Hello I'm Indiana too with 3 daughters I got shooting at an early age. With the way our current laws are, a high powered rifle is only good for private land. One of those pistol caliber rifles would be good for anywhere.
A .357 rifle is extremely tame, good for practice. However I only really use hot 180 grain reloads for deer. A .44 magnum would be OK to practice with but better for the deer. A 20 gauge or .450 Bushmaster might be too heavy or kick too much.
If your just hunting private land a .243 would be perfect.