You nailed it with the Leupold 3-9x40. It is under $300 and nothing beats their clarity and reliability for deer distances. It's the standard for holding zero without fail in the fieldHands down a Leupold 3-9. I've been through all sorts of other scopes and sold tons of others and for the price, quality, clarity the Leupolds are tough to beat.
Additionally the gold rings are made in the US.