Best skinning knife?

I often go through your neck of the woods. I was just there a couple of days ago. Next time I am I'll let you know.
 
Do so. I am just 12 miles South of the "North Forty" I-40 truckstop (Hwy. 69, exit 126).
 
I am really liking this one lately. Fits in my backpocket as an added bonus.
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Here is a Schrade skinner which I use a lot, and works well, and can be found in your price range. I modified the tip from an upswept skinner to more of a semi-skinner shape, which works better for me

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I have more than a dozen of that pattern. I used it for a while but decided that I like the 165OT/152OT combo better. That is the only one of Henry Baer's designs that was awarded a patent.

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either of these Kabars would fit your budget, check ebay, and be great for your purpose

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these bottom 3 Green Rivers by Russell would also fit your needs, and are around $15-20. I have added my own handle to the second from the top and the bottom one, the third from the top has a factory handle which I modified a little, and have slightly modified the spine contour of the blades.

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This Queen #98 in genuine stag is an all-time favorite: light weight, the right size, and lots of belly.

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I find that for deer, any sharp blade is good enough. I usually use whatever folder I happen to be carrying. This year I used a para2 on my whitetail and a zt350 on my elk. They both worked very well but I found that I only used the widest part of the blade on the 350 so obviously it dulled a little quicker there. A recurve blade probably isn't the best choice. Izula's work great as well. The only time I prefer a slender blade is when going up the inside of the rear thigh. Here a filet knife works well. Just make sure you are always cutting through the hide side first. Hair will dull a blade much faster. If you do this almost any blade steel will be able to do a whole animal without needing a touch-up.
 
Like mewolf it is usually whatever is in my pocket most of the time an opinel #8 or SAK Pioneer. The pioneer's blade doesn't lock but it is not really important for skinning. I actually don't use my knife very much except when I get to a tight spot and around the legs. I also prefer a small knife or even a single edge razor blade over sheath knives. Chris
 
Many excellent suggestions. My favorite is a full beavertail skinner by Jeff Morgan. Sharpened on both sides of the blade and over the entire rounded tip. It permits you to cut both up and down when skinning a big game animal that is hanging by the feet. The only factory beavertail I own came from Knives of Alaska. I think they call it the Muskrat Skinner.

DancesWithKnives
 
Codger_64 said:
How a brand is "looked at" doesn't matter, IMHO. Use what you like and like what you use. Heck, a cheap Imperial or Camillus that originally sold for $1.25 still works as intended. :thumbup:
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I agree with you, unfortunately a lot here do not see it the same way.
 
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