A 7mm-08 or .308 Win. will take deer cleanly anywhere you go. Bullet selection becomes too critical with a .243and isbest left to above average shooters who practice regularly. My daughter took her first buck withmy 7mm-08 using 140 gr. Sierra Pro Hunter bullet @ 2600 fps m.v. and it did a superb job, ran 40 yds. with a heart shot,and didn't kick at the modest velocity. She took a hog a few days ago withher own new.308 using a 150 gr. Sierra @ 2650 fps m.v. and it went 20 yds. with a lung shot.

The main thing about bullet dia. is the smaller it is, the smaller the blood trail. I hunted with a .257 Roberts for a few yrs. but sold it after continually not finding a good blood trail on solidly hit deer. And forget about a front on chest shot. A 7mm-08 or .308 will give you that if in a pinch. The woods are thick here in LA. and you cannot watch 'em fall like out west.

Note: Remington makes some reduced recoil loads for the recoil shy if you don't handload.

The cartridge selection you make could be the difference between a happy hunt/start of something new and exciting (pictures, bragging rights), or on the flip side of the coin, a bad experience/not going back hunting (poor deer had to have died but we couldn't find it).

Jim