Originally Posted By: dougwalkabout
Originally Posted By: bacpacjac
OK, more on purpose: Squirrel, rabbit, duck, pheasant and turkey are all options for us. Possibly deer somewhere down the road.


Best to look up your province's fish-and-game regs for each of these species.

Squirrel and snowshoe hare are probably for the taking at any time, and a .22 is the tool.

Duck, pheasant, and turkey are probably seasonal, and (my best guess) a scattergun is required. Steel shot over water, which ups the cost.

Deer is also seasonal, but there can be many seasons. In some places up here, there is a much wider season for bow and shotgun hunting for whitetail, especially in the zone immediately outside the suburbs; they are so successful that the only other option is for people to thin the herd using their bumpers/windshields.


Doug has pretty much hit the nail on the head. Bigger the game, the bigger the gun needed. You might want to narrow the "purpose" a bit to something like "survival hunting" or "recreational hunting" or even both. Although there may be some debate, here in the east, most folks tend to look at the .22 as a near ideal "survival hunting" rifle. This still is a good starter rifle to learn and master before you invest in a larger weapon. Here in Maryland, deer are mostly taken with shotgun (12 ga) and Bow -- rifles are getting more an more rare for deer because of the range of the rounds and the proximity to "civilization", thus creating fewer area where rifle are permitted, so the advice to know what is permissible in your area is key.

Bottom line, IMO, the best is to start small and inexpensive, i.e. a .22.
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