there is extra joy for some folks like me to kill deer with a rifle i bedded myself and otherwise tweaked, with ammo i loaded myself. the deer ain't no deader. like 3% wrote, the off season is long, and if you're any kind of a rifle nut and handloader, there is much experimentation and prep to keep yourself occupied. i'm old now, and past the hand loading stage, but i still do a bit of messing around with rifles. i've gone from shooting a couple thousand rounds of centerfire a year, to sighting in for deer season. it's all fun, some funner than other things ...