Last week, I tested the Elk Ridge 3-Pc Knife Set with a Combo Sheath on an axis deer and hog hunt in Texas with Adventures, Missions, and Retreats.
It was a great hunt. I used a Mossberg Patriot LR Hunter .300 Win. Mag. with Hornady Precision Hunter 200 gr. ELD-X ammo. The Mossberg was tipped off with a Sightron scope, and I spotted our game with some German Precision Optics 10×42 binoculars. To gut and skin my animals, I used the above-mentioned knives.
We did a free-range hunt, and the second day, Scott Huggins, the owner of AMR, was guiding me, and while we were doing a spotting and stalking hunt, he caught a glimpse of an axis deer. The ranch we were hunting on is unique. The head of the Clear Water creek originates right at the lodge we were staying at. There is a lot of history on this ranch. Back in the day the Captain of the calvary lived in the cabin across the creek from where we stayed. While out on patrol, a band of warring Indians raided his ranch and stole his daughter.
Scott was able to call in a nice buck using natural mouth-calling methods. Even though we were back in the mesquite brush and prickly pears a ways, we were still able to get a side-by-side in and haul him whole to the camp. This made it easier to process an animal since we were able to hang it up in a tree to skin it and bone it out.
Elk Ridge 3-Pc Hunting Knife Set With Combo Sheath
We used the Elk Ridge caping knife to cut the pattern. I used to always preach that you need to use a clip-point knife to cut the pattern, but a buddy of mine has convinced me that a caping knife works better. Then, I wanted to use the drop-point knife for the skinning process.
I wanted to make a few initial cuts and then use the gut hook to rip the rest of the pattern, but it was pretty dull. I didn’t have my Smith’s Diamond pen steel, which I use to sharpen serrated knives and gut hooks.
I like the design of all three of the cutting tools in this kit, but they did come from the factory dull. I used a Smith’s 6-inch fine diamond stone to put an edge on them. Then, I was able to skin a hog that I shot the next day. Now, let’s cover the set.
CAPING KNIFE
The caping knife is the exact design that I like. It has a 2 ¼-inch blade, ¾-inches wide, and a handle that is big enough to fit my hand. It has a finger and a thumb choil so you can choke down on the blade while working. Due to the above features, you have a good grip on the knife while cutting, but it’d also help if it had thumb grooves on the spine of the blade.
DROP POINT KNIFE
The drop-point knife is the design that a lot of hunters favor. It has a pronounced drop point and a gut hook on top. It has a full-sized handle with a finger groove and a textured handle that provides a good grip. And lastly, it has thumb grooves on the back ¾-inches of the spine to further enhance your grip.
BONE SAW
If you are challenged—or maybe I should say inexperienced—in removing the shank joints, then I’d recommend that you use a bone saw. I don’t usually use one because it leaves some sharp points that poke through a bag when I’m freezing the shoulders and hindquarters. BUT… they do have their place, even in my world periodically.
And no doubt, if you have a lot of animals to bone and are inexperienced in severing the shank joints and atlas joints, it will help speed you up. But also, if you want to cut a rack of ribs off of your animal, you will need one.
I like the concept of a bone saw, but I barely ever use one. The saw came plenty sharp from the factory, but it seemed to gum up while sawing. I’m not an expert on bone saws, but I imagine this was due to the fact that the teeth didn’t have any set in them to remove bone dust while sawing.
SHEATH
As the name implies, the Elk Ridge 3-Pc. Knife Set With a Combo Sheath comes with a nice functional sheath. Obviously, it is a flat sheath to hold all three cutting tools. The two knives are positioned in front, and the saw is on the backside. However, due to the design of the belt loop, you could flip it around and wear it with the saw on the outside.
It looks like you can easily find the kit for $23.99 to $27.98. As is usual, we will close with the specs.
SPECS:
- Weight 1.01 lbs.
- Type Fixed Blades
- Style Game Knives
- Theme Hunting
- Retail Packaging Box
- Handle Material Injection Molded ABS
- Sheath Nylon
- Blade Material 3Cr13
- Blade Shape Drop Point/Gut Hook 9”, Caping 7”, Saw 8.5”
About Tom Claycomb
Tom Claycomb has been an avid hunter/fisherman and an outdoor writer with outdoor columns in the magazine Hunt Alaska, Bass Pro Shops, Bowhunter.net, and freelances for numerous magazines and newspapers. “To properly skin your animal, you will need a sharp knife. I have an e-article on Amazon Kindle titled Knife Sharpening #ad for $.99 if you’re having trouble.”
