I've hunted with both, and would use either tomorrow. But given a choice, and the ability to load what I want (which I have) if I had to choose one to use from now on I'd go with the .44.
But it's a tough choice to make, and it all comes down to the old slow/heavy vs. fast/light debate. Fact is, both work. For whitetails, I never had a need for anything heavier than a 158, and even a good 125 will work startlingly well on broadside shots of no more then 50 yards (which describes virtually 100% of the handgun shots I fire at deer). But the full-power .44 Special -- not talking near-magnum here, just a good 240 or 250 at around 1000 fps-- will bowl 'em over without a lot of fuss and bother, even when the angle of the shot is a bit iffy.
Right now I have a nice S&W 28-2 .357, and don't even own a .44. What I use most nowadays is a Uberti Flat Top Target in .45 Colt. Any difference between a 240 gr. .44 and a 255 gr. .45, both at around 1000 fps, has got to be largely imaginary.
Just my opinion, and anyone who opines otherwise doubtless has his own good reasons.
