Personally, I can't take the vicious recoil of a 12 gauge slug gun. So I hunt "shotgun only" zones with a modern in-line muzzle loader which is legal within Pennsylvania.
223 can get the job done under ideal circumstances. But how often does that occur?
Photo is from a private fenced hunting preserve. I was invited to their open house couple years back. I didn't book a hunt but had a great time looking at their amazing deer.
Jack