Roe From Field To Plate With One Knife (Fieldcrafter)

[midnight 657]

The fieldcrafter-uk knife in a real world test.

Taking a roe deer from field to plate, with one knife.

The deer had been shot and bled then left to me to process starting with field dressing the animal.

Opening the veins and arteries with the knife was simple and accurate. The drop point allowed for instant penetration and the blade passed easily through the connective tissue to allow blood to leave the body and improve the meat.

The animal was placed on its back for the removal of its digestive tract heart and lungs.

 

Again the knife offered control and very accurate cutting, no internal organs where ruptured or accidentally cut throughout the process.

Very quickly everything was removed and the animal turned belly down to allow any congealed blood from the body cavity to escape.

Once home I hung the animal and removed head, feet and what remained of internal organs (colon windpipe, diaphragm)

I’m not very well geared up for deer processing as I rarely get carcases so had no choice but to hang the animal with para cord from the hock in my grinding shed !!

 

I could now start to skin the animal, this is something I get told by a lot of deer stalkers is not possible with the knife as it’s designed. I had not processed and animal of this size with a fieldcrafter until now so was looking forward to finding out once and for all if that was true!

 

It’s not true!

The knife was superb in use, the blade shape and edge worked beautifully together.

I have to say this is the best knife I have owned and used outside the butchery industry.

The pelt was removed better than I have done in a very long time; I only had to tickle the blade once on a cotton mop on the buffer to hold that hair splitting edge.

Even in a trade setting I would have expected to have used the steel maybe a couple more times throughout this process.

Control and comfort where how I would describe the knife, I was able to hold the knife in the many holds you would expect to get the job done without fuss and fast.

 

That done pelvis and sternum where split with the knife through battening with a lump of timber.

This was probably no necessary in the end with how I finished the butchery, but this was my first roe carcase and I approached it as I would a lamb in the same scenario.

One cleaned dressed and ready to cool carcase.

I decided I would leave the knife over night unclean and sheathed to see what the effect of blood would be on the steel. Again deer stalkers tell me carbon is no good for this as it needs too much care??

 

 

 

[midnight 657]

as it was when i stoped for the day.

 

 

The next morning it looked like this.

 

Pretty much identical to how it was left??

 

A couple of squirts of bleach based kitchen cleaner and a go over with a nailbrush and some warm water it looked like this ...

 

No pitting rust or any patina really!

I must admit I expected to see some sign of use but nothing!

 

So that’s the theory on not being able to skin with the knife and that it must be stainless to be any good for wild food prep ruled out.

 

Time to break up the carcase to manageable portions; I tend to bone out a lot of the meat I get for stewing and mincing and just leave the larger joins for roasting.

So the neck is cut through breast cut and both four quarters removed for boning.

 

 

Time to start boning the meat then, this will be minced or made to stewing steak.

Any scrap will go for the dogs, nothing wasted J

By this stage I think I had used the steel 3 times, mostly because I’m cutting towards bone, but worse than that I have a nylon cutting board and it dulls an edge really fast!

So 4 tickles to this point 3 with the steel one on a cotton mop! That’s not because it wasn’t sharp it was I just require razor edge at all times.

[midnight 657]

Now the hind quarters.

I want boned and rolled double cannon or loin, 2 shanks and 2 haunches. I have the fillet away for my tea J

Kidneys are cleaned for going into a steak and kidney pie.

Done ready for cooking.

After everything was in the fridge or freezer, I cleaned up the knife gave it a couple of goes on the steel and guess what......

Shaving sharp!

 

I don’t think that’s a bad workout for a knife. There’s no chipping of the steel all most no patina, no corrosion or signs of wear.

 

The only “issue” was through the warm blood I found the knife did stick in the sheath once.

However it was once and a squeeze of the leather freed it straight away.

 

Sorry I didn’t get any more pics but I’m a one man band now so I found it challenging J

 

The dog enjoyed her spoils to, her teeth are bad so she just pulls the meat off now, smelly old dog .

 

 

 

I hope that didn’t offend anyone?

All the best, matt

[harvey d 43]

you can see you were a butcher, good posts with a good knife well done

[midnight 657]

Thanks Harvey

[Mr Wilkes 2,984]

Just shows it can be done with one knife.. well done matt. I best get saving the pennys.

[midnight 657]

Thank you .

Yep it's more than possible to do it .

No dedicated skinning knives gut hooks nothing just a safe knife with a good edge .

[squab 2,875]

very tidy job with the right tool,looks good certainly better than my cut and hack attemts to struggle through over the years,excellent

[midnight 657]

Thank you !

If anybody is interested in a knife please contact me

Or look up my new website (google fieldcrafter-uk it should be in the first search page !) or find me on Facebook as fieldcrafter-uk fieldcrafter-uk

I'm working on a couple of new designs also , all the best , matt

[Flacko 1,742]

How can I get 1

[the big chief 3,099]

spot on that mat good reed the knife handles very well in every way

[moonlighter 1,163]

Great post. I've got one of your knifes and love it

[3175darren 1,100]

Its good to see someone putting a product through its paces,smart looking knives,and clearly on top of there work,

[Westy76 546]

Great knife skills matt and goes to show a bad workmen always blames his tools but in the hands of someone who knows what there doing bloody easy!!!!!

Seems you've answered any critics there nicely,always liked your knifes time to start saving.