This topic comes up from time to time and there are always strong feelings on both sides and no one is going to change anyones mind.I think it could partly be influenced by regional areas also.Up north here the mature whitetails run from 185-300# live weight and cover is thick to say the least,cut-overs,regrowth,and dark growth tend to keep shots close and you don' t always get a picture perfect broadside shot offered.Couple this with black bears available at the same time and those small calibers aren' t very appealing to say the least.Some hunters I am sure will pass on any shot at an angle or position that don' t give a clear shot at the behind the shoulder H&L area but others may not want to pass a big mature buck just because conditions aren' t perfect and so the little calibers aren' t for them.Our hunter success ratio is about 8-10% on mature bucks and its not unusual to hunt several weeks or even the entire season without even seeing one to shoot so I don' t want my caliber limiting me to certain picture perfect positions before I can shoot,its too hard to see them at all.IMHO I think 100grs bullet weight and 24 caliber are the minimum I would consider adequate for northern bucks and bears and then only in the hands of experienced and discplined shooters not new beginning kids and hunters.A 260 or 7mm-08 will do a much better job and can be handled by even recoil sensivitive shooters with a decent recoil pad and lighter bullet weights.Will a 22 CF kill deer?Of course but its not about how small in caliber you can go and still kill,its about clean and fast kills often under less than perfect shooting conditions with Murphys law in full effect.I' m sure in western and southern areas where its more open and live deer weights are more in the 120-150# area without other larger game in season at the same time it may be a different call.

woods