Best caliber for deer?

30-06 is a workhorse and as versatile as anything out there. Get a decent bolt gun and throw a moderately priced scope on it.
.270 and .308 aren't bad either but I think the '06 is the best.
 
Caliber is not near as important as having a handy, lightweight, easy to point rifle that you are an expert with and can make quick accurate shots with.

My recommendation is to buy a lever action 30-30 and train with it A LOT, by that i mean not shooting off the bench but shoot it in hunting scenarios from the standing unsupported, or using a small tree or something to shoot off of.

Training with the rifle is key. I cant tell you how many folks have great rifles and miss easy shots due to misteps in shooting when the deer presents itself.

good luck!

Agreed, like most new england you're not shooting long range. You'll be in the woods and won't want a long barrel getting hung up on brush. I love the 336 Marlin. Mine's a 35. Just a solid reliable rifle......
 
Good choice,military calibers are much cheaper to shoot and its all about practice and hitting the vitals with one shot.

Other side of this is during last ammo panic buying I watched guys flipping out when they could not find a box of '06 or 308 for deer season. At the same time Whenever I into Walmart they did have .243 and 30-30 and almost always .270
 
The 30-30 is a proven killer, as is the 35 Rem. The only problem is I couldn't have that as my only deer rifle. Like I stated earlier, I use a Ruger .44 mag carbine with a peep sight as a walking around brush rifle, but if I only could have one deer rifle, it wouldn't be that one for the same reason it wouldn't be a 30-30/35. Not because of the round, but because of the rifle. I prefer to hunt with a low powered scope, but I just can't bring myself to mount a scope on a little trim lever action rifle or my .44 because it ruins the whole reason why I bought it.

.308, 270, or 30-06 is never wrong, but they bore me to tears. I'm more of a 257 Roberts, 7x57, 6.5 swede. 35 Whelen, 375 H&H guy. I'm kinda caliber-queer.

My last 2 deer here in Maine in my back/front yard:
This little guy who dropped like a sack of rocks with one shot from my 6.5.
View attachment 166293

And my last best, 206 lbs that fell to my 35 Whelen (sold it, shouldn't have; am in the process of building another)
SAM_2232.jpgImage 1.jpg
 
There is no best caliber. That's why I have 3 deer rifles.
1. A Ruger .44 mag carbine with peep sights for walking around in the thick stuff
2. A CZ 550F in 6.5x55 for field work
3. A custom 35 Whelen just because I like 35 Whelens.

On the lower end, I wouldn't go lighter than .243 win.
There is no limit on the upper end. Dead is dead.

I am pretty much in the same camp. I have and use a variety of guns for deer.
1. Marlin 336 30-30, love it for the thick stuff.
2. Remmy 7600 in 30-06 with a Leupold 2-7. Great for thick stuff and can reach out a long way if necessary.
3. A few bolt actions in 30-06 and .303 British (back from my old days in Canada) with 3-9x scopes, for the most part, if I have the location or ability for a long range shot (used to hunt the West a lot with a bolt 30-06)
4. CVP Optima .50 cal ML 3-9x Nikon Monarch to get in on that early season.
5. Remmy 870 12 gauge with a rifled barrel cantilever scope mount and a 2-7x Leupold.

They all kill deer dead. The whole notion of a particular caliber drops them dead in their tracks where others don't is complete BS in my mind. Shot location determines that more than anything (assuming plenty of energy at the impact) IMO. All things being equal though I will take a slower heavier larger diameter bullet over narrow fast one. I find there is much less meat damage overall.
 
Maine allows the .22 caliber rimfire magnum for taking deer

Do you want to get into a new caliber just for deer?

Assuming you already have rifles and ammo in some caliber .243 centerfire or larger, start there and you'll be legal for deer anywhere in all US states (and Quebec).
 
The 30-30 is a proven killer, as is the 35 Rem. The only problem is I couldn't have that as my only deer rifle. Like I stated earlier, I use a Ruger .44 mag carbine with a peep sight as a walking around brush rifle, but if I only could have one deer rifle, it wouldn't be that one for the same reason it wouldn't be a 30-30/35. Not because of the round, but because of the rifle. I prefer to hunt with a low powered scope, but I just can't bring myself to mount a scope on a little trim lever action rifle or my .44 because it ruins the whole reason why I bought it.

.308, 270, or 30-06 is never wrong, but they bore me to tears. I'm more of a 257 Roberts, 7x57, 6.5 swede. 35 Whelen, 375 H&H guy. I'm kinda caliber-queer.

My last 2 deer here in Maine in my back/front yard:
This little guy who dropped like a sack of rocks with one shot from my 6.5.
View attachment 166293

And my last best, 206 lbs that fell to my 35 Whelen (sold it, shouldn't have; am in the process of building another)
View attachment 166294View attachment 166295

This was my last deer with my .270:
20141113_121629.jpg

Here's the deer I shot last year with my .300wsm:
20151109_160051.jpg

You shoot what you like, because as long as you're good with it, you can take a deer :). Although, I will note the .270 did not EXIT that buck, it went in behind the front shoulder and embedded in the offside shoulder. Even though it smashed the lungs the deer went about 75 yards and barely bled a drop. The .300wsm on the little buck punched a whole through the onside shoulder (ruined it) and had a huge exit wound, it went about 30 yards and dropped.
 
It's too bad this rifle and caliber have gone out of "style" but my Dad's old 1960s Savage 99 w/ a Weaver K series scope in 300 Savage has taken more deer then I could count over the years. The 300 Savage is a great round with just about the same characteristics of the 308. You could not go wrong with this setup if you're out hunting deer. NH and Maine were my Dad's favorite hunting grounds.
If I was heading up to Maine hunting this November my 99F would be in my hand. One of my favorite rifles.
 
I have shot a deer with a 30-30 from 75 yards it tipped over didn't even take another step.
I hunt with guys that shoot a lot of deer and calibers range from 270 to 338 win mag all seem to kill deer just fine. Lke others have said practice shooting from odd positions free hand etc.
 
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