Field knife sharpener

[Phil Tuccillo]

What kind of knife sharpener do you guys use in the field to touch up your knives during those big skinning,quartering,& boning jobs?
                Thanks Ahead of Time, Phil

[Craig Schoneberg]

I usually carry a small diamond steel for quick touch ups.  The one I have has a brass handle and the steel is carried inside the handle.
Craig

[Grey Taylor]

I avoid the issue completely by having a zero success rate. It really cuts down on the work and the gear I have to carry.

Guy

[Jock Whisky]

Carrying 2 knives, one on the belt and one in the pack is also an option. Other than that the preceding posts have it.

JW

[lpcjon2]

Arkansas stone

[LA Trapper]

Grey has an interesting point.  Is this catch and release bowhunting?

Billy

[gudspelr]

I avoid the issue completely by having a zero success rate. It really cuts down on the work and the gear I have to carry.


Ha!  Sounds like we've been hunting the same way   .


Jeremy
 

[Ringneck]

I carry a jewel stik diamond sharpener. Light weight and puts an edge on fast.

[stickbowmaniac]

I have a small sharpener made by Smith .Has a carbide,ceramic, and diamond.Works real well.My favorite skinning knife is a dexter russel skinner.

[wingnut]

We carry one of our six in one sharpeners from DMT.  When working on an elk or moose, we usually have one guy touching up knives.  The work is much easier if the knives stay very sharp.

Also the duofold diamond sharpeners are compact and work well.

They are on our Helle site.

 http://www.dryadbows.com/helleknives/index.htm  

Mike

[Ground Hunter]

The fold up DMT's work great.  Water, spit, no need for oil.  Sharp!  H

[VTer]

Nothing bigger than a whitetail so far. Haven't had to worry about touch ups.

[Soilarch]

Originally posted by VTer:
Nothing bigger than a whitetail so far. Haven't had to worry about touch ups.

Same here, but something I still do just because I'm a perfectionist when it comes to being "sharp" is carrying two knives.

One for any cut that involves hair or cuts along a bone.  (I usually de-bone in the field) The other knife is for everything else and stays stupid-sharp.

If funds weren't limited I'd have two identical knives with different colored handles for everything.  One sharpened around 22* and the other around 17*

I still like the idea of a short  crok-stick device or "pasted" strop.

[Gerardo]

jewel stick!!!    

Love it work great and are not very expensive

[robtattoo]

DMT diafold, a crock stick & a Fallkniven DC3 stone along with at least 2 spare knives are always in my pack.
I generally carry a small 2-blade pocket knife & a 3" fixed blade on my belt. An Opinel number 6 & a Cold Steel folding Bushman permanently live in my hunting pack.

Believe me, running out of sharps is one problem I don't ever have to worry about!  :D

[bowfiend]

I carry a carbide sharpener and it works well for me. Really light, has a broadhead wrench built in, and only takes a couple strokes to touch up during some heavy lifting, AKA quartering.

[Apex Predator]

I started carrying one of these replaceable blade knives.  Works great and helps me reduce my pack weight by not carrying a sharpener at all.  I just pack a couple of extra blades.  I haven't needed the extras yet, but if I double up on hogs I may need them.

[Ringneck]

Marty, I used on of those knives on my elk and gave up. Ping..broke blade replace...Ping...broke blade! They are sharp however. Mine's in the drawer.

[Bjorn]

Carry 2 good knives and a diamond stone. No problem no matter how big it is.