GutHook or No.....What Do You Prefer??

[elknutz]

I use more than one knife, and I wouldn't be without a gut hook on one of them.

[bretto]

I was given a fold-up Gerber Gator with a guthook. It can be used while the blade is closed. Like Batman I never use it to gut deer with but it is fantastic to split the hide going down the legs.

I never purposely buy knives with a guthook because I don't like the look of them and I don't have a clue how to sharpen one.

bretto

[Bobby Urban]

Sharpen with a chainsaw file.  Work great on deer - especially when skinning out the legs as mentioned above.  I also use it to unzip down the spine when I am boning out a deer where I found it, which I often do anymore.  No need to take the bones and hide home and then turn around and haul it back out to the woods after I butcher the deer.  As far as hogs go I have found gut hooks are not so good.  Hogs have seriously course hair thats often very full of dried mud - this bogs the hook down and makes it a real pain in the butt.  Go with the sharp blade two finger method on pigs.  Also, a tip from an oldtimer I have used exclusively is make the gut slit from the chest down not the pelvis up with either blade.  you are going with the grain of the hair and it works better and keep a lot more hair off the meat.  
Bob Urban

[amicus]

I love a gut hook. I have used them on pigs, deer, black bear and 1 moose. Works great when sharp.

Gilbert

[Lin Rhea]

I dont care for gut hooks although I have used one a couple of times to open a deer. I decided I could do as well without the hook. I think in my case I might have liked them more if I had grown up using them.

Since I have been making knives, I now see the guthook as a place where some blades could break. Lin

[thunder1]

I've used a gut hook for awhile. Cannot stand them and as for me I don't care for the look of them.

[JMR]

I received a Browning knife with guthook for Christmas and used it to gut and skin one deer. I didn't like it for the gutting but it was useful for skinnning the legs.

[Cottonwood]

I carry plenty of knives as fur dulls many a blade, but what I have found that works real well is the large hook blade on a retractable utility knife.

5 blade pack
Stanley Large Hook Blade
 http://hand-tools.hardwarestore.com/67-419-utility-knife-blades/large-hook-blades-604098.aspx

Even though I have 2 gut hook blade knives, I prefer the Stanley hook blades better.

[bigbadjon]

I don't think that a gut hook will out perform a sharp straight blade. I have to verify but have heard the original purpose of a gut hook is to take coffee off of the fire. As far as a knife recommendation, I dont't know your budget, but see if you can find something like a Bark River huntsman for around $100. Best all around production knife imho.

[Bobby Urban]

Not sure the Bark River is the best but is is damn good and is made in a GREAT place.  Can't go wrong with anything made in Michigan and REALLY can't go wrong if it comes from the UP.  Get you a Bark River and a Northern Mist bow and you have outfit yourself well IISSM

Bob Urban

[Nala]

Funny you should mention that Stanley razor blade.  I believe it was a Tred Barta where he was hog hunting and at the end of it he had one of those types of "knives" and was talking about how well it worked and then he started on the hog.  He didn't use it for gutting it, but rather to split the hide out to the end of the legs.  In that chore it zipped right through the skin and fur quick as a rabbit.
That is what I would be using it for, not really gutting.

Thanks for the info.

Nalajr