What is your favorite deer caliber and why?
361801
I use a .243 myself.  It's light and there's not much recoil, but travels well and will put one down.
805362
Hornady SST's.  They're unbelievably accurate with the ballistic tip out front.  \nI've done really well with Brenneke's too out of my rifled slug barrel, but nowhere near as good as the SST's.
863016
The number of Whitetail deer which may be shot in a hunting season differs from county to county. BUt overall the most which can be shot in one year is 5. Most counties it is 4(2 bucks and 2 antlerless) The high fence has no bearing at all on the numbers. The deer is considered a Texas game animal and is subject to the restrictions set down by the Texas Pars and wildlife department. The only thing which is wide open is exotic game animals such as sika, fallow, axis, and blackbuck. To determine the number you can for where you hunt is given to you in the handbook when you buy your license and can be found when you go to TPWD's web site.
726021
I prefer any 7.62 mm rifle with a Wilson Combat .45 cal 1911 style handgun. I prefer the greater knockdown power. Not a fan of 9mm handguns
885951
Rather than try to tell you about a rifle you didn't ask about, I'll tell you about the one you did ask about. I have 2 Bushmasters, the M17S (Bullpup) and the Patrolmans carbine M4A3, I've shot many of the varminters as well. You've made a good decision to get a Bushmaster, their rifles are unsurpassed and their customer service is outstanding. The varminters I've shot will give consistant -1 moa groups at 200 yards with a good scope. I've shot high end .223(Wilson combat) and low end .223 ( saiga) The bushmaster will outperform the saiga and will keep up with and often beat the wilson combat rifles.The varminter is of course an accurised weapon giving you, the shooter, the benefit of years of research done by Bushmaster.I highly recommend the Harris bipod if you plan on doing long distance target shooting. The varminter is by no means a combat rifle, it's intended purpose is highly accurate target shooting and of course, taking care of pesky varmints from a distance.Unlike the lower end .223's intended for combat accuracy, great care is given to each varminter to ensure accuracy and dependability.
94973
Good hunting rifle, available in many calibers.  Can be quite accurate, some top-notch, some just okay (but usually very good).  Company is still in business.  Parts available if anything breaks.  Like most Savage rifles it can have its barrel switched easily to other calibers.  Custom parts available (better triggers, scopes, new stocks, etc.)\n\nEarlier answer was odd but he's right BE SAFE FIRST.  Always know what you are shooting at, don't point it at anyone (ever!), make sure there is a backstop when shooting for fun, etc.
238863
Deer, a lot of good meat.  Some day I would like to take a buffalo, a ton of good meat, but I want to have enough money to mount the head and make a robe out of the hide
1181179
A .410 ga slug can bring down a adult buck deer.\n\nUsing Winchester Ammo #X41RS5 Super X Rifled Slug 410 Ga. 2.5" 1/5oz:\n\nat 125 yards\nVelocity (Feet per Second): 946\nEnergy (Foot Pounds): 174\nTrajectory Height (inches): -12.0
913787
I got a 6 point buck that had a nice ear to ear spread on him (not bad for only a 6).\n\nI hunted the opening weekend of the gun deer season in Wisconsin (11/18 - 11/19).  I saw 10 deer opening day (6 does, 4 bucks) and got one.  I saw a glimpse of a deer on the 2nd day and that was it.\n\nThe deer didn't seem to be moving all that well this year.  I'm heading out for the Illinois 2nd gun season on Thursday.  Hopefully they will be moving by then.
516268
Depends on the deer you want to hunt, but since this is personal opinion:\n\nWhitetail, go east.  SC\n\nFor mule deer, go west.   NM\n\nFor elk, again go west: CO\n\nFor black tail, I don't know.  I've not hunted them.\n\nCaribou: AK
322333
I had to change my answer because I was wrong and "bgooden28" was right.  \n\nYou can go to www.gunsandammo.com and they have some helpful ballistics charts you can use to compare:\n\nhttp://www.gunsandammomag.com/ballistics/\n\nMoose being large animals, require larger caliber rounds to bring them down safely and quickly (causing as little suffering to the animal as possible).  Of the calibers you listed above 300 Magnum is probably the best.  You can go even bigger.\n\nIf you're a beginning hunter I would recommend starting with animals a little smaller in size.  Consult your local NRA (http://www.nra.org/) chapter for more details.  There are likely also hunting organizations in your community that will help people get started.  Check out http://local.yahoo.com.
14048
The Thompson Center Encore is pretty good.  We auctioned one off for a DU banquet.  It was 3 guns in one, ML, 25-06, and a 12 ga turkey gun.
734542
The .270 Winchester is a stellar deer gun.  It will work on hogs also.  Remember neck/head shot only for hogs in excess of 400 lbs. and use the 150 grain bullet if you are specifically hunting hog; the heavier bullet will give you a penetration advantage.  Either 130 or 150 will work well on deer.\n\nIf you wanted the .308 Winchester (7.62x51 NATO) or even the old .30-06 you wouldn't go wrong.  Since you asked specifically about the .270, then yes, it is a good choice.  I have one myself.\n\nH
725215
Bound's hubby here:\n\nThe 8mm Mauser round should be adequate for deer and boar, provided that you use hunting ammo, not surplus Full Metal Jacketed rounds.\n\nA few things to consider ...\nFirst, make sure you have properly sighted in your surplus rifle. I have a 98K M48 that shoots rather decently to the sights, but not good enough in my book for hunting. My shooting buddy has a WWII proof house 98K that does not shoot to the sights. Consider a Long Eye Relief scope on a forward mount for your hunting needs.\n\nSecond, the 8mm Mauser is kinda like Germany's response to the .30-06 ... German troops fired the .30-06 in their rifles when they ran out, and cound confiscate American ammo ... the 8mm bullet is as heavy as the '06 ... and only a few thousandths larger in diameter!\n\nCheck out the comparative ballistics in the link below!
453162
I use my 45acp for deer hunting and have had good results with it. If I came across a bear that was going to do me harm I think that it would do the trick. The reason you want to use the high power pistols for bear is because you want no room for error when messing with him. If you hit him in the head with a 45 you will probally be ok but if you are nervous and miss and hit the body then you would wish you had the larger caliber. Have read a lot of articles about big game hunting with pistols and there are a lot of them to choose from.
758582
Bound's hubby here:\n\nMy most memorable hunting experience was the first time I went deer hunting, solo. I was 22 and on the verge of finishing college. I decided the night before to go hunting, and with all the questions I asked my family, they swore I was having buck fever. Fifteen minutes into season, 9 does crossed 35 yards in front of me ... followed by the biggest NJ deer I had ever seen. "Buck" was a ten pointer that dressed out at 135 pounds. "Buck" now graces my livingroom ... a very memorable trophy for my first deer!
939133
Mathews and Hoyt are top of the line, but I like my Browning. It is all about the particular archer, what do you want out of your bow.