Both Whitetails and Mule Deer can be found in very different hunting conditions. The Whitetail Deer is noted for inhabiting the densest cover possible in the North Country, and will turn right around and frequent the open fields of Montana or Bean fields of the South just as easily.

Yet the Whitetail Deer is very much at home in the brush and hill country of Texas or woods of Georgia and swamps of Michigan. The next thing you know, he is found in the wheat fields of Canada or Montana where he can grow to sometimes-huge proportions.

The Whitetail Deer “Rifle” is such a controversial item that I may write this article, and then run and hide somewhere, lest too many readers take offence.

Each year there are certainly many “first-time” Deer hunters, and they ask what gun and load to choose. There are also, millions of hunters that have “Deer” rifles that they use for everything else too.

There is certainly no “ideal” or “all around” Whitetail Deer rifle. The habitat where you are going to hunt will dictate the rifle and load that should give the most satisfactory performance.

I am going to throw Mule Deer right in with this, as they are found in the woods just as well as in the open wheat field or plains along side of the Antelope. So the comments and recommendations can be used for both Deer depending on the habitat.

I have interviewed several of the most knowledgeable and experienced Whitetail Outfitters in the country, and they gave some very interesting views.

First of all, “Use Enough Gun”. One of the leading Whitetail guides in Michigan told me that he recommends no less than a 270 Win with 150 gr. premium bullets. He really prefers a 7mm Remington Magnum or a 300 Magnum of some sort, and no 243 Winchesters were even allowed or considered remotely adequate. The reason being, some of these Deer go over 250 lbs.

Yet in the southern states, where the Deer are much smaller than up north, the 243 Winchester and the 270 Winchester have proven to be quite adequate.

The 30-06 or 308 Winchester with 180 gr. bullets seem to be the most predominate favorite of Deer hunters that are in the woods. They can choose from Pointed or Round Nose Bullets and it really does not matter much anyway, because there is no such thing as a “Brush Buster” bullet anyway. Any bullet touching a twig in route to its target will be deflected to some extent.

Personally, I use the 30-06 with 220 gr Round Nose Core Lokts or Sierra bullets as my “woods” Deer hunting load. I use it for sheer knock down power at close range, WITHOUT too much meat damage. High velocity bullets impacting at less than 100 yards are devastating to meat.

The 220 gr. bullets just “poke” through and leave a nice blood trail, and a very dead Deer at the end of the trail, which I must say, is seldom very long.
I know there have most likely been more Deer killed with the 30-30 and 32 Win. Special or 35 Remington than all the rest put together, but that does not mean we should ignore the facts.

Facts are, I would not hesitate to take on a large Deer with the 30-30, provided he was 75 yards or less and I had the right broadside shot. I would also be carrying 170 gr Nosler Partitions or 150 gr Barnes X FN bullets.

Speaking of those 150 gr FN Barnes X bullets, try some of those in your 300 Savage or 308 Winchester at about 2,700 fps. They shoot great groups, and have a large cavity in the flat nose so they really open up fast, but the back end will hold together for sure penetration. On a few field tests on Texas and Georgia Deer, those taken just collapsed at the shot.

For those wide-open spaces in wheat or bean fields, the sky seems to be the limit as to what to use. Seems that both Whitetail and Mule Deer fall into the same requirements out there.

Many of the guys frequenting those fields look like army snipers, and well they should. Those Deer have a habit of always being 400+ yards away, no matter where you park yourself to wait.

Here is where the 7 STW, 300 Ultra and the like really come into their own. Some of the custom gun builders even make special “Bean Field” rifles just for these conditions.

Here is one of those places to put on as big a scope as you can afford on the biggest rifle you can handle.

Somehow, you need to be able to hit a Deer a long ways away. Nosler Ballistic Tips seem to be the favorite of most long-range Deer hunters, because they will open up at very long range, and shoot remarkably well.

Hornady has come out with two bullets that have much the same features. One is their SST with the Polymer tip and a boattail, and an Inter-Bond which has a “bonded core”. The new Nosler AccuBond has also proven to be another great long-range bullet.

As you can see, there are no hard rules in choosing a “Deer” rifle, just pick and choose or shoot what you have. Bullet PLACEMENT is still the most important thing.

Feel free to contact Terry any time at tblauwkamp@superior-sales.com or call days to 616-896-6500.