New Hunter - Maryland

[Other.]

So I want to pick up hunting. Looks like fun and I also really want the meat.

No one in my family hunts and I tried searching and it just all looks like gibberish to me. I need to be spoon fed

Now that being said I'm a college student living with my folks. My mom is the biggest anti-gun nut in the world all though I could probably manage to get buy with a high powered pellet gun which only leads me to hunting squirrel.

So what kind of pellet gun would I need to kill a squirrel and what do I do about licensing? What else in Maryland can I kill & eat with a pellet gun?

p.s. Deer hunting with a bow is an other option.

[Bluebasser86]

I'm sure you will need to buy a regular hunting permit for your state, even to shoot squirrels. If you don't have a hunters education permit you may have to do that also.

I would say do some research on pellet guns and decide which one you like best and has good qualities and reviews. I would for sure look for one with a decent scope so you can make head shots. Part of your main responsibilites as a hunter is to make sure you are efficient enough and your gun is powerful enough for a quick and clean kill. You don't want to go buy a cheap gun that takes several shots to kill a squirrel and makes it suffer. I'm an avid hunter and I practice a lot because I feel if I'm going to take an animals life I owe it as quick and painless end as I can. So make sure you sight your pellet gun in well and get comfortable with it. I don't know what rules your state has but we aren't allowed to shoot anything but small game (squirrels and rabbits) with a pellet gun. You can probably put down a rabbit with a pellet gun but I don't know if I'd try.

Bowhunting deer is a blast but it's also expensive and very time consuming. I would suggest a couple things before you decide to get into it. First, get that pellet gun and shoot some squirrels. Some people find out they are not nearly as ok with killing an animal once they have done it. Second, find someone with a bow or a bow dealer that lets you test some bows, you may decide you don't like shooting a bow at all. If you get into deer hunting with a bow I'm pretty confident you will enjoy it.

[SDoolittle]

If you don't have a hunters education permit you may have to do that also.

You need to do this even if it's not required by law in your state.

[Raider Nation Fisher]

I recommend a 17hmr. Dang bullet is smaller than a .22 just tell your mom its a pellet gun and don't let her see the rounds. That thing will kill any and all small furry forrest creatures, and it does it very efficiently.