Preferred PA deer caliber

**STBear** · November 22nd, 2023, 05:40 PM

My first rifle, Marlin 336RC .35 Remington. Never shot a deer with it. Still have it. Hunted with it when I first started hunting. Didn't know what I was doing . I've killed plenty of deer with my bow.

**rellisonii** · November 27th, 2023, 11:36 AM

Shot my first deer with a Remington 760 30_06 and ripped the back shoulder out of the deer, dropped to a 243, less meat damage/waste

**Franchi20/28** · November 27th, 2023, 10:51 PM

I voted .270 only because it was my first deer rifle and Jack O'Connor could NOT be wrong.

My favorite was using my Great Grandfathers Model 92 in .38-40.
Searched far and wide to find vintage reloading data to replicate the old "model 92 only" hi-velocity loads to make it viable.
It really made my mom and Aunt's day that I took a deer with it. Now that I've done it it's retired.
Now it's whatever I haven't harvested a deer with yet.

**Rosco the Iroc** · November 28th, 2023, 04:58 PM

.35 with .303 as a back up.

**JDA58** · November 28th, 2023, 05:20 PM

when I hunted it was 243 & 6.5 Jap

**knight0334** · November 28th, 2023, 05:49 PM

Back when I hunted deer it was .45-70, occasionally .357mag, .30-30 and .32WinSpl.

**Stampeed Valkyrie** · November 28th, 2023, 07:02 PM

I went with .243. Like most others I shifted around with other calibers over the years. I've never had a caliber let me down, I shifted away from 30.06 due to short ranges where I hunted. I have had the most success with .30-30, with .243 and/or .308 a close 2nd.

**scoutjoe** · November 28th, 2023, 09:05 PM

I've used 30-06 which took my first deer so I'm married to that rifle. Lately it's been .450 Bushmaster which works quite well the current load.

**heatheroo** · December 2nd, 2023, 07:39 AM

every deer I have taken with a rifle, going back to the 70's was taken with the same Rem 700 ADL 30-06. Wait.....correction: I have taken a couple with my .50 Long Rifle.