Processing a deer is not that demanding of a job for a knife. The 4 deer I killed last year were all taken from field to table with a Case trapper and a couple of cheap fillet knives. I could easily put venison in the freezer for the rest of my life with a Mora number one ($15) a Rapala fillet knife ($15), and a soft Arkansas stone....I'll splurge and spend $30 to get one from Dan's. That's $60 and I am set with totally adequate tools.
Compared to custom knives "made with exotic steel forged by elves"
, that cost hundreds of dollars, anything that can be had from Case or Buck for somewhere around a $50 price point that fits your hand and tastes is a tremendous value. Any of them will gut and skin a lifetime's worth of deer, and give you a little pride of ownership....They were what was desirable in the 70's when I was a kid and I still consider them to be "nice".
