My first one (not this state) was a 22 lr std velocity with a deliberate cns shot and it fell dead in its tracks like the lights were turned out. The hit where aimed was mostly skill but I'll hopefully never know if the result was luck or to be expected. A 45ACP gets about the same result as any large bore pistol within the shooter's individual range limitation and with a caveat that it will NOT penetrate like a heavy hard cast from a 44 mag or heavy 45 Colt load, so either a classic broadside or dead-on sternum shot is more certain to make venison. Broadside usually will fully penetrate with proper 230gr but 185 may or may not - too many variables. A hot Speer 200 gr is da bomb on a classic shot, but there are much better factory loads than that available now IMHO. YMMV; these are just my observations so far - limited data sample.

With care and perhaps luck either would surely beat running down a deer and slitting its throat with a Mora. <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

It's hard for me to imagine needing to shoot a deer in likely survival situations, especially in MOST of North America. A rabid skunk seems a more probable situation - my limited experience with those is STAY UP WIND <img src="/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" />

Tom