Thread: 223 on deer

I've recently returned from a four-day excursion in the Kaimanawa Forest hunting the elusive Sika. That was my fourth foray on conservation estate land, and, like the others, my hiking high and low was fruitless, not only in terms of not shooting a deer, but in not even sighting one! I did, however, hear one whistle, which I suppose means I was close to encountering the beast. Anyway, that's not why I'm adding to this already generous 223 thread. I'm relatively new to hunting (shot my first fallow five years ago on private land with a Shultz & Larsen 223 and several others since with the same rifle), and allowed myself to be persuaded that such a calibre was unsuitable for the type of bush hunting we were going to engage with. So, I took my newly-acquired second-hand Mauser M12 chambered in 6.5x55. It's a heavier rifle and I did wonder whether that calibre's ability to be less subject to deflection was worth the physical effort. Another consideration, I was also informed that any Sika I might hit with that calibre would not move as far away as one shot with my trusty 64gr Winchester Deer Season. Anyway, my question: who would take the 6.5x55 over the 223 when hunting Sika in that environment and why?