I am not familiar with 44 down range ballistics- what kind of loads are you using, what's the trajectory like and how far are you comfortable shooting at a deer with that rifle?
240JHP, but JSP seems to be just as effective. Trajectory is nowhere near as good as a 30-378WM, but a helluva lot better than a mortar.
Seriously though, I think if a majority of your shots are going to be over 50 yards at stationary or slow moving deer, there's a lot of better options. By the time rifle season opens where I hunt the deer have been subject to a month of bow and 2 weeks of muzzle and are pretty skittish. Most of the guys in my club still stick to the same old plan & go up in the trees, but I go down in the thickest, nastiest places on the property. I don't see nearly as many deer as the tree dwellers, but when I do it usually a nice one, usually very close, and usually moving.
