how far is his shots out in idaho??

if under 300yds i would not get a magnum. why? no need for deer under those distances.
depending on if he likes a short action or long it could make a big diferance in choice.

i would pick the 308win with 150gr. bullets for deer. as for a long action the 280rem or 25-06rem for deer.

How about a 30-30 for "deer only". For larger game (elk, moose, etc.) he could get a 45-70 which, even though it works superbly on deer, would enable him to take any game animal on the planet with the appropriate ammunition.
Both of these options HAVE stood the test of time, HAVE proven themselves as being very well suited for each group that was specified, and HAVE ample ammunition available for the forseeable future.

Boy another 7-08 lovefest, its been around for years and all of a sudden everyone loves it. Seattle..I have been reading some of these posts lately and knowing that no one here would actually pull anyones leg, I would almost recommend the 300 ultra mag because as per the posters it kicks less or equal to almost any magnum caliber and is a flat shooter..I would tell your buddy to get one of those. Then he could get the 338 ultramag which kicks just a little bit more and use that on ELK...Makes sense to me

30-30 is the 'deer only' rifle out there...

If I had to buy a rifle for deer only I would buy a 257 Roberts, which will be my next gun. I have aslo heard a lot of good things about the 280, which would also be adequate for elk.

I also have a wife that will let me get what we can afford. I just bought a 300wsm as a multipurpose rifle and I really like it. In a few years a may buy a 257 if I can afford it, if not I still have a good rifle to do everything I want for now.

A 30-30 Win for hunting in the northwest? You can't be serious.

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Any of these......... 6.5 X 257 Roberts, 6.5 X 57, 6.5 X 54,
6.5 X 55, .260 Rem, 25/06.....in no particular order.....personal preference.
......Or anything you can keep in a 3 inch circle from 30 to 250 yards (from .243 to whatever). If you only shoot at deer and kill them everytime, you have a "deer only" gun.

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My father bought me a Remington 788 in 308 Win for my first deer rifle when I was 13. I have taken a number of deer with that gun in all types of environments (close up in the woods and long shots in the fields). I don't use it that much anymore but still have it. So that would be my recommendation.