Though I don't think I should be considered a 'successful' hunter, due to my laziness and track record (40-50% tag fill rate, maybe), I have been edging toward the 'simple' lately.
I recently 'finished' a Marlin 444 build intended primarily for elk. I skipped the scope and went for good iron sights.
Some other upcoming projects, with one exception (another .270), are also all currently slated to be iron-sighted. And most are either "ancient" technology like lever guns, or are actually black powder arms.
There are times, I'm sure, when I'll find myself looking at an elk at 400 yards, wishing I had a scoped 'long range' rifle in my hands, instead of the 444 or a black powder rifle only good for 100 yards. But I've passed on dozens of shots in the past. "Losing" a few more won't be the end of the world.
I've also been veering from mainstream in another way, the last few years: Big, heavy, and slow.
Rather than buying into the continuing magnum craze, or even just keeping up with current developments for 'standard' offerings like .30-06 and .270 Win, most of my attention in the last few years has been put toward big bullets at low velocity. Nearly everything has been .44 caliber, or larger, except for the .35 Whelen - though it's still above the typical threshold for the average shooter. And nearly everything is launching 275-400 gr bullets at velocities of just 1,500-2,300 fps (again, the .35 Whelen is an exception).