Learn to shoot....
Learn when to shoot...
Practice....as much as possible.
Know your equipment and your own abilities.
Eveything else is academic....
THAT, sums all of this up perfectly and the issue of "practice" is THE most crucial one, IMHO.
I would never hesitate to carry and use of of my two remaining .308Win. rifles for ANY hunting or even solo wilderness working/living here in Canada. I have worked in various aspects of harvesting and managing our natural resources in Canada's northern territories, Ontario, Alberta and, all over BC.
I have one particular, custom, light, sub-7 lb. all up, STS, CRF .308 that is as close to "perfect" for daily use as I can imagine, after 50 years and owning about 150 rifles. I have a Browning Mod. 7500 combo, O/U in .308/12 and have used it for 24 years in the above regions. With my favoured load of 180 NP, 42.5-RE-15, these are both accurate and I never feel the recoil and they DO kill, no question.
I could, should I ever be so inclined, kill ANY deer that walks in Canada, with my .220 Swift and a NP, with LUNG shots and I have known old timers who shot a LOT of game with the Swift, back when the "Fabulous Flathead" and upper Columbia Valleys teemed with hooved game. These things CAN be done and so the choice really IS about a decent bullet and what a given hunter feels most comfortable shooting.
That said, I just feel better hunting deer with my .270s, 7x57s, 7/08, and, especially, my favourite, .280 Rem. But, the one deer I lost, back in 2006, was with a 7x57 and this CAN happen with even a .378 Bee, so, there is NO "perfect" solution here, IMHO.
