Wow has there been a lot of posts on this subject. i firmly beleive the caliber most people like is the one they grow up with and feel comnfortable shooting. i started with a 30-30, moved on to a 30-06, switched to a .243, then to a 6.5x55, on to a .308, jumped up to a .338 WM, went even further for the hell of it to a .416 taylor, came back to my senses with a .280 ackley improved and recently have been hunting with a 45-70. Used them all for deer and had the same result, venison on the table. Why did i play around with so many rounds? Because the experts kept suggesting different rounds. To be honest I am still very confortable with the 30-06 simply because i used it for 10 years and it was the first one I bought with my own money. I reloaded hundreds of rounds until i found what i liked and it works great on deer, elk and black bears. Even shot s few chucks with it using those old accelerator rounds. One thin about the 06 is you can always find ammo or borrow some from someone at camp in a pinch (provided you sight in with it). You can load them hot or low recoil and there are a tremendous amount of different loads available commercially. Whatever you get, practice a lot and feel confortable with the gun. there is nothing worse then deer hunters shooting their guns only during deer season. You will never become proficient like that. In case your wondering why I now shoot a 45-70, I have the Marlin 1895 guide gun and it is a pleasure to shoot and lightening quick in the cedar bogs I hunt. It is not a gun I would suggest for new hunters but it is a fun round to hunt with. When I am out in open areas like fields or western mountains I still grab the 30-06 (Remington mountain rifle) or the 280 Ackley improved.

Enjoy