I personally carry a 6 inch 629 for deer in Nebraska... but deer vary quite a bit in size across this great country... pheasant hunting with some gentlemen from the deep south thought the small whitetail doe was an elk when it hopped up near them in the tall grass... the farther north the bigger they get... over 200 pounds are not uncommon here... they hunted them with dogs down south and said 125 pounds was huge for them...