I haven't been burned by used glass either. Check 24 hour campfire, eBay and CL to find treasures. Leupold in 3.5-10 or fixed 6x42's with a duplex reticle in Talley L/W rings atop a Remington 700 would serve well for cloven hoof pursuits....

There are many options to putting meat in the freezer. That said, I like the slipperier BC's and flatter trajectories of the pills smaller than .308. A SAAMI .280, 7-08, .270, .260, .25-06 or even .243 would serve as intended.

For shitz & grins, look at factory ammo ballistic tables (bullet B/C and muzzle velocity) and then play with this.

Compare bullet B/C's and 100, 200 & 250 yard zeroes. Optics are about 1.5" above the bore centerline for POA/POI intersections. You might learn a thing or three....

Happy hunting!