Iffin' you're a legitimate bow hunter, you should not be skeptical about hunting deer with a .357 revolver. The caliber and platform are plenty enough, even for so called "huge" 200-220 pound bucks. Use an appropriate hunting type bullet and place your shot properly and you will surprise yourself how effective .357 is. I've taken several deer with a .357 revolver. I would be hesitant to take a shot past 40 yards and would try to use some form of support past 20. You owe it to the deer. What larger handgun calibers give you is better range, flatter trajectory and better penetration. Bigger calibers are not going to make you a better shot, nor are they going to compensate for a poor hit. All of the deer I have killed with my .357s have been with 158gr bullets. I prefer JSPs or the XTP-FP. Doubt iffin' you could go wrong with a good hard cast tho. Because of it's limited range, when I hunt wioth a .357 revolver, it generally is as a secondary weapon, usually with a .357 or .44 mag carbine as my primary. My .44 revolvers and the X-Frame are generally primary weapons because they give me range double or tripple that of the .357. My suggestion is, iffin you want a revolver for a primary deer gun, I would go larger than .357, just because as a primary weapon and a big buck steps out @ 80 yards, odds are you are going to be really frustrated, or you will try the shot anyway. I personally don't have an issue letting any deer walk that is out of my comfort zone, whether it be with a handgun or my bow. My comfort zone with a .357 revolver is the same as it is with my bow.....40 yards or less. When I practice @ 70 yards, I am just as accurate with my L-Frames as I am with my N-Frames and X-Frame. Problem is, the Ls don't have enough punch out there @ 70, IMHO.