I have a pretty large buck knife and have realized it is too big for skinning and cleaning deer. I know this is like ford vs Chevy but wondered if there are a couple of favorites that folks could recommend. I'm less concerned about price but certainly expect most good skinning knives can be had for less than 75 bucks or maybe 100.

What buck do you have I use a buck 103 skinner, a buck 105 pathfinder to cut off shoulders and loins.

The buck ergohunter is pretty darn perfect.

Schrade Sharpfinger.
Check it out.

For really fine work the Bird and Trout knife from Smoky Mtn. Knife Works is the cats ass.

For skinning? Who uses a knife for skinning a deer?
Except for cutting a ring around the legs and two splits across the starting side, I just pull the skin down and literally rip it off..

I've even seen some tie a rope to a 4 wheeler to pull it off in under 5 seconds.

As for gutting, any 4 inch sharp smooth knife will work.
For processing, I like to use something at least 4 to 5 inches long..

Never use a serrated blade.. smooth blade only and frequent use of sharpening stone.

My skinning knife of choice is a Gerber Gator. Great knife that holds an edge.

Huh? Too big?

I don't get it. You don't have to use the whole length of the blade. You can gut and skin a deer with basically any pocket knife.

There is no magic knife that makes the job just so much easier. I mean it is a quick operation to gut a deer and not much more to skin it. Skinning it does not involve any intricate operation. You pull the skin and tease at whatever resists with the blade and any blade that is sharp does it.

Not trying to be an aZZ but you just do it with whatever u got and just make sure it is sharp.

FCOL a good sharp Buck 110 folder or anything similar will do a deer, a bear, an elk or a moose.

I guess what I'm saying is it probably isn't a question of what knife but who's holding it.

I usually use a Buck Woodsman 4" fixed blade, or something about that size. A few years ago, however, I killed a deer, and realized that I did not have a hunting knife with me. My Swiss Army knife's large (2.5" approx.) did the job. It doesn't take a big knife to skin a deer, just a sharp one.

I have a pile of knives, but prefer the Gerber gator. Shorter blade and better control.

mostly just use my hen&rooster quarter horse stockman that's always in my pocket, to skin and quarter, then a rapala fillette knife for deboning and slicing
RR