In north Alabama, the deer are small and the shots are short. I use a Ruger 96/44. I have to admit, the caliber that I seem to have the most luck with is the Ford F150.

I also have a Marlin 444c with peep sites that works well. It seem that I see more deer by "jumping them" than I do waiting for them. The Marlin .444 just seems overkill for this area.