Well, I'm not going to take a chance on a trophy mulie with a .22 cal. bullet. Unless..... I have premium bullets, and am close enough to remove any margin of error, and conditions are perfect....then I will save the 22-250 for prarie dogs. hunting mountain Mulies, wind can fool ya, wind and little bullets dont get along. Also, i am not going to chance wounding a fine animal like that just because I was afraid of a little recoil. Those bullets start off fast, but slow down quickly, and there isnt alot of energy there. If a guy wants to sit at a feeder and shoot a 100lb whitetail at 100 yds, then fine....but a 300lb mule deer buck deserves a cleaner, more "sure" kill. Nothing would be worse than wounding a big Mulie of a lifetime because of an inadequate firearm....just sayin.

All depends on the shot placement. I have taken down an elk cow with my savage 22-250 with a 55 grain bullet.

It goes back to the shooting distance.
How far away are the deer are located and how much wind.
I would rather get a clean kill not just a legal kill.
I have experienced hunters get buck fever and flinch!
I like my deer to go down with a good blood trail.
A larger caliber is more forgiving and you don't need a canon!