As a boy/teen it was always a good .22 or a single shot 20, later a single shot 12. In deer season it was always a Mod 94 Classic carbine. I played awhile with an old nylon stocked JC Higgins double in 16ga. It was pure poison with 4's but wouldn't pattern buckshot. I sold it to a friend. Here in Utah, if I'm fortunate to get the time to prowl around, I take at least my dad's old marlin 783 .22 magnum, but usually I'm looking for coyotes, so have a 22-250 Ackley for the past few years. I did use a CZ 527 Lux in .223 a few years, but gave it to a friends daughter. I carried a marlin 94 in 25-20 a couple years, but missed a coyote around 220yds, so then went to the 22-250 Ackley. Its "shame on him time" now, ha. Deer season has almost always been a Mod 700 Mountain Rifle ( either in .280 Ackley or now, 30-06) and I used a Mod 70 Featherweight Classic in 30-06 one banner year ( my first cow elk and doe muley) On elk, I've used mostly Mod 700's from lwt 338 WM to standard weight 300's, 340W, even a .375 H&H ( the Mod 700 SS, a very easy rifle to hunt the mountains with btw) My old friend all along has/is my Mod 700 Classic in .35 Whelen Ackley, in its Brown Precision synthetic, it weighs 7# scoped and loaded, nice. One deer season, about 4 years back, I set up a nice Mod 336 in 30-30 with peep, and had my smith put sling studs on it ( I like the Uncle Mikes Mountain sling, detachable) I got busy and never put the sling on till I got to camp, you guessed it, it wouldn't fit. so I hand carried it all week, which was only bad when I was climbing steep ridges. It was a joy to carry. I always have a pistol, people are crazy nowadays, I don't trust anyone I don't know and I have my eye on those I do, lol!