.243 with 100 grain federal blue box.

Here in Southern Michigan, Zone 3, it was shotgun only up to 2014. Then we were allowed to use rifles that shot straight-walled cartridges with a min. caliber of .35. Case length of 1.16" to 1.80".
I bought a Mossberg Patriot in .450 Bushmaster. Great rifle for our farmland hunting around here.

For deer I have pretty much exclusively used a smokeless muzzle loader in .50 cal. shooting a .45 cal saboted bullet for the last 20 years or so.

30 -06 Remington 760

a 45-70 lever is impressive at 100 yards in close cover like that.

7mm Mag. Use it it for whitetail, elk, mule deer, moose all around. Knocks deer down and rarely have to track.

The 6.5 Grendel works great for whitetails, I like the 123 ELDM loads.

Try H1000, my go to in the big 7.

350 legend

243 with 80 grain Barnes TTSX (95 grain Federal Fusions also work well)

30-30 with peep site,,,, killed a big pile of them with that gun...

A Ruger Model 77 Mark II, in 30-06. It gets the job done.

I was really expecting you to say a 54 flintah

I did see the picture of you this fall with the Ruger , so not a big surprise.

That's my go to meat making rifle. The flinter is my fun rifle, after the freezer is full.

My favorite is my daughter's left handed youth model rem 700 in 7mm-08. All the kids and myself have put a lot of deer down with it. Then would be my wife's cut down rem 700 in 243 again lots of dead deer. My boys 350 legends have done well on the 12 or so deer they have shot with them. Not a lot of deer sample size with only 12 but the results have been consistent. I dont feel under guned with the 300 black out pistol out to 150 yards or my daughter's 357mag handy rifle.

7mm-08 and 270 Winchester are my favorite for deer.

Pre 64 Mod 70 264 Win Mag shooting 127 gr. Barns LRX. hand loads. That's my favorite open area rifle. Model 99 Savage 308 for big woods hunting.

.300 win cooper rifle shoots cloverleaf 3 shot gourps out to at least 300 yards and cold barrel sub moa out to 700, haven't shot it cold barrel past 700.
Head count
4 mule deer
3 elk 1 bull 2 cows
2 dessert sheep

I'd guess better than half the deer I've pushed over the Rainbow Bridge fell to the 30-06, either my Rem 721 or my Magnum Research Mountain Rifle. The other half were via random other calibers and guns. I like to mix it up anymore. Pick one I haven't killed with and use that till it works.

Though I have a safe full of deer worthy rifles, my go to since 1993 when I ordered it, has been a left handed Remington KS Mountain Rifle in 300 H&H.

Love my STW but I don’t shoot the heavy bullets they are a wrecking ball on whitetails.