What is the best cartridge/caliber for Northern NH deer hunting with rifle and scope? Lets qualify some things first. Most deer are killed within 50 yards according to many and some say within 40 yards. Why? New Hampshire woods are thick and here in southern NH there is more woods than fields with lots of under growth saplings etc. to deflect and play havoc with your bullets path. Small caliber light weight bullets can kill a deer fine but if the bullet encounters a runaway sapling that you didn’t see in your scope, then color that deer gone and put a drag rope on the sapling you just mangled. I believe the .270 Winchester and like calibers in metric such as a 7mm are fine all around calibers for rifle country but strictly talking about thick woods the 30 caliber such as .308 and 30-06, and up is better because the bullet has better sectional density (mass in pounds divided by bullet diameter squared) at 165 grains and above weights like 180 grains. If it hits a twig on the way it will, more likely stay on track to the target and not explode.

But here comes the conundrum… Most hunters will hunt with the gun they “love” no matter the deer caliber(6mm,.270, 7mm), they just realize that it may have some limitations in heavy cover…and that is fine with me.  If you call it trusty, that is a good thing! I would shoot my trusty .375 Ruger Loaded down for deer in heavy cover. Shoots like a muzzleloader, slow and heavy.

Hunt with what you can shoot well!

So the answer is all of the above.

Love the gun your with… and know its limitations!

Practice how you are going to shoot in the woods!

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