RE Kitchen knife.
I knew a very very good hunter (RIP) who carried a nice 4" pairing knife (an old Wustoff) in a cardboard and duct tape sheath (home made) - That knife gutted a lot of deer over the years, and cleaned many a rabbit and fish
Another hunter (again, RIP "Uncle" Frank) basiclly carried an OLD Boy Scout knife as his hunting knife. His thought - it's in my pocket anyway