Who Makes The Best Skinning Knife For Deer?

When looking for the best deer skinning knives there are a lot of options to choose from. When researching the best deer skinning knives it’s important to keep in mind the type of animal you will be primarily skinning with the knife.  Animals such as deer and elk have hides that are attached to the body of the animal with a thin membrane that is easily sliced to allow you to remove the hide from the animal.  

Blade Style Differences

When skinning deer and elk most of the work is being done by the tip of the blade, therefore a blade with a drop point or clip point is preferred for a deer skinning knife.  

Drop Point Blade Style

A drop point blade is a type of blade is a blade design where the spine of the knife gradually slopes down to the end of the tip of the knife.  With drop point blades the tip of the blade is typically thicker because the spine of the blade extends all the way to the tip.

This inherently makes the tip of drop blades stronger and better able to resist breaking the tip of your blade.  The drop point blade style is going to be better suited for multiple tasks such as cutting, butchering, and skinning. Drop point blades are going to be better suited as a general all-around knife because of how the blade is designed.

Clip Point Blade Style

The clip point blade style is characterized by the appearance that the forward third of the blade has been “clipped” off hence the clip point blade name.  The clip itself can either be concave or straight.

Many people like the appearance of clip point blades. Because the spine of the blade does not extend all the way to the end of the tip will be a bit weaker when comparing a clip point blade to a drop point blade.  

Because the tip of a clip point blade is thinner however you are able to make more graceful cuts than with a drop point blade. Clip point blades also offer more blade area overall than a drop point blade.

The difference between drop point and clip point blades

Deer Skinning Knife Blade Length

When searching for the best deer skinning knife another consideration that you will want to take is the length of the knife.  Generally, the larger the animal you will be skinning the larger the blade size you will want to have in order to have broad sweeping cuts.  

Because a deer or elk is a decently sized animal you will want to have a medium to large sized blade on your deer skinning knife. Most people would prefer a deer skinning knife with a blade length of 4 to 5 inches in order to make smooth broad cuts.  

For an elk skinning knife, you would be better off with a longer blade preferably in the 6 to 8-inch range.

Deer Skinning Knife Blade Composition

When choosing the best skinning knife for deer you are going to want to try to find a deer skinning knife that is good at holding its edge.  When skinning a deer it’s critical that your knife blade stays sharp as it’s typically not practical to carry around the tools needed to sharpen a knife while you are out deer hunting.  

With this in mind if you are looking for a dedicated skinning knife for deer it may be better to go with a blade that can hold it’s knife-edge while may not be as durable in impact forces or from bending movements since you will be using this as a deer skinning knife and won’t be using this knife as a general-purpose knife.

When researching the best skinning knife for deer it’s important to look at what type of steel the blade uses.  Typically high carbon steel blades are going to be harder and are going to retain their edge longer than stainless steel blades however high carbon steel blades won’t have as good of rust protection qualities so it’s important to take preventative maintenance steps with high carbon steel blades.  

I’d recommend then when looking for a skinning knife for deer that you go with a high carbon steel blade to help retain it’s edge as long as possible.  Just know that you may need to take some extra steps in order to make sure that the high carbon steel blade stays looking good over time.

It’s recommended that with high carbon steel blades that you wipe off the blade when you are done using it and to ensure that there is no leftover water on the blade when you are done.  

If you consistently leave water on the blade when you are done using the knife it’s going to eventually start rusting over time. Another tip would be to apply blade oil to keep moisture from trying to seep into the knife blade surface.

Deer Skinning Knife Handle

When looking at the best deer skinning knives on the market there are a lot of different options as far as the design of the handle and the materials used to make the deer skinning knives.

When looking at deer skinning knives it’s important to think about the ergonomics of the handle because if the handle doesn’t fit in your hand that well it will cause your hand to fatigue over time which could cause the knife to slip from your hand.  

When choosing a deer skinning knife some hunters will prefer their deer skinning knife to be more aesthetically pleasing than they would with a camping knife.  

Because deer skinning knives are not objected to extreme abuse their handles can be constructed with more exotic materials. It’s not uncommon to see deer skinning knife handles made from rare wood, bone, or even deer horns.  

Folding Blade

Folding knives are nice if you need your deer skinning knife to be portable and easy to have on hand at all times.  Some deer skinning folding knives even feature blades that can be replaced from time to time to ensure that the blade sharpness always stays like new.

Fixed Blade

The most common type of deer skinning knife design is the fixed-blade type.  Most people know what a fixed blade knife looks like. The main benefit of fixed blade design is that they are going to be more durable than a folding blade as the blade is typically molded within the handle and will be a sturdy one piece of steel.

Gut hooks

Gut hook knives are knives that are designed to be used once you’ve already opened up the animal you are skinning.  They are designed with a hook at the end of the blade that could be used to easily slash through skin and organs to remove what you need to.

Deer Skinning Knife Blade Components

The material that your deer skinning knife blade is made of is going to be a determining factor in how long your blade is going to last through general wear and tear and abuse.  

Having stronger steel in your deer skinning knife blade is also going to ensure that the blade stays sharp which is a critical piece to deer skinning knives, you want your blade to be as sharp as possible when skinning a deer.

Replaceable blades may be the best option for deer skinning knives as they offer the ability to replace the blade on the knife from time to time.  This may be handy if you don’t have a sharpening stone for your knives or just prefer to replace your knife blades from time to time. Most deer skinning knife manufacturers will make their replacement knife blades easily accessible.  

As far as the actual materials used in the knife blades there are two main types of steel to choose from stainless steel or high carbon steel.

Stainless Steel Blade

Stainless steel knife blades are the most common type of blades used in knives. Stainless steel knife blades are made with chromium which makes the blade more likely to resist rust and corrosion than carbon blades but stainless steel skinning knife blades are generally softer than high carbon knife blades.  

However, because of their rust prevention properties, stainless steel knives require less maintenance and generally look good for a very long time compared to high carbon knife blades.

High Carbon Steel Blade

High Carbon knife blades are designed with high amounts of carbon integrated into the steel.  These high amounts of carbon increase the strength and hardness of the steel blade and increase the likelihood of the blade retaining its edge and sharpness.  

However, because high carbon steel knife blades don’t contain chromium it makes high carbon steel blades more prone to rust which is something to keep in mind. High carbon steel knives are typically easier to produce than stainless steel knives which typically makes them cheaper in price than stainless steel bladed knives.

Size

The size of the knife is going to be largely dependant on what you are intending it for.  If you are looking for the best deer skinning knife you are probably are going to want a knife that is going to be larger than a knife that you would use to skin smaller game such as rabbits and squirrels.

If you are looking for the best deer skinning knife you are going to want a longer blade because it’s not that practical to be making all kinds of slices and cuts with a short blade. It would make more sense to make long strokes with a longer blade. The best deer skinning knives are going to be the long knives in this list.

If you are looking for a small game skinning knife a blade length of three to four inches is sufficient to be able to maneuver easily when skinning a small animal.  If you are looking for a larger game knife you may want to look at a blade length of around 6 inches.

Ultimately the length of the blade you choose should be determined by what kind and what size of animal you are planning on using it on the most.

Weight

When researching what deer skinning knife to buy it’s ultimately best to go with one that is lightweight if possible.  Heavy skinning knives can lead to fatigue when skinning a deer which may require you to take frequent breaks.

Another thing to keep in mind is the overall weight of the knife if you are going to be carrying it around on a backpacking trip as you will want to keep your backpack weight as low as possible.

Handle types

• Wood
• TPE Rubber
• Aluminum
• Bone
• Stainless steel

When looking at deer skinning knife handle types you are going to want something that fits in your hand well and that you can hold without it easily slipping.  With that in mind, you may opt for a synthetic handle type that is designed with an anti-slip surface on it instead of a smooth wood or metal handle.

Warranty

One thing you may want to look at when buying a deer skinning knife is a warranty for the deer skinning knife.  With knives, you can typically re-sharpen the edge if you have issues with the edge becoming dull or pitting, however that won’t do you much good if the handle of the knife becomes disconnected from the blade.  

Most reputable deer skinning knife manufacturers will include a limited lifetime warranty that would replace the knife if it had a defect in the material or workmanship.

However, most of these warranties will not include a warranty for normal wear and tear of using the knife.  Some manufacturers have repair departments that will repair your knife if your knife was damaged due to misuse.

Sheaths

A good sheath should be designed to help protect you from the knife blade and help keep the knife blade protected from the outside elements.  When inserting your knife into a sheath it should slide in a be secured within the sheath.

If the knife can wobble about within the sheath it’s likely to easily be able to slide out of the sheath which you don’t want.  A deep sheath that only allows the handle of the knife to be exposed is your best bet as it is going to be the most secure option.

If you are looking at a shallow sheath it may be best to choose one that has a way to keep the knife secure within the sheath to prevent it from easily being able to slide out.

Deer Skinning Knife Blade Maintenance

What is the best way to sharpen a knife blade?

The best way to sharpen a blade is going to be with a whetstone.  A whetstone is a sharpening tool that is a stone that can either be a natural or artificial stone that you run your blade down in strokes to sharpen the edge of your blade.  

There are different types of stones that you can use that can be lubricated in different ways but it’s important to note that they should be lubricated. The whetstone is typically lubricated by water, there are also oil stones that you would lubricate with oil while sharpening your knife.  

It’s important to keep in mind that you would want to start sharpening your knives with a coarse whetstone and then progressively move to a more fine grit stone to get the edge the sharpest.  

The finer the grit of the whetstone the less material from the knife it’s going to remove. It may be a good idea to get a whetstone with one side that is coarse and one side that has a more fine grit to save you some money from buying a bunch of different whetstones.

Below is a video showing the different techniques on how to sharpen a blade with a whetstone.

If you are interested in checking out the current prices on Amazon of sharpening stone that I would recommend you can click the link here: Sharp Pebble Sharpening Stone 2 sides

What skinning knife brand is the best?

One of the most popular skinning deer knife brands is Buck Knives.  A couple of things that make Buck Knives one of the most popular knives is that they are made in the USA and are backed by a forever warranty that would ensure that the knife is free from defects in workmanship and the material for the life of the knife.

Morakniv is a Swedish knife manufacturer that makes it’s knives in Mora, Sweden and has been in operation since 1891.  Morakniv knives are built to withstand a ton of abuse and keep kicking and are also somewhat cheap to buy which is why they are my personal favorite brand.  

I own the Morakniv Robust and it has held up to everything that I’ve thrown at it. Morakniv also offers different styles of blades within their product lineup so you can usually get a carbon or stainless steel knife blade for whatever knife you decide you want to go with.  

A good example of this is the Morakniv Companion which is offered with a stainless steel blade, a carbon blade, and another stainless steel serrated option so you can decide which type of blade is going to be best for your situation.

Some other popular deer skinning knife brands are Benchmade, Victorinox, Gerber, Kershaw, and Cold Steel if you’d like to check out some other knives from these popular skinning knife manufacturers.   

If you want to check out a related article about other skinning knives that are suitable for skinning other animals check out my article the 10 best skinning knives.