Best Bone Saw For Deer Reviews of 2021 (Updated)
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Congrats – you’ve downed your largest deer catch ever! Now the fun part begins; it’s time to field dress that thing. As any hunter knows, this involves a bit of work, therefore having the right tools plays a significant role in your success. Skinning knives or a deboning knife will help you get the meat off the bone, but when it’s time to get through the bone itself, you’re going to need something built for the job.
This is where a special saw designed for getting through tough game bone comes into play. A good bone saw will make quick work of any large deer bones, cutting down on the amount of effort you need to expend on field dressing tasks. This process can be tough and time consuming for any level of hunter. This, and the fact that you want to get your catch home as quickly as possible should have you inspired and geared up with the right equipment for the job.
Now you're ready to pick yourself a saw, which one should you buy for those big game catches? We've done all the hard work and picked out the 5 best bone saws for deer that you can buy, so let's take a look at which is right for you.
Top 5 Rated Models Comparison Table
Image | Saw | Blade Length | Blade Material | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Editors Choice | 8” | 50HRC carbon steel | |
 | 16” | Stainless Steel | ||
 | 3.4” | SK5 Steel | ||
 | 16”, 25” | Stainless Steel | ||
 | 4” | Stainless steel |
Reviews of the Best Bone Saws For Deer
With an 8” blade that folds conveniently into the sturdy handle, this versatile bone saw is our choice for the best bone saw for deer. In fact, it cuts through more than just bone, should you need it. The blade has 9 triple-cut teeth per inch, hardened to stay sharp and make quick work of hard, large bones. (Feel free to use it for wood, too; great for camping). It’s made of 50HRC carbon steel. The handle has a comfortable, sturdy non-slip grip.
We really like how solid the Eversaw is; it’s very high quality and feels strong in your hand. The teeth are sharp and cut effortlessly through bones up to 4” in diameter. We also like that you can loosen or tighten the coated bolt connecting the blade to the handle, getting either a smoother or sturdier fit.
One complaint we have seen reported is that the blade lock, meant to keep it safe and securely locked into the handle, breaks easily. Which is too bad, because otherwise, it’s a fantastic saw for just about any purpose.
Overall, this folding saw is solid and well-built, sharp, with large blade size and inexpensive price tag. It’s our pick for the best bone saw.
Pros
- Comfy, ergonomic handle
- 8” blade is sharp, 50HRC carbon steel, with 9 triple-cut teeth/inch.
- The blade is large enough for large, thick bones
- Adjustable blade tightness
- Foldable design is convenient
Cons
- Blade lock often fails; QC issues
Verdict: Best Overall
This LEM Products Meat Saw is an even better choice than the Weston Butcher Saw. It features a very similar design and handle, as well as a 16” blade, but is even sturdier. The blade is thicker, stronger, ½” wide, and durable quality. A tightening cam and large blade lever let you adjust the blade tension and switch out the blade for a sharp one. The frame is nickel-plated for strength.
We really do love this meat saw. You can tell the quality as soon as you pick it up, the frame is solid and the blade sharp, and it cuts bone with minimal effort.
We do wish the handle was padded or rubberized, for a better, more comfortable grip. It’s hard and very smooth, making it hard to grip when your hands are wet and messy. But that’s a small gripe.
Overall, this LEM Meat Saw is our choice for a large bone saw for deer (and any other animal) a very high-quality offering.
Pros
- Very high-quality; large blade is great for big game
- High-quality nickel frame
- The blade is easily adjustable and replaced with blade lever/tightening cam
Cons
- The handle could be more comfortable, have a better grip
This bone saw from Gerber has a large, wide blade with sharp teeth, but is still sized well enough to carry on your belt – which is made easier by an included fabric sheath. The blade is 3.4” long, made of SK5 steel, and features large teeth similar to those of a wood saw. Cutting through large bones is effortless. The glass-filled polymer handle has an orange rubber over-mold for grip and comfort.
The blade serrations are designed to, in Gerber’s words, optimize cutting efficiency and body strain. We can get behind that. We appreciate how solid the whole thing feels in your hand and how sharp the blade is. We also really like the fabric sheath, and how easy to carry it is.
With that said, the small blade size can be frustrating; it’s too small to make cutting large bones really comfortable, as you have to move it back and forth too much. It’s still sharp and cuts easily, but large bones require a lot of effort.
But, it’s still a great option for a bone saw, especially if compactness and a carry sheath are important to you.
Pros
- Sturdy, thick SK5 steel blade
- Large teeth for large bones; very sharp
- Comfortable, grippy, glass-filled, rubberized handle
Cons
- Small blade size can be too small for large bones
A hefty-duty butcher saw from Weston Supply, coming in both 16” and 25” blades, made of sturdy stainless steel with small, sharp teeth, similar to a hacksaw. A trigger lock maintains blade tension and lets you swap out old blades for sharper ones within seconds, just like a hacksaw.
The handle is large and comfortable and makes sawing easy; it’s very natural and let’s move faster than a knife handle. The 16” blade works for deer, but if you can, get the 25”, and cut through larger bones (even hog bones).
The one thing that bothers us is how thin the blade is. Like a thin hacksaw blade, if it gets hung up on something or isn’t recently sharpened, it will flex and bend, getting stuck on the bone. You also can’t turn the blade upside down, as some people like when cutting bones.
But, for a full-size butcher saw, it’s a good bang-for-your-buck style option, especially the 25” blade.
Pros
- 16” and 25” blade options; big enough for big game
- Stainless steel blade is sharp
- Adjustable blade tension; swappable blades
- Large, comfy handle
Cons
- The blade is still thin and flexible, gets stuck easily
If you’re looking for the smallest bone saw you can get, this is it. The small ergonomic handle fits in the palm of your hand, and the thick, sharp blade cuts through small-to-medium sized bones with ease. A belt loop fabric sheath is included.
Pros? Like we said, it’s small. That’s the best part. You can wear it on your belt or toss it in your bag without taking much space. It’s also pretty cheap, which we can never complain about.
Cons? Again, it’s small. It won’t work on very large bones; it may work with small deer, but very large bones (deer or anything else) call for a larger, heftier bone saw. And the blade finish quality is poor.
But if you want a cheap, small, easy-to-carry bone saw for bringing in the field with you, this Mossy Oak will get the job done.
Pros
- Small
- Sharp
- Fabric sheath included
Cons
- Too small for larger bones, animals
- Blade finish is bad
Things to Consider When Choosing A Good Game Bone Saw
Size And Handle
How big a saw do you need? You can get bone saws the size of wood saw – 16-25”. Or you can choose a pocket-sized utility saw, similar to a multitool, which folds up and can be thrown in your backpack or worn on your belt. Most are designed for bones of any size, but if you plan on cutting especially large ones, go for a larger one. The handles also come in all different shapes and sizes, so choose one that will comfortably fit and suit your hand grip.
Teeth And Blade Material
Hunting saws can have large, jagged teeth like a traditional wood saw, or small teeth similar to a hacksaw or butcher’s saw. One is not necessarily better than the other, but a blade with smaller teeth will give a finer cut, while larger teeth might work more quickly on large bones.
Also, check out the blade material; the best knife blades are made of high carbon steel, but stainless-steel blades can also be very sharp and strong. Carbon steel holds up well to corrosion and rust, but not as well stainless steel, which essentially doesn’t rust.
Weight
This also comes down to the portability and how easy it is to carry around the saw. Not that these saws by nature are heavy, but naturally some models are heavier than others such as the butcher style cutters. If you're carrying a lot of gear around with you, then you definitely want something that's light and not going to add any more weight to your hunt.
Price
There's not a massive gap in terms of price between the different models on the market. Typically they're all relatively cheap to buy, so your decision all comes down to the quality of the cutter and what you intend on using it for.
Why A Portable Bone Cutter is Used for Deer Catches
Hunting is fun, but there are other aspects to it which aren’t so great! One of these is dressing your game and having to cut through fat, tissue, and bone. Although some people love this, there are other hunters who get a little squeamish and like to get it over with as quickly as possible.
This is where using a good bone saw can really pay off. One of the most difficult aspects of field dressing an animal is cutting through its tough bones. To do it, you need more than just your average knife. Without a well-designed bonesaw, you will struggle to field dress your game – a process which is already difficult enough – and this can eat up lots of valuable time.
It’s not just cutting through tough bone which a bone saw is used for, either. Much of your time game hunting will be spent in heavily wooded areas, and a good saw is infinitely useful for cutting through trees, branches and shrubbery, cutting your clearing time in half.
It is important to keep your bone saw clean and dirt-free. After each use, clean it thoroughly and lubricate the blades with gun oil or paste wax. Cleaning will help keep the blades in good condition and lubrication can help you cut through the bone with relative ease.
Final Thoughts
Our top pick for the best bone saw for deer is the Eversaw, thanks to its folding design, comfortable, grippy handle, and 8” blade. It’s well-constructed, sharp and substantial enough for large bones, and cuts through with ease. Watch out for the often-faulty blade lock, and you will have one fantastic bone saw for cutting deer bones and whatever else you may tackle.
If you’d like a full-sized butcher saw, then the LEM Products Meat Saw is what you’re looking for. It’s very sturdily constructed, high-quality, with a sharp, ½” blade, and large enough for the largest of bones. If you don’t need portability and small size but want to be able to cut any bone, there’s no other option.
Choose one from our reviews yourself and make dressing your deer that much easier.
