In the same boat as many here. Started hunting at 14, got my first rifle at 15 and was captured by deer hunting (in the snow preferably). Hunting only in BC but have spent more than a few days looking for three species of deer, black bear, sheep, elk and moose. Never had an interest in shooting a grizzly, but have hunted n grizzly country a bunch.
Had only a few guns til I was in my mid 40's, too busy raising kids, getting established and just hunting til then. Then as finances permitted I went through perhaps 100 guns (almost all bolt actioned rifles) which was fun in itself and a decent hobby.
By my mid 50s I really started to focus on what I thought would be great and practical rifles for me to hunt with, and less on just a nice rifle at a decent price. Call it a refining of tastes, or an awakening to what made a rifle special. In amongst that is a reverence to what my dad, grandpa and one uncle hunted with. I think about them frequently while out and about, rifle in hand, and wish we could hunt some more together.
No big money rifles now (just a working guy) but a couple pretty nice ones (both pre 64 model 70s) and a couple more on the project bench (both model 70s). Very little of the latest offerings interest me much at all.
Now there is more focus on getting hunting while I can, as life sometimes gets in the way and the clock is ticking.
Knowing what I know now (or think I know) I'd have just gone to a couple good/excellent rifles built on pre 64 actions and just gone hunting. Nothing exciting for cartridges, 270/280/30-06/7mag would all work well.
Used them all, and a bunch of others, but have the most experience with a 270. Being mostly a deer hunter it is the gold standard, for me.