I'd get a lighter gun. I had a buddy when I lived in western Oregon who was complaining about how far deer were running on him after he shot them with his 30-06. We got him a .243 and they died much more promptly.
If these are blacktail deer on the west side of WA, you really don't want to have to track them very far because it is so very brushy and often wet--unbelievably easy to lose them. Something in the .243/.257/.260 class would be just the ticket.
