24" or 26" Barrel for Hunting

[NRE]

Guys,
I'm planning on adding a 30-06 barrel for my Encore and will be using the rifle mainly deer hunting.  I'm leaning toward a 26" bbl; however the extra weight may be a pain when I'm in the field.  What do most people use for hunting, 24" or 26" bbl? Any advantage for accuracy if you go with the 26" bbl'?
Input will be appreciated.
Thanks,
NRE
 

[Keith L]

You won't notice the difference in weight either way.

[persistentprogrammer]

Hi, I would personally go for the shortest barrel you can get, 22" being ideal for most hunting situations.  I have a 26" and a 23", the 26" is more of a target gun and I had the 23" built just for hunting.

I feel a few things should be taken into consideration:
1) Difference in weight -> not likely noticeable with just a couple of inches
2) Length -> most likely your biggest issue, with branches, brush, and that added leverage will act like added weight
3) Muzzle flash -> if your using slow burning powders in a short barrel, then you'll have some flash which will mess with your eyes when shooting at low light
4) Accuracy -> not likely to see any differences
5) Speed -> not worth worrying about in my opinion