Is a 55-200mm good for distance photograghy?

It would be on either a cannon t5 or a nikon d3200 btw

i would use to get pictures of deer, elk, cattle, etc

If you mean putting a distance between you and the deer, yes but not much. The deer will see you and there will be a lot of foreground in the picture. To be realistic, you need at least 300mm but still you will have lots of foreground. For better results, get 500mm or more.

I would use a 70-300 mm VR lens on my camera if I was downwind and in a blind.

When I was shooting for an animal theme park, I used a huge 400 mm f/2.8 and was able to get great shots without scaring the animals when shooting in the wild. In the wild, most animals graze and water at dawn or dusk, so a fast lens is important AND a good sturdy tripod

Just so you know, a cannon shoots cannon balls