Boker Knife: A Hunting Hand Me Down

Being a new hunter on a budget has a lot of drawbacks, the biggest of which is the lack of proper equipment. When it came time to butcher my first goose, I quickly learned that my EDC Knife, a Spydero Delica 4, was good for a lot of things. Unfortunately, game processing was not one of them.

Since then I’ve been on the lookout for a budget friendly, do-it-all, hunting knife. A few Buck Knives have been on my radar but with Christmas so close I opted to hold out on making a purchase. On a whim, I asked my Dad if he had a skinning knife I could use until I was able to get my own.

My Dad used to hunt years ago, before he got married and had kids. As it turns out, he had an old Boker knife that hadn’t been used in decades. When I laid eyes on the knife, I was a little unsure. The blade was swept back, just like I wanted, but it seemed rather large. Sure, this knife would be good for skinning a deer but what about a substantially smaller goose?

Today I got the opportunity to put the knife to the test. Despite the blade width, it was a pleasure to use on a Goose. At no point did I feel like I had ‘too much knife’. It took an edge without any fuss and didn’t dull too quickly (it needed to be touched up when I went to hacking on a bone).

The only issue I have right now is that my Dad didn’t have a sheath for the Boker. Due to the age of the knife, I don’t think I can just order up a mass produced sheath. I may have to learn to do a little leather work and make my own. While I’m sure Kydex is faster and easier, I don’t think a tactical looking sheath would do this knife justice.

What would you recommend as a do-it-all knife for a hunter on a budget?