The animal did eventually die (nice deer, 180 lb 6 pt) but it was a pretty bad drag as it ran through some rough country.
As a result I stick to rifles and recently have been having fun with a 375HH. Drags are shorter these days.
My dad & grandad both popped deer with a .32 Rimfire Stevens falling block rifle which is still around the house somewhere.Of course is fine. For decades people hunted with lever actions that had way less than that and now all the sudden folks feel they need a 50BMG to pop deer.
Have a happy hunting. Choose bullets with better BC that can give a bit more range if needed.
I think the 357 mag from a revolver is the bare minimum for whitetail hunting and you should keep your ranges to recurve bow hunting ranges (40 yards max).
Look at the web Ballistics By The Inch.com to compare barrel vels. Have fun and bangaway.
ive shot a few deer with 357s out of handguns and it will do in a pinch but theres better handguns for the job. Id say on an average in my experience a deer hit well with a 357 will travel about twice as far as a deer hit in the same spot with something like a 44 mag.