my thoughts
I've taken well over 100 deer with a 223, most of them were with standard soft points back in the day before there were deer bullets for them.
any bullet put into the lungs of a whitetail will kill it correct?
so the difference in using a 22 and a larger bullet comes down to having the patience and discipline to take the shot that will avoid the shoulder bone and hit the lungs, its not something the easily excitable hunter should do but it works, and works well.
If you can't hit a deers vitals with a 223, a bigger gun makes it easier? It would make up somewhat for poor shot placement, but who's gonna openly admit I don't shoot well under pressure so I carry the minimum of a 30 cal.
RR