regarding post 114; IT IS illegal to take or attempt to take any wildlife from or across a public roadway; from Missouri wildlife code chapter 7, 3 csr 10-7.405 general provisions, paragraph 3. that said, your cousins shot was also unethical to a very high degree(imho). you seem to be a very intelligent young man, and the fact that you have researched your choice of rifle and caliber speaks well of you. but, don't be fooled by anectdotal evidence. there are far to many variables in one instance to draw any conclusions.