20 Best Skinning Knife For Deer (2023 Updated)

The Pathfinder knife was everything I thought it would be–beautiful, very well made, and of great character. The handle has a gorgeous grain, and the brass sets it off masterfully! The leather sheathe was also well made and matched the knife perfectly.

I owned one of these several years ago and think this one is not quite up to the quality of the old one esp. the finish on the cutting edge of the blade but that can be fixed with a little time on the whetstone but it is still a quality product.

IšverstiShow in original languageRazor sharp out of the box. Broke it in field dressing 3 deer. It was as sharp afterward as it was when I started. It was actually too sharp for skinning because it tended to slice right through the hide.

I’m astounded and even a little intimidated by the quality of this knife. Feels so good in the hand that I don’t want to put it away. The steel is unbelievable.

IšverstiShow in original languageamazing knife. its so light you barely feel it. a major workhorse in its category. i carry it laced into my bino harness. forget its there half the time. my go to knife for dear and bear season here in PA.

I do a lot of back country hunts out here and this is my favorite go to knife to bring. does it all!!.

IšverstiShow in original languageHigh quality US made steel and knife. I wanted the lanyard hole in the handle as my old knife is very loose in the sheath and it’s easy to unsnap. This knife fits so well in the pressed sheath I don’t think I even need the hole.

The only negative I can see is the ribbing on the back of the handle could pickup gunk and make cleaning a bit more difficult. Holds a great edge and feels great in the hand. I really like this knife.

Wow! The functional quality of the knife is superb! Also, the quality of the steel and wooden handle is perfect as this 1095 steel is easy to razor sharpen and retain the edge. I would prefer the blade to be more straight BUT will still give a 5 star rating.

The price is a unbelievable bargain. Just get the manufacturer to make the blade straighter and all will be perfect in the hunters universe. Glenn.

Well over a year ago I purchased this knife through E-Bay. It is the best knife I have ever owned and only cost me thirteen dollars. The handle is comfortable and the knife is totally safe to use because of the handle design.

The steel is 1095, sharpens to a amazingly razor sharpness and retains the razor edge under very hard usage. The knife blade gives out tremendous amounts of sparks when I use it on my ferrocium rod to start my camp fires.

This knife does not come with a sheath. I am able to make my own leather sheath and will complete it tomorrow. I just ordered another knife made in El Salvador. This Russell Knife, is in my opinion probably better.

However, I would not hesitate to use either one in a survival situation. Satisfied in Tennessee.

Dexter Russell seems to make 3 models in this exact blade style: a stainless steel one with white, plastic handle, a Green River version with Carbon Steel blade and, in my opinion, a funky rectangular handle, which is way too short for my hands, and this version, also with a carbon steel blade.

I picked this one because it came with a great wooden handle (as you can see in the picture. The handle was unfinished so I sanded it a bit, stained it and finished it with linseed oil. The knife is intended primarily for medium size game, though it makes a great kitchen knife as well.

Even though I am not a bushcrafter, and would never submit this blade to a bushcraft torture test, I did make some feathersticks and spear ends which the knife handled with ease. An all around great, general utility knife!.

Good dear skinning knife. Sharpens easily and holds edge pretty good. Cleans up easily. Use chlorax cleanup on handle for stains.

Great knife – been my go to for cutting all meats, Turkey, ribs and roasts it is easy to clean and holds its edge very well

I have tried a couple of different hunting knives etc to skin sheep on my farm. Gave this a shot a couple of days ago and found it very comfortable to use, a great shape to move around under the skin and also kept its edge while I did both sheep.

Great value…right outa the box to work with the annual chicken harvest.

The perfect size drop point knife for the job of getting inside of a deer cavity. Field dress without the point cutting parts of the paunch and short enough to work inside of the chest cavity.

Great fit and feel, not to small and not to big. This knife offers great balance in its steel composition and hardness. Enough carbon to make it easy to sharpen, enough stainless to make it very corrosion resistant and enough temper to hold an edge.

Capable of skinning a whole deer or caribou without having to touch it up this attractive skinner just may be the best all around value in a high quality skinning knife available today.

Nice size with a great blade design for skinning. Would have rated five stars if it wasn’t for the quality of the handle material. I’ve owned Buck knives since I was old enough to buy one, and the handle material used on the 113 was truly a disappointment.

It’ll work for the purpose it was made for, but it’s not one I’ll be showing off to friends or family.

I recently purchased the Outdoor Edge Wild-Pair Knife Combo and was fortunate enough to take a whitetail doe the following morning. I realize that I had not purchased the top-of-the-line knives, so how often during the quartering of one animal should I expect to sharpen these particular knives? I was elated when using the gut hook (first knife with one) as it truly worked like unzipping the hide.

Unfortunately, the hook became dull to the point of unusable after about 16″. After that, I would pull with considerable effort to no avail. Thinking it may simply be bunched-up hide that would prevent simple cutting, I thoroughly cleaned out the hook and moved to an uncut, thin hide area around the neck.

Again, pulling with force only moved the animal and didn’t cut the hide. I set to work with the main blade of the Skinner and made decent progress for a while, but again was disheartened by how quickly it appeared to dull.

At this point, I was still working on skinning and hadn’t even begun to cut meat yet. I had to abandon the skinner all together after about 30-45 minutes. At which point I finished the job with a combination of the caping knife (which held up much better, but still did not hold an edge long enough to complete quartering the animal) and an old Uncle Henry knife that before now I had finished entire deer with.

Again, I realize these are $15 knives, I was just a bit disappointed since I had heard so many good things about the Outdoor Edge name. If it’s as simple as “bring a sharpener, you can expect to sharpen these particular knives 2-4 times per animal” I can understand that.

To a cursory inspection, they seem unblemished or anything else that may point to a manufacturing defect. I DO like the grips, quite comfortable.

I had doubts when I purchased these knives 3-4 years ago. I believe I got them on sale for $15. I live in Louisiana where we have a six deer limit. I usually fill most of my tags if not all and skin my wife’s and fathers deer for them.

I also kill and trap many wild hogs every year. I had always used more expensive knives to skin until I got these. Now there’s no need. I just sharpen these on my long Smith’s diamond rod thing (Which isn’t really sharpening them that well but it works WELL) and skin away until finished unless I have multiple animals.

I know without a doubt I’ve skinned close to if not 100 animals with these with no major problems and I don’t hold back because if they break or chip no biggie they were $15. I have put a small knick in the gut hook one cutting through tail once or twice but it sharpened right out.

Also still using the gut hook that I’ve never sharpened. I lost the case basically immediately because I didn’t need it. If I use a knife in the field it’s my pocket knife. So can’t say much about it.

I’ve had this set for several years, not sure if I got it at Cabela’s. they sharpen easily and hold an edge. I really like useing them even more than my more expensive blades. Only downside is these stainless blades rust.

They may use a better grade of steel now.

I really like the feel of the knife. It can sharp and stayed sharp while I used it. Would recommend.

This knife is awesome! I bought the Buck Zipper Knife to help make field dressing, skinning, and carving up my big game (whitetail deer) an easier task. It does just that! The blade is solid and super sharp.

The handle is just right. It’s rubber coating helps keep your grip comfortable and firm. You can confidently use the knife without worrying about it slipping in your hand, even when it’s covered in blood.

The “Zipper” notch makes cutting the hide off the legs of a deer a cinch. Also, you need not fear puncturing the intestines when opening the stomach cavity. My Dad has this same knife and told me how much he liked it.

I’m glad I finally got one for myself. I know I will get a ton of use out of this knife for the rest of my life.

I have the original straight blade version of this knife. With small hands, being able to have good purchase on the grip is important while working on a messy task. This blade takes and holds a edge well.

Buck has been a family go-to since I was 12. My Gramps gave me my first Buck. Small company to this day, with great blades.

I paid considerably more for the first Buck Zipper I bought, having bought it on Fisherman’s Wharf in Cali. It struck me then as a well designed knife for skinning/hunting. After using it a couple of seasons, it is most definitely my go to knife for skinning whitetails.

Now my wife has started hunting, too, so I bought her one! Buck has always produced a knife that will hold an edge well. The quality of steel they use is top notch. It is a little harder to sharpen to begin with, but touches up nicely once the bevel is established.

The gut hook works well, though I am still learning how to re-sharpen it. The rubberized grip is easy to hold, even when wet or bloody, in either the standard position or upside down when using the hook.

The included sheath has withstood a few years of the knife going in and out, and still looks new when cleaned up. Though it is nylon, it has a stiffener that keeps its shape for ease of insertion. If I ever lose mine.

or the grand kids want to hunt, I’ll buy a third!.

THIS knife did not come in the standard Ontario Knife packaging. just a sleeve over the blade. Im not sure which grade of stainless it is but its definitely not the carbon steel that I wanted. That being said.

it seems to be well made, sharp, and will do what I bought it for. It looks to be a good copy and Im mostly upset over the deception. If you want 1095 carbon steel pay attention to who you buy it from.

I’d seen this brand of knives around for a while but never really gave them much thought. From an aesthics stand point they weren’t much to look at and to be honest, I turned my nose up a little at the cheap price.

I just figured for the price that it was just another piece of imported junk that wasn’t worth my time. Then time went by and I was reading and learned that these are actually from a company that had been making them for many years and that they had a bit of a reputation.

So this piqued my interest. Then the time came that I need a good butchering knife as I was taking up boar hunting and I knew I was going to need something solid. That’s when I came across this knife.

For the price, I figured I could take the risk. I’m glad I did! This knife isn’t pretty like other, more expensive, knives are but it’s solid and has the beauty of function. The handle is rock solid and the blade is good steel.

The only downside was that it didn’t have a really good edge on it when I bought it but the beauty of this is that this isn’t really a downside if you know how to sharpen knives or even have an IDEA of how to sharpen knives.

The steel in the knife is carbon steel. This means that, unlike stainless, it’s pretty easy to get sharp. It’s pretty easy to get it REALLY sharp. And then it’s easy to keep it sharp. And you can do all this without fancy tools like a lot of other steels require.

I used my electric knife sharpener (a good one, not the back-o’-the-can-opener variety) and it now has the sharpest edge of any knife in my kitchen. I will give a word of warning. These knives are carbon steel and will require a bit more care then your run of the mill knife.

You can’t treat them like stainless steel. It’s pretty basic though. Don’t wash it in the dishwasher because this will mess up the wood handle, don’t let it sit in dishwater for the same reason and don’t put the blade up damp.

Give the blade a little coating of oil (pretty much any food safe oil will work) and then store it were it won’t be bumping around against things. Treat it with a little care and you’ll have a knife you can pass on to the kids.

It was unfortunate I didn’t buy it sooner to process more deer with it but finally got to use it on our last deer and the blades were nice and sharp and the sharpener worked wonders on our other knives as well.

10/10 would recommend this to other people.

Bought this set for my husband. He loves it! Everything you need for deer hunting season in a convenient little case. Outdoor Edge makes quality knives. He already had the pocket knife – perfect addition!.

Havent had the chance to use them yet. Not sure of the quality but the price is acceptable. Dont expect these to be the top of the line more like a beginners set.

This product is insane. Huge help. Got the privelage to process a whitetail doe (200lbs. ) with it and it was so fast. I was really impressed with the way the raptor razor just sliced through anything it touches.

And the unique design it has makes it even easier for those harder areas to get. Excited to use it again!.

I recently had a successful solo archery hunt where I had to quarter and pack out my harvest. This was a first for me going at it totally solo, and my Raptorazor Big Game Skinner made it a breeze. I am very impressed and would definitely recommend this product.

I have handled the aluminum knives before and was a bit skeptical about the injection molded design. To my enlightenment, this thing is rock solid. I actually like the plastic design better than aluminum to keep on the boat.

Top Notch!.

Sometimes you just need a smaller sized knife when performing detailed cutting. This knife fulfills that need, easy to handle and control. Extremely sharp and does not feel bulky in the hand. Lightweight and has an overall appealing appearance.

The sheath that is provided by the factory with this knife is very disappointing. It is no where near the quality that is indicative of the quality of the knife.

Beautiful. My husband loved it. He has received many compliments about the knife. He carried it everywhere this past weekend. Beautiful made. Strong. Arrives quickly. Packaged very nice. Thank you!

It’s a good value. If you want a beater, this is it. Good looking from a distance. It’s only 420 stainless, but it’s sharp. It won’t hold an edge that long, but is easy to sharpen. It’s acceptable, and has no stray tool marks like some cheap blades.

Look to the Nordic countries to find good workmanship always. The handle is comfy. The only thing I do not like is the silver plastic. Even if it works well, it sure looks cheap. but it what can you expect for 25 bucks in a full size knife ? Excellent sheath no matter what it costs.

Black leather with a liner. I have paid more than the entire cost of this knife for just a decent sheath. Makes it really worth it.

This knife would not make it through one deer skinning. I ended up switching to another knife. Tried to sharpen it but it just would not happen. I was quite pleased with the gut knife and it make quick work of my Kansas deer.

Only reason I won’t give this knife a one star is because the gut hook did it’s job perfectly.

I just used it on two deer this last weekend and it worked great. The sheath is pretty stiff and a bit difficult to close, but I am thinking (and hoping) it will loosen up over time.

I use this for deer season in Indiana. Absolutely love this knife. My dad has ones one for years so I got one when I moved out. Will recommend this to anyone who asks about hunting knives.

My husband had this set of knives which have a edge that stays sharp for a lot of use but comes with an amazing sharpener when needed.

this is a really good starter set for anyone looking for some nice knifes we use a couple of them in the kitchen on a regular basis