By: Josh Keiter – Hunter/Producer for Bone Maniacs
As an avid outdoorsman and hunter, an item that you will always find in my pack is a knife. A knife to someone like me, at times, is pretty much just an extension of my hand. Knives offer so many different use cases to an outdoorsman. When I’m out hiking or hunting with friends and they ask ‘Does anyone have a knife?’ it’s almost like a cardinal sin and they are deeply looked down upon for not having one. I’ve used many different kinds of knives over the years in my adventures; and while they all have served their purpose in some way, shape or form, having the right kind or shape of knife to complete a certain task is always better versus trying to make do with something not as efficient for getting the job done. As a kid growing up hunting and fishing in the eastern part of the United States, I kind of have this tunnel vision about me when it comes to the game I pursue. Growing up in the state of West Virginia, my fall days were spent hunting small game, mostly squirrel, and big game, whitetail deer and the eastern wild turkey. The older I get the more I desire to head west to pursue western game in the back country such as elk, antelope and possibly one day a big horn sheep. Regardless of where my adventures take me, I know the one item that will follow me wherever I go will be my knife.
Throughout the 2017 whitetail season, I’ve been fortunate enough to harvest two mature bucks with my bow, one in Ohio and one in Kansas, as well as a doe in Virginia. My son was also able to take a doe in Virginia with his rifle. Using the Raptorazor Aluminum Hydro Dipped Big Game Skinner and MANO combo kit has made clean up and processing my own game a breeze. For years, I have processed my own game meat and have used several different knives and saws for the task. Field dressing and breaking down an animal is part of the hunt and experience with that harvested animal to me, but that doesn’t mean I want that experience to last forever. I want to get that animal broken down and the meat cleaned and cooled for a better table experience for me and my family. Everyone processes their deer based off of how they were taught, or based off of their own experiences through trial and error. I’ve learned a lot over the years about processing wild game and I wish I would have owned this knife combo kit for a long time!
Field dressing and getting the hide off my whitetails with the Big Game Skinner doesn’t even feel like work anymore. The sharp blade zips through their tough hides with ease! The MAKO makes skinning and deboning the meat effortless. The blades hold their edge and sharpness through even the toughest processing tasks, but it’s also very easy to remove the blades with the built in Phillips screwdriver handle for cleaning or changing out blades. I love the gripped ‘T’ handle for most of my processing work, but the MAKO also works very well without the handle for quick jobs or even getting back into a hard to reach place during field dressing. I chose to go with the aluminum kit so I could throw this in my pack and not be concerned with it getting beat up as I take it in and out of the pack as well as having it stored with all my other gear I take on my hunts. The construction of these knives are second to none and I have highly recommended them to my friends and family as well as our viewers and fans. The Bone Maniacs team has laid down some quality animals this season and we’re proud to say that all of those have been sliced and diced with the Raptorazor products. We wouldn’t use any other knife!