A South Dakota whitetail taken with a David Miller 7mm Rem. Mag. There is really no magic in this cartridge, but it is effective and makes a fine choice for western deer hunting.

This is not altogether a matter of bullet weight and caliber. Even the mild .30-30--which has probably taken more deer than any cartridge except, perhaps, the .30-06--is effective far beyond what its paper ballistics show. I think part of it is the rapid energy transfer from its blunt-nosed bullets. This, of course, this also applies in spades to larger cartridges such as the .35 Rem., .375 Win., .444 Marlin and .45-70. The drawback with these rounds is that somewhere between 125 and 200 yards they fall precipitously, and energy levels drop way down.

Those who live with it probably figured out the double meaning to the term "close combat." This refers not only to range but also to the grim reality that, in some hard-hunted eastern woods, it's best to drop your deer in its tracks to avoid an argument over whose tag belongs on it. This is also where the slow-moving, big-bore cartridges shine, so they definitely have their place in the deer woods.

Long range. Not too long ago I wrote a story about plains deer hunting. I advocated the use of fast 7mms or--better yet--fast .30 calibers for this application. There were some howls from 6mm and .25-caliber fans, but I still believe there are places where heavier bullets launched out of large-capacity cases are appropriate. The Great Plains is one of them, because this region combines large-bodied deer with wide-open, windy country. No lesser caliber bucks the wind as well as a 7mm or .30.

Open farm country, wherever you find it, is another good place for fast, flat cartridges. Coues deer hunting is yet another. The deer are tiny, so it appears that a fast .25 would be just perfect--except that average shooting distances are greater with this deer than any other deer hunting I'm familiar with.

Mind you, even in such circumstances few of us need to reach beyond 400 yards--nor do we have any business trying to do so. There are many hunting cartridges that shoot flat enough and carry enough energy for 400-yard shooting. But most of the shooters who are really serious about long-range shooting gravitate to the fast 7mms and .30 calibers--with the .30 being more popular.

Trophy hunting. If you're serious about killing the largest buck your area holds--regardless of where you hunt--then you will be looking for heavy-bodied, mature deer. You will have far fewer opportunities than the hunter who's simply looking for a deer for the freezer. Your chance may or may not come at longer range, but for darned sure you want to be able to take any reasonable shot that is offered. In my view, this takes the 6mms, .25s and even the 6.5s out of the mix.

One of the author's several Coues whitetails taken with the .30-06. With the right loads, this old warhorse keeps pace quite well with faster fodder.

I tend to like the .30 calibers, but I have no argument if you prefer a .270 or a 7mm. When the biggest deer in the woods is in the offing, I like a bit more gun. In my opinion, a really big deer--which, whether mule deer or whitetail, can weigh 350 pounds or more--is a whole different animal from the average 150-pounder. I like to increase the required energy level to 1,500 ft.-lbs. at 300 yards, and it takes at least a .270 Win. to accomplish this.

THE ALL-AROUND DEER RIFLE
I don't claim to be the ultimate deer hunting authority, and many of you reading this article have far more experience in your own areas. However, I've hunted all the varieties of our deer--from coast to coast and from Mexico to Alaska--and I've developed an opinion on the best all-around deer calibers.

There is no better selection than the venerable trio of cartridges made up of the .270 Win., .280 Rem. and .30-06 Springfield. The '06 hits the hardest, the .270 shoots the flattest and the .280 is the best compromise. You really can't go wrong if you show up in any deer camp in North America with any of these three cartridges. Even the slow, old '06 will, with the right loads, carry my self-imposed 1,500 ft.-lbs. well beyond 400 yards.

Now, that doesn't have to be the final word. I don't see a huge advantage to the 7mm Rem. Mag., but it's a great cartridge and I've used it to take some of my best deer. I have also used a whole slew of fast .30s. They're better for the long shot that you occasionally encounter. I had a .300 Weatherby when I had just a few seconds to take a longish shot at a western Kansas buck in high wind. I think I could have made the shot with a .30-06, but I'm not certain I would have tried. Having the big .300--and knowing how to use it--gave me confidence that I badly needed.

Even more so than energy, there's really no limit on how much velocity and how flat a trajectory you can utilize. So it doesn't bother me, and shouldn't offend you, if someone chooses to use red-hot numbers like the 7mm STW, .30-.378 or 7.82 (.308) Warbird for deer hunting. Just remember two things: With extremely fast cartridges, you need to use tougher bullets to avoid blowup should a close shot occur. And at some distance, no matter how flat and fast the cartridge, you still must know the trajectory and the distance to make hits at longer range.

Having committed these two things to memory, remember just one more thing: While fast, flat-shooting cartridges can, with the right bullet, be used up close as well as at distance, it is really difficult to use the slow "brush cartridges" at longer ranges. There are many good deer cartridges and quite a few that are great, so "wrong" choices are unlikely. You should make your selection based on the hunting you do and the level of versatility you want.