What knife or tool do you use to crack open the sternum on a deer?

Does and small bucks it’s easy to just use a good fixed blade and catch that soft cartilage dead in the middle and push down to with a good bit of force.
Big bucks a small hatchet or cleaver or meat saw whatever is handy.
Most of the time I don’t split it due to deboning all the meat while it’s hanging and just getting out the tender loins and heart without splitting it.

Usually debone while hanging but have used a battery powered Milwaukee reciprocator saw. Makes quick work of a deer if you’re keeping ribs.

quote:

---

Haven’t gutted a deer in a long time

---

Same here, I’m 44 and I want to say we all stopped gutting deer back when I was around 20ish.

We just hang them upside down and open the cavity up enough just to get the loins out.

I usually don’t anymore. I hang it from the legs, once the guts fall out of the way I reach down in there and cut the vitals free and everything falls into the bucket. Not exactly the cleanest way.

I did get a little Gerber saw recently that will work nicely for cutting the sternum though.

Benchmade saddle mountain skinner if I have too. Stopped cutting g the guts out long ago. Leave them in place with rib cage and let it all fall in the gut bucket once I take the front shoulders and backstrap/loins out.

Hang deer up. Skin. Cut meat off bone. Reach in and get sweet meat. Haul off carcass with guts in it.

I gut so it's lighter to drag/cart in. Takes me 5 minutes and I don't break the sternum at all. Open the belly, pull lots, knife in just a few places where it's attached well, including trachea. Drip as much blood out as I can, then get it in. I do use gloves that go all the way up my arm, I got a 50 pack for maybe 10 bucks. Heart in a Ziploc to eat if it isn't destroyed.

Multi tool, battery powered.

I have used folding knives, fixed blades, hand saws, sawzalls, and limb loppers. Prefer a saw of some sort.

I have an Old Timer folding knife that I've used for as long as I can remember to gut, skin and debone a deer. I'll use it to split the sternum. Just find some of the softer spots to cut and use two hands and a bit of muscle to do the splitting job.