Best Bone Saw for Deer Reviews

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Every successful deer hunting trip involves dressing the deer. In many ways downing the deer is far easier than the dressing that follows.

And although it can be tough, having the right tools at hand can make it soo much easier than it otherwise would be.

Whilst you can get a lot of meat off with a skinning knife or deboning knife, you’re going to need something way tougher to get through the bone itself.

That’s where bone saw come into play – they’re specially designed for getting through tough game bones.

A good bone saw can really cut down the effort involved in dressing out in the field, making quick work of the larger deer bones.

It can still be tough however and can take it’s fair share of time, no matter how experienced the hunter.

And we totally understand how you want to get home quickly to exercise your bragging rights. And with the best possible equipment at hand, you’ll get home sooner rather than later.

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Now, we’ll do what we can to help you pick a bone saw. We’ve examined some of the best bone saws out on the market today, and have cherry-picked our Top 5 picks.

We will review these bone saws for you, and then you can decide which best suits you.

And to help you even further we also have a buying guide for you which goes through everything you might want to think about to help you choose, and we also discuss why a portable bone cutter is used for deer catches.

In a hurry? This is our winner!

Our rating:
EverSaw Folding Hand Saw Camp Saw 8" Folding Saw - Pruning Saws for Tree Trimming Garden Saw – Rugged Camping Saw for Wood Cutter Trail Clearing Tree Limb Saw - Bone Saw for Hunting
  • Premium Quality - EverSaw Folding Saw is a rugged pull cut hand saw built to last with an adjustable medium-tooth 8 inch SK5 carbon steel blade. You’ll always have a good grip on the ribbed rubber handle of our small hand saw thanks to an ergonomic and non-slip design
  • Pull Cut Design - Triple-cut razor teeth of your hand held saw are made for pull cut sawing with 9 teeth per inch (9TPI) to provide smooth fast sawing. Hardened to stay sharp your manual saw can easily cut through branches, bone and even PVC plastic up to 4 inches in diameter
  • Multipurpose - From everyday yard work to hiking and bushcraft in the great outdoors our folding handsaw is up to the task. You can use our compact folding saw as a camp saw folding, hand saw for trees, backpacking saw, folding tree saw, folding pruning saw, survival saw, tree branch saw, limb saw, deer bone saw or add it to your hunting saw kit

Best Bone Saw for Deer Reviews of 2020 – Comparison Table

Best Bone Saw for Deer Reviews of 2020 – Reviews

Our Pick

EverSaw Folding Hand Saw Camp Saw 8" Folding Saw - Pruning Saws for Tree Trimming Garden Saw – Rugged Camping Saw for Wood Cutter Trail Clearing Tree Limb Saw - Bone Saw for Hunting

EverSaw Folding Hand Saw Camp Saw 8' Folding Saw - Pruning Saws for Tree Trimming Garden Saw – Rugged Camping Saw for Wood Cutter Trail Clearing Tree Limb Saw - Bone Saw for Hunting
Our rating:

What we love about this 8-inch blade is that it folds conveniently into its sturdy handle – such a valuable safety feature.  You don’t want the knife cutting its way through your backpack.

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In our minds, it’s THE best choice for a bone saw for deer – it’s a versatile blade that will cut through just about anything – great for prepping firewood for a campfire.

The saw is made from 50 HRC carbon steel, and it has 9 triple-cut teeth per inch.  These teeth have been hardened to enable them to stay sharp, and the result?  They make light work of hard, large bones. 

In fact, the sharp teeth can easily cut through bones of up to a whopping 4 inches in diameter.

The handle is non-slip and provides a comfortable sturdy grip.  We really love how solid and strong it feels in your hand.

Another great feature is how you can loosen or tighten the coated bolt that connects the blade to the handle.  This way you can tweak the knife’s smoothness or sturdiness.

A small proportion of customers have complained about the blade lock.  The blade lock, which is designed to keep the knife safe and securely locked into the handle has been liable to damage. 

This is such a shame since otherwise, it would make for a really fantastic saw for deer, and for hunting and camping in general.

All in all, this folding bone saw is a great buy, solid and well built, with a large size blade and really sharp teeth.  This bone saw is our favorite.

Pros
  • Comfy, non-slip handle
  • Large enough to cut through very thick bone
  • Durable 50HRC carbon steel
  • 9 triple-cut teeth per inch
  • Blade conveniently folds away
  • Adjustable blade tightness
Cons
  • The blade lock sometimes breaks

LEM Products 640 16" Meat Saw (black handle w/tightening cam)

LEM Products 640 16' Meat Saw (black handle w/tightening cam)
Our rating:

Heard of the Weston Butcher Saw?  Well, this saw from LEM products is an even better choice.  It has the general design in common with it, with regards to the handle and 16-inch blade, but this beauty is even sturdier. 

This saw has a blade that’s a whole half an inch thicker, making it far stronger and more durable.  And the frame is nickel-plated for strength. 

You can adjust the blade tension using a tightening cam and a large blade lever.  And you can even swap out the blade for a sharper one.  

This is a really great meat saw.  As soon as you pick it up, you feel just how solid the frame is, and see how sharp it is.  You can see and feel the quality. 

You need minimal effort to cut through bone with it.

What would have made it even better is if the handle was padded or rubberized since that would make for a better, more comfortable grip. 

As it stands, the grip is hard and very smooth, which may make it a little slippery when wet with blood.

In summary, this meat saw is a great choice if you intend to saw through large, wide-diameter bones, be they of deer or any other game, and presents high quality.

Pros
  • The large blade is perfect for big game
  • Very high-quality blade
  • High-quality nickel-coated frame
  • You can swap the blade over by using the blade lever/tightening cam
Cons
  • The handle should be rubberized for better grip

Gerber Gear Vital Pack Saw - 3.4" Fixed Sawtooth Blade - Camping and Hunting Saw with Included Fabric Sheath - Orange

Gerber Gear Vital Pack Saw - 3.4' Fixed Sawtooth Blade - Camping and Hunting Saw with Included Fabric Sheath - Orange
Our rating:

We love this bone saw from Gerber with its large wide blade and sharp teeth.  Despite its wide blade though it’s still small enough to carry on your belt – which is much helped by the included good quality fabric sheath.

The blade is made of SK5 steel and reaches 3.4 inches long, with large teeth that are much like those of a wood saw.  Cutting through bone is easy with this baby.

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It features a glass-filled polymer handle with an orange rubber over-mold for good grip and comfort.

It’s the blade serrations that really make light work of bone sawing.  But also it feels really solid in your hand and you can see just how sharp the large teeth of the blade are.

However, it’s not without its drawbacks, the blade is a tad to short which could easily be very frustrating when trying to cut through large bones.  It would need a lot of going back and forth and a lot of effort, and be more time-consuming.  

That being said, all in all it’s still very sharp and cuts really easily.  It may not be great for sawing larger bones, but if you’re specifically looking for something that’s really compact and comes complete with a carry sheath, then this would be a great buy.

Pros
  • Blade is made from thich SK5 steel
  • Large teeth for large bones, all very sharp
  • Sturdy, comfortable rubberized handle
Cons
  • The blade is a little too small for cutting through larger bones

Weston 47-1601 Butcher and Bone Saw with 16 Inch Stainless Steel Blade (47-1601), 16 Inch, Stainless Steel

Weston 47-1601 Butcher and Bone Saw with 16 Inch Stainless Steel Blade (47-1601), 16 Inch, Stainless Steel
Our rating:

The Weston Butcher is the industry standard in butcher saws.  It’s a really heavy-duty saw, available with 16 inch or 25-inch blades.  These blades are made of durable stainless steel, with many small and sharp teeth, much like a hacksaw.

It features a trigger lock that maintains the blade’s tension, and it allows you to swap out blades when they are old and worn and replace them with newer sharper ones.  Just as you can with a hacksaw.

The handle is nice and large, and is really comfortable to hold and to use, making sawing feel very easy and natural, and faster than if you were to use a knife handle.

As to which size saw to go for, the 16-inch blade would be a great choice for using on deer, while the 25-inch version could even cut through large hog bones.

Our only niggle with this bone saw is that the blade is a tad thin.  The drawback to this is that if it gets stuck, say if it hadn’t been sufficiently sharpened, then it may flex and bend, getting more stuck. 

Also, it’s no good for turning upside down and sawing that way, like some people like to do.

Overall, this full-size butcher is a great choice, it does exactly what it’s meant to and provides good value for money, the 25-inch version especially.

Pros
  • 25-inch option available for big game
  • Sharp stainless steel blade
  • Adjustable blade tension
  • You can replace the blade
  • Large comfortable handle
Cons
  • The blade is thin and flexible and could get stuck

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Our rating:
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What we love about this bone saw is just how unbelievably compact it is – it’s the smallest bone saw you can get.  The comfy handle will fit in the palm of your hand.

Yet with its thick sharp blade, it can cut through small and medium-sized bones with ease.  

Included in the price you also get a fabric sheaf for it, complete with a handy belt loop.  You’ll have to be careful you don’t forget you’re wearing it.

Of course, being so small, it won’t be much use on larger bones – it may work well enough on a small deer, but won’t suffice for larger game.  For that, you’ll need something larger and heftier.

So in summary, it would a great choice if all you’re after is something small, cheap, and easy to carry around.  It will get the job done. 

But if you expect or intend to saw through thick bones, you may well be better off choosing another bone saw from our Top 5 picks.

Pros
  • Very small and compact
  • Nice and sharp
  • Handy fabric sheath included
Cons
  • Too small for cutting larger bones
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Best Bone Saw for Deer Reviews of 2020 – Buyers Guide

So, here are a few things to consider in choosing a good game bone saw.

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Size of the Saw

Bone saws can come in a wide variety of sizes.  You can get ones the size of a wood saw, between about 16 to 25 inches.  Or at the other end of the spectrum, you can get pocket-sized utility saws, much like a multitool, which can easily be folded up compactly enough to wear on your belt.

So, how big of a saw do you need?  That depends on how big a bone you intend to saw. 

Most bones are designed for bones of any size, but if you expect to be cutting particularly large ones, then you’ll need a marginally larger saw.

Saw Handle

Similarly, the handles also come in all different sizes and shapes.  What you will need to do is to select one that will comfortably fit in your hand and suit your hand grip.

Teeth 

The teeth on a bone saw can also vary from one to the next.  Some have small teeth akin to a butcher’s saw or hacksaw, while other bone saws can have large, jagged teeth, more like a traditional wood saw.

The different sizes of teeth on the saw have different overall effects, though one is not necessarily wholly better than the other.  A blade with smaller teeth will give a finer, more precise cut, while larger teeth, on the other hand, have the advantage of being able to work more quickly on large bones.

Blade Material

We also recommend that you pay attention to the blade material.  Personally, we think that knife blades made of high carbon steel are best, but you won’t go far wrong with stainless steel blades.  Both types of blade can be very sharp and strong, as well as hold up well to corrosion and rust, although stainless steel does have the upper edge when it comes to the prevention of rust.

Weight

The heavier a bone saw is, the more uncomfortable it is to carry around, especially if you’re already carrying a lot of gear anyway as it is.  Not all bone saws are naturally heavy, but you do get some models that are heavier than others, like butcher style cutters for example.

If possible, it’s good to get a lightweight bone saw, saw you’re not totally weighed down by your gear on your hunt.

Cost

To be honest there’s not a lot of variation in the prices of bone saw out on the market today.  You will find that they’re all quite affordable, so much so that you can basically take the cost of the bone saw out of the equation, and just concentrate on getting the best quality of bone saw for what you need

Why people use a portable bone cutter for their deer catches

Hunting can be great fun, but sometimes there are elements to it that aren’t so great.  One such example is dressing your game, and having to cut through not just meat but also fat, tissue, and bone.  This is often the most gruesome element of the hunt and can make some hunters feel a little squeamish.  For hunters such as these, the quicker the dressing can be over and done with the better.

And that’s where having a really good bone saw at hand can really make a difference.  One of the toughest parts of dressing a deer or other game out in the filed is sawing through tough bones.  You simply can’t do it with a standard knife.

You will really struggle to dress your game without a good quality bone saw, a job that’s difficult enough as it is anyway, and feels like it takes forever.  Having a good quality bone saw on hand meanwhile, is quite the game-changer.

But, your bone saw can actually help your hunt a lot more than just helping to the dress the beast.  As you walk through heavily wooded areas, you can use your saw to cut through all manner of trees, branches, and shrubbery, clearing your route for you.

We strongly recommend that your keep your bone saw as clean and dirt-free as possible.  You should clean it thoroughly after each use and lubricate the blades with either gun oil or paste wax.  This cleaning regime will help to keep the blades in the best possible condition.  And the lubrication really makes it easier to get that bone saw through those bones.

Final Thoughts

After taking a close look at all the bone saws out on the market today, it was actually quite easy for us to pick a favorite – our Number 1 pick, the Folding Hand Saw.  It’s well-constructed and sharp, not too short a blade, and easy and safe to carry around on the hunt.

But if you think you may be happier with a butcher style saw, we’d have to recommend our Number 2 pick, the LEM Products 640 16″ Meat Saw.

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