I can't say just Deer since I live in a forest full of game and critters...
"""If""" I only had thick skin's to hunt I'd go to the 30/06 to 300 something...
The medium size game might leed me to the 243 to 30/06 ish,,, if it was predators only I'd most likely switch down to 22 xxx on up to 6.5 xxx
So being that X amount of my hunting is there and Y amount is here along with Q & K I'd find the middle ground between all 3 game categories,,, of course I get to pick and choose what works best for me,,, that's part of the fun of you know...
Yuppers,,, find what works and get at it,,, if one of the cartridges suits your fancy better,,, you'll never look back until the next greatest and best comes along...
Who knows what course of action will be later on down the road,,, maybe a old school something will catch your eye,,, or you'll hang out with what's working for you...
A life time of...
The longer you enjoy it the more you will stick with it...
Cheers from the North