I agree that the difference in perceived recoil between game and paper is a mainly a mind game. You have to train yourself not to flinch when you're at the range, especially after long sessions. In terms of rifles, I haven't shot anything larger than my .308 and generally I can tolerate the recoil after about 2 boxes but anything past that I tend to get a flinch (my shoulder injury doesn't help either).
I haven't use this rifle on game yet, but before I was using that I had my slug gun and I use 3 1/2 inch turkey loads. The slug gun at the range was pretty rough, recoil-wise, and I even nailed the top of my eyebrow when I decided to experiment with 3" lightfields (my conclusion: they're unnecessary and I can't even imagine how bad those 3 1/2" Brenneke black magics kick). But when I shot a doe last year I barely noticed the recoil of the 2 3/4" slugs and I didn't notice the recoil while shooting two toms I got last spring. What I have learned, however, is that whether you're punching multiple shots through paper or one shot on an animal you have to keep your focus on where the bullet should hit the target, not where the butt of the gun is going to hit you.