Growing up back east I liked reading Jack & Elmer's stuff but can't say I was influenced by them other than wishing I could hunt out west where you had a better chance of seeing a whole deer.
"Hunting The White Tail Deer" by Tom Hayes, 1960; I've still got the book, was an early influence. Hayes was a Texan and I guess he did a lot of hunting in thick timber and brush. He was big on the .35 Remington and peep sights.
Where I hunted was similar with a lot of thick cover so a 336 Marlin .35 with a receiver sight set up was my first deer rifle. I got a deer with it and the 35 did the job but if I had it to do over I'd have gotten a low powered scope instead of the peep sight.
