Being from Saskatchewan I cut my teeth on an old 7x57 Mauser. Graduated to a .270 and used it for alot of years. The yearn for something new led me to the smokepole, loved it had alot of success with it. However I believe now after bowhunting for a year the .270 and the .50 caliber will be handed to my sons when they are old enough to hunt. I can't really explain it but I'm pretty sure I'll never hunt whitetails with a gun again. I could have killed better deer than I tagged last year had I carried a gun instead, yet all I can think about this spring is getting it done with the bow again.