The 25-06 is a great deer rifle as well as a great antelope rifle. I love to use my hunting load with 117 grain bullets to shoot praire dogs at fairly long ranges from 250 to 500 yds. It is a great coyote gun as well, but can be fairly hard on pelts. However if loaded with a solid bullet, this could be avoided as well. Muzzle blast can be a little aggressive in a shorter barrel, but other than that it's a great dual purpose caliber.