A general rule of thumb that I use when looking for hunting knives:

If I can't comfortably hold the knife, slide my index finger up the back of the blade and touch the tip, It's too long. A lot of field dressing is "working blind" for me (ex. cutting windpipe), and if I can run my index finger all the way up the back of the blade, so I can feel where it's at, I can have both hands up there and not have to worry about cutting myself.

JRW