The Gerber E-Z Skinner knife makes skinning big-game animals easy. Photo by Gerber Knives.
Have you ever had that moment where you ask yourself, “Why didn’t I try this soon?”
This is how I felt the first time I used the Gerber E-Z Skinner knife.
I have traditionally used a trusty folding knife for the arduous task of skinning the big game animals I kill. Skinning an animal probably my least favorite task in hunting. I find that my hands hurt from holding the folding knife. I have always thought it wasn’t the right tool for the job.
Thankfully, I often walk aimlessly through big box hunting stores looking for things I don’t need or can’t afford. While browsing the knife section I came upon the Gerber E-Z Skinner. It was in that moment of genius that I decided to give it try.
Fast forward to the end of last year. In the early hours of our last day to hunt, my father shot a very nice cow elk just below the Mogollon Rim in Arizona. This cow is was what I like to refer to as a, “Trophy Elk.”
It was huge.
We immediately began the task of processing the animal. The bad news was I didn’t have much time to help him process the animal for transportation. I had to be pack in Phoenix in the late afternoon for an event. We had to move quickly. As my dad started to skin the elk, I handed him the E-Z Skinner. He looked skeptical. That didn’t last long.
He used the gut hook to quickly slice through the center of the elk. Then he began to use the knife to trim away the heavy hide of the animal. We traded places for the next hour or so. I don’t think we had ever gutted and skinned an elk in such a short amount of time.
I was sold. (And so was he. He put an E-Z Skinner on his Christmas list.)
Just weeks later, I was on a Coues whitetail deer hunt near the southern border of Arizona. I had packed up my bag and slipped into the Patagonia Mountains for the day to avoid the road hunters. About mid-afternoon I bumped up a nice little 3×3 and shot him. I recovered him a short distance away. I dug out the E-Z Skinner and started to field dress him. I didn’t really have time to sharpen my knives between the hunts. Even after skinning that huge elk, the E-Z Skinner was still sharp and ready to go.
I’m really not sure why I haven’t tried this style of knife before, but I’m glad I did. I was especially happy with the Gerber version. This knife fit great in my hand. It was sharp and worked perfectly for the task.
The EZ-Skinner has made one of my least favorite jobs enjoyable.
