Separating hide from carcass after a hunt. A skinning knife has a short blade with a lot of belly and usually a rounded or dropped tip, so the long curved edge does the work in sweeping strokes while the tip is unlikely to puncture the hide or the meat underneath.
Skinning is a long draw cut, not a push cut, so the blade wants maximum belly. A trailing point or a broad drop point gives that, and a blunt or dropped tip stops you nicking through the hide.
Blades are short, typically three to four inches. Length gets in the way at the joints.
Keep it sharp: a dull skinner drags and tears rather than separating cleanly. Rinse and dry frequently during the work, because blood and fat load the edge quickly.
A gut hook on the spine helps some hunters open the hide initially, though many do it with the tip instead.
Corrosion resistance and easy field sharpening matter more than edge retention here. 420HC is the classic hunting steel for that reason.