I would guess that you have read the entire post and noted that you couldn't rebut the assessment so opted for insults, the mainstay of internet bullies everywhere.
I'm in North East BC Hoyt, we grow them big here. I've never hunted coastal deer.
The vast majority of deer I have killed in the last 10 years (and there have been quite a few) have all been shading 240+lbs on the hoof, with some of those well over that. And I'm not guessing on the weights, I weigh everything. That said, the last whitetail I killed was in the last minutes of daylight, on the last day of the season as he was chasing a doe and that one only weighed 140 lbs gutted. But the one before that was 240lbs gutted. Admittedly, not prairie deer.... Oh wait, the Peace is pretty much prairie country.
Be careful guessing there Hoyt, because some of us aren't.
Somebody should tell all the deer I've ever killed with .223 that it's not suitable to kill them..
It is interesting to me that the two primary proponents of the .223 on deer in this thread, both of whom talk about "proper" shot placement are also talking about "breaking shoulders" with those .223's... hmmm...
TK, You question my experience... four decades of hunting extensively, two decades of outfitting and guiding, I have seen hundreds of big game animals taken, I tracked and dressed most of those... and have seen them taken with every conceivable cartridge from .223's to .470 Nitro... I have personally examined the damage to the carcasses, and I have taken mental note of the many dozens of stories that did not end well. The number one cause of bad endings has been poor judgment and decision making at the time of the shot by the hunter/sport, followed by poor shot placement due to a myriad of reasons... those things happen... which is why I advocate more margin in your choice of cartridge. There are many experience shooters/hunters right here on CGN who I would have complete confidence in making clean and successful harvests on deer with .223 rifles, Ardent, Gatehouse, Buckmaster, Bear Hunter, Todd Bartell, Why Not, Super Cub, Big Ugly Man, Boomer, Chuck Nelson, Track to name a few... these guys are shooter's and hunters, I would have complete confidence in any of them choosing an appropriate platform, bullet, load and then tuning it at the range and having the maturity and restraint in the field to choose the right shot and make it count.
The problem with using a blanket statement of lethality when making and/or suggesting a cartridge selection from the extreme light end of the sliding scale is that this information is noted and stored by many people who do not have this experience, maturity and hunting ability... this is likely to sway their decision making and potentially over time cause the wounding of many more game animals than is necessary.
As for experience with .22 centerfires, I shoot thousands of rounds annually with .22 CF and have for decades, not just .223's but also, .221 FB, .22 Hornet, .222 Rem, .22 PPC, .22 BR, .22/250, .22 TTH, .220 Swift and more... I shoot them at the range and I shoot them on coyotes and wolves, I am well aware of their potential... I have also had quite a few ladies and kids show up with .223's... fortunately women and kids tend to be very coachable.
Back to breaking shoulders with .223's, I do not regard this "intentional" practice as reasonable shot placement. There is just too much that can go wrong with attempting to penetrate heavy bone with small caliber, light and fast bullets. If breaking shoulders is your thing, even more margin should be considered... again, not that it can't be done, but it is not a good practice in general and will sooner or later end with a bad result(s).
I would equate this and draw a "judgement" parallel to the many, many sports over the years who disregarded our tutelage about shot placement and attempted head shots... their thought process invariably went something like this; "I can shoot 1" groups at 100 yards all day long, I should be able to make this head shot and drop it right in it's tracks." I can't tell you how many of these stories ended badly, there is just so much that can go wrong... of course this is an apples to oranges parallel, but the thinking is similar... if you are going to choose a cartridge from the extreme light end of the spectrum, then choose a point of impact that gives you the margin that is not built into the cartridge itself... namely a broadside double lung shot, and then make it happen.
I can tell you from working with experienced quides and outfitters for most of my life, they all breath a sigh of relief when they see a sport pull out a rifle platform properly rigged and chambered for a cartridge with the built in margin that we are discussing... that comes from their experiences with hundreds of clients and harvest scenarios.
Margin is a good thing in most areas of life.
So, go ahead and use whatever you want for your hunting, but for other readers, consider a cartridge choice that offers more margin for those times when things don't go perfectly, or for when you make a poor decision on shot placement or body posture.
Great points Hoyt and well explained. And myself 
