James grew up on an Ozarks farm where tools like axes and picks were still used in the daily routine and the blades of stockman's pocketknives served their original functions. Receiving his first pocketknife at age four he got it open by himself nearly a year later and spent his formative years wandering the woods with a succession of ever larger knives, a book of matches and a rifle.
A veteran of Vietnam, James also served in Alaska during a stint in the Army, receiving his first intensive culinary training by setting a record for extra KP at Ft. Richardson.
Settling in the Pacific Northwest after his discharge, James crewed on sailing yachts in local races, backpacked hundreds of miles of mountain trails in search of good trout fishing, and occasionally attended college.
His first serious job as a civilian resulted from answering a Seattle Post Intelligencer want ad requesting someone who could lift 120 pounds repeatedly and wasn't afraid of fire. James apprenticed to John Frazier -- the most knowledgeable traditional foundryman in North America at that time -- for the next six years.
Returning to the Ozarks James made his living by growing ginseng on a hand-terraced wooded hillside and selling handmade wood turnery, furniture, sculpture and architectural carvings. James harvested trees from his own land, processing logs into posts and beams and turnery billets with saws, axes, froes and planes. Since many tools he needed were no longer available, James built his own forge from a barbeque grill, a vacuum cleaner and a 55 gallon steel drum, found a chunk of railroad track for his first anvil, and taught himself blacksmithing -- creating his own knives and tools from scrap steel and sweat.
Changing economic pressures eventually forced James back to the restaurant industry in Branson, Missouri, and later to even more success as a maintenance engineer for one of Branson's largest condominium resorts. Finally escaping to Indiana, James now makes his living telling true stories as a freelance writer.
Browning Mossy Oak Folding Knife | 3 Hunting Blades inc. Gut Hook & Saw
54 sec read
Three of the most often-used field dressing tools combine in the Mossy Oak hardwood handled 3-blade Folding Knife from Browning. The Mossy Oak Folding Knife offers hunters a compact field dressing knife set, small enough to carry in the pocket. It’s an unusual knife with blades that could be extremely handy. Be ready with sharpening equipment since the 420 J2 high carbon stainless steel will need frequent honing to stay keen enough for skinning and butchering game. You’ll probably like it better if you take along a standard fixed blade hunter as a backup.
Each blade in the trio opens to 3-1/4 inches of working edge. The overall open length of this heavy 12-ounce folder is still only 7-1/2 inches. For heavy work, that may not be quite enough handle to securely grip, but the knife works well on deer and smaller game. Gut hook and bone saw solve some of the trickier field dressing problems, with a strong clip point blade for all around work.
Cleaning of the knife itself could be a problem, especially in primitive situations since the multi-blade folder will definitely collect fluids and debris easily. While the stainless steel won’t be damaged, the action of the knife won’t be smooth until cleaned and oiled properly. Three blades and three swivel bearings add a lot of space to the handle frame, leaving the knife open to other problems with leverage and twisting forces.
James grew up on an Ozarks farm where tools like axes and picks were still used in the daily routine and the blades of stockman's pocketknives served their original functions. Receiving his first pocketknife at age four he got it open by himself nearly a year later and spent his formative years wandering the woods with a succession of ever larger knives, a book of matches and a rifle.
A veteran of Vietnam, James also served in Alaska during a stint in the Army, receiving his first intensive culinary training by setting a record for extra KP at Ft. Richardson.
Settling in the Pacific Northwest after his discharge, James crewed on sailing yachts in local races, backpacked hundreds of miles of mountain trails in search of good trout fishing, and occasionally attended college.
His first serious job as a civilian resulted from answering a Seattle Post Intelligencer want ad requesting someone who could lift 120 pounds repeatedly and wasn't afraid of fire. James apprenticed to John Frazier -- the most knowledgeable traditional foundryman in North America at that time -- for the next six years.
Returning to the Ozarks James made his living by growing ginseng on a hand-terraced wooded hillside and selling handmade wood turnery, furniture, sculpture and architectural carvings. James harvested trees from his own land, processing logs into posts and beams and turnery billets with saws, axes, froes and planes. Since many tools he needed were no longer available, James built his own forge from a barbeque grill, a vacuum cleaner and a 55 gallon steel drum, found a chunk of railroad track for his first anvil, and taught himself blacksmithing -- creating his own knives and tools from scrap steel and sweat.
Changing economic pressures eventually forced James back to the restaurant industry in Branson, Missouri, and later to even more success as a maintenance engineer for one of Branson's largest condominium resorts. Finally escaping to Indiana, James now makes his living telling true stories as a freelance writer.
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Three of the most often-used field dressing tools combine in the Mossy Oak hardwood handled 3-blade Folding Knife from Browning. The Mossy Oak Folding Knife offers hunters a compact field dressing knife set, small enough to carry in the pocket. It’s an unusual knife with blades that could be extremely handy. Be ready with sharpening equipment since the 420 J2 high carbon stainless steel will need frequent honing to stay keen enough for skinning and butchering game. You’ll probably like it better if you take along a standard fixed blade hunter as a backup.
