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Gear Review: Mora 612 First Impressions

Being a hunter and outdoorsman, I love good knives. I only wish I had the budget for a really great field knife. There are some sweet custom knives out there I see in the magazines that I would love to own someday. But one knife that I frequently see mentioned are those made by Mora of Sweden. Swedish steel seems to have a very strong following and their fans will tell you its some of the best steel out there. But the one differentiating thing about Mora is their affordability.

But how can a good knife be so cheap?

Mora has some great reviews, but I was still skeptical. That is until I saw Cody Lundin using one on Discovery’s Dual Survivor show on an episode. OK, I’ll bite. I’ll order one and see how they are. Besides, they’re cheap. If it isn’t any good, I haven’t wasted a lot of money on the thing.

So I ordered the Morakniv Classic 612. From what I could tell, Cody had the Classic #2, but I liked the finger guard on the 612, just for a little more safety. I read through all the reviews and knew what to expect.

Upon its arrival, I immediately checked the sharpness of the blade. Not bad. I could feel a little bit of roughness like it just needed some honing, but it went through a piece of paper OK. The first thing one notices is the difference in the bevel on the blade, it’s much wider than the short bevels of most American knives, more on this in a moment. The next thing I noticed was how good the knife felt in my hand. The handle was perfect for me. It has a great feel. The only thing I was initially disappointed in is the sheath. They aren’t giving away anything there and probably why their knives are so inexpensive, there’s nothing in that sheath. It’s made of some very thin plastic. The other noticeable thing is that the top of the knife is very rough and unfinished. Most people clean that up some, from what I’ve read.

The first thing I used the knife on was the pheasant and quail from my last hunting trip. I used it to clean the birds when I got home. It did a good job, but cutting through the wing bones seemed to rough the edge up a bit more. The shape of the knife blade is perfect for cleaning up small game. I don’t think it would do well on large game like deer, as the blade feels a little light for that kind of work. But I could be wrong there, we’ll have to wait and see. If you do your own butchering, it might do well for deboning. Maybe. I’ll need to ask my buddy that does his own butchering.

After I finished with the birds, I took a stone to the blade. This is where that bevel really comes in handy. This was one of the easiest knives to sharpen. Since the bevel is so wide, it easily lays across the stone, making it a breeze to sharpen. And it really takes an edge. After a few passes on the stone, it went through a piece of paper like butter. Easy sharpening is a big plus for me there.

So that’s the first impression. There’s some good things about it. It takes a great edge and its very affordable. The sheath is flimsy and the knife blade feels a little light for any type of heavy duty field use, but I really haven’t put it through its paces there yet. I’ll post some updates as I use this more. But really, for the price, less than $20 shipped, not sure you can really go wrong with this.

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Upland Final Weekend

I was able to get out for the final weekend of pheasant and quail season. I was invited along by an old friend from high school who I hadn’t seen in a while, nor had I ever hunted with before. He took us to some family land down in south central Kansas. And like what we had seen back in November on opening weekend, the birds were a bit few and far between.

But as the saying goes, it’s better to be out hunting than not. And we still had a great time. I came home with one pheasant and a quail. Two others of the group took 4 quail. Again, not a great hall, but typical for this season (due to the heat and drought of last summer). I hoping we don’t have a repeat of the heat again, or next season could be even worse.

I’ve also found my favorite way to enjoy quail and pheasant, Pheasant (and quail) Teriyaki. I got the idea from another hunting buddy who did something similar with Goose. Here’s the basic recipe, I don’t measure much, but it’s pretty simple.

I cut up the quail and pheasant in bite size pieces and marinated in teriyaki sauce for a couple of hours. Chop up some onion and garlic. I probably used a small onion and 2 cloves of garlic. Saute the onion in oil to soften, don’t brown it. Once the onion is soften up a bit, toss in the garlic and game with all the teriyaki sauce. Saute for a few minutes until the meat is almost done. I had about 1/2 cup of chicken broth left over from the rice, so I tossed that in with a few more dashes of teriyaki. Simmer until meat is fully cooked and liquid is reduced some. Server over rice or noodles.

Yumm!

I’m grateful for good friends and good food. Thanks Alan for taking us out for one last chance to get some game.

Keep your powder dry.

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Going Primitive

After watching the Discovery Channel’s “I Caveman” reality show last summer, my wife and I became intrigued by their use of an Atlatl. It was introduced to the show’s participants by a man named Atlatl Bob. The wife decided she wanted one. A few months go by and at the Fall CTAGA Rendezvous, I met a man named Tomy White how was selling his wares. He’s a leather worker who had a blanket set out with various bags, gourd canteens, etc. Oddly enough, he had an atlatl and an assortment of darts. I got my wife to come over and Tomy gave her a demonstration. Shortly thereafter, the deal was struck.

Well, we picked it up the other day. Tomy did a nice job on the atlatl and he gave us some lessons on throwing. He also showed his sling throwing technique.

And needless to say, we did some throwing on the Friday after Thanksgiving while out at my wife’s family Thanksgiving get together. Below is me making a toss. I do apologize for the video quality, it was just off my camera and it was very windy.

Here is one of my brother in laws taking a throw.

And here is Tomy himself throwing his.

And if you’re interested, you can look for Tomy at area Rendevzous in the region throughout the year. Or you can contact him directly.

Tomy White
3855 SW 120th
Augusta, KS 67010
(316) 775-6237

 

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Kansas Quail and Pheasant Opening Weekend

I was able to make it to the opening weekend for pheasant and quail this year after missing it in 2010 (which was a banner year, right guys?). The reports weren’t good for western Kansas due to the heat and drought we had over the summer. But this year, it was about more then just going hunting. Keith had beat cancer and was finally back home. This year was a celebration, hunting was just the vehicle to celebrate with.

 

The usual crew was there, minus a couple of friends that couldn’t make it. We only saw 5 roosters that Saturday, but we got into 3 large covey of quail. The quail was a pleasant surprise as I expected to see even less of them. Of the roosters, only 1 was in range for a shot, and one of the Nate’s took it. Lots of quail were taken, not sure of the final count. My daughter Mariah ended the day with 3, I managed to drop a couple.

Keith even managed to accompany us to one of his favorite spots, the infamous “tail water pit”. That was one of the spots we busted a covey of quail at. Keith even managed to drop one. I think that was the highlight of his weekend.

I was excited to see quite a few deer all three days were were out there and am looking forward to deer season coming up in December. My wife is as well. This will be her second hunt. We’re going to set up our stand at an old ranch south of Meade thanks to Jason Edwards. Keith and I had scouted that back in 2010, but we never made it out there to hunt, so I’m looking forward to setting up on a new piece of land. I’m hoping that the wife and I both get a shot, we definitely need some meat in the freezer.

All said, it was a great weekend and we’re all relieved of Keith’s outcome and glad to see him back home. We had lots of great food, lots of great discussions around the bonfire. We feasted on elk stew and the ladies made some great dutch oven cobblers. And of course, the traditional visit to the Duck Inn for a burger.

I hope everyone had a great time out. Looking forward to getting in the field again. Keep your powder dry.

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It’s Pheasant Time

Can’t wait! Heading out tomorrow to see the guys and walk some fields. I’m taking my Grandfather’s old Winchester Model 12. Hardly any blue left on, it’s longer than most shotguns these days, but dang if it ain’t a sweet old 12 gauge.

Good luck to all the Kansas hunters this weekend.

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Kansas 2011 Pheasant and Quail Season Opener

Quail and Pheasant season begins next weekend here in Kansas. The forecast hasn’t looked good for many parts of the state due to the hot, hot summer we had. The western half of the state, which generally has the best pheasant hunting, looks to be non-existent this season. The reports I’m hearing is that the cover, along with the water, just dried up.

I’m going out there anyway, as well as most of the opening day crew that goes there. It’s more for our buddy Keith, than it is for the hunting this year. We’re going to celebrate Keith’s beating cancer and finally getting back home. And really, that’s way better than the best pheasant opening weekend ever.

Anyone else going out next weekend? Where are you headed? Let us know in the comments beloww.