looking for gift for long time hunter dad. Saw this Damascus, wondering if it's just pretty or does the job. Any recommendations?
Thanks

Havalon has some cool knifes...They are basically scalpels with extra long blades so they are VERY SHARP. I love them because I am not good at sharpening knives. Check them out.

When I was a butcher we used Forschner spoon knives for skinning. They are the best skinning knife I've ever used, continue to use them today. I prefer the 5 inch offering for what is worth.

There are tons of options for a good quality skinning knife. Prices can run into the hundreds. The Damacus look is mainly for "beauty" and does not necessarily indicate "quality". You will probably get plenty of great advice. The "spoon" design butcher as mentioned above is a fine style for skinning. A mistake that I see many folks make when buying a "skinning" knife is to buy one with an overly large blade. Keeping it about 4" - 5" long is plenty big enough and easier to handle than some "Semi-Rambo" sized knife!

Buck brand knives are a good value in my book. Their "Alpha" fixed blade and folding knife, with the "gut-hook" is a decent design for skinning medium sized critters such as deer and feral hogs. They run about $100 - $125. A gut-hook often comes in handy, though is not absolutely necessary. I like having one. Either of these Buck knives are fine for skinning.

Real quality hand made Damascus is expensive, on the order of $100 per inch of blade for good stuff. I think you can do better. Look into some custom examples here.
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/fo...e-Fixed-Blades

Everything in my deer bag is Outdoor Edge. They were a sponsor of ours some time back and basic knives that I use.
#1 Kodi Caper - for skinning and caping.
#2 Kodi Caper Lite - same knife, but in a folding version.
#3 Whitetail Skinner - a small rounded blade with a gut hook. I use this for my field dressing, as the blade is small enough to palm when reaching inside to sever the vitals. Mine is actually a combo pack, that includes a t-handle saw for zipping through ribs or pelvic bone.
#4 Fish and Bone - a longer blade that is use when de-boning my deer or a clients. They call it a fillet knife, but it is not flexible enough for this.

All of these knives purchased separately would cost $134.80 (with a saw $159.75)

They do have several combo pack butcher kits that have many of these knives in a handy case. Some even have a cutting board.

They come razor sharp and hold a good edge, with a good steel, they are easy to touch up when needed.

LOL This sounds like an ad for Outdoor Edge, but they are no longer a sponsor of ours, but is what I have in my field pack and what I use. For the money, I would be hard pressed to find as many that have withstood what I put them through every year, and at this price.

Love my Blind Horse Large Workhorse. Its crazy sharp, looks nice, and is well balanced. Also there are removable scales so you can change the handles to your liking

Lots of good advice, thanks guys. I'll check out your recommendations! Appreciate it.

Another piece of advice would be to buy the knife in person if possible. I came out of the store with something completely different than what I liked over the internet

Another thing to consider is do You want a fixed blade knife or a folding knife?The fixed blades will require a sheath and will be easier to clean off after gutting and skinning a Deer the folding knifes are easier to carry but require more serious cleaning because of the opeing where the blade folds in.I was looking thru the local Bass Pro catalog and the Buck Knifes look pretty nice,especially the Orange Handle ones with Camo pattern...these would be ideal to use since it would clean up easier and sharpen too...gut hook knifes are nice...just wondering how long the gut hook area stays sharp and how to sharpen it when it gets dull?