steep early season deer hunt , bolt gun or lever

[new hunter]

Planning to go looking for deer in the 2-6 ( my back yard ) , scouting an old area but hoping to see a deer as well .e
It will be a steep climb through a lodge pole pine forest , to the edge of a heli slash and up to the base of some very steep bluffs .
Last time I was up I found a shed , scat and tracks so there a decent chance of seeing something .
The hillside is steep and south facing and the forecast is 28 so I'm thinking theyll be in the shade at the base of the bluffs , maybe near the creek that runs down the hillside .
The aproach will be a jungle , and I'm hoping to circle around the edge and get the jump on something .
My rifles are a 303 with open peeps , my levergun also open sights , and my savage 06 with scope .
All 3 guns weigh the same give or take an ounce .
On the one hand , the lever carbine will be more comfortable to carry in the thick shit , and If I hurt it it wont impact my season as bad as losins my savage .
On the other hand , if the ony shot I get is across the slash I would hate to waste the hard work of getting up there by losing the shot to my 30-30s lack of range .
The 303 could be a good in between , but I havent had that much experience with it , I'd be confident out to 100yrds but no further (50 to 75 for the 30-30 ).
So , opinions please .
What would the experienced hunters grab ? comfortable to carry but close range , or baby the 30-06 and have the extra range ?
Theres a ton of wind blown pines to trip over ( more like climb over ) , and a few rock slides to cross too , any thoughts ?
If anyone has any suggestions on my tactics , I'd be open to suggestions and criticism on that topic as well .
Thanks .

[Dutch Ppoacher]

take the 06

[Mr. Dean]

I would favour sumthin w/ open sights.... Scopes are no fun in The Jungle and from what I read, most of your time will be spent in it.
And if you happen upon a buck in that slash, that's what Spot-n-Stalk is all about.

Lever all the way, Baby!

[Big Lew]

I have hunted with all 3 of your type of rifles. The 303 with, and without a scope. I am curious why you're only comfortable out to 50-75 yards with the 30-30. Mine was very consistent and accurate at 100 yds. (had it zeroed in at 75) Although I've used all 3 guns equipped with good adjustable slings in nasty steep terrain, the short barreled 30-30 was more convenient and less likely to swing around, banging into objects, when I was using both hands to climb up or over things. Whatever gun you chose, put some light tape over the end of the barrel to keep dirt etc. out, and use lens caps (tied together with an elastic cord) on your scope. My scoped 30-06 is the most cumbersome of my 3 rifles for that type of hunting.

[new hunter]

I have hunted with all 3 of your type of rifles. The 303 with, and without a scope. I am curious why you're only comfortable out to 50-75 yards with the 30-30. Mine was very consistent and accurate at 100 yds. (had it zeroed in at 75) Although I've used all 3 guns equipped with good adjustable slings in nasty steep terrain, the short barreled 30-30 was more convenient and less likely to swing around, banging into objects, when I was using both hands to climb up or over things. Whatever gun you chose, put some light tape over the end of the barrel to keep dirt etc. out, and use lens caps (tied together with an elastic cord) on your scope. My scoped 30-06 is the most cumbersome of my 3 rifles for that type of hunting.
I've struggled with the 30 30s sights for a few years now , I was hitting several feet high and couldnt adjust accordingly .
In the end one of the guys at reliable helped me out by mounting an old winchester rear sight for me .
It still hit high and I had to further adjust the rear with a jewellers file and some white truck paint .
In the end I got the gun zerod at 100 with 170grn silvertips , but the sort of groups I get at that range are a bit big for my comfort ( lack of practice with that round due to lack of time after all the repairs ).
At 50 to 75 yrds I can explode milk jugs , at 100yrds plus I make them nervous with a few shots before I hit .
The 303 has more comfortable sights ( cause I didnt cut them myself ) , the only thing is that I'm not used to its trajectory quite yet . Same goes for the 30-30 .
If I saw a deer past 100yrds I would probabaly take the shot anyway I just wouldnt be as confident as with my other rifles.
I'll definitly cover my muzzle , my boss gave me a box of finger condoms for exactly that .

[Drillbit]

Pack you good rilfe with a scope on it. The 06.
Take your time.

Knocking you scope out deep in the jungle is nothing compared to a leg injury.

[mnholt]

I'm also located in 2-6, country is so thick you don't need anything other than the 30-30, but I would personally take the gun you are most comfortably accurate with, if you wound an animal there's a good chance you'd never find it due to the brush. I have a peep sight on mine, it's sighted 2.5" high at 100yrds so that my MPBR is out just over 200yrds. you also need a really quick action because the game can take one or two steps and disappear..best time to hunt region 2 for deer is the end of Nov in my opinion.. good luck!

[new hunter]

Well I went out today , took the 30-30 in the end .
Hiked out and back in 9 1/2 hours , the steepest hike I've done yet . If you know the steep hills before pemberton with all the bluffs on them , before nairn falls , thats were I started out .
I didnt come across any area that would require a shot over a hundred yards , so I think my 30-06s extra range wouldnt have made too much difference in the end .
Didnt see any deer ( not really a surprise ) , but I did find a fairly decent shed , probably from last year .
All in all a, pretty good day out in the hills .

[Big Lew]

From your first description of the area you wished to hike into, I determined that you likely wouldn't be shooting much over 100 yards, probably much less.
I used to hunt in the steep mountainsides and ravines on the east side of the Fraser Canyon north of Yale. There were little benches here and there that the
deer frequented but they also could be found in the really steep and thick stuff. I always brought along my little 30-30 with a good sling. Many times I had
to cross a roaring stream on a log by straddling it and using both hands....it was the perfect gun for that type of terrain. Terrible place to pack a deer out
of though, too old for that sort of adventure now.