When I'm hunting where shots will be about 600 or so yards or less, I like a fully outfitted rifle to weight about 8 lbs. I personally consider a fully outfitted 8lb rifle to be very light weight.
For a long range hunting rifle where I'll reach out to my maximum capability, I like the rifle to weigh 9-9.5 lbs. It's not that I don't want to pack a heavier rifle, it's that any heavier and it becomes very cumbersome to stalk through the forests efficiently. As I go lighter than about 9 lbs, long shots become too challenging. If I were stretching the weight I could go up to 10 lbs and still hunt comfortably, but I have proven to myself that 9.5 is all I need to accurately shoot long range.
From a balance point of view regardless of total weight, I like my hunting rifles to have ultralight stocks and relatively light scopes so the majority of the weight is in the barrel. This does considerably stabilize offhand shots that you take in the forests.
I should add that my 8 lb rifle just collects dust... everywhere I hunt has shot opportunities that far exceed my capability.