I have had good results with Gerber and Marbles knives. And let me second the Chef's Choice electric sharpener. In about 15 seconds, it puts an edge on a knife that hours of playing with stones and sticks won't achieve.

There are no knives I have encountered that can get through an entire elk - from field dressing toskinning and quartering - - and still be sharp. I like to carry two or three knives already sharpened, so I can just swap them out as the task continues - and then worry about sharpening at home later.

Also, most people get too large of a knife for this purpose. A shorter blade with a gradual upsweep to the edge works very well.