Are you looking for the best deer hunting knife?
Well you've come to the right place!
We have reviews of all of the top deer hunting knives as well as where you can find the best prices.
Here's the deal...
As deer hunters, we are looking a knife that can do many different things.
We need a knife that can gut a deer, then skin the deer and process the deer.
This may sometimes require different knives, like a boning knife, but we have put together an awesome collection of the best deer hunting knives that can complete all of these tasks for this review.
Best Deer Hunting Knives
- Outdoor Edge Razor Pro
- Best Deer Hunting Knife - Overall
- Replaceable Razor Sharp Blade
- Gut Hook Blade
- User rating: 4.8 of 5 stars
- Buck Knives 0691BKG Zipper
- Best Deer Hunting Knife - Fixed Blade
- Made in the USA - Forever Warranty
- Zipper Gut Hook Blade
- User rating: 4.7 of 5 stars
- Havalon Piranta Z
- Best Deer Hunting Knife For Skinning
- Razor Sharp Replaceable Blade
- Small, Light weight
- User rating: 4.8 of 5 stars
- Buck Knives 110
- Best Deer Hunting Knife For The Money
- Made in the USA - Forever Warranty
- Genuine Leather Sheath
- User rating: 4.8 of 5 stars
The biggest surprise in this year's reviews are the extraordinary performance of the replaceable blade deer hunting knives.
I put my Outdoor Edge Razor to work in Ohio last November and was amazed at how easy it made skinning and processing my deer. As soon as the blade started to dull, I replaced it in less than 30 seconds and was off and running with a new, razor sharp blade.
I used the same knife to field dress and skin my buck, then break down all the cuts and cut into small pieces for grinding.
My preference for the best deer hunting knife is a folding blade, but I know that there are many of you that prefer a fixed blade hunting knife, so we have included the best fixed blade deer hunting knife in our reviews.
We also reached out to our readers and asked the question:
"What is the best deer hunting knife and why?"
We will share their answers with you in the testimonials below.
Top 5 Best Deer Hunting Knives At A Glance
Best Deer Hunting Knife Reviews
Let's get into the features of each deer hunting knife and why you should consider adding one of these to your deer hunting arsenal.
Editor's Choice
The Outdoor Edge Razor Pro is our Editor's Choice for the best deer hunting knife. We first used this knife last year and we were very impressed with its durability and functionality.
The Razor Pro weighs in at 8.3 ounces, giving it a solid feel in your hand. The knife blade is 3.5 inches and the gut blade is 3.1 inches.
The handle is made from Rubberized TPR with 420J2 stainless steel liners and feels great in your hand.
The flip out gutting blade makes this an ideal deer gutting knife, but it can take your venison all the way to the table.
I used this knife to skin a buck outside with temperatures in the 30s and the handle material was a pleasure to hold. My hunting partner was skinning his buck next to me and he couldn't believe how warm my handle on the Razor Pro was compared to his wood handle on his Buck knife.
After skinning the buck, I went on to quarter and debone the deer, all with the Razor Pro and it was flawless.
I have read reviews that claim the knife is a bit flimsy. Obviously those reviewers have not used the Razor Pro and are simply trying to sell other knives. The Razor Pro is as strong and rugged a knife as we have ever used.
The Outdoor Edge Razor Pro comes with six replaceable blades, which means you always have a razor sharp knife at your disposal.
It comes in black or orange and I have to tell you, I love the orange because it is so easy to find when you set it down in the leaves while field dressing a deer.
Here's a great video showing the features of the Razor Pro, how to change the blade and why you should consider adding it to your arsenal.
Below is a Outdoor Edge testimonial from one of our readers.
The Outdoor Edge cuts better then any blade I'v ever used and it feels comfortable in my hand and it's Orange so it is easy to see if I misplace it.
Top Pick - Fixed Blade
We encourage you to support Buck Knives by buying direct from this great American company!
After consulting with our readers, we found that a fairly large percentage like to carry a fixed blade knife for deer hunting and this knife was the choice of many.
It is called the Zipper because of the gut hook blade that makes field dressing a deer a breeze.
The 0691 BKG features a 4 1/8" blade of 420HC steel for superior Strength, and Corrosion Resistance. The blade is also known for holding it's edge.
The knife weighs in at a very comfortable 6.6 ounces and features a texturized rubber handle with brass butt and guard.
The best part is it is made in the USA and comes with the Buck Forever Lifetime Warranty.
A knife like this will require some maintenance to keep it performing well and razor sharp.
Visit our picks for the best hunting knife sharpener.
My name is Roger Kester and I have been a hunter for 50 years and always carry Buck knives. I own two buck knives that are over 35 years old and I find they are made with of a good quality steel, and hold an edge for a long time
We encourage you to support Buck Knives by buying direct from this great American company!
Best Deer Skinning Knife
While we have found the Havalon to be the best deer skinning knife, we also found it to be a very good knife for field dressing as well.
It's small size, lightweight design and incredible razor sharp blade make it ideal for maneuvering inside the chest and abdominal cavity.
The reason that this knife did not fare better in the overall category is that it is just not sturdy enough to make quick work of quartering and breaking down an animal.
It's light weight and razor sharpness make it the perfect deer hunting knife for skinning.
Here's a great video that shows the features and more about the best knife for skinning deer!
I used the Havalon Piranta for the first time last year to skin my buck taken in Ohio. I was impressed with the razor sharpness which made skinning a breeze. I would definitely recommend the Havalon as the best deer skinning knife.
Best Deer Hunting Knife for the Money
We encourage you to support Buck Knives by buying direct from this great American company!
The Buck 110 Folding Hunter is our top pick for the best knife for the money.
One of the top reasons is that Buck Knives are made to last a lifetime and hand down to the next generation.
The 110 was originally created in 1963 because Al Buck believed that a lock blade knife was needed by hunters that wanted a sturdy deer hunting knife, but did not want to carry the length of a fixed blade knife.
Hence, the Buck 110 was born!
The 110 is 4 7/8 inches long when closed and weighs in at 7.2 ounces.
It is a very versatile deer hunting knife that can be used as a field dressing knife, skinning knife, and even a processing knife.
The sturdy, made in the USA construction, reasonable price, and long lasting useful life make the Buck 110 our top choice for best knife for the money!
My grandfather gave me a Buck 110 as a gift when I was 12. I am now 65 and getting ready to pass the knife down to my grandson. I can say without hesitation that the Buck 110 is the my favorite deer hunting knife for the money available today.
We encourage you to support Buck Knives by buying direct from this great American company!
Best Cheap Deer Hunting Knife
We set out to bring you the best hunting knife and while we have done that, many of you have asked: "What is the best cheap hunting knife?"
While best and cheap are two words that don't usually go together, we wanted to give you an answer to your question, so we took a look at all of the less expensive knives to see what we could find.
I have to say, I was surprised at the sheer number of cheap deer hunting knives on the market, so the challenge was to find a cheap deer hunting knife in terms of quality for the price.
And I think we did a really good job of that when we found the Tac Force TF 469.
This knife is pretty good quality with an amazingly low price.
Keep in mind that you are not going to get a lifetime of use out of this knife, like you will with the other knives in our reviews, but we are fairly confident that you will get your money's worth.
Let's take a little deeper look at the best cheap deer hunting knife.
The Tac Force TF 469 has a spring assisted opening that allows for easy one hand operation.
It measures 4 inches closed and has a 3 inch blade.
It has a surprising comfortable pakkawood handle making it easy to maneuver inside the body cavity when gutting a deer.
If you are looking for the an inexpensive deer hunting knife, you won't be disappointed with the Tac Force TF 469.
I must say that I was a little skeptical that a knife that cost less than ten dollars could be any good. I was pleasantly surprised by the quality and it is the best cheap deer hunting knife that we could find on the market today.
What Is The Best Deer Gutting Knife?
The best deer gutting knife is the Outdoor Edge Razor Pro, with its flip out gutting blade for making the initial cut and the surgically sharp replaceable blade for finishing the job.
If you prefer a fixed blade knife for gutting deer, then our favorite is the Buck Zipper from Buck Knives. It is the perfect size and weight to get the job done.
What Is The Best Deer Skinning Knife?
The best deer skinning knife is the Havalon Piranta. Its razor sharp replaceable blade makes skinning so easy. When the blade begins to dull, you put a new blade on in less than 10 seconds.
If you are looking for the best deer gutting and skinning knife, that would be the Outdoor Edge Razor Pro.
Best Deer Hunting Knife - Final Thoughts
There you have our editors choices for the best deer hunting knife in each category.
I think you will be well served and happy with any of the deer hunting knives above.
If you are looking for one knife to satisfy all of your hunting needs, the Outdoor Edge Razor Pro is without a doubt, the best knife for you.
According to Wikipedia, the best deer hunting knife should be capable of completing all of the tasks associated with deer hunting, from field dressing to skinning, processing and cutting up venison for the meat grinder, and the Razor Pro does that.
Some hunters like to use a boning knife for breaking down your deer into manageable pieces when processing.
Please keep in mind that these are real reviews written by real hunters.
We actually buy and use each of these knives in order to test and evaluate them before we review them.
There are many articles out there that are clearly written by non hunters and are only recommending the knives that pay them the most money.
Don't be fooled by these articles.
From all of us here at Deer Hunting Guide, we thank you for your support and thank you for buying American made hunting gear!
We'd love to hear what you think!
Please leave your comments below.
Most Buck Knives have a wide blade yet from your review it varies as the width so not sure how they compare I found a thinner width blade works on a fixed blade knife like a Morakniv “Companion. Never can figure out why a Buck 110 is narrow bladed and their others are much wide if they all d the same thing? I won’t use a folding knife had one close while using it and caught a finger. So Only fixed knives for me Now!