Ulu = Happy Cutting

My hunting buddy gave me an Ulu for Christmas last year.  I hadn't really had much cause to break it out until tonight.  I happened into a share on a bunch of WDFW coho from a hatchery operation.  Got probably 50#.  Females were gutted (so they could easily get the eggs), males were in the round.

I forgot how slimy river salmon can be.  Must have had to rinse my hands 3x per fish.

Anyway, I figured I'd try out the Ulu and see how well it worked filleting fish.  I also took the knife I got from Fungunnin at ORC a couple years ago.  Got to say that I could have probably done all the work with the Ulu, especially with a bit more practice.  It really works well, once you get the hang of it.  There were still some cutting operations I found I preferred the more traditional (for white man anyway) fillet knife.  But that Ulu will become a part of my regular fish processing kit.

I hope to have a chance to see how well it works on an elk in a couple weeks!

Be careful how you grip it. I gave one to a relative a few years ago and he ended up cutting off the tips of two fingers with it.
Gerber makes a decent small commercial one but the best still come from Alaskan makers.
 

Mine is from AK.  Don't see how an Ulu is any more likely to amputate fingertips than lots of other knives, especially chef's knives.  You still have to be careful with where your other body parts are in relation to the cutting edge.

Seems like it would be less likely to result in an injury.

not all Ulu share the wide bottom blade. some are narrower.  like I said, watch how you place your fingers. he didn't.