45 and 50 caliber muzzleloaders,, gave up centerfire many years ago

if u want to hunt elk ,bear ,moose ,or mule deer a 7mm is an awesome gun!

I'v droped 10 deer with my sks longest shot was 75 yards running didn't go more than 30 yards. Infact not any deer taken with the sks has gone more than 30 yards and a nice 10 point dressed 227lb droped right in his tracks. I like it because of quike recovery like shooting a 22 and hits like a 30/30.
F.K.

Why no mentions of handguns?!

I have a .44mag T/C Encore.....but i'm thinking of upgrading to a .460S&W.....because i can

i was leaning to a 45/70 for my Encore.....but i think that it would just waste powder with a 15" barrel....so its full potential wouldnt be realized.

if IL allowed rifle hunting it would be 45/70 all the way.

i don't shotgun hunt for deer.

30.06
180 gr core lokt

Depends on location-

texas panhandle plains- 7-08 browning BLR, 338 win mag remington
canyon or thick brush- .358 win browning BLR, 338 federal ruger
any other or unknown conditions- 35 Whelen

The .358 BLR gets the vote as my favorite for white tail, but the 7-08 is what I use most frequently. If I'm spot and stalking deer, I'll occassionally use my 338 win or 300 weatherby for those longer shots. I've recently really enjoyed using 335 grained buffalo bore bullets out of my 2 45/70's on deer (#1 ruger and marlin 336). This winter, I'll be strictly using my double 9.3X74R Chapuis, open sighted... going to take some good stalking, cammo, and scent remover. Can't wait.

30-06 with 150gr rem core lokt. Thats also my combo for for everything else I hunt

winchester model 70 30-06.
I 've killed 5 deer with it and every one has just dropped in there steps
not much wasted meat either

I've only harvested WT with my 54cal Hawken. I'll be in the IL woods with that rifle and my Python this season.

.270 for mulies and pronghorn out west, but I don't like the idea of shotgunning for WT here in IL.

different strokes...

Just re-read Greg's (IL) post--not a fan of shotgunning for deer either! If I saw a need for longer shots and felt comfortable that the 12ga slugs would do it for me...I might go that direction, but I grew up with rifles and most people stick with what they know.

I imagine those that grew up around slug guns don't think about it twice. When I hunted in IA and now in IL, it just seemed natural to go with the muzzle loader over buying a slug gun and getting comfortable with it.

gotta pick the 30-30 for brush. But 30-06 for all around hunting. However, I used a 7mm Remington Mag on an elk hunt on the Snake River in Oregon, mainly because the elk were always 500 plus yards away. My cousin used a 300 Win mag, but the recoil was a little too much for my taste. I wasn't as accurate with it as I was with the 7 mm.