Hunted in MN with slugs for 20yrs and taken 20+ deer, and have seen a ton more shot between the 8-10 guys in our party. Couple observations for you based on what I've seen. Semi-autos aren't that reliable too many things to go wrong, go with a pump or bolt. I use a cheap Mossberg 500 with smoothbore and open sights shooting the cheap Winchester super x slugs in 2 3/4" I read a test somewhere a long time ago that they were more accurate than any of the more expensive ones which I was using, switched and have stuck with them. I can hit a paper plate at 100yds everytime standing leaning against a tree and more often then not inside 4-5" My best friend uses an 870 could shoot just as good with the 3" rem slugs, but his stand overlooks an open field so he went with a new rifled barrel, sabots, and a scope last year. can hit 4" at 200 yds with a rest, and dropped one in it's tracks last year at 180. A lot of the older guys are shooting 20ga because of the recoil and they seem to be just as accurate if not flatter shooting. If I switch it up next year I would go with a 20 ga with a quality red dot that shows your point of impact at all angles (can't remember the term for that), smooth bore with a slug that groups less then 5" at 100yds propped against a tree. Anything more then that's overkill for me. I've also shot 3 in ND with it before I bought a rifle, from 60-90ish yards I've found it's fairly easy to get within 80-90yds if you take your time, which is all the closer I need to be with it.