Many states require 1200 ft lbs of muzzle energy for deer. And that's a minimum. Sure deer have been killed with a .22, but not by a sportsman who wants a clean kill. Water-man, when you post anything at THR you are inviting responses of all kinds not just those you approve of. If you can't handle all the answers, don't post the questions.
You wont admit or acknowledge it, but LOTS of deer hunters drop deer with .22 center fires, with no chase. Its not like its a secret, people just IGNORE the obvious; the "Secret" is to use a bullet designed for big game, keep shots short (probably 150 max), and DON'T TAKE QUESTIONABLE SHOTS.
The reloader has many options for .224 big game bullets, but factory ammunition is available as well. Speer Bonded bear claws, Nosler partitions, and Barnes X bullets all have wonderful track records.
A good rule of thumb is 1,000 Ft-lbs
at the game animal. That limits the .223 to 100 yards or less, and the 22-250 to 200 yards or less.
We cant hunt deer with a rifle in Indiana. The state is "too populated", and therefore hunting deer with rifles is "too dangerous".....but we can use any high powered rifle we choose to hunt any other animal on the SAME hunting grounds...as long as we are not hunting deer.
During firearms season, we have to use shotguns, loaded with slugs only. THAT means you have two options:
#1) using a normal shotgun with a bead sight and pumpkin-ball slugs
#2) spending $2 per round to hunt with a rifled bore shotgun and sabot slugs.
Option #1 limits you to 50 yards to to rapid energy loss and accuracy problems. Option #2 will have you spending more than the cost of your gun for 100 rounds of ammunition, and only gets you out to 100 yards, or maybe a little more.
I hunt deer with a 6" .357 revolver. There is little benefit to be gained with the pumpkin slugs that i can afford to shoot in our terrain: northern Indiana is covered in hardwood forest with plenty of underbrush, and speckled with small lakes and clearings. Even in these clearings, you will rarely find a shot over 100 yards.
lots of places in the Mid West are very similar to this. In these kind of environments, i think a 22-250 or .243, with proper bullets, could fill the same roll as the traditional 30-30.