As far as a functional hunting knife, I'm getting me one of these: SwingBlade by Outdoor Edge, typically for around $60. I haven't yet simply because I'm looking for one in a pocket folder instead of a swingblade.
I've tried various blades with gut hooks and they all suffer from the same problem; you are trying to cut the skin with a blade (gut hook) perpendicular to the direction of the cut, pushing instead of slicing. You have to have that little bit of blade extremely sharp, which naturally leaves you with a mess of cut hair too. A gutting "blade" allows you to slice the skin from underneath, avoiding the hair and the binding that always seems to happen with a standard gut hook. I've used a tourné knife for the same reason but this is even better because it has a blunt tip.
A LOT of knife for the money. 1075 HC steel that will take a beating, and the heat treat is around 59-60 RC. The knife is pretty much indestructible. Full tang, thick spine, and it comes with an excellent hand made leather sheath. Similar to the Ka-Bar Becker BK2 at half the price. Great all-around knife that will handle chopping, battoning, or any other heavy duties that you might need a blade for.