southLA,

We're Louisiana duck hunters too, but we also deer hunt in Avoyelles Parish, in fields probably very much like yours. We use rice bran to attract deer. They like it more than corn (at least, in La. they do) and it is actually nutritious, which corn is not. As noted above, caliber and type of rifle is a personal choice, but I picked up a Remington 700 in .270 with a scope as a package for under $500 a few years back. Great gun, good scope, nothing fancy, but extremely accurate and .270 is a great deer caliber.

Good luck.