The average white tail isn't all that hard to gut out and skin. I"ve used everything from a camillus folding trapper to a Marine Ka-bar. The hardest part in field dressing a deer that I do is cutting through the ribs, which the small trapper couldn't do. The term skinning doesn't really apply to whitetails....pulling is a better definition. About the only real cutting I do is around the front shoulders. That said, my current deer knives are either fix bladed droppoints with five inch blades made of 154CM that is 1/8" thick, or my newest one I made, which is "cranked" (bent at the juncture of the blade/handle....kinda like a Grohmann) and is has a four inch blade that is similar to a Nessmuk knife I once made using a bought blade. The blade is also 154CM and 1/8" thick. However; it isn't specifically designed as a deer knife, but as a "carry" knife. Does a good job though. Several people have them and like them. Just recently switched over to D-2 on that style. I like clip points also for deer. I'd personally stay away from the curved, sharpened "bowie" style clip blades,especially if the false edge is sharpened, since I found that Ka-bar kinda hard to do the initial cut down the underside of the deer without cutting into the stomach cavity(messy). Don't care much for the straight backed "hunter" style or pure skinner blades for gutting also....for the same reason.
When it comes to steels, try and use something decent. To me that means staying away from anything that reads "stainless steel" or "sugical stainless...a meaningless term)", or "400 series" steel...they will be 420 steel which isn't all that good. If the manufacturer is using a decent steel they invariable say so. We Americans especially are fixated on the "best" of everything so many folks won't have a knife unless it's a super-hard, takes a diamond to sharpen it etc. Steels such as 154CM/ATS-34, 30V, BG-42 and some of the other numbers, both carbon and stainless, I can't think of right now are fine.....if you know how to properly shapen a knife and expect to use one a lot. For once a year deer hunting more-or -less any of the "decent" steels out there are fine. I"m talking the 440 series, AUS series, 1095, 5160 etc. When those steels are used by the factories you get a decent knife that is easy to sharpen and will hold a decent edge for a while. The same steels in the hands of a good knife maker/heat treater will provide even better blades: plus such ones as O-1, 52100 and a couple of the new carbon steels I"m not familar with. I'm currently carrying a Gerber folder with a 440A blade at work, and it's an OK blade.....not the best I've used and certainly not the worst. However, I like the knive(important), It's well made and does what I ask it to. I sharpen it once a week. Works for me...find what works for you. Might take a while and that's the fun of it.
