>>2525773Take two knives and make sure they're wicked sharp when you start cutting the animal. I'd recommend a replaceable blade knife like Outdoor Edge for cutting through the hide (hair dulls a blade fast), It's just a lot faster to replace a dull blade than sharpen it. You could almost quarter a whole deer with a replaceable blade but skinning is easier with a knife with a deep belly, and cutting through heavy ligaments is easier with a larger blade.
A good hunting knife has a hollow grind for cutting meat, a deep belly for skinning, and a nice sharp point like a clip point for delicate cutting. It has a grippy handle because blood is really slippery, but it should be easy to clean (an old toothbrush can help get blood out of a handle). A four inch blade is long enough for deer and elk.
If you can afford a knife with a modern steel like S30V or S35VN (and if it's shaving sharp when you start cutting) it won't need to be sharpened halfway through the job.
I use a Buck 110 folding hunter light as much as I can and then switch to a Buck 656 Pursuit Pro for skinning, quartering, or boneless pack outs. The worst thing you will have to deal with when dressing and quartering is a dull blade, that's why I take two knives.
