I used to hunt in the Sierras, zones D-4, 5, and 6, and over in the X zones near Portola and to the Nevada border. My basic rifle is a Savage 111 in 30-06, and it has never let me down. I have also hunted with a couple of my old Winchester lever guns, a Garand, and a Browning High-Wall .45-70. Some years I filled, and some were skunkers; but good years, none the less. But, I also will not take a shot that is more than about 200 yards over reasonably mild terrain; too lazy and broken. In my youth, I was much more daring. Some of the gents I used to hunt with had 7's and 30 cal mags, and they were good pieces, and flat shooting compared to my '06, but in the D zones, I never saw a reasonable shot over a couple hundred yards. One time, one of the guys took a nice buck with his 7mm Mag across the river, and about a quarter mile up the other slope, a solid 350 - 400 yards; dropped it where it stood. He said he had hoped it would tumble to the bottom; took him and the other "kid" in the camp several hours to fetch it all back. Out in the x zones, a longer range, flatter and faster cartridge will have more benefit. There was a gent that I saw every year I was in D-5 who filled his tag every time, and he used a Winchester model 94 in .30-30. He walked those woods like a ghost, was quiet spoken and unassuming, a true mountain man; so it all sort of depends on many factors. Good luck in your hunts.