250 Savage for a light recoiling cartridge ! I assume that you’re talking whitetail in North-East South Dakota and the range will not be long.
When talking a deer rifle or cartridge, there’s a big difference with the size and distance for ‘deer’ hunting. Mule Deer in the mountains vs Black tail, Coues, southern Whitetail, eastern Whitetail and so forth. A deer cartridge that’s good for one deer/area might not be a good choice in another deer/area. A 357 lever gun might be great one instance and the next instance might call for at least a 270.
A young hunter was at my range just before deer season. He had a tag for Grant county. He was shooting a 243. I think he had mentor tag. The 243 or 6mm would be another low recoil cartridge, though I’d prefer the Savage. He was shooting dime size groups at 50 yards.
