Just making an observation...It seems like the 'borderline' deer cartridges, any of the centerfire .22's and the .243 win, to be sure, are mainly contested in areas where "actual tracking" may have to occur. Geography seems to dictate the 'effectiveness' of a given cartridge.
When you have areas where thickets/bottoms are so thick that even rabbits get lost...peanut rifles need not apply. IMO Bloodtrails ARE a good thing! Big ones. I'm sure those pop guns work great where deer can't run out of site in a week but around the thick stuff, game will be lost.
