I would start with the 12ga too. Any pump gun is the best bet. Simple to use. Shells are easy to find and small game loads are cheap. Nontoxic shot is required for waterfowl and in some areas up north for all game. Check the regs. Both small game and waterfowl regs. As for brands, all the common makers, Remington, Winchester, Savage, Mosssberg, have good guns cheap. I have two Mossbergs and would not be without them. One is a Model 500, the other is a Model 535. The 535 is a 3 and half inch model. Many police agencies use the winchesters and mossbergs for their cops. You can also start out with single shot guns. Walmart, Big 5 and most gun stores carry these. Prices for singles range 50-200 bucks. Pumps start at 200 and go up from there. Sometimes you can find a few cheaper. Walmart can special order a Mavrick, which is a mossberg copy for about 160 I think. Loads for birds depend on the brid. A size six will cover most everything from rabbits to pheasants. Nontoxic loads in 2-6 will cover small ducks. Use larger non toxic for geese. You can even use the sugs and buckshot for deer. A 12ga 1 ounce slug puts a huge hole in a deer and knocks them down real fast. As for areas, I don't know many area up north. Down south the river valleys are good bets for duck etc. Fort Lewis is good for ducks and small game. There are also some pheasant release sites on the Ft.
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