Doesn't matter to me
 

Once sold guns in a gun shop some years ago. All the deer rifle calibers in the shop worked on deer.

So when a hunter made his choice, I'd say to him, "Now that's an excellent deer caliber."
They were all different calibers, and not one hunter came back to say it didn't work. Of course I'd remind them that they'd first learn how good the rifle shot, out at the rifle range.

I love my Remington 700 .308 with 150 gr A-Max. But I've killed most of my deer with a Ruger .270 150 Power Point.

Rem 700 in .270 cal with Hornady 140 gr BTSP

.300 Win Mag. If it's past elk season and deer only, underloaded to just a hair above .30-06 velocity.

Overkill, but more about the specific rifle than the caliber.

Ow dude, happy...

270 Wby with 140 grain loaded warm. Flat and effective.

30-06 is my old standbye. I've killed more deer with it than any other caliber I have used, and I have killed a lot of deer with a lot of calibers.

3006 is my go to caliber...

6.2 lb NULA in 25-06 AI

100 grain TTSX @ 3450

55.2 grains of RL17 .010 off the lands

Went over to the gas station, across from work, to get some smokes and a cup of coffee. I asked the old boy who owned the station how his deer hunting, with his son was going. He said, "Guess I'm going to have to get a new deer gun, probably one of those .243's like my son has. When he shoots them they go down right now. I shot at one last night 50 yds. away and we never did find it."

When I asked what he was using, and he said it was an old Enfield 30-06, I was surprised, until I saw his ammo. It was some old Winchester ammo, don't recall the specifics right now but, somewhere in excess of 220 gr. I ran back over to the shop, got a box of core-lokt 150 gr., and gave them to him.

The next morning, when I stopped for more smokes and coffee, he was grinning from ear to ear. "Guess I'll keep the ol' girl," was all he said.

I mostly bowhunt, these days, but when I do take a gun its either my A-bolt (25-06 Hornady 117 gr BTSP) or my 636 (.357 158 gr fp). Not because I think these are the
"best" calibers but just because I like the guns, themselves. They'll pretty much all do the job, under the right circumstances. Just look at how many deer are jacklighted with
.22LR.