How To - Line, Trucks, and Bullets. Make the call

As with most things in life, if you gain in one area, you lose in another.

Fishing Line
Light line is easy to work with and more likely to get a strike. Heavy line is more likely to get the fish in the boat and reduce lost lures. I grew up thinking "the heavier the line, the better". The more I fish, the more I realize that lighter line is typically better. Light line casts much better than heavy line. Since my casting to catching ration is usually about 30:1 it doesn't make sense to have line that casts about 20% shorter. Now that we predominantly fish open water, I like using 4lb test for small jigs and 8lb test for the bigger stuff. I used to have 14lb test for everything and I could only throw lures about 20 yards. The lighter line also sinks quicker so it is easier to get your bait down deeper and keep it there. It is nice to have the assurance of heavy line, but it is such a hassle to work with.

Trucks
I recently got rid of my mid-size V6 and got a full-size V8. I also recently got rid of 20mpg and got 13mpg. Since I only drive a couple miles to work, I figured it wouldn't be that bad to get the lower gas mileage. Most of our daily driving and long trips are done in the 1.4L Malibu. When I do go hunt or fish though, it is nice to be able to have room to take everybody and their stuff and use the 4x4 whether we really need to or not.

Bullets
I started out hunting deer with a shotgun using foster slugs. I needed more range. I decided to get a 7 Mag so I could hunt anything up to moose 500 yards away if I needed to. That was great, but it kicked too much for recreational shooting and the ammo was too expensive. Next, I got a 243 for long range and 357 lever for short range. I felt that the 243 wasn't really heavy enough to effectively take down a deer if I made a less than perfect shot. Also, once while hunting with the 357, I came up on a field that had deer feeding about 300 yards away. Done. Next, I got the 308 so I could have some good ballistics and get some cheaper ammo to plink with. The cheap ammo would hit high and right about 16" and group about 8". I don't even buy the cheap stuff anymore. What is the point of shooting it if you can't hit anything?
My new philosophy on deer cartridge would be:
Get a standard caliber with a 130-180 grain bullet that is readily available for $14-$20. Calibers include 270, 308, 30-06. Don't plan on shooting elk at 700 yards, because you won't. If you do go elk hunting, your rifle will do fine, or it will give you an excuse to buy an extra gun. About 90% of the deer I shoot are under 100 yards.