Please don't read anything into me asking this, but... why hunt at all then? "So why would you hunt DG with a caliber that you cannot use to stop it if it charges?" We all have things that appeal to us as challenges. And I guess in my mind, everything carries a level of risk. Even a very, very large stopping caliber doesn't absolutely guarantee it'll end things well, if things go bad. For example, I feel very good about my 12 gauge with slugs against brown bears, if things go sideways while camping or hunting. But I also acknowledge it's not ironclad. The only way to make a bear situation ironclad is to stay home and not go. I plan to bear hunt with a bow next month. I will have a sidearm for "just in case". I feel at peace about my chances for success (hunting, having fun, not getting eaten by a bear, maybe killing a bear), and that the level of risk is acceptable, or I wouldn't go. We've all got to decide what that acceptable level is for ourselves. You likely have things in your life you do based on a decision of acceptable risk that I might not do. Also, I get what you might be thinking about it could involve other people (PH, tracker) and that is something else to consider. At the end of the day, for myself with my .45-70 (as opposed to the OP with his .444), I had frank discussions with my PH ahead of hunting, and he was comfortable with and OK'd me using the rifle and ammunition I did. I gave it a LOT of thought, consideration, and planning before deciding to go the route I did, and I didn't go into it willy-nilly.
I do very much value perspectives like yours. When I research something I haven't done and I'm considering doing, I try to find a full spectrum of experiences to consider. There's no sense in looking for "yes" answers and not considering all viewpoints, IMHO.
