I highly recommend a 5-inch serrated hunting knife by Cutco: their Model 1769C. Last year I shot a nice 5x5 bull in a canyon in Colorado and needed to quarter and pack it out. I was able to quarter and filet the entire elk with just the one knife without any need to sharpen it. As for taking out the rack, it's not necessary to have a saw or hatchet. A stout knife and a little bit of twisting will separate the base of the skull and the first vertebra. Once you get back to camp, or better yet to the taxidermist, the antlers and skull plate can be removed with proper bone saw.

By the way, I wouldn't go into the woods without a Leatherman-type tool. While it's not my first choice for quartering an elk, the blade on my model works great for caping in the field, especially around the antler bases. And don't forget a pair of those "full-length" rubber field-dressing gloves.

- Greg Julian, Maple City, Michigan

Really all you need to field dress a big game animal is a sharp object. My preference is a 4- to 5-inch straight blade (as opposed to a skinning knife). But I am extremely weight conscious, so I only carry a 2-inch Schrade Old Timer. I used that knife to gut and skin an entire elk in Colorado this year. Needless to say, it was pretty dull by the time I got to the skinning part, but it still did the trick. I also carry a small, lightweight Gerber saw for cutting through the pelvis and cutting the head off in the woods, though you could cut through the hide and neck meat at the base of the skull and twist the head off without any need for a saw.

- David Clumpner, Anacortes, Washington