handle, a drop point blade along with the gut hook and designated as a turkey hunter's model. I have never seen one and am very happy to have it in the collection, a big thank you to Dan it is a good one.

Al

Edited October 6, 2017 by airedale

[zeus1gdsm]

Well I have three more for the collection that came in this week. The first is a Chinese made Tomahawk, it is made in the typical bird hunter's folding pocket style with with walnut handle material, it is of decent quality, not expensive and it is the only one I have ever seen so I picked it up on ebay.
One of my hunting partners whom I do some gun work for surprised me with a little Remington fixed blade bird & trout knife made by Bear & Son using 870 scrap  walnut stocks for the handle material, a nice little knife and my first fixed blade bird knife, USA made to boot.
The last one I received is from HuntingNY.com stalwart "Pygmy"  whom I consider to be one of the good guys here on this board and a friend. Anyhow he read this thread and shot me a message that he had a bird hunter's knife stashed away doing nothing and offered it up for my collection and I accepted. It is a high quality knife made in Japan with a Buck 110 design handle, a drop point blade along with the gut hook and designated as a turkey hunter's model. I have never seen one and am very happy to have it in the collection, a big thank you to Dan it is a good one.
Al

Oriskany flats? I chase birds in there. Is it full up with deer hunters yet? Been thinking about doing a blind day in there with muzzle

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[Edward Cullen]

Cool thread... Many nice collections.

The photo of an American made Great Eastern Cutlery bird knife is great. 

[Borngeechee]

My only 2 small game knives

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