It would be a toss up to determine which has taken more deer, the old lever action 30-30, or a bolt 30-06. Then there has been a lot of 30-30s other than the lever produced that are responsible for lots of meat in the locker. I have used the 30-30 with some degree of success, but according to something I once read, there have been more deer shot and LOST wiith the 30-30 than any other cartridge, but that article was written long before the .222, .223, 22-250s hit the market. In the hands of a responsible hunter the 30-30 will do the job, but lets face it, too many of todays hunters have been watching too much TV, and try to take the gun (cartridge) beyond it's limit.
Oh, and by the way, the 30-30 in my super 14 contender is one of my favorite deer guns. I keep the shots to below 75 yards, shoot at nothing moving, and don't try to shoot through the forest to hit a deer.