Poor shooting and poor shot placement exist. Killed dozens of antelope with a 300 win mag and seldom lose much meat.

No such thing as over kill. Good luck.

a few years ago i sold my 22 lr for a 22 wmr. with the old 22 lr and subsonics on grouse i could aim just about anywhere in the vitals or head/neck and the meat would be fine, i even ate the "shot" meat because it was really just a tiny hole in the meat if i accidentally let the shot drift low. with the 22 wmr ive tried light bullets, heavy bullets even fmj's and it still cuts a grouse in half if i hit anywhere but the head/neck. same thing happens with goose loads from the pump gun at short range. in the context of smallgame, yes you can overgun it. with big game and varmint bullet selection means alot more then caliber. send a swift a frame or woodleigh out of a 30-378 at a deer and it will look like it was hit with a normal .270 deer bullet. send a 110 vmax from a 308 and it will look like it was hit with a 338 lapua. bullets are no different then the tires on a car. run dirt tires on a mitsubishi evo and youv got a rally machine. run goodyear falcons and youv got a street machine. of course there is limitations to this (like my 22 wmr vs grouse) but when it comes down to it your brass powder and primer arent punching a hole in anything.

i also second homers post, its a wild world out there and injured animals can do anything. might as well be sure you can handle whatever you brought to the woods.

Large caliber vs small caliber. Heavy bullet vs. light bullet. It all boils down to one thing on most game animals of the world. Shot placement. If you can shoot it accurately your not over gunned.

Of course there a such a thing as overkill. It is dictated by how much you care about what other people think.

That's right. If you're carrying a .30-378 and your deer has a nice hole through the boiler room, I'm going to think you're a competent marksman. On the other hand, if it looks more like he bled to death overnight from the three bullet wounds you inflicted, I'm going to think you're just another mall ninja with a big rifle.

Nope...if you can shot it and kill humanely then all is good

here in Texas we hunt feeders and use box blinds, some of the set ups i hunt are a mere 50 yds to the feeder. I feel stupid using my 7-08 in these circumstances, i use my 22 hornet on those times. In fact i use it more than my 7. very rarely do i use the 7-08 but i do and it has its place. 50 yds to a deer or hog with its head buried in a pile of corn aint one.

Yes but in a Counterpoint, he would have to care what you thought in the first place.

Quite true. Many people today DON'T care what anyone else thinks of them, even if they're flaming bungholes.

Just yesterday, I disqualified a young, well-qualified, smartly-dressed applicant for a position I was hiring because I'd watched him crowd an older lady from the firm next door to us away from the elevator door. Maybe it was a bad move for us, given his credentials. But I'll be da*ned if I'll hire someone I think is a punk.

You never get a second chance to make a first impression. Not caring what other people might think isn't a very good position to act upon that from. It doesn't matter if you're applying for a position in our firm, or if you're hoping to gain access to a rancher's property to hunt.

So, maybe we should expand on that a little?