[Allegra]

PING for those who can give some real good advice here...

[TexasCowboy]

"PING for those who can give some real good advice here..."

To shoot anything, anywhere, anytime and through any obstruction!

[TexasCowboy]

I'm jist a-joshin' you, dogbyte.
Unless you're hunting terrorists, you don't need a .50 caliber.

It really depends on what part of Louisiana you intend to hunt.
In North Louisiana you'll have shots in the piney woods through some brush, but it's not as thick as it is in the marshes of South Louisiana.
I've hunted both places. I used a 30.06 in North Louisiana with a 4X12 scope for the shots between the trees, and I used a 12 gauge with double "0" buckshot for the marshes of South Louisiana.

For anyone who hasn't been carrying a rifle since they could pick one up, I personally wouldn't recommend a .22 rifle for anything bigger than a beer can.
There's been more game wounded and lost with a .22 than with any other gun.