Skinning Knives For Deer

Deer Skinning Knife Set

This Article Covers:

Best Deer Skinning Knife or Skinning Set?
…Top Skinning Knives From Outdoor Edge, Buck, Gerber, Benchmade, Victorinox, Spyderco, Jero USA, and more

Choosing A Skinning Knife

Best Skinning Knife

Skinning Knife Set

For me, the worst thing that could happen after a successful hunt, is that gut sinking feeling you get, when you can’t find your knife? it’s only happened a couple of times in 40 years, but even once is one time too many…

The solution for me is to always carry a spare knife in my day pack or better still you could build in real redundancy, and carry a compact skinning knife set.
A skinning set is what I would use if I wasn’t so happy with my current knives.

Best Skinning Knife Sets – Check Today’s Prices!

Whether I’m skinning deer in the field or butchering meat at home, my go-to knife at the moment is a  6″ Boning Knife or a Swingblade from Outdoor Edge, the Swingblade has a 3.6″ drop point skinning blade as well as a separate 3.2″ gutting blade, rather than the usual gut hook you would find on a Buck or Gerber Skinning Knives – I find the Swingblade fast and comfortable to use, excellent for field dressing deer!


Skinning Knives For Deer…

ImageFeaturesRatingPrice 
P3 Deer Skinner
  • by Jero USA
  • 5.5″ Skinning Knife
  • German High-Carbon
  • Polymer Handle
  • Lifetime Warranty
  • Made In Portugal
Moran Drop Point
  • by Spyderco
  • 3.92″ Fixed Blade
  • Flat Ground
  • VG10 Stainless steel
  • 58-60 Rockwell Scale
  • FRN/Kraton Handle
  • Boltaron Sheath
  • Made In Japan
Fixed Blade
  • by Gerber
  • 3.75″ Drop Point
  • Full Tang
  • High Carbon
  • 7Cr17MoV Stainless
  • Rubberized Handle
  • Dual-Lock Sheath
  • Carbide Sharpener
  • Non-Slip Handle
  • Made In China
SwingBlade
  • by Outdoor Edge
  • 3.6″ Drop Point
  • 3.2″ Gutting Blade
  • 7.2 oz
  • High Carbon
  • AUS-8 Stainless
  • Hardness 57-58
  • Non-Slip Handle
  • Snap-In Sheath
  • Made In China
Finn Bear
  • by Cold Steel
  • 4″ Hollow Ground Blade
  • Krupp 4116 Stainless
  • 2.8 oz
  • Hardness 56-57
  • Plastic Handle
  • Sheath Cor Ex
  • Made In Taiwan
Outdoor Master Mic S
  • by Victorinox
  • 3″ Scandi Grind
  • X55CrMo14
  • Stainless Steel Blade
  • 3.8 oz
  • Drop Point
  • Kydex Sheath
  • Micarta Scales
  • Life Time Warranty
  • Made In Switzerland
Saddle MTN Skinner
  • by Benchmade
  • CPM-S30V Stainless Steel
  • 58-60 HRC
  • Drop Point
  • Leather Sheath
  • Stabilized Wood Scales
  • Life Time Warranty
  • Made In Oregon, USA

Deer Skinning Knife – My Pick…

Apart from the Skinning Knife Set from Jero USA,
which I feel is a bargain for 3 quality knives – (Made in Portugal)
ideal if you refuse to buy knives made in China?
The best deer skinning knife I’ve seen on Amazon, so far, is this Victorinox Beef Skinning Blade,
A popular, 5″ Swiss-made knife, it is a tough, well-balanced,
from a top-quality brand, at a competitive price.
The Victorinox Beef Skinner is the Knife I would buy if I was in the market for a single skinning knife?


Top Skinning Knife Set

I recently discovered this well priced, some might say very cheap, professional skinning set from Jero Knives. 
Jero Pro 3 Piece Butcher Sets, made in Portugal, sold in the US, by JERO USA, the knife set has tough non-slip polymer handles [textured plastic] that is injection moulded over high-carbon knife steel! – these knives are made to work hard, all day every day.
They sell with a Lifetime Warranty!

Jero Pro 3 Piece Butcher Set

Knife sets, such as the Jero Butcher Knife Kit, include no-nonsense skinning knives, designed for commercial meat processing – even with hard use, they will last for years! top quality knives at an amazingly low price!

For most hunters or farmers, butchering their own animals, a knife set or single skinning knife from the Jero Pro Series, is all you would need for processing large game animals like deer, moose, or elk – even skinning and butchering a hog or beef animal.

6 Skinning Knife Sets – Compare

ImageFeaturesRatingPrice 
3 Piece Skinning Set
  • by Jero USA
  • 7″ Butcher Knife
  • 6″ Skinning Knife
  • 5″ Bonning Knife
  • German High-Carbon
  • Polymer Handle
  • Lifetime Warranty
  • Made In Portugal
6 Piece Skinning Set
  • by Outdoor Edge
  • 4.0″ Gut Hook Skinner
  • 2.5″ Caping Knife
  • 5.0″ Boning Knife
  • Non-Slip Handles
  • Full Tang
  • 420J2 Stainless Steel
  • Ceramic Sharpener
  • Carry Case
  • 0.54 Pounds
  • Warranty For Life
Skinning Kit – 6 Piece
  • by GVDV
  • 3.7″ Gut Hook
  • 3.1″ Caping Knife
  • 4.7″ Boning Knife
  • Rib Spreader
  • Blade Steel 5cr15
  • Stainless Steel
  • Sharpener
  • Carry Case
  • 24 Ounces
8 Piece Skinning Set
  • by Outdoor Edge
  • 4.0″ Gut Hook
  • 3.5″ Caping Knife
  • 4.7″ Boning Knife
  • Ribcage Spreader
  • Blade Steel 420J2
  • Stainless Steel
  • Sharpener
  • Carry Case
  • Total Weight 2 pound
2 Piece Skinning Set
  • by Gerber
  • Gut Hook
  • Caping Knife
  • 4.7″ Boning Knife
  • Full Tang
  • Stainless Steel
  • Nylon Sheath
4 Piece Butchers Set
  • by Jero USA
  • 10″ Cimeter
  • 8″ Breaking Knife
  • 6″ Curved Boning Knife
  • German High Carbon
  • Weight – 2 Pounds
  • Commercial Grade
  • Chef Knives
  • Lifetime Warranty
  • Made In Portugal

Deer Skinning Kit – My Pick…

The 3 Piece Knife Set from Jero Pro Series
In my opinion, is the best skinning knife set, You will find on Amazon
Buy Now – (3 Piece Skinning Set)
 Pro-quality butcher knives, made in Portugal
Suitable for field dressing deer, moose, or elk…
Jero USA, Supply A Full Range Of Quality Knives To Professionals
CHECK TODAY’S PRICES!
___________

Best Budget Skinning Set

The 6 piece Deer Skinning Kit from Outdoor Edge would be my backup choice. I love the solid carry case, but in my opinion, the two main knives are a bit small for skinning the larger Red Deer that I hunt, Though this knife kit is still worth buying just for the convenient carry case, caping knife, and ceramic sharpener… The main skinning knives in the set could be your backup knives.


Popular Skinning Knife Types

Hunting Knives Reviews

Skinning Blade Types


Drop Point Skinning Blade

What is a drop point blade? Drop point blades are my favourite blade shape for skinning deer, a well-balanced drop point knife is fast to use when skinning, due to the curve of the blade, rather than a sharp tip or point as you get with a clip point knife – in most situations, I find there is less chance of rupturing the gut or cutting through the skin/pelt when you skin a large animal using drop point blades…

Drop Point is a common blade for skinning knives due to its looks, ease of use, and strength of the blade, the strength comes from the deep curve of the blade tip and the thickness or heft of most skinning blades is designed into the knife for processing larger animals like deer or elk.

These positive attributes transfer across to smaller knives either folding knives or small fixed blades they often sell with drop point blades for skinning small game or EDC work…

But for me, I tend to buy a clip point blade for skinning small game like rabbits.

Clip Point Skinning Blade

The next best blade to the drop point is the traditional clip point blade, in most cases, it is a more versatile blade shape, but not as strong as a large drop point knife.

The clip point is popular with people who only carry one skinning knife as it is suitable for many tasks…

Skinning or Beef Skinner

When I first started hunting, these large curved blades were a common sight on every hunter’s hip in my neck of the woods, Known by some, as the beef skinner, we just referred to them as butcher knives…they came standard from farm suppliers with a deep leather sheath, with sharpening steel attached.

Jero Knives or a Beef Skinner from Victorinox Knives, are two good knife brands that still produce quality versions of the beef skinning knife – without the sheath, its long sweeping blade will be familiar to many older hunters, In the past, I would expect to see a beef skinner above every chopping block in any good skinning shed…


Knife Handle Material

Wood Knife Handle

Wooden Knife handles are considered “Old School” by many, but in my opinion, wood is a great material for knife handles, it wears well stands a range of conditions, it is lightweight and feels nice in hand.

Plastic Knife Handle

Derided by some? but used by many top knife brands including Victorinox, who market their plastic handles as Fibrox, or as it states on their website [Thermoplastic Elastomers (TPE)] I have owned several hunting knives with plastic handles, they all survived hard use and on occasion a little bit of abuse. I still own one after 10 years, they are tough – Just don’t put them in the dishwasher! Hand Wash Only!


Skinning Knife 7 Key Features

7 Key Features You should look for when buying a skinning knife.

  1. Look for a well-balanced knife with a comfortable handle, a skinning knife needs to feel nice in the hand with a good solid feel, but not blade heavy.
  2. You, want a non-slip handle, either textured rubber or a polymer/plastic, such as Fibrox, found on some Victorinox Knives, these handle materials are light, cheap, and durable, – a popular choice for working knives.
  3. A 3.5″ to 6″ drop point blade, or a stiff 6″ boning knife, works great for processing deer in the field.
  4. For me, a skinning knife must be reliable, easy-care, a stainless steel blade makes maintenance simple – a quick wash and sharpen when the job is done – no fuss, no oiling the blade, stainless blades are always ready for work!
  5. Skinning Knives with softer steel like 420HC or AUS-8 are tough in use, as well as quick and easy to maintain its edge with a high grit sharpening stone or touch up with a sharpening steel. – Hard steel like 01 Tool Steel or S30V is nice but softer steel is less brittle and easier to sharpen quickly…
  6. Hunting knives must hold their edge, a blunt knife is frustrating to use and much more likely to cut the person who is using it!
  7. Cheap to buy? Buying Cheap Skinning Knives… doesn’t have to mean crap, once you know what to look for! – Victorinox Knives are cheap, but of excellent quality, for example, all the knives in our comparison table especially the Outdoor Edge Knives and Victorinox, will give you good service for many years, but most are priced to suit a tight budget…  (I use both Brands when deer hunting)

Well designed Skinning Knives, from well-known brands, will have all of these 7 features, they hold an edge, sharpen easily, have textured, non-slip rubber or plastic handles, You can expect them to be durable and reliable…!


F.A.Q


Who makes the best skinning knives?

I use a Swingblade from Outdoor Edge it’s probably the most practical skinning knife available, and the best value for the money, as well, they make excellent skinning knife sets, the Swingblade has a 3.6″ drop point skinning blade as well as a separate 3.2″ gutting blade, rather than the usual gut hook you would find on a Buck or Gerber Skinning Knives – I find the Swingblade fast and comfortable to use, excellent for field dressing deer!

Do I need a skinning knife set with a saw?

Many knife sets include items I don’t use very often… they may prove useful one day? but so far in the field, I have never used the bone saw it is a bit too small to be useful. But I do like skinning knife sets, especially the convenient carry case and varied knife selection – when deer hunting in remote areas spare knives are always useful!

Best knife for skinning deer?

Over the last 10 years, I have found my Swingblade to be the best skinning knife for deer. But I would use most knives with a drop point blade around 4-5″ long, a non-slip plastic or rubber handle… Carbon Steel or Damascus is nice, but for knife steel when deer hunting, I prefer High Carbon Stainless Steel, for its resilience, low cost, and ease of maintenance, I just clean it, sharpen it, and go… no oiling of the blade, no rust, easy to sharpen. Stainless Steel knives are built to work!


Summary

Choosing a single skinning knife to use on a variety of game is a difficult task.
If you only hunt deer? or only hunt small game like rabbits or fowl…? the task is simpler, a single knife of the appropriate size is all you need.
I like to cover all the bases with a knife set like this 6 Piece Skinning Set from Outdoor Edge – the gut hook for processing large game, the caping knife for small game animals or caping your trophy bull, the boning knife is versatile, useful for all game animals.
If you Butcher Hogs or Beef Animals, as well as Hunt Deer, Elk, or Moose, the 3 Piece Butcher Set from Jero USA is a great choice for processing large animals.


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