PNW checking in. Thick woods for days on the west side, wide open plains on the east. Thick woods, nothing beats a brush gun or a slug shot gun. Depending on the deer size and your local laws, a 30-30 is King of 100 yard shots. Slug shotgun can also reach out 100 but will require a tad more practice cause the shots won't group as tight. My personal deer gun is a Maverick 88 with a 26 barrel (makes my groups a tad bit tighter than the 20 inch security barrel). It has the added bonuses of swapping barrels, different load types, and far superior house gun for defense over the average brush gun. If you expect a shot longer than 100, look into a Ruger American. Of all the rifles out right now they give the best bang for the buck, no pun intended. Also, the best rule of thumb is to expect to spend as much on the glass as you did in the gun. A good Leupold or Nikon scope will make a decent gun into a fantastic one. Really, outside of Remington's offerings, most hunting rifles today will be good. It's more about caliber and features. As I said: Ruger American is feature packed, incredibly well made, and American produced. And speaking caliber, you'll hear folks go on about flat shooting, distance, blah blah blah. If it's your first gun, get a common caliber like 308 or 30-06. The ammo choices will be much more varied and the cost much better so you can get more range time. They also both have the added bonus of being able to take almost anything you can hunt in the 48 except large grizzly and moose