Anyone here on the forum have one and can recommend this Buck knife for a general hunting folder good for skinning deer. So many different knife brands and steels it gets confusing. Just looking for a model that retains an edge better than others. Other knife suggestions welcome. Got a couple gift cards burning a hole in my pocket and a new knife sounds good to me.

Lots of good steels out there. The S30V has been getting a lot of good press lately. Cabela's has a variety of Buck knives using the S30V steel marketed under their "Alaskan Guide Series" knives.

I own a couple of them in the 110 model and have been pleased with their edge retention.

Of course, there are a lot of good brands out there that'll do the job. And I know there are quite a few folks here on the forum that have a lot of knowledge about knives and various steels and will have some good input. It just kind of depends on how much you want to spend. But, for the price, I think the Buck knives with the S30V steel are a pretty decent bargain.

Just my two cents worth.

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Pack light and cinch tight.

Some hunters seem to be locked into the mindset of a folding knife
for a Deer hunting-skinning knife and I really can't understand why.
Not to be rude but the best explanation that I can come up with is
from reading too many magazine articles. To make a long story short
I came to the conclusion many years ago that a fixed blade knife is
superior in every way to a folding knife for hunting and especially for
hunting big game. If you're actually going to be skinning the deer that
you take there are many knives to consider but for a really good knife
at a good price just buy the Buck 103 Skinner. It gives up very little
in compactness to a folder and is a bargain for the price. I posted a
pic of mine on another thread.

Thanks for replies. A fixed blade not out of the question and I know blade length often longer which is a benefit.

I'll confess that I'm a huge Buck fan - have the family hand me downs and a large collection spanning the last 40 years as well. I even have a few rare one's from Chuck Buck, from my time living near the factory in El Cajon and having an "in". That said, at least here in Alaska, the new "go to" knife for skinning, butchering, caping, filleting, etc are the products from Havalon. The blades are replaceable in the field in seconds (use a leatherman or similar to hold and attach the blade when your hands are bloody/etc). I did an entire Moose with three blades (would have been two, but broke one off along the spine). Pack along extra packages of 12 blades in various styles to go with your intended use.

Replaceable blade skinning knives and hunting knives by Havalon Knives

Tip - everyone wants the subdued brown/black/etc colors - get the bright Orange or similar, so when you set it down on the bushes/ground to wipe a mosquito off your face with blood covered hands, or go to put meat in a bag, you can easily find it again! Ask me how this lesson was learned...

Thank-you for suggestions. I checked out the Buck 103 along with the Alpha. A folder in a nylon pouch is handy to carry as I was looking for a sturdy folder for other tasks. Will most likely buy both.

There are many good knives and the Bucks are good. There are other ones too though. The Gerber Gator is a great deer knife. The handle is very comfortable to use.

Gerber Gator Folding Knife 3.75" Clip Point Plain Blade, Gator Grip Handle - KnifeCenter - 06069

The RAT 1 is a good one too. It is made in Taiwan but is so good I am able to live with it.

Ontario RAT Model 1 Folding Knife 3.6" Satin Plain Blade, Black Nylon Handles - KnifeCenter - 8848

A buddy of mine has this knife and it is a great deer knife. I little heavy but unless you are really counting the ounces it doesn't matter.

Buck 113 Ranger Skinner Fixed 3-1/8" Blade, American Walnut Handles - KnifeCenter - 3538

If you don't mind spending the money, this knife is not only a great deer knife, but is also a work of art. The picture doesn't show how nice this knife is.

Boker Nicker 10 Fixed 4" Blade, Stag Handles (120533) - KnifeCenter

If you want to go mountain man retro this knife is great. It is ugly and plain but that is what makes it so beautiful. It is great for deer. Doesn't come with a sheath but you can buy one at track of the wolf.

Green River Hunter Knife, 5" | Green River Knives | Crazy Crow Trading Post

I have knocked the hide off way over a hundred deer over the years. Almost any knife will do as long as it's not too big. A guy I know who is probably the best hunter dresses all his deer and fish with a Case XX Sodbuster Jr.

In the field I always liked the Gerber Sportsman Steel to touch up a knife. No oil is needed, it is unbreakable, and has a groove to sharpen your fish hooks. They don't make them anymore but they pop up.

The 113 Ranger is truly beautiful. I have two.

I recently bought a gut hook Alpha Hunter in the last couple days of an Ace Hardware’s going out of business sale. Its sheath was lost but it was 60% off. Its biggest draw back is that for its size it is a very heavy knife to pack around. However, it opens and closes easily with one hand and the blade is rigid when open. I’ve read that for most of their knives Buck still uses the same 420 HC stainless and heat treatment they used when I bought my 110 about 1970. I’ve always been happy with my Bucks’ edge retention but newer exotic blade steels are supposed to hold and edge longer. I prefer my traditional slip joint Case stag Folding Hunter. Its CV (not stainless) blades do not hold an edge quite as long as Buck’s but there are two of them to dull before I have to resharpen and that job is easier with Case's CV. This is mostly a matter of taste but with your $100 bill I’d be looking for one of them.

Some years ago I read an autobiographical book--can't recall the title or the author's name, but I'd like to find it again--by the man who held Alaska Guide License #1.

If memory serves, and I'm pretty sure it does, his all-purpose knife, for camp chores and dressing and skinning large game including brown bears, was a Buck 110.

When I was still able to hunt I was a fixed-blade man, but I wouldn't feel under-equipped with a 110.

There's room for differing opinions. And if I could magically regain the ability to hunt, I'd carry my Bark River Highland Special, and a Victorinox Pioneer.

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Oh well, what the hell.

For a lot of us the attraction to folders is that they are more convenient and socially acceptable to carry on our belt through out the year. I wouldn't be the only man carrying a fixed blade hunting/camping knife in town if I did that. A few years ago the longest sitting judge in this county was quoted in the local journal saying she understood men liked to wear their hunting cloths and carry their knives through out the year and it was O.K. with her. However, I'd take a fixed blade off before going to the city. I do not feel the need to do with a folder.

There's a lot to be said for this, and I've heard similar from big game guides.

A Havalon will never have the romance, for lack of a better word, of a traditional knife but as a practical and efficient device in the field it'd be hard to beat.

I have and use a lot of knives...I challenge anyone to seriously use a knife made of 420HC, one made of S30V and one made of 154CM and tell me which is what alloy...then sharpen all of them to a razors edge and again try to tell me which is which. Zero chance. They are all good, it's all a selling point, and no one can tell the difference.
That said, get the Alpha if you like it, but I suggest you take a look at the Buck fixed blade 105 Pathfinder. It is about as nice of a all around hunting knife as was ever made. Yes, knives made out of any of the above steels can be hard to sharpen, as well as any new fad alloy I didn't mention and as a disclaimer I'll even throw in to include next months magic alloy, selling point knife steel, whatever that turns out to be.
There is just something about owning a nice knife and being able to bring that dull useless edge up to a hair popping, cut you painlessly, razor all by yourself. Simple, get an edge guide type sharpener, they are super easy to use on the first try. I would caution any man that use of such products that remove the requirement of manlyness {Havalon knives, pre-tied bowties, safety{fear} razors, etc.} are well documented and know to cause testicular shrinkage.
Bright colors on a knife handle is a useful thing on a working knife for certain. But I have never missed seeing one of my bright stainless buck blades laying in the leaves.

I have the earlier discontinued version of the Havalon that has a short blade mounting bracket. I find it no more satisfying to handle than my old carpenter's knife. Both will do a limited number of jobs well. Neither work well for slicing cheese off a 2 pound block, making a salad or sandwich, halving a Danish squash, filleting a fish or slicing a roast. It would also be pretty risky trying to split even old cedar shakes for kindling with one. The blades break too easily.

Speaking of which, there is no magic available to keep the very high carbon super hard exotic knife steels like D2 from being brittle.

Thanks again for added replies. Think I know more now concerning steels than before. The more one reads is often more confusing than simply asking opinions of knives owned by current owners. Sounds like the Buck Pathfinder and Alpha are good choices along with some Gerbers mentioned. Appreciate the feedback as choosing can be mind-boggling with so many choices.

The Havalon sounds like a utility knife but I am not familiar with it so
can't really comment beyond a basic response that it doesn't sound
like the way to go for a hunting knife. As mentioned above there are
several new hyped steels on the market but the 420HC used by Buck
is reasonably priced and has been getting the job done for hunters for
many years. I remember reading about a survey done about hunting
knives in an Archery magazine several years ago. Don't remember the
exact numbers now but something like 80-90% of Deer hunters use
Buck knives.

The first good knife I bought myself was a Buck 110.
Later I bought a Ranger. Bought another right after I lost the first one.

A Ranger has been used on every deer I've taken, and some small game
as well. Once I skinned and cut up two deer in deer season and another
one in April that jumped in front of my car. As I was gutting it I
realized it hadn't been touched up since the deer in November. Worked fine anyhow.

The knife I use along with the Buck is a small Browning folder two blades.
one locks and one doesn't. It works well for some skinning chores although it isn't a "skinning knife." The Browning is no longer made.
I'm glad the Buck still is.