Art and I noted this years ago - a deer in South Carolina may be 130 lbs, one in the Texas Hill Country may be 90 lbs and one in NY State may be 250 lbs. So - it depends. And that's just white tails.
If I was going to pop a big one, I'd go for a head shot and practice, practice, practice. If my deer are on the smaller side, I think the advice about a clear heart/lung shot and only trying to break a shoulder on the way out is good advice.
FWIW, South Carolina has the "centerfire" rule too - so a .25 ACP rifle would be legal as well.