Unless you have a way to process (preserve) the extra meat from a deer-sized animal, I would stay in the small critter range. For that reason I would stick to the Ruger 10/22 with a set of aftermarket peep sights. Other than that, I would go with a 12 gauge shotgun with a short, and legal, barrel length; very versatile.

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My $.02
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"Its not a matter of being ready as it is being prepared" -- B. E. J. Taylor