Hopefully circumstances will allow me to
even buy a license and go hunt

Whatever I can grab up and carry out the door
will suffice. I've killed wt deer with everything I
have here, or a facsimile thereof. People here
have successfully rendered deer with everything
from a 22LR on up. I've never felt undergunned.
I've had a few g wardens tell me that 22 rimfires
and centerfires both are the most used rifles
by the poachers they interact with.

I've never used a spear from a stand because
it's not a legal method ( or it wasn't when I checked)
Been wanting to spear me a deer ever since I
saw some videos of people doing it ( Florida?)