If you take your time, a gut hook is unnecessary. However, it will give you confidence, and after a few deer, you might not even bother with it. That said, I used the gutting blade on a Victorinox Hunter XT the last two deer I field dressed. I like the knife, because I quietly clear shooting lanes with the saw. The blade worked great. My last deer, on November 13th, was unzipped with the gutting blade. The Hunter XT regularly sells for under $40 shipped at auction and possibly from sponsors here.
Joe