I recently boughta Weaver V3 for around $150. You can get a fixed for less. You can get larger objective (e.g. 38 mm) for just a little more than your budget.

I'm very happy with this scope compared to my Leupold VII and some others I compared it to. Clarity, brightness and overall appearance and operation are excellent for the price. Is it a Leupold? No, but it cost half and is nearly as good to my eye.

All this is not to toot Weaver's horn - there are other options at that price point. I chose Weaver because of the size and availability. Justpick your price point and go to a couple of stores and try a few fixed (e.g. 4x) and variable scopes in that price range... and pick the one that seems best to you. It will most likely serve you very well. It wont' be a Zeiss or such, If you compare side by side with the more expensive scopes you will undoubtedly see a real difference. But a good qualkty $150 scope will be a good value for the money, will last many, many years of tough use,and probably more than good enough for your hunting.