A High Wall in any caliber larger than .22 Hornet will suffice for under-200 yard deer shooting (although I would be leery of the BP pistol cartridges out beyond 100 yards, mainly because of rainbow-like trajectories). Original High Wall or modern repro- they're all good. Don't pass up a Ruger #1 in one of its more "tame" chamberings. (You don't need a .300/.270/.257magnum for close-in deer killing.) In your shoes I would feel fat dumb and happy with a HW in .38-55.
"You can lead a man to logic, but you cannot make him think." Joe Harz "Always certain, often right." Keith McCafferty
