As I browse the ammunition section of a well-known big box sporting goods store in Hattiesburg, I take stock of the various rounds available. In addition to hundreds of loads for 30.06, 270, and .30-.30, I see a few that seem out of place for anything in state. I see several loads of 300 Win Mag, .338 Laupa, 35 Whelen, and even a couple of 9.3mm Mauser cases. Scratching my head and rewinding every hunt I’ve been on in the Magnolia State, I wonder where all these moose, grizzly bears, and moose I’m missing.

I turn to Chip, a friend of mine for years who just happens to work behind the rifle counter at the store in question.

“French fries?” I’m like, “What’s the deal with all these big game loads? Are they for guys here who are going to Alaska to hunt?”

He nods “A few of them, but we sell a lot to guys who also hunt locally.”

He went on to regal me with instances where he had been personally involved of mutual friends who hunt with big-caliber rifles and never leave the 228 or 601 area codes. I made follow-up calls and checked with said mutual friends that, in fact, sometimes they venture into the pine forests with such heavy artillery.

Armed with this knowledge, I had to look at the ballistics of this for myself.

Taking a look at the ballistics tables for various rounds, let’s look at the minimum commonly acceptable round used by whitetail hunters: the .223 Remington. This cartridge, says in a 55 grain ballistic point, generates 3300 fps velocity and gives an impact energy of 1500 ft/lbs. This cartridge has been shown to be capable of taking down deer and large pests such as coyotes, wild hogs, and Taliban.

At what many would consider the top of the ballistic spectrum for common whitetail deer rounds is the venerable 30.06 Springfield. This cartridge, for example in a 180 grain Core-Lokt Soft Point, generates 2700 fps and delivers an incredible 2900 ft/lbs of energy. The round was used by the US military for most of the 20th century, including in the World and Korean Wars, and has been used on every continent.

So, with these two bookends, you could comfortably say that any projectile that generates between 1500 and 2900 ft/lbs of energy with a bullet between 55 and 180 grains, is a white-tailed projectile. This would include such popular bambi-getters as the 243, 270, 280, 30.30, 303, 308, and 7.62x54R, 7mm Rem Mag, and 7mm-08.

Now let’s take a look at some of the big boys that people are using along with them. The belted 300 Win Mag magnum has much more power than the 30.06. The 300 Win Mag 200 grain Nosler clocks in at over 3000 fps and imparts a staggering 4100 ft/lbs of muzzle energy. Sure, this will take down anything in Mississippi smaller than a mini-van, but with twice the power of the capable 243 rounder, is that overkill?

Now, elephant cannon-sized artillery rounds like the .375 H&H and 9.3mm (which push over 5000 ft/lbs) are out of the box when you look at their ballistics. Buying and using this gauge in the state seems like shooting a butterfly with a 10 gauge. Sure, it’ll work, but let’s be sporty.

What’s taking the record breakers?

The largest Mississippi whitetail deer (per rack) ever taken was Tony Fulton’s 1994 season atypical deer at 295 6/8 Boone and Crockett points (BTR score of 321 7/8 inches) in Mississippi County. Winston. Tony took it to 50 yards with a shot from his 30.06.

Neither Alabama nor Mississippi maintain official registries for feral hogs, which are considered nuisance animals by the state department of conservation. That being said, a 768-pound monster was caught in Mobile County, just miles from the Mississippi line. The weapon chosen was a 30.06.

Boone and Crockett compiled data on the sizes used from their logbook entries from 2007 through 2009. The Winner for Whitetail Deer? 270 Winchester took more than any other. The real kicker is that while 270 took more than any other centerfire round, it ranked third overall behind bows and shotguns/muzzleloaders, respectively.

This B&C list included several 300 Win Mags, 338s, and some of the other big ones, but they were all in the mule deer, sheep, moose, and elk categories.

Just say.